text:
Prestigio MultiPhone 5430 and nonexistant boot/recovery partitions
I've got the Prestigio MultiPhone 5430. It's built on Intel Medfield platform. The phone isn't popular as it was released about 6-7 months ago.
Because (as far as I know) nobody before me has tried to hack into it, I'm seriously interested in getting this model's recovery and bootloader partition to have any modding start-point. I've already searched for any clues in init.xxxx.rc, xxxx.fstab and in /proc partition, however that research yielded nothing.
What I already know is:

The DROIDBOOT is locked and doesn't accept any fastboot commands besides some basic info commands like version and one oem erase. I'm trying to guess possible commands.
I'm not sure about the partition layout, devices are identified like mmcblkX and mmcblkXpY where X is device number and Y is partition number.
The recovery seems like it's a really limited CWM recovery; allows only to install updates from ZIP and reboot, but does not allow backing up whole filesystem.
Another way to flash bootloader is to use Intel SoC Manufacturing Tool and Medfield board drivers I got from Intel support (they actually responded and even provided some useful usage info), but then, I would have to get a bulk-upgrade file, like .KDZ for LG.

The partition layout in FSTAB file is:
/reserved hidden /dev/block/mmcblk0_none none size_hint=164
/panic    raw    /dev/block/mmcblk0p1    none size_hint=8
/factory  ext4   /dev/block/mmcblk0p2    none size_hint=32
/config   ext4   /dev/block/mmcblk0p3    none size_hint=16  ro
[then nothing helpful: media - mmcblk0p5, cache - mmcblk0p6]
/logs     ext4   /dev/block/mmcblk0p7    none size_hint=16  ro
[and then nothing really interesting, down to mmcblk0p9, then sdcard begins]

It's interesting that mmcblk0_none doesn't exist in /dev/block, at least at runtime. Another interesting fact is that some parts of init.rc were copied straight from Acer Liquid C1, as far as I can deduce from comment left-overs.
Is it possible the system is hiding some partitions from me? If so, how can I reveal them? Can I get service documentation for this Prestigio model anywhere? Has anyone done any research on this before?
I'd really appreciate pointing me into the correct direction, because I'm in dead-end of this research for about a week already.
Oh, and I already tried asking Prestigio support. They didn't answer (such a surprise!).

While I am not nearly as well up as you, I haven't seen any replies and this might be of interest - if not to you then to others looking for info on Prestigios.
I have a Prestigio PAP 4500 Duo which bricked itself spontaneously on New Year's Eve, sleeping the sleep of death. It's under guarantee so all I was looking for was a possible reboot mechanism. I happened upon this menu which seems to offer lots more than you described. Now I couldn't navigate the menu, but that may be because of a fault, but the menu is there to be accessed.
Thanks for your info and hope this adds a little,
MJF

 (Click in the image for larger picture)

Thanks for your answer, well, my recovery offers only installing .zip packages from SD card. The strange thing is, my PAP5430 has bricked itself 3 days ago after unexpected system reboot.


text:
Can I Recover Email Address That Have Been Signed Into On My Galaxy Phone??
When I factory reset my phone, it had signed me out of my Gmail account that I had created and used for my Google Play Store. And now I cannot remember what the exact email address was.
It has my SMS backup and restore on it and all of my pictures and contacts and important info. Is there a way to find out what the email address was??

All account data on the phone is lost after a factory reset. Perhaps you can use a different way to find that email address, however.

Did you ever send email from that account to one of your other email
accounts? What about to a friend or family member? See if you can find one
of those old messages.
Did you ever log into a Google service using that account on a PC/Mac
browser? If so, maybe you can find it in your browsing history or
saved passwords.
Did you link that Google account with any other online service? Did
you create a Google+ account with that address? You might have if you
ever wrote a review of an app in the Google Play store. Try and find your Google+ profile.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How do I delete a calendar/swipe lock-screen that appeared after Android 4.3 update?
Recently, an Android 4.3 update appears to have created a strange and unwanted calendar/swipe lock-screen on my Galaxy S III which is pictured here.
The calendar provides an inaccurate date with a visible calendar event, and the X... ...zZ has to be swiped before I can get to my regular unlock pattern.  I am unable to get rid of this screen which pops up irregularly and is really annoying. Any ideas? Thanks.

(click image for a larger version)

Try checking you calender app's setting for an ability to disable intrusive activities... If not why not simply get an alternate calendar app? There are plenty of great calendar apps with better features and simplistic designs!

That is the S-Planner notification, i.e. the Samsung version of Google Calendar. Do you have an entry in it for this to go off every day? Have you cleared the data/cache and logged back in? Alternatively you could disable S-Planner and just download the official Google one, or many alternatives from the play store.

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


text:
How do I get MMS working on Nexus 5 with Straight Talk?
I can't send or receive MMS messages via Straight Talk on my Nexus 5.  I've verified that my wife's iPhone works just fine with the same information, as well as verifying that MMS used to work on my Nexus 4 with the generic ST instructions.

I've already verified that I have the most recent SIM card from ST
I've already verified that using the standard ST info for the APN does not work.

APN Name: Straight Talk
APN: tfdata
Port: 80
MMSC: http://mms-tf.net
MMS Proxy: mms3.tracfone.com
MMS Port: 80

I waited for a billing cycle to pass in case it would just fix itself after a billing cycle.

I finally hit upon APN settings which did the trick for me.

APN Name: STRAIGHT_TALK
APN: tfdata
Port: 80
Username: not set
Password: not set
Server: not set
MMSC: http://mms-tf.net
MMS Proxy: 66.209.11.33
MMS Port: 80
MCC: 310
MNC: 410
Auth Type: none
APN Type: default,supl,mms,hipri,agps,fota,dun,entitle

If you have found the solution, please mark this answer as solution. Thanks.

I had problems with my Nexus 5 not sending MMS messages and it turned out the pictures were just to big. I downloaded an app called Go SMS Pro (it's free) and it automatically re-sizes it, and it fixed the issue.


text:
Nexus 5 not connecting to PC
I tried connecting it nexus 5 to my pc via USB. Although it shows as connected in my external devices and also shows up in My Computer, but when I try to open it and don't files to my phone, it just shows a plain, blank screen with the green placing had on top.

Did you unlock the screen? This also happened to me on my Nexus 4 when I didn't unlock the screen.

I did. But it's the same. Shows connected in my computer. But when I click the folder, it just keeps on loading and nothing show up except a blank screen/empty folder.

@Vj5891 check this vid > youtube.com/watch?v=t6dtNLJJF3o.
Also, I suggest you should download and install the Google USB Driver. http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html

Related: Android 5.0 Lollipop device not detected via USB

Enable USB debugging: Go to phone settings -> About -> Tap build number repeatedly until developer menu is enabled. Go there and tick USB debugging.
On your PC, go to your device manager (You can find it in Control Panel, System) when the Phone is plugged in and set to MTP.  Locate the phone, (it might come up as "Android Phone" if so open the tree a level. On my computer it says "Google Nexus ADB Interface" but it might be different on yours depending on how you've got things configured) right click on it and chose "properties" from the fly out menu.
Go to the Driver tab
Click Update Driver. . .
Click Browse my Computer for driver software
Click Let my pick from a list of devices on my computer
select USB Composite Device
Close the driver assistant

Your Nexus 5 should now appear as an MTP device on your computer.

Brilliant. For me it originally showed as "Acer ADB Interface". From the list of devices on my computer, I could choose "MTP USB Device". After this switch, I saw it appear as "Nexus 5" on the driver list, and it worked. This was on Windows 8.1.

I can confirm this also works for the Nexus 5X with Android 7.1 and Windows 7.

Connect your mobile,  slide down from the top of your mobile to find USB FOR CHARGING, select MTP.

Can you add info as to how to make MTP the default option (in your answer)?

I had similar problem at first. Try this:

Uninstall the driver (ADB Driver) manually from Device Manager.
Unplug the device.
Plug it so that windows automatically tries to find it.

Must work.

Unplug USB cable from your PC.
Go to 'Settings' > 'Storage'.
In options, click 'USB computer connection'
Now check on 'Camera (PTP)'
Connect your device to PC.
After connecting, if drivers are installed successfully, unplug device, switch back to MTP mode and connect to PC.

I've had a similar problem for some months after over a year of normal operation but with a Nexus 4 Android (now Lollipop) phone and an Acer laptop running Windows 7. The Nexus would not show up in Windows Explorer in MTP mode, only PTP mode. That is ok for moving photos over to my laptop but not for making a backup of Android files, or data such as an exported Contacts list. On revisiting this problem and finding this page I did the following:

Plug Nexus 4 into laptop (laptop acknowledges the connexion with its sound-effect)
Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers and click on Nexus
Select Hardware, which shows Acer ADB Interface -- this seems to be what was wrong
Go to Control Panel > Drivers, select Acer ADB Interface and delete it
Unplug Nexus 4 and plug it in again, Windows goes off to find a driver for it
Windows then installs a Nexus 4 driver, not the Acer ADB driver, and all is well.

Strangely, the Nexus driver has an earlier date and a lower version number than the Acer ADB driver had, suggesting it had somehow got upgraded. Perhaps I needed the Acer ADB driver for something, but I'll worry about that when I find out what.

Sometimes the driver update alone does not work. For me, I also had to use a better USB cable. The cheap ones you can buy online are a lower quality. If I use the one that came with the phone, it doesn't do that disconnecting thing the whole time.


text:
Cross-device game saves
My father loves the game Hay Day. I'm not exactly sure why but that isn't important.
He is on a Motorola Droid Ultra and the Ellipsis 7 tablet he recently got for free at Verizon for upgrading. Both running some version or another of Jelly Bean.
He doesn't want to transfer the data from his phone to his tablet, he wants to sync the games. He won't be playing them both at the same time. But I was just wondering, if that is a possibility.
Summing up, I guess I'm asking, if we can backup and download save data seamlessly. I'm not a programmer but I'm absolutely not a newbie.

Cross device save as explained by Boggartfly, is to be enabled by the game developer to use Google Play Services.
However, if the game does not support the feature, you can always sync the game's data saved in /data folder of Android across the devices. Unfortunately, that tends to be a root-only option, since reading/writing from/to /data folder requires root access.
If you are willing to root your device, DataSync allows syncing of data across devices over WiFi/Bluetooth/Google Drive/DropBox/NFC. It is easy to use once you have understood the mechanics of it.
This applies to all the applications on your devices not just to games.

There's a caveat about doing it this way with root: since you're going behind the game's back to do it, it may break the game completely. It might rely on data unique to the device (for example, for an anti-piracy measure), and replacing it with another device's data would stop the game working in that case.

@DanHulme, that is true. As of now, I have not encountered any problems, but I don't play much. It is a very realistic possibility. It is important to take a backup before messing with game data with Titanium Backup or any other backup solutions.

I'm not entirely sure about that, but I think you can do the same if only the game supports it. The game has to make use of Google Play Services to do the same. Look for it in the game options. I'm a programmer so I know a bit. :)


text:
Tasker (switch off mobile data automatically) causing trouble under CyanogenMod
I used to use this Tasker profile for nearly a year now already and it used to work fine, until I recently switched from the Samsung default UI TouchWiz to CyanogenMod on my Galaxy Note.
The Task triggered by the profile (which I'll post further below) looks like the following:
<TaskerData sr="" dvi="1" tv="4.2u3m">
    <Task sr="task15">
        <cdate>1390655578675</cdate>
        <edate>1391243001675</edate>
        <id>15</id>
        <nme>mobile data [off]</nme>
        <Action sr="act0" ve="3">
            30
            <Int sr="arg0" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg1" val="11"/>
            <Int sr="arg2" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg3" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg4" val="0"/>
        </Action>
        <Action sr="act1" ve="3">
            37
            <lhs>%SCREEN</lhs>
            <op>1</op>
            <rhs>off</rhs>
        </Action>
        <Action sr="act2" ve="3">
            433
            <Int sr="arg0" val="0"/>
        </Action>
    </Task>
</TaskerData>

And this is the profile which triggers the above task:
<TaskerData sr="" dvi="1" tv="4.2u3m">
    <Profile sr="prof16" ve="2">
        <cdate>1390655626259</cdate>
        <clp>true</clp>
        <edate>1391189579981</edate>
        <id>16</id>
        <limit>true</limit>
        <mid0>15</mid0>
        <nme>auto mobile data [off]</nme>
        <State sr="con0">
            123
            <Int sr="arg0" val="0"/>
        </State>
        <State sr="con1">
            110
            <Int sr="arg0" val="1"/>
            <Int sr="arg1" val="1"/>
            <Int sr="arg2" val="1"/>
            <Int sr="arg3" val="1"/>
        </State>
    </Profile>
    <Task sr="task15">
        <cdate>1390655578675</cdate>
        <edate>1391170165892</edate>
        <id>15</id>
        <nme>mobile data [off]</nme>
        <Action sr="act0" ve="3">
            30
            <Int sr="arg0" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg1" val="11"/>
            <Int sr="arg2" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg3" val="0"/>
            <Int sr="arg4" val="0"/>
        </Action>
        <Action sr="act1" ve="3">
            37
            <lhs>%SCREEN</lhs>
            <op>1</op>
            <rhs>off</rhs>
        </Action>
        <Action sr="act2" ve="3">
            433
            <Int sr="arg0" val="0"/>
        </Action>
    </Task>
</TaskerData>

What the profile should do is switching the mobile data connection if it's turned on-off 11 seconds after the display turned black. Seems not too tricky.
But running CyanogenMod, it doesn't work anymore; what now happens is: after I booted my smartphone, everything works like a charm (connection via mobile data is stable and accessible immediately after you turn it on). But after the first time you switch off the screen (that's when Tasker kicks in), nothing works anymore. The mobile data is switched off, yes - or at least, there's no connection anymore. But the system itself seems not to realize this properly as both, in the settings as well as in the notification bar, it's still displayed as "on". You can switch it off there too, but either way, there's no way to turn it back on (yes the switches still work, but they don't have any effect).
Description:
Profil: mobile data [off] (16)
    Status: Displaystatus [ Ist:Aus ]
    Status: Mobiles Netzwerk [ 2G:An 3G:An 3G - HSPA:An 4G:An ]
Eingang: mobile data [off] (15)
    A1: Warte [ MS:0 Sekunden:11 Minuten:0 Std.:0 Tage:0 ]
    A2: If [ %SCREEN ~ off ]
    A3: mobile data [ setzen:Aus ]

(Sorry, it came out in German since I use Tasker in German)

Which version of Cyanogen are you using? Are you using a stable, testing, or nightly version? Have you reported this problem to the Cyanogen developers?

I use stable, 10.1.3 which is Android 4.2.2. Haven't reported it to the CM-Team (yet)

Hmm, the XML descriptions are not as useful as they could be, due to the  tags. Could you replace them with the contents of Tasker's "Description to clipboard" export, please?

A few more thoughts: Does Tasker deactivate the profile when the screen turns back on? If you explicitly execute a Tasker task to enable mobile data, does it help? If you connect to WiFi, then disconnect again, does it help?

@TreborRude sorry, but how's that workin'? Couldn't find nothing about that in the helping-section.

About what, @user43961? Exporting task / profile descriptions? For that, long-press a task or profile, then tap the '...' button in the action bar. Select Export, then Description to Clipboard. Then edit your question, and replace the XML with the description that was exported. Or was it something from my other comment that you were asking about?

oh dear, I thought you referred to a function within this platform (like that there was a special way of posting code) ... I'll add it in a sec

What about my questions four comments up, @user43961?

Yes that seems to work in terms of the effect. But let's say mobile data is set to "on". If I now disable it via tasker, the CM-Interface still shows the mobile data to be swiched on... it just doesn't realize that it's already turned off.


text:
How to disable screen lock during Android development?
I am developing Android app with my daily phone, I want to turn off screen lock only during development.
I can do this manually, but that is too troublesome and sometimes I forget to enable it back after development.
Are there ways to do this automatically? i.e. turn off screen lock when connected to USB?

There are other ways too. My favorite is:
$ adb shell svc power stayon true

See here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/8840954/how-do-i-keep-my-screen-unlocked-during-usb-debugging

This command will keep the device on not only for USB but also for Wireless or AC adapter charging.

Yes. Go to Settings -> Developer options and turn on the Stay awake option.

So I faced this problem too and I got quite annoyed at having to go into settings and enable "stay awake" and then disable it when I'm done. Searching the Play Store for an app to do it autonomously, and tried a few that claimed to work but didn't, so I made my own...
And the code is available open-source here: https://github.com/projectdelta6/ADB-Stay-Awake#adb-stay-awake

I created simple shell script for my macOS
File Name : cell-screen.sh
#!/bin/sh

echo '`cell-screen on` to keep the screen on during usb debugging'
echo '`cell-screen off` to reset'

echo ''
echo 'your parameter - ' $1

if [[ "$1" = "on" ]]; then
    ~/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools/adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 2
elif [[ "$1" = "off" ]]; then
    ~/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools/adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 0
else
    echo '\n[****]Bad Input.'
fi

echo '\nEnd'

Steps:

I saved the script to the default use location - /Users/[your username]
Given executable access to the file - chmod +x ~/cell-screen.sh
Whenever I start my development tasks, I just execute the shell script in terminal - ~/cell-screen.sh on
After I complete my development work, I simply execute - ~/cell-screen.sh off

For Windows Users:
Change the shell script for the adb location - %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\sdk\platform-tools\adb

authors: อนุชา เหมือนงิ้ว

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


text:
bricked verizon lg g2 vs980
i have a rooted lg g2 vs980 and it accidentally installed a software update and now i get some kind of security boot error, it flashes to fast for me to read exactly what it says, but after the lg logo it only goes to black screen. I think it is bricked. I have tried hard reset but this does not work i also cannot enter recovery or download mode.

It isn't bricked totally.
Security Error occurs when you have stock, locked bootloader and modified core Android system files and/or recovery/x-boot/u-boot partitions.
Locked bootloader checks for signatures of some files and these partitions. The best approach would be to take LG Flash Tool, get original KDZ for your LG, extract recovery.img, u-boot.img, x-boot.img and boot.img partitions and flash them with fastboot.
Try experimenting with VOL-UP/DOWN keys to get to fastboot.
You will probably want to use this command:
fastboot flash <partition> <file>
You need:

LG Flash Tool and KDZ extractor
KDZ file for your model (search XDA-dev for it)

Good luck!

i will try that thank you so so so so so much


text:
Nexus 5 won't connect to PC
I have a Nexus 5. It is fairly new - I bought it about 2 weeks ago.
I have previously plugged it into my Windows 7 PC and been able to access the files on it.
However, today when I plugged it in, the PC couldn't find it. Some googling and investigation found that the device driver wasn't installed - and then it said that it didn't exist.
I have downloaded the Google USB Driver from the official site. But when I told it to update/install this driver, I was told the driver didn't exist.
The LG Driver installed, but the PC still doesn't "see" the phone to let me use it as a USB.
I don't want a complicated solution. I just want to be able to get my photos off my phone and onto my computer.

The LG driver installed, but the PC still doesn't "see" the phone to let me use it as a USB.

LG driver found here: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/nexus-5-driver-adb-fastboot-installation-guide/

Check this link. This solved my issue :)

Option 1:

Go to device manager in Windows and delete anything having to do with your phone (LG, Google, Android etc)
Plug in your phone, the drivers should install automatically

Option 2:
Download Airdroid on your phone....you can transfer files over WiFi

Device Manager doesn't show ANY phone-related drivers - I can't see anything called LG, Google or Android, despite knowing some of these MUST be installed. I suspect this may be part of the problem.

Went with the Airdroid option. Thank you, it let me get the photos I was after.

My Nexus 5 was under "Other Devices". I right clicked on it, hit "Uninstall" and then reconnected my phone and it detected it.

My Nexus 5 was listed as "Asus Device" in its own category.

To me it was listed as "Acer Device" in its own category. [Windows 8].

The solution given in the below link helped me to resolve the issue http://stackoverflow.com/a/25417236/185758
If the problem persists, right-click the ACER ADB Interface and select 'Update driver...', then 'Browse my computer...' then 'Let me pick from a list...' and you should see two options for the Nexus, Google Nexus ADB Interface and another called MTP USB Device. Choose MTP and hit 'Next' to install the driver, then it should show up as a portable device on your computer.

go to settings
then storage
click the 3 dots in the top right hand corner
click USB computer connection
choose one of the 2 options

I'm not sure why this was downvoted.  The accepted answer didn't work for me, but this answer worked great!

Agreed. The accepted answer did not work for me either, and furthermore, I would never advise someone to delete drivers that they can't even properly identify... all I had to do was swap from Media Device to Camera, and back again, though I suspect disabling Media Device and re-enabling it would have worked just as well. Then again, the OP only wanted to xfer files, so I guess the Airdroid solution was enough for s/he.


text:
How to change equalizer presets with Tasker?
I am not using a third party application downloaded on the Play Store, but the Sound enhancement menu that comes pre-installed on some devices (can be found on Settings -> Equalizer on Play Music for example).
What I want is a pop up menu where I can choose one of two equalizer presets when plugging in my headphones or earphones. I know how to do the event and menu parts, but can't find something relevant for the presets.

If you use Apex or Nova launcher: they've an integrated "activity browser". Just long-press on an empty place of your homescreen, select to add an activity.

Activity selector in Apex Launcher (click image for full size variant)
Browse to the sound app, and see what activities it offers. As those "preset selectors" must be available as "screen" to interact with the user, they should have declared an activity; with some luck they did so "publically", and then its listed here.
As you can see in above screenshot, there's not only the "descriptive name" displayed, but along with it the package name (if it's the app entry, as the first one in the screenshot: "LocMgrPD" = "com.android.logmgrpd") or the activity to call if it's an activity (second and third entries, e.g.).
Once you found the matching activity, you can use that to call it from Tasker.

I've found three activities, but they don't launch. Two spams No packages identifier for ressource[...] in the logs, the third redirect to one of the other two...

Sh*t. I know some activities expect parameters (and thus cannot be launched that way). But I don't remember a case like yours. Can you browse the Manifest of the app in question? You should have found the package name by now at least ;) When in doubt: there are several "manifest readers" on Play, see e.g. ManifestViewer. I'm not a dev, so I don't know whether parameters are mentioned there.


text:
How can I get a good route for many way-points?
I need an app that can search for me all the various places for different keywords like "beauty salon" and "web design" (the keywords are chosen by the user) in a specific region (e.g. my city) and then give me an optimum route for the "beauty salon" ∪ "web design" places in function of accessibility (the app has to know the public transport routes).
Is there any app that can do this for Android? It would spare me from making a lot of calculations. There are around 700 places in my city. Imagine doing an optimum route for all of them. If there isn't, then I got you a very good idea, for a possibly viral app.
I can't start making such an app, because I don't have time. I have to sell. That's it. So, there must be another solution. Did someone got into the same situation as mine?
PS: It's not like I don't know HOW to do it, it's the fact that I don't have time.
Programmatically you can do it by following a backtracking model. For every optimum route calculated, the app shall send the data to a server so the next time you won't be obliged to recalculate. For the server, you'll use a a search engine, so everyone can access a previous route. Afterwards, you can gradually implement stop lights, traffic. Gradually because you don't want to overstress the CPU at first.

The problem you describe is known as the "Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP)" in computer science. Unluckily for you, this problem is NP-hard, which basically means that there is no algorithm known to solve it without trying all possible solutions and since the solutions space get's exponential bigger with every place you add, there are many solutions. To sum app: Even if there is an app that would calculate a route it either wouldn't be the optimal route or it would take extremely long to calculate it.

If you edit your question so that it has a meaningful title and doesn't ask for an app, but instead describes the problem you trying to solve (e.g. "How can I get a good route for many waypoints?"), then this question will be eligible for re-opening.

Is it good now? By the way, there is always a compromise between quality and speed.

Huh, I just had a good thought: what if you use neural networks? This can give a speed bump. But that's implementation, therefore I'm dreaming.

Foursquare and your phone's GPS might help you a bit.

Search for a venue type
Click the venue in the search results
Click the map of the venue
Open the map in an external app like Google Maps
Use Google Maps' Route feature to create a route from your position to the venue

I'm not sure if it's possible to create a route with public transportation. At least in the Philippines, there's no such option.


text:
locked out with wifi off
I have an Aakash android tablet. The tablet was locked by too many patten attempts. Now I have to give my google account to log in. But the WiFi is not turned on in the tab. So I cannot log in with Google account. There is no hard reset in this tab. Tryed to go to recovery mode my pressing volume and power on. It too didn't work. Now what can I do??

As you've already correctly used the locket-out tag, you could start checking its tag-wiki (always a good idea, as those often contain first-aid). You then will be pointed to our most complete collection of possible solutions to this issue: Cannot unlock tablet as have no internet connection?

Non of that answers provide a solution for my problem

Then you might wish to [edit] your question and write a) what you already tried and how that worked out, plus b) what other ideas you didn't try and why not. To give good answers, we need good background. And unless you can point out what makes your question different from that other one, it will probably be closed as duplicate.


text:
Root permission doesnt appears for me to accept
I rooted my Android (HTC Desire 2.2) permanently with z4root, and it was rooted successfully. Root checker confirmed that it has been rooted. I downloaded DATA2SD, when I opened it, superuser was installed and asked me to confirm/accept root permission for DATA2SD. It was working properly.
After a few days my phone was updated from 2.2 to 2.2.2 according to my system scheduled check for update online. After updating, I realized that DATA2SD wasn't working: it says "DATA2SD cannot work without root permission"; it never asked me to accept root permission anymore.
I then checked again with root checker and it said "No root" but when I try to root it says "Your phone is already rooted, do you want to root again?" root checker says its not rooted. SuperUser is still installed, but I don't see any root permission to accept.
Any help? What should I do? I want to unroot but can't unroot.

OTA often removes root access. Have you tried answering the question to "root again" with "yes"?

Yes I have.... it says "your phone is already rooted, do you want to root again'' and I answered ''yes"

And it just asks again, kind of circling? Ouch.

Yea... I tried rooting with universalandroot and it says your phone is already rooted, do you want to root again? I answered yes but it says failed.... when I try rooting again or unrooting with z4root, it loads for some while and z4root closes on itself, when this happens my phone becomes slow.....

use framaroot to unroot it you can install the apk and run,it will show option to root it or unroot it and you can check the unroot your phone will be back to normal as you got it from factory

Download SuperSU from play store and try again. Or re root your device using original method.

I already have superuser.... How do I root using original method?


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How to create link to app that does not appear in the apps menu?
I just purchased a Galaxy Note 3 and was surprised that the Voice Recorder app is not included on the screen with the rest of the apps. However, the Voice Recognition feature opens the Voice Recorder app when I say "Open voice recorder". Thus, obviously the app is installed. How can I the app to either the list of apps or even better yet, to one of the "home screens"?
Note that my device in not in English, so I'm not sure of the English names of all the windows. However, to open the app I do say in English "Open voice recorder" so I know that is the name of the app.
Previous Samsung devices, such as the S3, had this app on the screen with all the other apps.

Related: Create shortcut to system apk that doesn't have a shortcut

It turns out that on the Galaxy Note 3 that the Voice Recorder app is hidden away inside a folder called, simply, "Samsung". There is no visual distinction between a folder and between an app, so I had no reason to suspect that there was anything of value or interest to be had by clicking the icon named Samsung.

If your Launcher includes an "activity browser" (as e.g. Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher do), this is easy to achieve: Just long-press on an empty place of your homescreen, select to add an activity.

Activity selector in Apex Launcher (click image for full size variant)
Each app that provides activities (that is, basically, a screen to interact with the user), should be listed here together with all the activities (screens) it offers. Scroll the list until you find the app you want to add to your homescreen, then open the list containing its activities (in the screenshot, the arrows on the left border indicate whether the list is opened (up-arrow) or closed (down-arrow)).
If there's only one activity shown (screenshot-example: LocMgrPT), that's probably the one you need. Simply tap it, and the icon should appear on your homescreen. If, on the other hand, multiple entries are shown (as for LocMgrPD in the screenshot), you might need to try until you find the correct one. Often, the activity name helps you sorting out unlikely candidates.
If you've found your target, you'll have a corresponding shortcut on your homescreen. Other than a simple "app start icon", this is a "shortcut", i.e. you could even jump directly to a "sub-screen" of the app.
And there are even more uses for your findings: having the activity name, you could have that activity launched automatically using e.g. tasker, or call it from the command-line using a terminal app or adb.

If your launcher doesn't support adding Activities this way (just apps, widgets, and shortcuts), take a look at Activity Launcher to substitute for this feature. Additional highlight: it even allows you to chose an icon of your choice.

Thank you. I am referring to the default Android launcher. I long-click to add the application, however the Voice Recorder application is not in the list of applications that I can add.

The "default launcher" (wichever that is on what device) obviously doesn't offer to add "activities" (just apps, widgets, or shortcuts). You might wish to take a look at Activity Launcher then (updated my answer to include that hint).

Though this answer did not resolve the issue, I +1 as it taught me some other tips to know about the device. Thank you.

Glad to read it was of some assistance then at least! +1 for your own answer as well from me: Now that I read it, it's quite obvious – but I wouldn't have thought of it. Will certainly prove helpful to others!


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How to recover your google account contacts
I merged my contacts with Google. Later, I accidentally removed my Google account by removing it from contacts the options. There aren't any contacts visible to me now. Is there a way I can get my contacts back?

If you just hid your Google contacts, revert what you did. If you removed your Google account, add it again.

I did add it again. But that isn't hepling. Still no contacts visible. Please help!

You could try remove your account at the accounts and synchronisation panel in the settings and add it again so it will sync your full account.

Also check you haven't deleted them fully from source.  If you have then google instructions on restoring contacts.  Google backs them up on  restore points and this can be done for up to a month after deleting


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Possible Virus; Eratic Behavior on Galaxy Pocket Neo
Some time ago(a few months) I've bought a Galaxy Pocket Neo from a local internet store, which isn't really famous (actually everyone I asked knew nothing about it). It turned out to be a branch of mobileshop.eu, which was also unheard of by me or anyone I know. I'm saying this because I cannot be sure whether the OS itself was bought infected or with a backdoor or something like that.
After several weeks of using, I've noticed rapid battery drain overnight, from 70% to emptying(the phone was turned off when I woke up). Not sure whether it's important, but sometimes, when I turned it on again, I got report that battery is on 252% or similar numbers - I assumed wrong calibration. The weird part is, when my phone 'survived' the night (happened a few times), and I tried to use it in the morning, it felt like I was fighting with someone to control the phone, like someone was tapping on my screen - except no one was near me. I solved that problem once by turning it off (took me a couple of minutes, the other one was fast), and when I figured out I could just remove the battery I used that 'technique' (duh, mornings). Then I'd just turn it back on and it'd be normal, for the rest of the day. After a few days I've started turning off wi-fi&sync (mobile data was always off), and my battery only have lost a couple of percent. When I turn them back on in the morning, it's normal.
The thing that persisted is the silencing of the phone and/or putting it on vibration. I'm sure that didn't press the button accidentally or something, that can happen even when the phone is just sitting on the desk. From what I've noticed, the screen doesn't turn on, but I hear the vibration. Cannot tell whether that happens overnight, since my phone is usually on vibration/silenced during that period of the day. I've checked the app permissions, didn't notice anything weird (if you could instruct me for what to look, I'd be grateful). Only non-play app I've installed is the Youtube Downloader from github.
So, does anyone have any idea what I'm dealing with? I'm quite new smartphone and Android user, but I know my way around desktop PCs/Linux/Java/some C and experimenting with them, so any help is welcome. If it is a virus, what is the best way to remove it? From what I've read, the Android antiviruses aren't really effective (and if there are any that could help me, please list them), and custom ROMs should erase everything (I'm ready to take that step if needed), but are there any more options? Rooting the phone and uninstalling everything? If it's a bug or something I'm missing in settings, please notice me, preferably with instructions how to fix it.
Thanks.

Have you tried a factory reset?

Hey what phone are you using please mate. Also when you signed Into the phone did you use a backed up Google ID pulling in a previously restored Google account.

@jlehenbauer Actually, no I haven't. I've just assumed it's factory state is 'broken'. I'll try that tomorrow.

@user52538 samsung galaxy pocket neo(thanks izzy for edit!). And for the other, I'm not sure, I've just linked my existing google acc. Google frameworks seem to function normally.

Also, @jlehenbauer reading about factory reset, it'd only wipe /data, on which are apps I installed and at the time weird things started happening I had only pretty popular Play apps installed, which I'm still actively using. So I'm not sure whether it'd bring more good than harm.

Sounds like something wrong with the system. Maybe installing a stock or custom ROM could help?

That's what I thought, if no one else has any idea. Feel free to post your comments as an answer(no one has better, yet).


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TMobile Galaxy 3 adjusting between group & single text messaging
I want to send the same text to many individual people (only allowed 10 on G3).  I don't want this to go out as a group message where if they reply all the others see the comments.
Someone who has a Galaxy 3 from Verizon tells me he can see other's comments. I cannot choose individual or group on my phone like he can (he sent me a screenshot). I don't have Group Messaging in MMS in settings to disable.
I called TMobile. They said if I send out same text to various people, everyone can see the other's replies, unless they start a new message.
What app can I download or what can I do to send out a text to many recipients, but I only want them to reply to me, not everyone on the recipient list.


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How can I get ClockworkMod Recovery to properly use /sdcard on an encrypted Galaxy Nexus?
I have a Galaxy Nexus (toro) device. It's flashed with the latest touch ClockworkMod recovery image, along with a milestone snapshot of CyanogenMod 11.
Now, when I try to pick a zip file to flash from the SD card, ClockworkMod gives me an error that it can't mount /sdcard. The Galaxy Nexus has no internal SD card, so I assume that it can't mount properly because it's already there (there is an /sdcard directory, it's just stored on the internal flash memory and so can't be mounted). So far I've been using sideload to flash things, but it'd be nice if I could push files to the SD card. It's worth mentioning that I have data encryption turned on.
How can I tell ClockworkMod that /sdcard doesn't need to be mounted, because it's stored on the internal flash?
I have read this related question, but it appears to be about mounting problems due to the locked-down nature of most Samsung Galaxy devices. I have no such problem, having a Nexus device.

I think this is actually a bug in CWM related to device encryption, because /sdcard is essentially a virtual directory linked to /data/media, and you've encrypted the data partition. TWRP, if I'm remembering right, will prompt you to enter your password if it detects an encrypted partition so that it can read from it. CWM may not have implemented that, so it simply won't be able to read from your internal storage. Not positive, though, as I don't have my devices encrypted currently.

@eldarerathis all that sounds right, but IIRC this problem happened even before I turned on device encryption. I'll try flashing TWRP, though.

Don't know what would be the cause in that case, then. CWM should, in theory, be able to find your /sdcard partition regardless of whether it's on your internal storage or an external card (it works on my unencrypted N5 and N10, for example). I never really used CWM on my old toro, though - I used TWRP. Certainly possible that it's a bug in the toro build.

@eldarerathis looks like you were right. flashing TWRP fixed the problem. if you add an answer, I'll accept it

The important part looks to be this:

It's worth mentioning that I have data encryption turned on.

I don't believe ClockworkMod can handle encrypted devices as of yet, which is problematic for devices that lack true external storage support (e.g. SD cards). The reason it's a problem is that /sdcard on these devices is not a separate partition, it's a FUSE mount point for the /data/media directory. Therefore, when you boot into recovery, it can't access your internal /sdcard directory because it is encrypted.
TeamWin Recovery, as of version 2.2.0, does support decrypting your device when booting into recovery. They actually specifically noted the Galaxy Nexus in the release notes, possibly because they had to implement the decryption differently on non-AOSP devices (e.g. support for encrypted TouchWiz devices is listed in version 2.4.0.0):

What's new in version 2.2.0

Support decrypting an encrypted data partition on Galaxy Nexus (enter password using keyboard)

Realistically, the best bet if you want to encrypt your device would probably be to use TWRP instead of CWM. Otherwise you'll have to continue jumping through some hoops when trying to use your recovery. You can download TWRP from their website.

nit: are you sure it's a FUSE mount? it seems like it would more likely be a bind mount.

@strugee: On my N5, at least, it's FUSE. You have to do some bouncing around to resolve all the links, but ultimately it's /sdcard -> /storage/emulated/legacy -> /mnt/shell/emulated/0, and the info from mount shows: /dev/fuse /mnt/shell/emulated fuse ...other options....

Actually, another good resource is this page on source.android.com, which talks about the architecture of the external storage. It very briefly notes that multi-user storage is accomplished by first using FUSE for the general external storage mount point, but then doing a bind mount on the user's subdirectory (0, 01, etc) within the FUSE mount point. So in that case, I guess it's sort of a combination of the two, but the "root" of the external storage mount point (as it were) is using FUSE.


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How do I add to the favorites in Samsung S3 contacts?
I have some favorites in my contacts list, but I don't know how they got there. How do I add more, and how do I remove ones I no longer want?

Can you go to https://www.google.com/contacts/ and let us know if you see the contacts there? Thanks

To favorite a contact:

Open Contacts app
Search for contact to favorite
Long-press on contact
Select Add to Favorites

To remove from favorites, select Remove from Favorites for a favorite contact (has a star).

Visit each contact you wish to designate a favorite, and click the Star Icon till lit up.
Then visit the Favorites list, and it's there.
From the Favorites list, click again to clear as a favorite. Bing; it's gone.

This is something that stumped me for a long time and I finally figured it out.  If the star doesn't show when you open your contact it's because your contacts are merged (sim contacts, phone contacts, WhatsApp contacts etc).
Here is what you do:

click on the contact and when it opens click on the three vertical dots at the top right hand corner.
Then click on 'Manage Linked Contacts'. This will show you the merges.
Remove sim, WhatsApp and anything else leaving only the phone contact.  Now when you go back into the contact the star appears and you can mark it as a favorite.

You can also call them and then delete the call before it begins to dial.

How does that help to remove them from favorites – or make them favorites? If everybody you call gets added/removed here, that feature wouldn't make much sense.


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Are there any solutions other than flashing Gapps, to have Google accounts on CyanogenMod?
I've flashed CyanogenMod, nightly, and it is working perfectly. When I flash Gapps, then battery is drained fast, and the device is getting overheated. So, are there any solutions other than flashing Gapps, to have Google accounts on CyanogenMod?
P.S. I extracted the Gapps.zip, there was a folder named "apps" there, none of which could be installed. I tested installation using "adb", and got error related to certificate. I think by having ONLY Google Play Store, other apps can be installed, if I'm wrong, then please tell me what else is needed.
Thanks in advance

pretty much - google play store should let you install anything else. Might help, I suspect to give more details on your phone, cynogenmod version, and where you installed gapps from

My phone is HTC Sensation, and I installed cm-10-20131006-NIGHTLY-pyramid and flashed gapps-jb-20121011-signed. I downloaded them from cyanogenmod's official site and goo.im.

You might wish to take a look at the NOGAPPS project at XDA. It's not yet complete, but most parts seem to be in a working order already. NOGAPPS basically is an OpenSource replacement of most Google apps (including Playstore), often mapping to free alternatives (e.g. OpenStreetMap for maps).
Side-effect: More privacy, less tracking :) But keep in mind that some components are still in Beta (Maps, Playstore) or completely missing (still under development; Login Services, Services Framework), so it's not yet a full replacement of GApps. Still it might be sufficient for many cases.

I'm a fan of free software, but this seems to be in its  first steps :) thanks

You can try only installing the "core" Gapps apps. Choose your current Android version and select the "Gapps Core" zip. Then boot into recovery and flash it. Beforehand you have maybe to whipe your paritions in order to have a clean install.
http://goo.im/devs/BaNkS/GApps
If you want to install CM10.0 you need the Gapps files for 4.1.x
Edit other possible sources:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2548351
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1809377

Which there is no downloads available for 4.1.x :(

Have you checked with CyanogenMod's GApps page? It lists which GApps correspond with what CM version. // Edit: Ah, I see: they have no links for "core only" packages :(

@Izzy Maybe I must consider compiling CyanogenMod and adding those packages by myself?

CyanogenMod does not include those packaes (for license reasons), that's why they're provided separately. I don't know where other (minimal) variants are provided, but I rawly remember having seen that.

@MostafaShahverdy I added some more posible sources for Gapps packages with reduced bloatware.

try from here http://goo.im/gapps


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SuperUser doesn't give/prompt root access
I was trying to move GoogleMaps on SD-Cards using Link2SD.
When I tried to do so I got a message stating

Link2SD could not obtain root access.
  if you have root access make sure you respond 'Allow' or 'Grant' to the superuser request

Then I opened SuperUser to check the application list. I was surprised to see that there were no apps there! The last time I have checked there were some apps there(Link2SD, BatteryDoctor, TerminalEmulator).
Searching through the net I read that if an app needs root access, it will ask for it. The next step was to see, SuperUser's settings/preferences.

The Automatic Response is set to Prompt
Notifications are ticked
Notification Type is set to Status Bar
Use Advanced Prompt isn't checked

Navigating through Link2SD, I've noticed that Link2SD was updated. The next thing to do was to uninstall it and install it again. The first time I run it, it never prompted me to give it root access.
What may be wrong? Is there a way to give apps root access(by "brutal force")?

Download Root Checker and see if you still have root. You may have lost it.

@geffchang: You were right! RootChecker stated that my phone wasn't rooted. How could this have happened? Is it possible to become unrooted on it's own? Now I rerooted it and it really asks for root access.

weird things happen. i've experienced it before too. glad you were able to fix it.

Download Root Checker and see if phone is still rooted. If it isn't rooted anymore, re-root your phone.

Install SuperSU instead of SuperUser.  Worked for me!


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I can't get any of the Android Virtual Devices started
I copied the ADT in C:\Program Files, updated the SDK path, deleted the .android folder in my user's folder, but that didn't solve my problem. When I start a virtual device, it shows the load bar, but after that, nothing happens.
What else should I try?

Check that you didn't allocated too much RAM, if your host doesn't have enough RAM, it won't start without giving you informations...

it's set to 343MB, and I have free a lot more than that. Also, SD space is 0, and internal storage is 200MiB. I have tried with both GPU Acc. enabled and disabled and I've also reinstalled it a few times.

So I've managed to make it work by unchecking the option: "Scale display to real size."
Very strange...

user3262360,
Try the following:

Configure the AVD to have 512k RAM
Assign 8 GB to SD space.
Keep internal storage at 200MiB.
Uncheck the box for GPU accelaration.

Start the AVD and wait at least five minutes to give enough time for the new AVD device to load and display the Android unlock screen.

how do I set RAM to 512k?


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Google Contacts - only My contacts, not Others
I have Samsung Galaxy Note II, Android 4.3
I have synchronized it with my Google Account. The problem is that when I search for a name, it also searches all the contacts I have ever send an email to. I want it to search only My Contacts (the name of default group in GMail of contacts I have saved manualy), not Other Contacts. Is it possible? Thanks
EDIT:
I'm not looking for how to display only certain group. I'm looking for how to search only in certain group.

I'm having the same issue. The search feature is basically unusable (I have tried several Contacts apps, they all search through ALL the contacts...)

On my phone (moto x) I had to go to the People app, touch the three dot icon, and touch "contacts to display" option. Then select the "back up assistant" option instead of any other option in order to only display those contacts that are stored on my phone.

But I have only displayed My Contacts. The problem is that when I search for contact, it searches all of them, not only My Contacts

This wasn't the answer to the question that was asked, but it was the answer to the question I was searching for.

Launch the Contacts app, click Groups, select My contacts, then complete your search.

That works. Is there any way how to make this search default?

Unfortunately I am not aware of a way to make this the default. Another option would be to delete the unwanted contacts and update the Gmail setting to not create other contacts based on emails.

Hm, that's not good either because I need those email suggestions in GMail. Thank you anyway.

In the menu go to "Contacts to display" then in "Customized list" under gmail account deselect other groups. Also you can select "only contacts with phones" in options.

No, this is only for contacts to display which I have properly set. But contact search displays all...

You can use other contact apps like ExDialer.

found solution for this.
tried with my Samsung s4..

Go to Contacts -> press Menu Key -> Contacts to Display -> Customized
  List -> Tap the setting icon beside it --> Tap arrow icon beside your
  gmail account --> select the contacts to display

It works.
Do not forget to switch to the contacts "old version", then select "other accounts", then check the box, then "add to my accounts".
NB. everytime it adds 250 accounts displayed (if you have >205 you need to select and add again, until over

Go to google.com/contacts and group all your contacts. On the phone, use contacts to display and choose the group you wanted to display.

Edited the question as this is the third wrong answer :) Check my other comments. But thanks for effort.


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Not able to install google apps after following the suggested steps
I have a retail tablet(Crystal Audio, GR) that after many tries I have managed to root it, with Kingo Root. I can the application SuperSu installed and when I am trying to perform root actions, it asks me for granting privileges. Everything godd, up here.
I have followed the steps described here (moved apks to system and try to install them etc) but I cannot install them. After tapping the apks and clicking install, it returns with an error "Installation not done". I have tried to do it with adb, but I am not allowed to remount /system as rw(kernel issue?).
How to proceed? Any ideas appreciated.

You can pick the GApps archive from Goo.im and flash them via custom recovery. For more details, please see How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

Some questions here as I am not very familiar with the recovery screens. Is is supposed to be named as update.zip? My recovery has the following relevant options. "Apply update from ADB", "Apply update from TFCard", "Apply update from cache". Both the last 2, lead me to an empty dir with the only actual option being the "../" directory(one dir level up). How would you approach it?

Does your device have a custom recovery, or are you talking about the "stock recovery" it ships with? I'm not sure whether it's possible with the latter.

Stock one...lets say I am installing CWM recovery. Is it pretty easy then to flash the zip, I suppose? The problem is that I dont know how easy is to install a new recovery outside of Play store.

I'd say so, yes. CWM offers to "install update.zip from SDCard". For details on CWM, you can take a look at its tag-wiki and its most frequented questions.

Thanks a lot...really helpful. Though I am experiencing the problem that my device is not officially supported

That would be a separate question ("how to install CWM on my xxx"), which of course you are free to ask! If you do so, please don't forget to include all the necessary details (brand/device, Android version, etc.). With some luck, someone else has a similar "combination", and can get you started on that.

BTW: Reading the blog you've linked, there might be a little misunderstanding. I never went the "manual way", but AFAIK you just need to 1) remount system read-write, 2) copy the .apk files to the corresponding directories indicated by the ZIP structure, 3) reboot. Have you tried that?

Wanted to...unfortunately I cannot remount /system as rw

The easiest way for that is probably the app Mount /system. Alternatively, take a look at How to mount system in rw mode if no custom recovery or How to remount / system as read - write in Android

Ok, I did it...it was really easy. Boot on recovery, and ran adb sideload. Now I cannot see the apps in the menu but that's seem to be really different issue. Thanks for helping man

Why didn't I think of that option... If the apps work at least, you should make that an answer (it's perfectly fine to answer your own question!). With "menu" you mean the app-drawer, I guess? Still unusual they don't show up there. Can you add them to your homescreen (long-press an empty space, then select to add an app/shortcut)?

It is a little weird, I can see some necessary services  like Google Play Service, which werent exist previously, I cannot see any of the apps that are supposed to be installed. I will write an answer on that, and open an new thread as it seems a different issue. Cheers :)

The solution that seemed to work, at last, was the following. I connected the tablet with USB into my PC. Then downloaded the signed package of gapps for my Android version, from http://Goo.im and moved it in the same dir as the adb executable.
After that, I booted the tablet in recovery mode, chose the option "Update from ADB", and run the command "adb sideload gapps.zip", where gapps.zip is the filename downloaded earlier. Everything run good and I can now see, the necessary services.


text:
Programmatically enable data connection every 30 minutes?
How can I enable (WiFi and Data) connection every 30 minutes, then keep it active for 2 minutes (time required to get any notifications), and then disable the connection again?
Are there any solutions besides Tasker?

Plenty. Best known for that is probably JuiceDefender. Llama and other automating-tools will handle that as well.

DS battery Saver Pro has the exact functionality, in case you would like to see an alternative.

If you dont want to pay for Tasker, use the free alternative Automate. It has similar functionality and can automate the same things.

While Automate is "free", it follows the "freemium" model, so it does have in-app purchases.

@Ryan Yes, but automating the Wi-Fi as OP was asking for can be done without any purchase, for free.

You could try Android bot maker which can automate taps at particular co-ordinates..swipes etc..  But root access is needed for this app...


text:
Samsung Galaxy Discover SCH-R740C running 4.0.4 fails the JB 4.1 update
Our service provider cricket has now released the 4.1 JB update. My friend and I have the same phone, and got the message to update at the same time. His went thru no issue – but mine downloads, starts installing, and then my poor little Droid falls over with an "E sig Verification fail" – and stops the install.
I've downloaded the zip and tried to do from the recovery, and same thing. Is there a way to bypass/shut off this evil thing?
and im running everything stock!!!! NO ROOTS OR FANCY SMANCHY ROMS OR RECOVERYS

Doing some searches to try and help some losts souls with this little phone, there is a download available on several other forums that will update this phone via Odin tar files to a 'stock' 4.1.2 firmware, it's a tool release directly from Samsung and it's available on their website.
XDA Developer thread for CWM on the SCH-R740c
Samsung download page for upgrade utility

thank you so very much... altho.. i have to admit.. i was scared to death ... didnt do to badly til after the reboot... my keyboard is gone , and now i cant figure that out LOL. thank you again tho.. it did work for a bit... cricket can kiss my grits.. its a 50 dollar phone lol void the warranty.. no biggie , go buy a new one, WHICH REMINDS ME!! FOR THOSE OF YOU GETTING THIS MODEL FROM THE LOCAL WALMART OR SUCH... TAKE IT HOME, TURN IT ON... DONT ACTIVATE UNTIL AFTER YOU GET ALL YOUR STUFF IN AND THE SOFTWARE UPDATE DONE... OR YOU WILL BE LIKE ME, MY FRIEND DID HIS THAT WAY.. HES GOT NO ISSUES


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Rooting Asus memo pad HD 7
Can any one show me a tutorial that how can I root my Asus memo pad hd7 ?
Thanks in advance !

Please read the main  How do I root my Android device from this site.
This is a blog on rooting the device and installing gApps on the device (if necessary).
This is the XDA thread on the root apk this should be a one click rooting process.
This is a recovery / ROM for the device
As always the disclaimer to this applies:

Rooting your phone may void your carrier and manufacturer warranty. You accept all responsibility if you brick your device. If you are ever in doubt STOP! This is not something to take lightly.

Read this also as it relates to the risk of rooting a device.
And once more I have to emphasise: ALWAYS backup everything, all the time. Then back it up again.

And then again, for the laugh.


text:
my phone keeps reminding me of low space... any way to move apps and data to sd card?
My phone doesn't ask me to install to internal or external memory when installing an app. It automatically install to internal memory.. my phone keeps reminding me of low space and I can't install any other app cause my phone is low on space..... is there any way to move all apps and data to SD card? Any help......

I've just added the insufficient-memory tag to your question. You might want to check its tag-wiki for more help on how to deal with that.

Use this App to move your apps from Internal storage to Sd Card https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.IQBS.android.app2sd

Yea... what about moving data to SD card? some apps are installed on internal memory directly and cannot be moved... is there also a way to move them?

These two apps will help you clear out some extra space, too. They work best when the phone is rooted, but are still useful even if it isn't.
SD Maid:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm
Root App Delete:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zsj.android.uninstall
I use them on my rooted HTC Evo 4g lte and rooted Kindle Fire HDX 7"

As far as moving data that says "non-moveable" you can force move it sometimes (may require root) using esfile explorer (under options check "show hidden" and then linking to it with Link2SD.  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.buak.Link2SD


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Remove "No SIM Card in Phone" message
I recently changed to a newer phone and currently using my old android phone as a sort of "ipod". However, it always shows the message that there is no sim card. I know this is just an annoyance but is there anyway to disable it? I am rooted running a custom sense 4 rom on ICS. Is there anything I could flash to remove this message? Or disable the cellular radio completely?

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

I've tended to keep old Sim cards for just that purpose

There are Xposed modules to remove the 'no SIM' from the status bar, but I cannot find anything to remove the HTC one from the lock screen.

You can remove the "No SIM" notification from the Galaxy S3 S4 and Note 3 by adding an entry to your build.prop. You need root to do this.
I recommend using JRummy's Build Prop Editor. Once you've installed it, launch the app and click the bottom right icon (a + sign).
In the first box you can enter a description like so (this is optional):
# Remove "No SIM" from notification bar

In the second box, enter:
ro.config.donot_nosim= true

Then save and reboot.
If the "No SIM" popup still shows, or you get the "No SIM" notification icon, then look for an entry that reads:
ro.config.tima=1

and change that to:
ro.config.donot_nosim= true

If that still doesn't work, try removing ro.config.tima=1 or set it to 0 instead of 1.
You can also add sys.hiddenmenu.enable=1 to enable the hidden menu if it isn't already in your build.prop.

These Instructions worked for me on my Note 4.

Worked on my Note 2.

This did not work on my rooted Note 3.  Tried ro.config.tima=0, false, and removed entirely in every configuration with ro.config.donot_nosim=true and 1.  Bummer.  Wound up using an Xposed module.

Turn on airplane mode, enable WiFi.  Problem gone.

Enabling Airplane mode (a) did not remove the SIM card persistent notification and (b) added a new persistent notification on my Note 3.  Unfortunately this answer is a bust.

You need to restart the phone after you put it into airplane mode. When it restarts the notification will never come up, probably because it never tries to connect to the mobile network.

Confirmed on unrooted S5 that psouza4 is correct. Now you'll have TWO annoying icons on your status bar, and, CodyF, restarting has no effect. So, this solution is worse than unhelpful.

If you have root access:

download the free "Notifications Off" app from the Play store;
open it;
scroll all the way down till you find "system ui" and uncheck it;
hit the little floppy disk icon at the top to save it.

This works for my Sprint Note 3 on page plus.

The app sounds nice, but won't that disable all system warnings, including potentially important ones?

@Tobias: it will, this should not be the solution

Turn on Airplane Mode. It will turn off wifi unless you need wifi then I don't know what else to do.

Funny little quirk of most Android phones: You can turn on Airplane Mode and then turn on WiFi. So your cell radio and GPS stay off, but your WiFi will work. However, I don't see how this is going to help the Asker.

@Al - This is not just a quirk of Android. iPads work similar - Airplane mode still allows you to independently turn Wifi on.

This is the proper solution.

As has been pointed out in a duplicate answer to this question, for at least some phones (perhaps all?), this will not help. Not only does Airplane NOT remove the no-sim-card icon & notification, but it also triggers its own airplane mode icon. This answer proved to be unhelpful.


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After rebooting motorola defy M525 no service network shows?
After several attempts of pattern my motorola defy mb525 has been blocked and asking for my goggle account and password but then when finished entering my account and password it will restart automatically but the problems is still there.. So i tried to reboot my motorola defy mb525 but after rebooting, the service network is gone. No more signal in any GSM network...Please somebody help me about this problem. how can i fix it?

Try calling your service provider. Some cell companies lock the phone after failed attempts as a precaution to possible theft.

ok thank you for your idea but my simcard if i inserted it to other mobile it has service network only in my motorola defy after rebooting.

authors: مرتضى سعود الحسيناوي


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ES file explorer has been denied permission for an interactive shell
I have a rooted Nexus 7. I've been using ES File Explorer along with it. I have been able to navigate through files, after having set Tools/Root Explorer and turning it on. But now, I can no longer do this. When I go to turn on the Root Explorer, I get this message:
ES file explorer has been denied permission for an interactive shell
I must have change some other setting for this to happen, but I don't know what it is.
Can you suggest what I might do get this back?

Have you checked with your Superuser/SuperSU app whether you accidentally denied access for ES File Explorer?

If you have updated ES or SuperSU you may need to re-grant SU permission. Open SuperSU and update binaries, if necessary, and check as @Izzy said if you have denied access to ES file explorer.

Thanks, that was it. I went into SuperSU and granted permission.

@RossC: Post your comment as an answer please.

I can suggest a solution for this....
As I was facing the same issue regarding the Permission Denied For ES Explorer
Go To KingUser Application in your Device (App available after root), you will find the list of applications which are in Allow / Deny state
Here, you will find the ES Explorer (must be in a Deny State..)
Change it to "Allow" and Go To ES Explorer and change the Option "On" for Root Explorer...

Didn't you read the comments from the question? The answer lies within SU.


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Nexus 7 debug mode connected/disconnected and vice versa
During development on an app, i plug in the nexus 7 in my ubuntu and mac. The USB Debugging icon on the notifications always connected/disconnected and vice versa.  How do i keep this from happening and displays always in debugging mode?
i attempt to fix it by these steps:

restarted adb
rebooted device
revoke usb debugging authorization

tried all of these but nothing happens.

Check your USB cable it must be lose.

it isn't. i've been using this right from the day i bought it since the release of 4.2 and had no issues on usb debugging


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Keyboard stuck on screen
I'm having keyboard issues on my nexus 4. If my phone locks with the keyboard on screen, then when I unlock, the qwerty keyboard shows over the pad to enter my code. I can work around by clicking the emergency call, then using the back arrow to get the lock screen and number pad. It's super frustrating. It also stays on if I am typing and swipe notifications down. The problem just began, and persists even I change the keyboard. Would love some help!

That doesn't happen on mine. When you say change the keyboard, you mean this is not just Google Keybaord right? It's all of them? Have you updated to the latest 4.4.2 update for the Nexus 4? What launcher are you running? Could you try another launcher (say Nova for example, which has tranparent status bar btw not like the awful nexus default one), and see if this persists? Can you try a third party Lock Screen also and try to replicate?

I'm on 4.2.2, and yes, it's happening with the Google keyboard, and Swype as well. The keyboard problem continued even when using nova, but seems to go away when using a different lock screen.

Ok, so it would seem to be a bug in the Lockscreen itself. That's very odd. Would you be happy using a different one, or do you want the stock one? If so it will require a lot of digging to find.

I'm pretty used to my stock lock screen, and the dash widget I have on there...

After a little more digging, I may have come to an answer.
I did notice that my problems started after I added the handwriting recognition functionality to my phone. I found one forum that suggests that turning it off will fix the issue. I shut mine off and will use it that way to see if it helps. I suggest you try that too.
To shut it off go to settings -> Language & Input, then uncheck the Google Handwriting input.
Hope this helps :-)


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Music Search Lockscreen Widget History
I have a Nexus 4 running 4.4 (Kitkat) and I use the Music Search widget while listening to the radio on my car.
I have discovered the name of that song or artist I wanted to know many times, but now I realize I can't seem to find my music "search history."
Can anyone point me in the right direction? Is this in the (Play) Music App or Settings? I've looked everywhere! Reading thru the Google Help led me no where...

UPDATE: I answered my own question and cleared up the issue, giving credit where due. BTW the picture above was from illustration purposes only, and apparently from a device that has the Sound Search widget history disabled. Sound Search History is not available is some countries.

The music search widget states that it will Keep a song identification history, synced across all of your Android devices, so you can purchase a song later which I have yet to see. According to here it may only be in the US and depend on what version you have. http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/14r6m7/google_releases_updated_sound_search_widget_adds/ Apparently the 'clock' icon will do it http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1p7d0w/ but I don't have that on mine, nor is it on yours. Workarounds are to 'wishlist' the songs, or to screenshot them, which isn't very practical in car

@RossC Actually you're correct! I was blind. I do see the "clock" icon to the right now on the lockscreen widget. My bad. Since I did not have the widget on my launcher screens, I had no way of getting to the music search widget "history." It appears (just like the reddit post says) the only way to get to it is thru the widget itself (which is stupid).

BTW the pic above is just a pic I got from... "CBS Interactive"? (apparently) for educational purposes only. I figured people don't know about the Music Search widget. Sorry for the confusion.

@RossC Write up your answer and I can mark it as correct, for pointing me in the right direction with the reddit link!

Correct answer was pointed to in the comments by RossC. Thanks! I'm writing my own here since it's been a while and he didn't write a proper answer I could have selected(!).
I did a bit more research to expand on what he found, while also clarifying the original issue which was partly PICNIC...
RossC wrote:

According to here it may only be in the US and depend on what version you have.
  reddit.com/r/Android/comments/14r6m7/… Apparently the 'clock' icon will do it
  reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1p7d0w but I don't have that on mine ...

So the second link above gives the answer: On the device one cannot access the Music Search History from anywhere but thru the widget's "clock" icon. Since I only had the widget placed in the lockscreen so I did not see the icon while I was actually actively using my phone (unlocked) to look for its history. I can only access the history from the lockscreen widget, that is unless of course I put the widget on one of my panels, which is unnecessary since Google Now can also do music search (just say "what's the song" or similar).
Apparently the Music Search is also unavailable in some countries, so YMMV.
Also, I found out here you can also access your sound search history on your desktop/laptop by logging into your Google Account and going to this hidden(?) "auto-playlist" link (I couldn't find anywhere in Play Music site UI):
https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ap/sound-search
Hope this clears a few mysteries regarding Sound Searches and its widget.

My widget has the clock icon at far right which when pressed shows the history. Maybe your screen is not wide enough for it? Their is a music search sync option in your Google account settings in "Accounts & Sync", although I don't think that is the issue. Will keep researching.

I actually do have the "clock" icon. I hadn't seen it. The issue I was having I guess is that I hadn't noticed it on the lockscreen, and I didn't have the widget on one of my launcher screens. Thus, when not in lockscreen, i.e when I was actually searching for the history, I had no way of getting to it! Has to be thru the widget!

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


text:
Facebook Messenger without permissions
Facebook Messenger for Android requires a lot of permissions - like reading my SMS and other stuff. I really don't like that. Is there any fb chat application which doesn't require such permissions?
In fact i would only need a notification when there is a new message.

The Facebook app itself (not the messenger one) can notify you of new messages. You can configure it in Facebook App > Settings > Notifications The messenger now handles SMS as part of its functionality, hence the permission, but there's no reason to use it since the default app will do what you need.

You can use ChatSecure (formerly known as “Gibberbot”) with Facebook added as an XMPP account. Just enter username@facebook.com and your Facebook password to connect.
For even more protection of your details you can use the "Connect via Tor" option with Orbot (the Android port of Tor) to hide your location from Facebook as well.

ChatSecure doesn't require any fragile permissions. There is a litte bit of a hassle to setup facebook through XMPP, but all of the information you can find here (after clicking Pidgin): https://www.facebook.com/sitetour/chat.php.  UI is very simple. When two sides of the conversation would like to - there is possibilty to encrypt messages. This is what I was looking for, although it could look a little bit nicer. Good app! Thanks for the answer.

You can do what Andrew said, or you can download App Ops and remove the permissions from the app iteself
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.colortiger.appopsinstaller&hl=en

Do not see a mention of what version of Android OP is using, the linky to Play Store is only for Android 4.3/4.4... just saying :)

Yes, and Google says it was released in error and subsequent updates to 4.4 removed the capability. So, I don't think App Ops is a viable option.

I am just giving for reference, less than 2% of devices run kit kat, so there is a good chance it will work for him.  Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean it wont work for him.  Plus it will allow him to keep the default Facebook Messenger app.

App Ops looks like a great idea! Unfortunately I've got older version of android - 4.1.


text:
Add DuckDuckGo to search engines list in Chrome
I am using a Samsung S3 Rooted phone. I want to customise Google Chrome to add DuckDuckGo in the list of search engines, and maybe make it my default one.
It is not possible to do this in chrome by default. I have Googled this question and have not found any way to do this.

There is a lot of people talking about it online: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2097329 and here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1545359 That should do it. You may need Chrome Beta, but that is in the Play Store anyway.

Thanks Ross
But Google Chrome on Android seems to be hardcoded.
It adds "search?q=" before the search expression
So searching for "test" will end into
https://duckduckgo.com/search?q=test and that will search "search" instead of "test"

What about in Chrome BETA, NOT THE FULL ONE, changing the settings mentioned in the 2 posts in my first comment? Change from: "last_known_google_url": "http://www.google.com/" "last_prompted_google_url": "http://www.google.com/" To: "last_known_google_url": "https://www.duckduckgo.com/?q=" "last_prompted_google_url": "https://www.duckduckgo.com/?q=" You cannot do it in Chrome, but the BETA should work fine. I've just watched someone do it and it worked fine on his phone! EDIT: which is an ancient phone and an OLD chrome beta. May not work on newer one I'm afraid.

Anyone desperate to add DuckDuckGo can try this solution with alternative Chrome-based browser - http://android.stackexchange.com/a/148880/137930

This is now possible in Chrome 57. Just visit DuckDuckGo, perform a search (search for anything), then visit Settings > Search engine and DuckDuckGo should be listed at the bottom of the page.

After doing the DuckDuckGo search, if you still don't find DDG on Chrome's Search Engine page, you may (as I did, using Chrome 61) have to go to DuckDuckGo.com and then do the following:

Tap DDG's three-line symbol (≡) in the upper-right corner of the webpage.
Tap Other Settings.
Scroll down to the Install DuckDuckGo section, and make sure "Show links to instructions . . ." is set to On.
Tap Save and Exit.
Back on DuckDuckGo.com, tap the Add to Chrome button if you see it; if you don't see it, scroll down to find the Add DuckDuckGo to Chrome button, and tap that.
A "Take Back Your Privacy!" message should pop up. Follow its instructions:

) Tap the Google app's three-dot symbol () in the upper-right corner of the browser window.
) Tap Settings, then tap Search engine.
) Now, DuckDuckGo should be there at the bottom for you to select; at least, it was for me.

I hope this works for you too!

Works on unrooted Android (Samsung S6).


text:
Unable to copy files to Nexus 7 / Android KitKat
I've got brand new, factory-based, un-tweaked ASUS Nexus 7 II (2013) LTE tablet and I'm completetly unable to copy more than just a few files between my PC and tablet.
Steps, that I repeat every time are painfully obvious:

plugs these two devices together,
wait until Nexus device appears in Windows,
open source folder window (any on Windows disk),
open destination folder (any on my Nexus device),
select some files or folders in source and drag them to destination.

Copy process starts and stops after sending about 10-20 files. On Windows side, copy progress freezes forever. On Nexus side, you see beatuful message saying that com.android.media process is halted.
I can repeat these steps over and over again. Changing cables, using different computers, restarting source computer or Nexus itself, all for nothing -- my Nexus 7 breaks file transfer after receiving about 20 files (sometimes it breaks after getting just one).
I know, that MTP protocol is very, very unstable and forcing users to use it (i.e. removing native USB support in Android 4.x) is a Google very not funny joke. But, for God sake, how can I copy my 20k photo collection to my brand new Nexus tablet, if it breaks copy transfer every tenth files?
Is this an identified bug, or with Android 4.4.2 Google decided, that we won't be able to copy files to our own devices at all? And the only way to get them there, will be to use stupid Google Drive?
Is there any fix or work-around to this problem? Other than my own solution, as stupid as setting up local FTP server, installing FTP client to my Nexus and copying files that way, through FTP protocol?

Did you try a download manager type of app that would resume broken downloads?

This question is about copying files natively, through Windows. It does not offer any resume functionality. Using 3rd party software with resumed downloads in my idea of solving this problem. But, that is not, what this question was about.

Thats why its a comment.

The other answers pretty much tell you the same thing that i stated in my comment.

I was in the same boat as you for a while. I guess you could use FTP but I was looking for something more.
I now use AirDroid to transfer files over Wi-Fi. I have transferred files as big as 10GB and have no complaints. Plus it saves messing around with the cable and drivers.

MTP issues, related to Drivers.  Also present on 2012 Nexus 7. I've learned that you're better off using a 3rd party software like Wondershare mobile GO or Moborobo etc to transfer files. Other stuff they can do is a bonus. Try it, you will like it.

Another option would be to use Solid Explorer Pro. Check out its "File Sharing" option and create a FTP server with password protection. Then create its widget on your home screen.
Now, in your PC > My Computer ... Right Click in an empty area > Add a network location ... Now add that FTP address you created in your tab.
This method is HIGHLY convenient for you but might give trouble on large file transfers (due to MTP) so better use it only with music or photo transfers.

I use either FTP (FastFTP on the Nexus, Cyberduck on the Mac), or more often, Dropbox, which is always running on my desktop, and DropSync Pro on the Nexus. Then files just 'appear' on the Nexus, possibly after a manual sync if I want to use those files before the next DropSync autosync is due (I keep it infrequent for battery life).

See https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/2840804?hl=en#ts=3457048.  I tried the suggestion to change the storage setting to PTP which led to a new hardware installation of software on my (Windows) computer, and then rechecking MTP, which also led to software installation.  After that, I was able to use the USB connection for file transfer.

I had the same problem, and it was being caused by the 360 Security app. Uninstalling that fixed the issue.


text:
Root - How to remove one of the superuser app?
I rooted my phone a month ago and downloaded the SuperUser app yesterday.
However, when I use the app SuperSU, it is not running and it said i need to update a file. I could not update it.
What can I do? How can I remove SuperUser?

SuperSU has an option to remove / change to another Super User app. Does SuperUser have this? If not your best bet is to remove both and flash the latest SuperSU from chainfire directly in your recovery, this should remove the binaries issue. Both really do have the same functionality though, so if SuperUser is working for you, it might be worth just removing SuperSU instead.

And you shouldn't run both at the same time, just to make clear: Decide whether to use SuperSU or SuperUser. It's like Highlander: There only can be one. Remove the other.

@Izzy I wish I could vote up that comment a million times.

@dotVezz I could make it an answer, to give you the chance of awarding it a bounty #D

@Izzy brilliant comment there ^^^^ :D

If you have root access, just delete it from /system/app or /system/priv-app

Run the SuperSU app. If you’ve uninstalled it for whichever reason, all you need to do is Reinstall it from the Google Play Store.
Click on the Settings tab on the top right corner, and then click Full Unroot. Confirm with 'Continue'.
Once this operation is done, which takes a few minutes, you can reboot your Android.
Uninstall SuperSU.( If Exists.....)

If you already have a custom recovery (ClockworkMod or TWRP) installed then you should be able to flash the Superuser recovery zip which will remove any other binaries/files related to other superuser apps in the process.
The SuperSu app may still be installed but you can un-install that yourself as you would any other app.
Quote from Superuser play store description:

Manual installation with the recovery zip:
Recommended if you are having installation issues or are not rooted
  http://download.clockworkmod.com/superuser/superuser.zip

will this wipe my phone data?

It shouldn't, it will just remove any remnants of any previous superuser (or SuperSU) install and then copy the files it requires. As RossC mentioned, there is probably a similar zip file for SuperSu if you want to keep that app instead.

Android 4.4. SuperSU is still here, but SuperUser is running normally. Thanks.

It might not remove the SuperSu app itself. You should be able to uninstall/remove that manually.

Can I remove SuperSU?

@Jamie yes, see my updated answer.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!! My superuser app disappeared! However my phone is still rooted. How can I get back my superuser?

let us continue this discussion in chat

Sorry! I have only 1 reputation.

I tried to install superuser via google play store again, but it was painful.

I can only flash the zip again.

Try flashing the zip again, that will restore the Superuser app. You could try removing the SuperSu app before flashing to see if that makes any difference.

actually, how to get more reputation?

@Jamie, you probably want to read our [help] about reputation and how the site works.

Flash a super user app in recovery. You will need to do this first time usually anyway. It'll take 2 minutes! You won't lose data. Reputation is earned by asking upvoted questions, giving upvoted answers, and accepting answers that are useful to you. The more you partake, the higher it goes!

When i flash the first time, i only take 5 seconds lol

If you have installed them as system apps, use any root browser and delete apks from /system/apps, else, delete them from /data/app and then install anything you like from Play Store. Do NOT flash zip or Google Play updates and any apk of that app will not install.
P.S. SuperSU has uninstall option.

Download 360 Security. Make sure that you are accepting the Permission (Don't Deny it). Open 360 Security--> Apps Uninstall--> select System Apps--> select Super User--> click on Uninstall.

Update supersu
ignore binary installation if prompted
go to settings select "clean up for other supersu app (wait for it to uninstall)
Reboot device and voila I just tried that not 10 minutes ago. I've had that problem for some time and that finally got rid of it not a trace of it on my phone

Download Kingroot. If it works on your phone. Then just root the phone using Kingroot. Once in Kingroot, click more options, Uninstall tool, built-in, select "supersu", and simply delete it. Voila, it's gone.

How to fix the SuperSU binary file issue (at leat on the MXIII-G player)
Install a terminal app from the playstore and connect so you get the prompt.
Become root and check how the /system partition is mounted as read-only (ro), In particular note the device
$ su
# mount | grep system
/dev/block/system /system ext4 ro,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0

Remount the partiton in read-write mode (rw)
# mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/system /system

Finally check if it was mounted in read-write mode (rw)
# mount | grep system
/dev/block/system /system ext4 rw,relatime,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0

Update the SuperSU via the Play Store and reboot when done.

I don't understand this. All you've done here is remount system partition in rw mode and then recommended update of the app. How does remounting the system partition helps? SuperSU doesn't require writing into system partition just to update itself. It is an app, like any other app and the update can be stored in data partition yet the app can remain a system app. Please provide an evidence to support your claim.


text:
Unable to Install APK Via ADB Shell
pm install /mnt/sdcard/Documents/ClientFrontEnd.apk command excuted on rooted device. This command is working via terminal. but when it comes to installer application it gives error.
$ pm install /mnt/sdcard/Documents/ClientFrontEnd.apk
Error is pkg: /mnt/sdcard/Documents/ClientFrontEnd.apk Killed.

why are you not doing it from the desktop PC side - adb install ClientFrontEnd.apk?

Agreed with @t0mm13b why don't you use adb itself, unless you are testing something in the emulator or don't have drivers. My first instinct is that you have an antivirus running on the device and it detects something in the APK that it doesn't like so its removing it. Do you have antivirus running?


text:
Alternative for Storage permission
I noticed that almost all apps request the Storage permission, and this is quite OK since they need to store stuff to function properly. But it's a bit bugging me that they have access to all of my data. Mainly because most apps need storage for their own files, and have nothing to do with my pics, songs, etc. So ideally I would like to grant apps the permission to write any amount of data to the storage, but that it cannot read/modify any other data.
Is there an alternative permission that grants access to write any file to the storage, but read and modify only files the app itself has created?

Even if there were, would that make a difference?

It's a little more subtle than that. The Storage permission does NOT give the app the ability to read and write everything on the device. It gives the app the ability to read and write things like SDCards and USB devices. It does NOT give the app the ability to read and write everything on the device's main storage (where apps put their databases by default).
The reason it doesn't restrict to the app's own files is that external storage is generally formatted with the FAT filesystem, which doesn't have any concept of file or directory level permissions. There's simply no way for Android to enforce the restriction of files. Further, since such storage is often removeable, even if the filesystem supported permissions, there would be nothing stopping you from taking the media out and using another computer to change said permissions.


text:
Home shortcut key to my designated webpage?
I was wondering if there is an android shortcut to make things more efficient.

That one is quite easy:

Make a bookmark to the desired target in your web browser
Create a shortcut to that bookmark on your desktop

The second step is sometimes offered by the browser itself, but always possible using the bookmark widget shipping with Android itself.


text:
Flashing CM 11, I get `set_metadata_recursive: some changes failed`:
ClockworkMod Recovery v6.0.2.3 gives me the folling error when I try to update my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (GT-P5113) to Cyanogenmod 11:
Restarting adbd...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Installing update...
set_metadata_recursive: some changes failed
E:Error in /tmp/update.zip
(status 7)
Installation aborted.

Being desperate I tried the same thing with Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) v2.6.3.0 -- also the latest for my platofrm,
Checking for MD5 file...
Skipping MD5 check: no MD5 file file found.
set_metadata_recursive: some changes filed
E:Error: executing updater binary in zip '/data/media/0/sideload.zip'

In short, if you want to flash KitKat Android 4.4, you'll have to upgrade to a version of CWM greater than v6.0.4.5. Or, use an alternate bootloader. For the Galaxy Tab 2 GT-P5113 or GT-p5110 you can find the instructions here.

Any references or links about why does this happen, please?

@SopalajodeArrierez I provided an explanation on the link to further instructions. This is an error message (if you try first without knowing), the other question is a tutorial-answer with more details.

A zip package that contains a firmware update always includes two files in META-INF/com/google/android: updater-script and update-binary. updater-script is a text file containing commands required to install the update. update-binary translates the commands into binary code.
In Android 4.4 KitKat, Google has changed the interface that updater-script uses for setting up permissions. The previously used set_perm method was deprecated and replaced by set_metadata. This causes old versions of custom recovery software to fail with Android 4.4 packages (e.g. CyanogenMod 11) and display the error message "set_metadata_recursive: some changes failed".
The best solution is to update the custom recovery software. I haven't found a new enough version of ClockworkMod compiled for my device, but I have found the newest version of TWRP to work.
Second option is to fix the updater-script by replacing any set_metadata and set_metadata_recursive calls with the old syntax, i.e. set_perm and set_perm_recursive. I haven't done this so I'm not sure how easy this would be.
Third option is to replace the update-binary with a patched one created by XDA member daniel_hk:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2532300
. I have done this and it worked fine, but the binary is compiled for ARMv7 and won't work in any other architecture.

Replacing the update-binary worked on my Oppo Find 5 for both the ROM and gapps. Thanks!

Indeed: upgrading TWRP from 2.6.3 to 2.8 did the trick for me. After that the set_metadata_recursive error when flashing new ROMs disappeared. Thanks a lot for the tip!

In addition to jmullee's answer, made by comparison of cm-10.1.3 and cm-11 updater-script. After this replacement, I successfully flashed cm-11-20141110-NIGHTLY-n7000.zip with recovery 5 (built-in in ICS speedmod kernel).
set_metadata => set_perm
set_metadata_recursive => set_perm_recursive

sed -i "s|set_metadata(\(\"[^\"]*\"\), \"uid\", \([0-9]*\), \"gid\", \([0-9]*\), \"mode\", \([0-9]*\).*);|set_perm(\2, \3, \4, \1);|" updater-script

I have solved that modifiying the \META-INF\com\google\android\updater-script file in a text editor, and replacing all the set_metadata_recursive by its old version set_param_recursive (the signature of the functions are relatively equivalent), after that you have to re-zip the pack and sign the file.
For replacing and figure it out how to do it: search in google "replace set_metadata_recursive by set_param_recursive phyton" somebody has created a phyton script but if you understand the functions signatures you can doit manually.
- then repack and sign the zip.

I wrote this search/replace pattern that munges the new format into the old, and it worked for me:
$ sed -i "s|set_metadata_recursive(\\(\"[^\"]\*\"\\), \"uid\", \\([0-9]\*\\), \"gid\", \\([0-9]\*\\), \"dmode\", \\([0-9]\*\\), \"fmode\", \\([0-9]\*\\),.*);|set_perm_recursive(\2, \3, \4, \5, \1);|" META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script

In the end the google-play app wouldn't install either, so I bit the bullet and flashed an updated recovery (recovery-clockwork-6.0.4.6-i9300.img with heimdal) and was then able to flash an unmodified CM11. Aside, Google Play had errors until I disabled 3G (forcing IPv4 over WiFi), it seems there were (temporary?) issues connecting to Play Servers via IPv6.

A bit more information would be useful. Did you get this from a forum? Or did you write it yourself? In either case, random piece of code isn't all that helpful without some comments (especially in the case of regular expressions).

ok sorry -
it's just a search/replace pattern I wrote that munges the new format into the old.
In the end the google-play app wouldn't install either, so I bit the bullet and flashed an updated recovery (recovery-clockwork-6.0.4.6-i9300.img, with heimdal ) and was then able to flash an unmodified cm11.
Aside, google play had errors until I disabled 3G (forcing IPv4 over wifi), it seems there were (temporary?) issues connecting to play servers via IPv6

ERROR STATUS 7 is because  of  you will have to upgrade CWM version to greater than or equal to the version CWM  v 6.0.4.4  to install kitkat and lollipop on samsung Galaxy Tab 2 GT-P5113 or GT-p5110

That may be true, but can you back your claim with source(s)?

Make sure you enable "USB Debugging" under "Developer options" on your rooted phone. That worked for me.

What do developer options have to do with recovery? When booted into CWM/TWRP, those play no role at all. Especially not for flashing ROMs.

They are completely unrelated.

I believe this answer is referring to the "USB Debugging" setting, which on some devices/versions can set a flag in nvram that is indeed readable from Recovery.

authors: Евгений Шахов