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Unlock screen of Samsung Galaxy S6
I had fingerprint set to lock Samsung Galaxy S6. I don't remember ever setting a backup password - screen literally locked as I passed the phone to someone.
I managed to access the phone signed in on Google. Then the phone requested I set up another fingerprint lock, which I did. I also put a password in, which I remember. But the password is not being recognised, and the phone is locked again.

I tried all combinations of all passwords I have, but no luck unlocking the phone
Samsung's Find My Mobile and Android Device Manager not letting me access phone/reset lock (perhaps because the remote control is not enabled)?
Unable to install the lock bypass app as it's saying the app is not compatible
Unable to use ADB
Tried installing 3rd-party apps to unlock the screen, but they don't work

Desperate to sort this out before I do a factory reset. Samsung Service Centre didn't really help, they said factory reset is the only option.
Any suggestions on how to unlock the phone (or do a data backup before I factory reset) would be great.

Do you have access to your notification drawer?

Hi, no I'm unable to access it

Do you see any type of clickable notification from Play Store when installing an app? Like "XXX has been installed" that you can tap on to launch it in the background? Also, what carrier/network you're on?

Hi again, and thank you for helping!  When I install an app the notification states that it has been installed, but I can't click on it...it still asks for the backup password.

i'm on a dubai carrier

If you have the international S6 you may be able to flash TWRP recovery and at least back up your data. You may also be able to flash a .zip to root your phone and bypass the lockscreen.

Here are the instructions Looks like most of it is Odin you should definitely be able to get your files back! I'll write up a detailed answer in a minute.

that's fantastic - i will give it a go and let you know how i get on! many thanks again

I'm getting this message when I try to boot into recovery mode to get into TWRP - Recovery Is not Seandroid Enforcing - i got the pass message on odin, but get stuck with the reboot every time - any suggestions?

That's a normal message for custom recovery, all my phones say that. So it just gets stuck at that screen? I would recommend flashing something else like CWM or Philz touch. The fact that you got this far is good news. You just need to find a recovery that works with your phone!

thanks v much  - yes it gets stuck at this screen every time...tried philz touch and cwm...will keep looking for other versions to get it to work!

Also! If none of the recoveries boot, and you suspect it is because of Selinux Enforcing, just flash a Selinux permissive kernel before flashing the recovery, search "sm g920|925-F|G|H (whatever your part number is) permissive kernel" on Google / XDA. Perhaps this universal one will work for you!

If you have TWRP, you can reboot into the phones built-in recovery software. Once you are there you can select recovery. Once in recovery you can make a backup of your data, then you can do a factory reset. I really hope this helped!

TWRP is the recovery. It is a custom one not built-in. And in TWRP there isn't a recovery button but backup and restore.

Following the guide submitted by Aaron Gillion, when I arrived at the step "6. Go into adb shell type su hit enter" all I kept receiving was:

CANNOT LINK EXECUTABLE DEPENDENCIES: library "libc.so" not found

I fixed it via TWRP → File Manager. I navigated to /sbin/libc.so to confirm the file exists, so SuperSU was installed correctly.
So, instead of running the commands:
rm /data/system/gesture.key then rm /data/system/password.key

I went to TWRP → File Manager, navigated to the location /data/system/  and deleted the fingerprint.key and password.key files

Good call, you can delete those files directly from TWRP or Aroma File Manager in Philz Touch.

I can't even run adb shell it pops out 'CANNOT LINK EXECUTABLE DEPENDENCIES: library "libc.so" not found'

Figuring out whether you can go all the way and bypass your lock screen will depend on the outcome of the steps below.
Following this guide,

Skip the step of turning on USB Debugging, you can't get past the lockscreen.
Download Odin, and the TWRP .tar file
Boot your phone to download mode, then plug it in to your computer, let the drivers install. Open the Odin.exe on your computer, fiddle with the USB connection until Odin says "COM1/2/3/4: Connected!"
Put the TWRP .tar file in the correct textbox, uncheck Auto-Reboot
Flash!
When it says finished, you can reboot your phone. However! You need to boot it directly into recovery mode, otherwise TWRP gets overridden past the Samsung logo.
Once you're in TWRP, congrats! Make a FULL backup onto an SD card or USB drive with OTG adapter.

Now to bypass your lockscreen:

Flash the SuperSU .zip found in the guide.
When you boot into TWRP does your computer recognize the phone in Device Manager? Does it make a bloop sound? You should find a device called "ADB".
Download the ADB kit from here (and the drivers if you can't get your computer to install them) and call adb.exe from a command prompt.
Run adb devices. If you see a long 50-character ID pop up, you're in luck!
If there's no ID, try another computer, it took me 5 computers to recognize.
Go into adb shell type su hit enter.
If it says permission denied, you're out of luck.
Run rm /data/system/gesture.key then rm /data/system/password.key
If no errors, profit!
If permission denied, remount system RW: mount -o rw,remount /system If that fails, try mount -o rw,remount /proc /system (a little hack I came across) and try step 8 again.

User kumepro had this to add: "you have to also delete 3 files also "locksettings.db" "locksettings.db-wal" "locksettings.db-shm".


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Talk back access to phone when switched on
How can I override Talk back on my samsung galaxy J1 phone. When I switch on my phone I cannot access my menu as the voice keeps telling me to press the select menu twice

That is how Talkback works.
Single tap to select an item in the screen, double tap to achieve actual tap action (double tap corresponds to single tap when Talkback is enabled.) Also, double finger touch scrolling will let you scroll list views. By this way you can reach to Talkback settings and disable it.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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App/Activity as dialog - Xposed module (Gravity Box)
It is happening for the last two days. Certain options (activities) when launched (e.g.: Mobile network settings, App uninstall), the activity is opened as an dialog and only when Gravity box is enabled in xposed framework. But I can't find a specific option in the app for controlling this feature. Is there an option for this? Or are there any other reasons/cause?
My phone is running Android jelly bean.

App uninstall as dialog (click image to enlarge)

That seems like a dialog than an overlay. How did you confirm it is an overlay?

Oh. Is it so? I'm a newbie. So I don't know much about these things.

Can you disable all of your Xposed modules and leave GravityBox module enabled? Reboot and see if the problem still persist.

Yeah. It is still seen. But not until I opened Gravity Box.

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


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Removing Bitmoji icon from Whatsapp
I have downloaded Bitmoji long ago, and the Bitmoji icon appeared on Whatsapp. It is extremely annoying because wherever I put it it will always get in my way at some point. I have no idea how to make it go away. Is there a way? How can I achieve that?

In settings, try unchecking the option "Show In-App Floater - Display a floating Bitmoji head in popular chat apps to make sharing a breeze"
It didn't work the first time I did this, so I went back in, checked and unchecked again and then it was gone.

Worked at first attempt.


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Can't connect to "Secured Network" via WiFi. Get stuck at a Lock screen

OS: OxygenOS version 2.2.0
Android version: 5.1.1
Phone Model: ONE 2005 [OnePlus 2] (Build number: One A2005_14_151211)

When I connect to a Secured Wifi network that requires that I "Accept" some sort of agreement, normally I would click on "Sign into Wi-Fi Network", which pops up on my status screen and then I would "Accept" the agreement.
Now when I click on "Sign into Wi-Fi Network", all I see is a screen with a big circle around a lock. I can't tap on anything on this screen, except exiting out. If I exit out, I am taken back to my home screen and not connected to the internet. All that happens is that "Sign into Wi-Fi Network" appears in my status screen again. If I click on it again, I go right back to the lock screen.
Upon further investigation, I saw Option Dots on the top right on that screen with the big lock on it. I tapped the Option Dots, which brought up a menu with the following 2 options:

"Do not use this network"
"Use this network as is"

I selected "Use this network as is"
After doing this, I am taken back to my home screen as before. This time, the "Sign into Wi-Fi Network" option is no longer on my status screen and I am still not connected to the internet when I tried to access my email, Facebook, etc.
Any insight would be much appreciated.

SUCCESS! I did the same steps as I mentioned in the Edit to my Question:

Touch "Sign Wi-Fi Network
Touch the Option Dots
Touch "Use this network as is"

I then did 1 additional step:

Manually open a browser window (Chrome)

and SUCCESS!

Now I was given the screen where I was able to "Accept" the terms and log into the network. Internet for all Apps/items on my phone now worked.

Note: After this worked, I rebooted my phone and tried doing the above steps again to make sure this solution worked again and it does.

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


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Can android developers use the kindle fire to run their apps?
I need a device to test my application against but don't own an android device. I found the Kindle fire for $40 which seamed like a great deal to get me started debugging my app but it says it uses their custom 'FireOS'. I was wondering if I could still use the kindle to debug my app because if not I will not purchase it.

Why not Android Emulator?

I'm pretty sure you can. @SarpSTA some developers (including me) prefer to use real hardware, because of performance and usability reasons (testing real usage conditions etc.).

@GiantTree also the fact that the android emulator doesn't have the best support for OpenGL ES

You could use it to debut your app as long as you don't use any Google-specific APIs, as the FireOS is a custom version of Android with Amazon's ecosystem in it while not including the all-common GApps. You could potentially root it and it install a GApps package to get around this, however.

Also, don't ask which device to use for debugging, as hardware recommendations are off-topic here. //The ideal device would be a Nexus.

@TamoghnaChowdhury when did I ask for hardware recommendations?

@TamoghnaChowdhury could you resubmit your reply as an answer so I can accept it. Just in case someone finds thist post while googling a similar problem.

That was a preventive measure, just in case you did end up asking for the right hardware for the job. That question would be a fit for Hardware Recommendations SE, not AE

@TamoghnaChowdhury ok I understand now

Why it isn't a good idea
The Kindle Fire runs Amazon's customized version of Android, namely, FireOS.
FireOS has a very tight integration with Amazon's content distribution platform (Amazon's ecosystem, so to say) at the cost of the traditional Google integration we normally find in Android devices.
This is to say, Amazon devices, although they run Android, lack any Google Apps as default or installable from the Amazon AppStore. It is possible to root a Kindle Fire tablet and flash a GApps package, but that (IIRC) is a probable violation of Amazon's Terms of Service, so I will not include that information here. It can be found with a simple search, however.
TL;DR
How is this relevant to an app developer looking at a Kindle to test their apps?

If your app only relies on APIs provided by "core" Android, AOSP, there's no problem. Your app can successfully be used on Kindle Fire, and hence tested on it.

If your app relies on anything Google provides as OEM stock on most Android devices, such as Maps, Play Services or Play Games, your app won't run at all due to missing library dependencies, unless you have hacked the Kindle Fire and installed the core GApps onto it after rooting, flashing a custom recovery or ROM, etc.

If your app relies on Amazon Services, well, you should be using the Kindle Fire for testing. It is Amazon's product and will work best with it.

Finally, most Android developers do consider a Nexus as "the" device for Android app development and testing, but opinions differ, and you should decide your testing decice requirements on a case-by-case basis.

If your app is for android, you can use the android emulator what google offers to developers. The Amazon Kindle how Tamoghna  says, runs a limited and custom system of Android.
If you cant run the google emulator you can try the Genymotion what offers to the users free virtual machines with android. Also offers a premium service to custom and more android versions.
The free version let you test and develop on the more common devices.

The emulator has been suggested to the OP, and he has clearly indicated that he is not interested in an emulator for the purpose, but only in real hardware. If you indeed wish to suggest an emulator, why not VirtualBox, VMWARE, BlueStacks, etc. etc. Is a problem. I suggest that you remove this irrelevant answer.

And the "virtual machines" you refer to are not even a bit like real common devices, e.g. the virtual machines have x86 processors like their host machine, unlike most Android devices which have ARM. This answer is riddled with misconceptions. I'm sorry. -1


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ZTE Obsidian running Android 5.1 doesn't save files to SD card.
When I try to update apps through Google Play I can't save the app to the SD card. In settings I chose SD card as the default drive but it still doesn't work. Is there anyway to make the system recognise the SD card? I constantly get insufficient storage space messages.

You're most likely dealing with the issue noted here: Why apps move from SD card to phone memory after upgrade and how to avoid it?

Later versions of Android do not allow for install to SD card. The cache can be saved here (which you've already enabled the option for) but installing the application directly to the SD card is no longer supported.

I thought that was only in 6.0?

Nope, I've used Android 5.0, 5.1, and 5.1.1 with no luck. Though it looks like this could just be an issue with the app developer not updating their code to work with the new SD card access model: http://www.androidcentral.com/lollipop-brings-changes-way-your-sd-card-works-kind-youll


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WiFi authentication problem
I have got my android (Lenovo Vibe P1M) and for a couple of days my WiFi worked smoothly.But when i tried connecting it yesterday it says authentication problem.
While my family members can use the WiFi with their phones, I can't.
What I've tried so far:
1. turning my WiFi on in Airplane mode.
2. clearing data from google services framework.
3. going far away from my router and trying to connect.
4. factory resetting the phone once
5. Forgetting access points and resetting passwords.
6. restarting my hotspot several times
7. restarting my phone several times

nothing worked.
NOTE: I see this question has been asked before here but that doesn't solve my problem.
Does it mean there is a problem with my device?

Is the clock correct? Authentication sometimes requires a synchronous clock. Try using the setting for automatic time set in the Date/Time setting panel.

@wbogacz  yes automatic time zone is activated.

Does you WiFi work on other devices

I think you missed the point of my question; or, I missed the point of your reply. TZ is certainly important, but I was asking whether the time itself is automatically set by your network. For the devices that connect properly, is their time the same as your device?

@doga Yes it works on other devices.I mentioned that in my post though.

In my case it was a full memory - deleted Gigabytes of photos -> worked

How did you figure out that low storage was the cause of Wi-Fi authentication? Prima facie, it seems unlikely.

To be honest, if the disk is full this can cause all kind of problems and in my case I saw that the disk is full. After clearing up data it worked.


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I cannot connect my one plus two to my computer or laptop. debugging option is saying "Device is in charging mode, USB Debugging is disabled"
I am using One plus two. But it is not connecting to my system. It used to connect previously. But once i set it on Charge only mode. since then there are no options in the notifications bar to transfer the matter from phone. I have tried all the steps explained, even the clicks on build number. But nothing helped me out USB debugging option is saying Device is in charging mode, USB Debugging is disabled. and i tried all the ways to enable it, but it is not letting me do it. and when i click on three dots in the storage, and click on USB connection settings it says connect your device to computer to access USB connections, even when the device is connected. Please help me out to solve the problem

The first debugging steps are always: try a different USB cable; try a different USB port on your PC; try a different PC if you have a friend.

I had the same issue, and, after the following steps, it seems to have worked itself out.

Disconnect the device from my PC
Go to Settings > More > Tethering & Portable Hotspot
Enable USB tethering
Disable USB tethering and Wait several minutes
Reconnect the device to my PC

After that, the USB Debugging option under Developer Settings was no longer greyed out.

With the latest Cyanogen update, soon after connecting to the pc, a notification appeared on my phone 'USB for charging'. I clicked and changed it to 'USB for file transfer'. Then I could browse A0001 and transfer files!

This problem arose after I turned the developer options on. So for once just disable USB debugging and enabled it again and the problem was solved.


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Customized Sound from a Specific Person in Gmail
I retrieve gmail message in my android and if I retrieve email from a specfic person with the following address for instance "....@test.com" I would like to retrieve the message with another sound instead of using the standard incoming sound message.
Is it possibly to do it?
Thanks!

I don't believe this can be done natively in an app like Gmail or Inbox, or even full blown mail clients like K-9, but there are email notification apps like Email Notifier, Mail Alert, and E-Notifier (just to name a few) where if you disable the embedded notifications in Gmail/Inbox and allow them to manage your notifications you can assign a specific notification tone based on the sender. Another option would be WhoIsIt, but that allows customized notifications for much more than just email, but text messages, phone calls, and some other apps as well.


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categorization of reviews on playstore listing
recently i noticed that there is some count is displayed on review listed under the product listed on play store. The attached image is reviews of google Chrome browser for android. But the interesting thing is that it shows only when we are visiting play store from mobile device (using play store App). I thought it was categorized based on App versions, but on selecting the review, it will bring all reviews. The highlighted count was I am talking about. Does anybody have any idea?

any idea of what? What's your actual question?

sorry if my question is not clear, my question is: what is this count denotes? it says "in 223 reviews", "in 256 reviews",  how this count is made? is this based on app version or anything?

Pretty sure the count is the number of reviews that used the bolded words (i.e. of all the reviews the app has, 2,152 used the word "useful"). They're basically showing you which words or phrases are most commonly used when describing the app. Don't have a source for that, though.


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Adjusting microphone gain on a tablet
I've recently bought an onda tablet v919 3g air dual os windows 10 + android 4.4. I can call someone only from android because windows cant access the modem only for data. The only problem is that somewhere in the software the microphone's gain is set on max and when I initiate a phone call there is a very high background noise.
I've rooted the tablet and I now have access to all its files, but I cant find the place where I should change the code so I could get rid of "boot_autogain". Considering that I'm quite a newbie in apache I believe that I should modify the audio policy file, but I don't know where. From my research the files are the same as the ones from asus zenfone, with the only difference that onda putted on mic {custom configuration.
My question now is the gain is applied before HAL or after the mixing is done? Or where and how can I change the gain values?
And also, I know for sure that it's not a hardware problem considering that in windows I don't have this problem and I can modify the microphone's level and it works just fine with skype, messenger, recording...

@cde I don't think it is on topic here as well. It is far beyond end-user level.

So is there anyone that can help me? I've asked the same question on stackoverflow and apparently they can't help me...

I thought only low level programming was off typically here. This is mid level, configuration changing. If it is off topic, then maybe a site like slate Droid, freak tab, or xda developers would help. Not sure how much support this manufacturers tablets get though.


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How to reset a device to factory settings when it is stuck at boot animation
I have a Lava Iris X1 running Android KitKat 4.4. The device remains stuck on  boot animation during boot.
I have several questions:

Can I perform a factory reset to fix this issue? If so, how?
Will doing so affect the normal operation of my phone?

I don't have any backup but I don't need any of the apps or data in my device.

Can I perform a factory reset to fix this issue?  If so, how?

Yes, of course. Follow the tag wiki of recovery-mode to know the various key combinations. One of them would help you to boot into your device's recovery mode. Most likely, it would either be Volume Up + Power button or Volume Down + Power button. When the device is turned off, long-press them simultaneously for few seconds until the device starts to boot. If you successfully boot into recovery mode, you would see an option to wipe data or factory reset. Use it.

Will doing so affect the normal operation of my phone.

Under normal circumstances (that is, device is not flashed by user other than through OTA), after factory reset the state of the software in device would be same as having it bought from a shop. No user data to be found anywhere - that includes your contacts and all user installed apps as well.


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Is it possible to restrict access to raw user data in fine-grained manner?
Usually, to allow an app to read user's data we add some lines to the android manifest stating a specific permission for that app. However, android does not have any kind of control over the raw data that an app may read. For example, if an app has the permission to read the call logs of the user, it will be able to access to all the raw call logs information without any kind of restriction. Furthermore, it happens exactly the same when an app tries to read the contacts. It can read every entry without and restriction on the raw data. The fact that apps does not have any restriction on user's raw information once they have access really concerns me. It would be more desirable that, for example, a social app would have only access to your contacts email and not phone numbers, addresses or phone office numbers.
I am trying build an app that could restrict the access to raw information in a fine-grained manner. That is, an app that could restrict the access depending on user's preferences so that two different apps that, for example, have the permission to access to the call logs could view different processed versions of the same call log. One could only see the calls made during an specific day and the other one could only see the calls during the last moth. The idea could also be applied to contacts so that sensible user information would not be disclosed.
I have been researching a lot into the topic but I have not found any answer. From all the sources that I have read, I guess this cannot be done (yet). However, if anyone could shed light on how to implement this I would be very grateful. Would it be possible to restrict the access to raw data in a fine-grained manner?

Android official supports multiple users with profile restrictions:
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/3175031?hl=en
I think there are several 3rd party ways to do it (Like Maas360 software) that can also do multiple user profiles
I don't k now if "android restricted profiles" meets all of your needs, but I think this is the starting point for controlling a device that may have multiple users with different roles.

Thanks for the answer, but it is not very helpful. User profiles restrict themselves to use different apps, I am seeking to restrict the apps access to user data.


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Another way for debugging web sites/apps using Android
Nowadays I miss my laptop I have only my Note 10.1 Android Running 4.4.2 ... is there any way to view web page source or open console or that developer options that we do using our normal laptop ?

See How do I view source in the Android browser?

Possible duplicate of View source code of web page in Android


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Show whole of image on screen in any orientation
I'm using Firefox version 44.0.2 on the Galaxy Note 4. I cannot zoom out enough to view the whole of images on the screen - so I have to scroll to get a glimpse.
It seems the image is zoomed to fit the height of the phone in portrait mode and zoomed to the width with the phone in landscape mode. End result is I cannot ever see the whole image at once.
For testing I used this image.
Attempted solutions:

I have tried to change a few of the zoom-settings such as browser.zoom.full, toolkit.zoomManager.zoomValues, and zoom.minPercent in about:config, to no avail.
I have also tried disabling all add-ons.
With an image (example) with 16/9 aspect ratio and the add-on "Full screen mobile", I can actually see the whole image.

So how to make it show the whole image on the screen, no matter how you hold the phone?
In general it would be nice to have kind of indefinite zoom in and zoom out on all content on the web - both images and web pages.

With Chrome 48 on my Android 5.1.1 OnePlus One, I'm seeing the same problem. But I can scroll, instead of zooming out.

Have you tried other browsers? Can you confirm this happens only with Firefox?

As far as I can tell the built in browser, Dolphin, and Maxthon all have the same problem. Firefox ftw.

Looking to do this?
(Click image to enlarge)

Perhaps this?

Turned out that the config browser.enable_automatic_image_resizing controls the behavior you want to change.

True: When viewing an image not in a web page, the image will be resized to fit in the browser window if it is too large for the browser window.
False (default in Firefox for Android): Images are always shown in their real size.

Toggle that setting to true in config editor.
For users new to the Firefox config entries: type about:config in URL bar, agree for whatever it asks for, type browser.enable_automatic_image_resizing in search field and toggle the entry to true.
There is more here. You can search for the config entry browser.enable_click_image_resizing. Toggle it. Now, the effects are identical to previous config entry except that whenever you would single tap on the image, its original size would load. When you tap on original size, the image will be re-sized to fit the page width. Convenient, I suppose.
One more. The config entry layout.css.devPixelsPerPx can also achieve what the first config entry can, but it requires efforts to pin pinpoint the value specific to your device and it would mess up with view of your pages. Nonetheless, it can do the job.
Note: Tested on Firefox for Android v44.0.2

I have tested it, and this is exactly what I needed. I have to say: nice find and good answer! And thank you - I really appreciate it! Unfortunately I am too new here to vote your answer up - someone else please do it for me :-) I did however mark it as the correct answer.

No problem. It was fun answering, given that you did put efforts into your question to solve it.


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iPhone Jan 1, 1970 bug on Android?
I was just wondering if this bug is on Android as well. I really want to try it but if it is, I don't want to ruin my phone. I mainly just want to know if I need to protect my phone's time and date from idiots at my school.

Doesn't seem to be related reports around Android. And it simply soft-bricks the device. You can factory reset an Android device using recovery mode. If that doesn't work, flash it. No problem.

So if I did it, it would only be a soft brick? Alright, good to know.

Google would answer this, the answer is mixed... Although none seem to brick in anyway (soft or hard), just result in an error, or nothing happens.

Just did this on Nexus 5, Android 6.0.1. Setting the date & time to 1970-01-01 00:07:31+07:30 didn't crash or anything. I couldn't set it lower than that since it would make the UNIX time value negative, which is invalid. Only common error like "Play Store cannot connect due to wrong time" occurred, but other than that, nothing serious.

Note: I could even make it Dec 31, 1969 by setting the timezone to +13:00, changing the date & time to Jan 1, 1970 13:01, then changing the timezone to -11:00. Still, nothing happened.

Additional note: it seems I forgot the most important part of iOS bug: reboot. Well, I tried once again setting the date to 31 Dec 1969 and then rebooting.. and it didn't brick the device. I'd say Android has placed safety precaution for this (basically, you can't set the UNIX time to 0 or negative)

Could you [edit] the question and describe the bug you're asking about. Most people here won't have any idea what "the iPhone bug" is.

Possibly, the error is known as Unix Epoch and since both iPhone and Android use parts of the UNIX code (iPhone from Darwin which is based off BSD, based off UNIX and Android based off Linux, based off Unix). Android does not let you go further down than January 2, 1970 from my experience, so possibly.

Well, that would be smart, sadly, I was able to change the date to Jan 1, 1970. But, I changed it back right away. Thank you for your answer.

You're mixing up meaning of terms. Being "based off"(sic) means "being a derivative" of something. Linux is not a derivative of Unix but it was originally designed to be Unix-like,  to be compatible with Unix. It doesn't, in any fashion, imply that Linux inherited the code, and as such, the vulnerability in the code of Unix. See Does Linux use original Unix code or do they share the idea?


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Can I flash an RUU coming from Cyanogen on an HTC One M8?
I have an HTC One M8 Dev edition running CM12. I also have TWRP and S-OFF with unlocked bootloader. I want to know if I can use the RUU for marshmallow for my phone and if there are any steps I have to do before running the utility

None... Just put your phone in fastboot mode and run the RUU. Although the Motorola flasher in me always does a factory reset first for safety.


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I can't boot to recovery mode in zenfone2
I manage to get into boot loader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuixmZ11Kyc
However, after that, if I select recovery mode and click power button it goes to bootloader again.
The problem is I have CWM installed. And then I Install TWRM again. So it seems that I have 2 recovery modes even though I need only one. I wonder how to solve that.
I can finally go to CWM but only if I reinstall CWM and only for 1 time

Have you verified you have the correct file and tried just reflashing recovery with 'fastboot flash recovery recovery.img' (replace 'recovery.img' with the name of the TWRP or CWM img file)? You cannot have 2 recoveries, one will over-write the other, if you flashed TWRP and it won't work, try going back to CWM. Are you sure you are not doing fastboot flash recovery.img and forgetting the "extra" recovery parameter.?

let me try. So I can put recovery.img on my computer and do that.

Yes... How else would you do it? :)

Strange from fastboot I can do 'fastboot flash recovery recovery.img' but then cannot do adb reboot recovery because adb can't see any device. The device is connected and cwm installer can connect though. If I go to cwm adb see devices but I can't do fastboot flash recovery

oh fastboot only works on fastboot. Not on cwm.

Fastboot and ADB are two different and unique tools... ADB is for talking to Android with the operating system booted, fastboot is for talking through the bootloader on a lower level. Try fastboot reboot-bootloader and start recovery. You must reboot after flashing recovery

Is there a fastboot command that can boot to recovery?

No, but you should be able to start recovery from the bootloader via hard keys

I can get into bootloader fastboot. Select recovery and it goes back to fastboot


text:
What does stop somebody from flashing a custom recovery and pulling all user data?
For example, I was able to install a Clockworkmod recovery on my Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 phone via Odin and back up all the data in a few clicks.
But if I could do it, what would stop somebody else who could gain access to my phone to do the same and perform a full backup on SD card? Isn't this supposed to be hard to do?
Is encryption the only way to protect private user data?

Not every device comes with an unlocked bootloader. Unlocking a locked bootloader wipes user data. If you're keeping an unlocked device with you, then data theft (and somewhat identity theft) becomes very easy when you lose possession of your device.

@Firelord OK, thanks. Is it possible to "lock" the bootloader back? (without deleting CyanogenMod)


text:
Unable to enable hotspot option in android 4.4
The device of mine is Lenovo A5500 and I used to see tethering and hotspot option in setting but I am now unable to locate that. Actually it is I here but I don't see any option to configure and enable it. Screens are included for more information.

The option for WiFi hotspot should be restored after rebooting the android handset, at least it was the case for me.


text:
Is there any way to turn off shutter sound of camera in Android Marshmallow?
I am using Motorola G3. After upgrading to Android Marshmallow I am not able to turn off camera's shutter sound. I searched and found it is the bug of android 6. Is there any way to turn of shutter sound of camera?

Note that this might be illegal depending on your jurisdiction.

For most android phones, the shutter sound is disabled while the phone is silent. Tried that?

Which variant? This is a noted in several (mostly non-US) variants, although regional laws may play into it (if xxx country makes shutter sound a legal requirement, and yyy country doesn't have that law but both are covered by the same firmware, the most restricted will win)


text:
Mirror OS X sound on Android without WiFi?
The audio jack hole on my Mac is broken.
My Android phone's hotspot is my Internet connection, and I don't have any other WiFi. Is there any way I can have the phone mirror the sound of my Mac?
I have already tried Bluetooth,  but I use several other Bluetooth devices at the same time,  and the Bluetooth sound gets a significant delay after some time. I work with creating subtitles for movies, and therefore that time delay is unacceptable to me.
Please note that many of the apps that do this require a WiFi hosted by a third device (router.) I don't have that, and need to do it without it.
I know this is technically doable,  because when I host a hotspot and connect the Mac to it, an app called AirDroid works fine (without using any cellular data) with a transfer speed of 5 megabytes per second. I'm looking for exactly that kind of connection being used to mirror the Mac audio on the phone.
I would even be interested in doing it with a USB cable. I'm interested in minimal delay and fair sound quality.
The phone is a Samsung I9305 running rooted stock 4.4.4 with Xposed Framework installed.
The Mac is running OS X 10.10.1.
I would prefer not having to buy any new hardware.

Is DLNA not an option?

It might be, this is the first time I hear of it, could you offer a link to an appropriate tutorial?

User Izzy maintains a list of DLNA/UPnP server and clients here. Could be helpful to you. You need to host a DLNA/UPnP server on your OS X and a client as an app in your Android. Kodi appears to have support for OS X. Note that you've not clearly confirmed whether you want to stream media from OS X to Android or want to make Android act as an alternative to physical speakers. DLNA takes care of former part.

Yes, I want to use the Android phone as an alternative to the Mac's audio jack. As I mentioned in OP, I work with creating subtitles for movies, and my Mac's audio jack is broken. I wish to plug headphones into the phone, and hear the sound of OS X with minimal delay.

This does not answer the question, but should solve your problem at minimal cost and in the most efficient way possible: use a USB headset! You can find many for less than $25. Or even cheaper, there are USB-to-audio-jack adapters, available for less than $10.

It's a good idea, and I already ordered one of those adapters online for a few dollars. (I do want to use my favourite pair of headphones.) The reviews of the adapter said the sound quality was kinda fair, not too good, not terrible. Anyway, I figure my phone has better sound quality than that card.


text:
I want to push this file to my cell phone
I do adb shell
Then I do ls
~ $ ls -l
drwxr-xr-x    4 root     root          4096 Feb 14 08:54 cache
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            13 Jan  1  1970 charger -> /sbin/healthd
drwxrwxr-x    7 system   system        4096 Jan  2  2000 config
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          2925 Jan  1  1970 config_init.sh
drwxrwx--x    4 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 data
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 datadata
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          4350 Jan  1  1970 default.prop
drwxr-xr-x   12 root     root          3140 Feb 14 11:15 dev
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          1320 Jan  1  1970 droidboot.init.mofd_v1.rc
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 emmc
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 etc
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 external_sd
drwxrwx---    7 system   system        4096 Nov 15 10:10 factory
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root         16565 Jan  1  1970 file_contexts
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          1604 Jan  1  1970 fstab
-rw-r-----    1 root     root           595 Jan  1  1970 fstab.charger.mofd_v1
-rw-r-----    1 root     root           806 Jan  1  1970 fstab.mofd_v1
-rw-r-----    1 root     root           595 Jan  1  1970 fstab.ramconsole.mofd_v1
-rw-r-----    1 root     root           151 Jan  1  1970 fstab.zram
-rwxr-x---    1 root     root        653412 Jan  1  1970 init
-rwxr-x---    1 root     root          1938 Jan  1  1970 init.class_main.sh
-rwxr-x---    1 root     root           109 Jan  1  1970 init.firmware.rc
-rwxr-x---    1 root     root          5253 Jan  1  1970 init.rc
-rwxr-x---    1 root     root           436 Jan  1  1970 init.watchdog.rc
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          1081 Jan  1  1970 intel_prop.cfg
drwxr-xr-x    3 root     root             0 Jan  1  1970 lib
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            10 Feb 14 09:47 logs -> /data/logs
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 mnt
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          3220 Feb 14 09:56 original.fstab
dr-xr-xr-x  125 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:47 proc
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          3070 Jan  1  1970 property_contexts
drwxr-xr-x    3 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:56 res
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root           240 Jan  1  1970 rfkill_bt.sh
drwx------    2 root     root             0 Jun 26  2015 root
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     shell            0 Feb 14 09:56 sbin
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 sd-ext
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            11 Feb 14 09:57 sdcard -> /data/media
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root           534 Jan  1  1970 seapp_contexts
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root            73 Jan  1  1970 selinux_version
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root        141154 Jan  1  1970 sepolicy
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root         10548 Jan  1  1970 service_contexts
dr-xr-xr-x   14 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:47 sys
drwxr-xr-x    5 root     root             0 Jan  1  1970 system
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Feb 14 09:57 tmp
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          3388 Jan  1  1970 ueventd.mofd_v1.rc
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          4487 Jan  1  1970 ueventd.rc

Now there is a zip file that contains my cyanogenmod. However, I couldn't find in which directory it is.
It is on the external sd card.
So how can I push some files to the root directory of my external sd card?
I did
cd /
ls -R *.zip

I got nothing even though I know that some zip files definitely exist
I did cd /external_sd
But the directory is empty

If it is for installation, you can use an app like WebPCSuite?

If you want to push your files inside sdcard. You need to push it inside /mnt/sdcard/. That is where your sdcard is mounted inside adb shell

I think this has to do with device or Android version. In my Android 4.2.1, external SD card is mounted at /storage/sdcard0 and /mnt/sdcard is a symlink to it. // Your second part has an issue. The card is mounted by Android at boot or when it is plugged after boot. adb shell has no role in it.

Yes by default sdcard is mounted on /storage/sdacrd0 but his screenshot has no listing of storage folder. So i suggested this one.

It seems that the name of the directory is /external_sd/
c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb push BlissPop-v4.0.3-Z00A-NIGHTLY-20160207-0726.zip /external_sd/
4930 KB/s (401167841 bytes in 79.457s)

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb push cm-12.1-20160208-UNOFFICIAL-Z00A.zip /external_sd/
5369 KB/s (358202764 bytes in 65.145s)

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb push Slim-z00a-5.1.1.beta.0.5-OFFICIAL-8-16-15.zip /external_sd
5001 KB/s (312582947 bytes in 61.032s)

However, if I go to adb shell
And I do
cd /external_sd
ls
I see nothing.
However, CWM can see the zip files on my /external_sd


text:
Dual SIM standby -- data and calls on different SIMs
I wanna ask about Dual SIM standby 4G phones, particularly Lenovo P70 if that makes a difference.
If I have two SIMs: (A) with a call and SMS tariff, (B) with LTE data.
If I browse the internet on (B) and someone calls me on (A), will I be notified of the call? And if so, when I answer the call, will I disconnect from the internet?

(I'm new on this site; I haven't found a dupe, but if it exists, I apologize.)

I didn't check the second case but you'll be notified that an SMS has been received and your ordinary incoming calling view would show up for an incoming call.

As far as phone calls are concerned, when you use SIM1 for a phone call, SIM  2 will be unavailable to receive calls or messages. Anybody that tries to call, the call will not go through.
As far as Data connection is concerned, when you use SIM1 for Data, and you get a call on SIM2, data connection is automatically put on hold, and will continue when the call on SIM1 is finished.

So the phone is still "listening" on the other SIM when one SIM is used for data?

Doesn't that rather depend on the dual-sim implementation used? AFAIR there are multiple implementations: one works by switching between the cards (as you describe), and another one gives true multi-sim. Not sure, as I never dug into it.

@Izzy I forgot to mention it in the post, it's only in the title: It's "dual SIM standby"

@yo' Ah, so that's what it means. OK, tnx :)

@Izzy Correct.  There are two kinds, Dual SIM Dual Standby, and Dual SIM Dual Active.  In the active mode, when a call is on one SIM, user will get a notification tone, that there is a call on the other SIM.

Has anybody tested downloading large file and receiving call on other Sim at the same time?


text:
Is 4.1 the best for this 4? yr old device?
In my pile of devices I have what looks like a "Galaxy Tab 2 10.1". I believe it is 4?? years old.
It has 4.1.2.  When I try to update, it looks like I cannot update any further.
1) Is there a way to determine what the hell device / model year this is?
2) If I know the model year/etc.  How can I tell what is the "maximum" Android version?
3) In fact, is there a way to update this device?  It seems bizarre I can't update it further - it's pretty new.
4) Do I perhaps need to update the firmware in some way?

What's the story here.  Thanks very much in advance to all.

@JoeBlow: the community support for that device is so good that even after ~4 years, latest Android version (Marshmallow -> CM13) is under development. It is unofficial but is there. You should be able to find a stable Android 5.1.1 ROM for your device. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-2/10-inch-development

4 years is ancient in tech years. Your first pic holds your answers. The model Gt-p5110 and with Google it states that it was released in 2012. Came with android ice cream sandwich 4.0.3 and it is upgradable to android jelly bean 4.2.2. Also if you look at the kernel version you will notice that it was compiled in 2013. For update firmware you could check sammobile.com or similar sites.
To find your model number, look in the middle right of the screen shown in the first screenshot. The field marked "Model Number:" tells you the model number.

Brilliant answer, thanks. It seems to be stuck on 4.1.2 (not 4.2.2). Could it be (wild guess) I have to use "Keis" (ie, on a tethered PC) to make the next update?  Secondly, when I look here http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/GT-P5110/ I think I bought the machine in France of all places. Notice it is 4.1.2 for France (4.2 elsewhere) -- is that the explanation there?  Finally, you've very kindly told me it is a "GT-5110".  Awesome - thanks. How the heck did you know that?   I've noticed on other Samsung, it tells you during the startup - this one does not tell you during startup.

Oh.  I guess where it says MODEL NUMBER in large letters in the middle of the screen shot, that would do it   :)


text:
Nexus 5x stuck on Google logo
First time that I've been lost about how to fix an android device. In short, I tried updating the my device to the latest cm13 nightly but that ended up causing the Google logo loop (wouldn't boot into animation). I tried various fixes that I know of (tried reflashing with new Gapps, tried flashing a stock ROM no luck).
My issue now is that I can't use 'fastboot' anymore as my device isn't being recognised and so wondering if there is a fix that can be applied from twrp recovery itself.
Also must mention that device has been rooted (though not sure if it still is as I can't boot into a ROM) & has an unlocked bootloader (which can't be locked either).
Thanks in advanced.

You should still be able to enter the bootloader where fastboot will work with buttons. While the 5x is off hold volume Down + Power button at the same time.

@BoLawson i can get into bootloader but the fastboot still isn't working. I've tried a reflash of a custom ROM again (this time with the vendor file) no luck still. Could this be a driver issue then? adb works though not sure if i can do anything with that?

If adb works then fastboot should work. But fastboot only works in the bootloader. Once you move past it to recovery or the OS then it is ADB. Have you tried a factory reset from recovery sometimes that gets the OS working.

@BoLawson tried and failed. I am going to try flashing the previous cm13 ROM i had installed before the issue occurred

Get into Recovery, if you flashed a CM13 you probably have a custom recovery installed. Do a factory reset from your custom rom. Alternatively, you can wipe Cache, Data, System individually.
After this, try rebooting to bootloader and connect your phone to a different PC if your's doesn't recognise the phone. It is preferable if the PC has Linux as it doesn't get you in device driver hassles. If anyway you have no option other than a Windows system, install universal naked drivers if your own device's official drivers doesn't work. Reboot your system and connect your device again to try getting Fastboot mode.


text:
Deleting an event in llama
I'm trying to figure out how to use Llama. However, I'm having difficulty figuring out something that seems like it should be obvious. Namely, how do I delete an event in Llama once I have defined it?
If I'm missing something obvious, I apologise.

A few seconds after posting this, I found the following article:
Make Your Smartphone Even Smarter, which says:

You can copy, edit or disable an event, or delete it when you don't need, by touching and holding an item on the list of events.

This works, but in my opinion is not obvious. Also, I didn't find this in the official documentation. I looked. If it is in there, and I missed it, I can delete the question.

It might not be obvious to a new user – but as the equivalent to clicking with the right mouse button, that's how things work in many Android places ;)

@Izzy I'll bear that in mind. Should I delete the question?

I see no need to do that. Guess other new users might feel the same confusion, so it helps them.


text:
HTC One M8 - Locked after Android 6 update
So, I received a marshmallow update which buggered up the phone. After boot, it kept on saying android.process.acore has stopped with Google+ and an infinite loop asking me to report the error.
I don't know what I did but now I just get a screen saying:
*** Software Status: Modified ***
*** LOCKED ***
*** Security Warning ***
M8_UL PVT SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-319.0.0000

I'm stuck on this screen and none of the options do anything.

Hboot
Ramdump
Reboot
Reboot Fastfoot
Power down

What is going on?

Can you consider forcefully powering off the phone? Since unplugging battery is not an option for your device, try long-pressing the power button for few seconds until the device stops working. After that, boot into [tag:recovery] and do factory reset. (The OTA upgrade is actually a dirty flash.) Let us know the results.

Thanks for replying. It does not boot into safe mode. It is currently on the setup screen (after update), I can't get past wifi options. All the google apps are crashing constantly (bringing error report popup), as a result the phone crashes.

No, not safe mode but [tag:recovery] mode. Both are vastly different things.

Sorry... Are you talking about the the recovery mode in bootloader options? If so like i stated in the question, none of the options do anything. The phone just boots into the bootloader again.

You probably need to find the current RUU and run it, it will restore your phone to out of box condition, except current release of software.

Any instructions on how to do that? I have absolutely zero knowledge regarding these topics.

I have recently discovered the same problem. Here are the steps which helped in my case (un-rooted phone just stopped loading after vacations):

I plugged in the cable to PC-USB. Th phone was not recognized.
I pressed on the phone something like "checksmartsd"
The phone was recognized by the PC and started as usual.

By "reboot" everything was fine. By "shut down" and "launch" the menu appeared again (phone not plugged to the pc). I chose the same "checksmartsd" and it worked.
I have no idea why it worked. I hope it helps somebody.
Best,
Eugene


text:
Does flashing stock ROM via Odin delete phone data?
So my Galaxy S6 is stuck in a boot loop and I've literally tried EVERYTHING already and nothing will solve the problem. Safe mode won't work, clearing the cache partition won't work and USB Debugging was turned off so adb wasn't seeing my device either. I also tried Kies and Smart Switch. I am convinced my phone is soft bricked and I need to recover some very important pictures and files from it. At this point my last hope is to flash the stock ROM via Odin and I saw that some people have said that they have successfully done this without losing any of their data. Is this possible? If so how do I go about doing it properly? If you can give me a step by step of what settings to use in Odin to not lose my data I would greatly appreciate it!!
Thanks for any help!
Phone is not rooted and 100% stock. Recovery and Download screens are working.
Phone: T-mobile Galaxy S6 with Lollipop

Flash a custom recovery from download mode and recovery data by booting into that recovery.

@Firelord I've read that to download a custom recovery it's recommended to factory reset your phone first. Can I avoid this step?

No, that's incorrect info. Mind sharing the link (where you read it) with us?

Yes it does delete your phone. But as @Firelord said, you don't need to factory reset.

Not sure where it was saw it couple of days ago on an XDA forum can't find it again. @SarpSTA What deletes my phone?

Flashing stock ROM. It overwrites everything in your phone.

@SarpSTA How sure are you of that? Because I saw a video of someone doing it and they kept all their data. It's starting to get confusing with multiple conflicting reports saying it worked/didn't work for them :/

I'm pretty sure. A stock ROM with .kdz extension includes every partition of the phone to replace the recent ones. Can you link me to the video?

@SarpSTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOxeNAK6-aI

@SarpSTA Update, I went ahead and flashed the stock ROM and it's still in a bootloop... Have no idea what happened to my files but at this point it's quite stressful

@Nabjav Can you provide me with the link of topic or page you found the stock rom on?

@SarpSTA From Sammobile which I know to be reliable: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-G920T/

@Nabjav It is reliable. What wasn't is my knowledge obviously pretty much to my shame. It turns out that data and cache partitions are created during the first boot and therefore are not included in the .kdz. Therefore your recent cache and data are not overwritten or wiped. If your problem persists even after flashing stock ROM it means that cause of bootloop is originating from data partition. You need to wipe it clean to fix the bootloop.

@SarpSTA Yes at this point I figured that. Quite unfortunate but chances are looking pretty slim of data recovery, oh well. Thank you for your help though!

@Nabjav I think saving images might still be possible pretty much though.

@TechRando I am currently going through exactly same situation. My Samsung Galaxy A6+ got stuck while upgrading OS and now it stucks at samsung logo when booting. Recovery and Download screens are working. Did you manage to recover data by flashing stock? Would really appreciate your help. Thanks.

@Atul Unfortunately, I was not able to recover the data. Wish I could be of more help

None of your internal storage files i.e. Photos, Music, Videos, Docs etc., will not be removed until you do a repartition of the device using Odin. Your phone will be restored to perfect condition; just that all your personal information will be gone such as contacts that were on the phone storage and apps.
But I'm not responsible if anything goes wrong. Do it at your own risk.
OR
You can flash a custom recovery using Odin and use the MTP feature of the recovery and move the required files (which I assume would be safer).

That double negation makes this answer really really fuzzy. So what does the statement entail: the files do or do not get removed?

@0xC0000022L rightly pointed out the confusion in understanding the answer. Down voted for this reason. Please correct and ping me for clean up and reversing down vote. Thanks

Any Samsung expert - if you can suggest edits to improve this answer, please discuss in chat before doing that. Thanks


text:
At fastboot, fastboot can connect to computer but adb cannot
The other way around happens when I reinstall cwm (yes I can reinstall cwm run fastboot, adb simply doesn't know it exist). When I do cwm
c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb reboot

See adb reboot works when I am on cwm. Adb recoqnize the device. After that?
c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached

no devices.
c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.0-0-Z00A.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (15674 KB)...
OKAY [  0.780s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [  0.876s]
finished. total time: 1.657s

Works just fine. Of course it's catch 2 2 because I want to do adb reboot recovery after that but cannot

What does fastboot boot twrp-3.0.0-0-Z00A.img do? You can use key combinations to boot into recovery mode. Isn't that the option for you?

Using key combination doesn't work. The only recovery I can get into is cwm and I do that after I install cwm. Basically I can do key combination, select recovery, and then boot again. However, it will go to bootloader.

so adb reboot recovery will reboot to recovery. Is there a fastboot command that's like that?

No there is not fastboot reboot recovery. The closest thing would be the command firelord ask you to perform and report the outcome.  fastboot boot twrp-3.0.0-0-Z00A.img On the previous commands it's: adb shell  then:  su lastly: reboot recovery


text:
Can we explain Android in terms analogous to a PC?
I am familiar with computers. With computers, we have BIOS. BIOS is something like memory and hard disk. It's attached to the motherboard straight. It is, for all practical purposes, like a hard disk. When we boot the computer, I bet the BIOS would start first and then we move to the operating system.
Then we got the real hard disk. We can reformat the hard disk all we want and the computer will still be useable (not bricked). That's because there is this very basic primitive operating system, namely the BIOS. Then the BIOS will read CD ROM and we can install a new operating system to the hard disk.
That's how a computer works.

Now we have Android devices.

I think the SD card is analogous to a hard disk. Or am I wrong here?

Then I read Android Partitions Explained: boot, system, recovery, data, cache & misc and I got even more confused.

So, are all the apps in the data partition? Is the SD card the whole SD card? Shouldn't data be in the SD card?
Also, how can Android be bricked?
What is the BIOS of Android?
So, Android has a recovery partition, boot partition, etc. Are all those on the SD card?
Say, I really messed up with my Android and want to start from scratch. Say, I want to format the whole SD card like I want to format the whole hard disk. Can I do that? What are the consequences?
Is /boot like BIOS? Is it on an SD card too (the internal one?)
Is internal storage the SD card?

On PC, we have memory and hard disk. It seems that in Android we have memory, and then the "hard disk" equivalent, called SD Card is also called memory again.
PC|Memory|Hard Disk
Android Devices|RAM|Memory

Do I get the analogy correct?

Related: Can somebody explain the boot process of an Android device?

Can we explains android terms with its analog with PC[?]

We can try but it will restrict the expansion of our understanding since certain parts would never fit the analogy we're familiar in with desktop computing.
Take a good look at this image:

Image source: Reverse Engineering Android's Aboot - by Jonathan Levin
If you want an analogy, anything before Linux kernel can be roughly called as BIOS.1
Unlike traditional Linux distributions where kernel is stored inside a filesystem, where the latter also contains files necessary for satisfactory functioning of distribution, in Android, the kernel is stored in a dedicated partition, often named /boot.
/recovery is a partition synonymous to recovery partition an OEM ships in a laptop (I suppose desktop too) to recover your primary OS (often MS Windows). In PC, the recovery can be accessed by special keys from BIOS, such as a Functional key. In Android, we have key combinations to boot the device straight into recovery mode. We also have command-line options to instruct the device reboot into recovery mode. In that image, recovery partition should be visualized after Android BootLoader or you can say it should accompany Linux Kernel.
The Android OS is saved in a dedicated partition named system and is mounted by kernel during boot at /system. This is what you can call the factory state of the device. During OTA upgrade, the contents of this partition are upgraded.
There is fastboot mode, which is a low-level mode meant to talk to bootloader, often for the purposes of flashing the device's partitions. Fastboot should accompany Linux kernel and recovery in that image.**2
There is a partition named /cache, which you can read at What is the /cache partition? Your PC most likely wouldn't be having such a partition.
There is a partition named userdata, mounted at /data and contains user specific files. The files are so private in nature that the user itself is not authorized to read all of them.  During factory reset, this partition is either partially or fully wiped out, depending upon user's preference.
Then there is a user partition which serves as a storage for user media. It is what we refer as "internal SD card". Do not use the term "internal storage" but "internal SD card" to refer to this partition. In devices containing KitKat or above Android version, there is no such physical partition but the directory /data/media/ is emulated as "internal SD Card".
There is external storage, which includes external SD card and any USB OTG drive. This is secondary class storage, meant to compensate the limited amount of free space available in "internal SD card". Boot process has nothing to with this type of storage.
There are many partitions hidden from the reach of an ordinary user. They can loosely be called as firmware or part of ROM. There is no accepted definition on what constitutes as firmware in Android, so stick with "part of ROM". Useful reading: How to list all major partitions with their labels?
Here, every physical, non-removable partition that came with the device comes under the umbrella term "Internal Storage". That said, you'll find various articles including developers.google.com where Internal storage is referred to the partition (userdata) where user's private data is stored.
You want more confusing terms. Memory is one such term. People call RAM as memory, people call internal storage as memory. Avoid this term. Use the aforementioned terms for the type of storage you want to refer. They are clear and unambiguous.
Why you can't format the inbuilt storage of Android devices just like the hard drive in PC would only invite opinion from us. Just deal with the reality that this is how it is.

1: Technically, it's the Bootloader (aka SPL, Secondary Program Loader – though that's rather comparable to a boot menu like GRUB; in the flowchart, "SBL" must be a typo). Not sure if the IPL (Initial Program Loader aka "radio firmware" aka baseband; "modem" in the flowchart) should be counted as "BIOS" – though it fulfills its functions in addressing the underlying hardware, one cannot enter it for configuration.
2: Actually, fastboot does not really have anything to do with Android specifically; it's rather an own, minimalist OS tailored for its specific purpose.

This is a community wiki. The definitions are something we do not produce individually but collectively. Improve this answer, wherever you can.

First, RAM, hard disks, ROM, etc. are all types of memory. Also, not all Android devices have SD cards, thus they are not a necessary part of an Android file system.
PC and Android file systems are not necessarily equivalent. See the chart below for a simplified explanation of the types of memory in each system and their uses.

PC

Android

Memory Type
Use
Memory Type
Use

RAM
Volatile memory used while the device is running, erased when the computer is shut off
RAM
Volatile memory used while the device is running, erased when the computer is shut off

ROM
Where BIOS (commands that are run on initial power-up) is stored
ROM
Where Bootloader (similar to BIOS) and Operating System are stored. This memory is what is flashed when you install a new OS and what is corrupted when the phone is bricked

Hard Disk
Where Operating System and most data, including programs, is stored
Internal Flash Memory
Where all user and app data is stored. Each app has its own section within this memory that it can use to store data, special permission must be given for an app to access data outside of its partition

External
Optional storage space of programs and data
SD Card
Optional expansion of Internal Flash Memory

Original chart

You sure the table is correct? Got sources? So the operating system is in the "BIOS" of the android? Also there is no way data and app is stored in RAM. RAM it turned off when device is turned off. If I restart my android my app is still there.

Physically, is internal memory and ROM on the same "organ"?

If you notice, there is a division in the middle of the table. The left half is regarding Pc and the right regarding Android. So, no the OS is not in the BIOS of the Android and "data and app" is not stored in RAM. Everything is turned off when the device is turned off but the internal clock, but RAM is wiped.

Again, please relook at the chart, noticing the division in the center. Internal Memory and ROM are two different chips.

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


text:
Devices disconnect from CWM when trying to sideload
c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb sideload UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip
loading: 'UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip'
error: device '(null)' not found

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached

I will try again and see if devices are there when I select sideload from cwm
I did it again.
Now the message is error: closed

**c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb sideload UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip
loading: 'UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip'
error: closed

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb sideload UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip
loading: 'UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip'
error: closed

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb sideload UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip
loading: 'UL-Z00A-WW-2.20.40.165-user.zip'
error: closed

c:\Users\jim2\Downloads>adb devices
List of devices attached
F5AZFG27S553    device

Error Closed the majority of the time is because adb.exe is out of date.

In which case, an up-to-date set can be found in the download area of my site (minimal package: adb, fastboot, aapt – suitable for the average user without having tons of unnecessary stuff attached ;) for Linux, Mac and Windows.


text:
Lost android phone
i lost my phone
my phone model is MOTOROLA(MOTO-E)
when i lost it,that phone consists of 16 gb data
my question is how to find my phone or how to recover my data?

Check the Q&A tagged under [tag:lost-phone].

Or start with our lost-phone tag-wiki for a summary. But @Firelord is correct: a little search would have revealed this question has been asked multiple times here already (which is why your question is being downvoted: "does not show any research effort"). Here's a search for lost phone recover on our site, which includes answers to your question.

Unless you have a backup stored somewhere (either online or your hard drive), you can't recover the data without finding your phone first.
Check out this post for finding the phone:
androidcentral.com/you-can-now-quickly-google-find-my-phone-find-lost-android-device


text:
ZTE phone home screen blinks off and on
My phone screen has task manager and a clear all button at the bottom. When I try to push phone or an app, it keeps disappearing and comes back on. I can't use any apps and I can't talk or text because every time anything is touched or even if nothing is touched the phone screen blinks on and off with apps and no apps, apps and no apps, repeatedly. I can't use the phone, because the home screen keeps flashing off and on. How do I fix this problem?

@necolesager Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Q&A. It would help to troubleshoot your phone if you could post a comment or edit your question and provide the model of your ZTE phone.

If you expect someone to help you, you shouldn't make it that hard to understand your issue. Sorry if I might sound mean, but all I can see in your post looks like gibberish – as if there was an explosion in the press and the letters landed on this page.

Check under Developer options if there is an option to make the screen flash with heavy app usage.
Look in your installed apps to see if you have installed any shady apps recently and uninstall them. In particular search for apps or themes that have permission to wake up the phone.


text:
How can I unlock patterns on my Huawei Ipad
I need your help. My son locked my Huawei Ipad and he doesn't know what patterns he used and I can't log in on my Ipad, I tried everything, if there is anyone who knows, please help.

Please see: Can not unlock my Android device as have no internet connection?

Method 1: If you know your Gmail userId and password

Draw incorrect patterns for 5 times.

When you have tried 5 times, you will get a message that you have drawn the pattern to unlock your android phone for 5 times so try it again after 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, "Forgot pattern” option will appear.

Tap the Forgot pattern option. Enter your gmail username and password which is linked to your device.

Now you can reset your lockscreen security.

Method 2: If you don't know your Gmail userId and password

This will reset your device and you will lose all data. [Data that is present in internal storage will be erased]

Follow this answer to get into recovery mode and factory reset your device.

Method 3: If USB Debugging is Enabled.

If you are an advanced user, you might know what USB debugging is and how to send commands through adb.

Pre-Requisite:
USB Debugging must be enabled previously before phone is locked

Install Minimal ADB and Fastboot on your PC.

Install USB drivers for your model. List of drivers can be found here: OEM Drivers

Connect your tablet to the PC and open Minimal ADB and Fastboot application on your PC.

Type : "adb devices" and press enter. This will show list of devices currently connected to the PC. If drivers are properly installed, this will give some result like,

Finally run : "adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key" to remove the pattern lock.
Now enter any pattern in your tablet and it will get unlocked :)

Don't you need root to rm gesture.key?

"adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key" -- this would never work unless adb daemon is running with root permissions. Method 1 is of no use to Lollipop and above Android versions. See Where has the forgotten password button gone? Method 2 has faults because the answer it links to uses Vol Up + Power key combo which is not the combo used in every (or most at least) device to boot into recovery mode.


text:
How to sync notifications between two android devices?
I have two android devices, but I usually use only one at a time. I want to see the other device notifications without using any computer or web app.
I can use AirDroid to see notifications, but only in web or desktop app. I can log in the web app using Chrome Browser for Android, but I don't receive any notification. I only can see notificacions in the other device if I check manually the Airdroid web page.
I can use also Pushbullet to see notifications, but only with browser extension (I  only checked with Chrome one but I imagine it's also working with the other browsers). As I cannot install the browser extension in Chrome Browser for Android, this option is not valid to use within a smartphone.
Pushbullet offered in a previous version a beta feature to sync notifications between devices, but this feature has been dismissed.
Then, there is an option to be aware of notifications of one Android device from other one?


text:
External SD Card Detected, Files Not Showing
Being a BLU fan, I have a BLU Neo 4.5. A few days ago, I had this really strange experience; I have my 64 GB external SD card inserted and my phone's storage setting detected it. 64GB. However, when I went to my file browser, it said that no contents were available and when I tried to move an app to the SD card, it said "Could not move app." I rebooted the phone and perfect. I could do it. However, later, the apps no longer worked. Does anyone know any possible reason as to why this is happening? I'm running Android 4.2.2
What I've Tried, My Guess & More Info
My guess is that I also used this same exact SD card on another phone, moving the same exact apps to it. Maybe formatting the SD will help? I already formatted my phone (factory reset) and so far, the file browser has not yet said that the SD card was empty.
What do you think I should do next? Format the SD Card to be safe, or carry on as it seems to be okay after the device's factory reset? Usually, is something like this more hardware or software-related? From what I know, it's usually software-related.
Also, on a side-note, it says that the phone only supports a 32GB SD, but I have a 64GB inserted and it works just fine, seemingly. Could that also be it?
Update: It stopped displaying the files again, even though it says the external card is mounted in Settings. I tried a new 32GB (supposedly "compatible") SD card so hopefully that'll work. If not, what do you presume is the case?x

Have you tried using a 32 Gig or lesser sized SD card in your phone? If so, did you experience any of the inconsistencies?

You say:

Also, on a side-note, it says that the phone only supports a 32GB SD,
  but I have a 64GB inserted and it works just fine, seemingly. Could
  that also be it?

Yeah, seemingly. Did you expect anything different?
Could that also be it? YES, with surety above 90% for me.
You appear trying to kinda 'cheat' your manufacturer, by using a size your phone doesn't support on paper. Perhaps, that's affecting the consistency of displaying the contents on your phone. For some phones, like Sony Xperia Z2, the storage won't show up at all if it goes beyond the recommended size limit on paper.
Instead of trying to go beyond whats recommended on paper, kindly stick to 32 Gig storage or less, as your manufacturer says. If it doesn't work, then there's a problem. Until that, you're just messing up with phone.
If sticking to 32 or less storage capacities, the inconsistencies exists, then you might consider:

Trying your SD card in another phone to see if it works. If it works...
Try a different file explorer on your phone.
As a fallback, it might be an OS issue, and perhaps fixed in an update. Update your phone software.


text:
Stock contacts app shows a default "other" address
I've added a street address for one of my contacts in the stock Marshmallow contacts app.
However, the address only shows up as the second address, only visible if I tap "see all" at the bottom of the contacts details.
By default, the app shows a dummy address with just the country code (Australia in my case) and nothing else. The image below explains the problem better than words:

How do I get rid of that address? I don't see it among the editable fields when I modify the contact, so I don't know where it's coming from.

Can you do a long press on the correct address(2nd address in the pic) and select the "set as default" option? You could also try to remove the unwanted address from the contact using Google Contacts web version. https://contacts.google.com

@beeshyams: I don't have the options you mention at all in either the Contacts of Phone app, just checked

@Lucky: no, long-pressing just shows the option "copy to clipboard" for both addresses. Also, the extra "AU - other" address does NOT show up in the web version of contacts, only in the app, so I can't delete it from there.


text:
using chrome to access HTML files on android
I downloaded the java documentation to read on my phone but i can't use the html viewer on my phone because it cant use links.
When I tried using google chrome and going to the file location its not allowing chrome to access the location.
Does anyone know how to allow chrome to access the folder or know a folder that I could move the documents to?
The documents I have. It's the Zip file I'm using.
Before someone says I could use the epub or mobi, they are missing some of the bits i want to read.
Im using an HTC M9 and the location im trying to access is file:///download/tutorial/tutorial.
Thanks for any help:)

If you're running Android 6 Marshmallow, you may need to grant Chrome access to your user storage. Secondly, the correct URL path should be file:///sdcard/Download/tutorial/tutorial.

thank you. :) can finally start reading about the sound API XD


text:
How do I force my MHL to DVI adapter to send 1080p video to my HD computer monitor?
I bought this adapter: www.delock.de/produkte/F_697_MHL_65337/merkmale.html in the hope that it would send native 1080p video from my HTC One (M7) running CyanogenMod 12.1 to my Benq GW2265, which is a full HD monitor. But it won't. Somehow the adapter or the phone seem to get the impression that the monitor only supports 640x480@60Hz, so that's all I'm getting. I've also tried it with two different models of HP Compaq HD monitors - same result.
Now if I plug the same phone and the same adapter + a DVI-to-HDMI adapter into an HD TV, I get 1080p@25Hz output, so I know the phone and the MHL adapter can both reach that resolution just fine. It's just that these computer monitors for some reason aren't being seen as devices capable of displaying resolutions that high.
From what I've read online, one possibility would've been that the monitors were not reporting superior MHL-compatible resolutions like 720p@60 or 1080p@25/30 as being supported via their EDID blocks. But as it turns out, my Benq really is reporting 720p@60 as an available standard resolution in its EDID block (though not 1080p@25 or 30 Hz because computer monitor refresh rates don't go that low). So I still don't understand why the phone won't send 720p@60 to the monitor rather than 640x480@60.
Per some instructions found online, I've tried reflashing my monitor's EDID - figured maybe if I moved the 720p@60 value up the list so it gets reported as the first standard mode it might register at the MHL end. No dice, though: the monitor's EDID ROM is write-protected and I don't know how to disable the protection.
Then I found out the Android files/devices having to do with MHL output were sitting in /sys/devices/virtual/graphics/fb1/ and that some people had gotten results by sticking a value of 4 (corresponding to the 720p mode) in the video_mode file after connecting the adapter and monitor. Again no dice - the file seems to get immediately reverted to containing a "2" and there is no change in the image I'm seeing on the monitor.
I'm almost giving up here. Can this even be done? Would there be any use in getting an additional DVI-to-VGA converter to try to go through the monitor's other input? Or is there something else I can try?

That idea of adding another converter and going digital-to-analog seems to be one of the ways of getting this kind of setup to work. I added a simple passive DVI-to-HDMI adapter after the above MHL converter (e.g. http://naplestech.com/images/dvi-to-hdmi-adapter.jpg) and then continued with an active HDMI-to-VGA converter, namely this: http://www.sandberg.it/product/HDMI-to-VGA-Converter
Plugged the whole converter-adapter-converter chain into my phone at one end and into the VGA input of the monitor at the other and presto: 720p@60Hz right away.
Now both active adapters have extra USB inputs allowing them to be powered from some source other than the phone, but surprisingly the whole chain can also be powered by the phone alone and will still work. (Everything I've read online about MHL v1.0 says the MHL adapter itself will not work unless powered from an external source, but somehow it seems that's either not true or was not referring to the adapter and the video output but rather to supplying power to the phone while it works in this way.)
Caveats:

Sometimes while streaming the monitor image goes blank for a second or two and then recovers; this seems to resolve as the adapters heat up or somehow "settle in"
Sometimes at the beginning of a usage session the monitor image turns into white noise whenever starting a video or launching a game and does not recover until some part of the chain is unplugged and plugged back in. Not sure what causes this but again it seems to resolve in time, through some sort of "settling in".


text:
HTC One M8 - Do Not Disturb still plays sounds in Videos and Music. Any total sounds off option?
Do Not Disturb>On
Message displayed:

This turns off all sounds and vibrations, including from alarms,
  music, video and games.

If I turn on this mode, go to Youtube (or any website with a video) the sound is still on.
Is there a way of simply disabling all sounds from this phone? This can be a problem E.g. If I browse to a news website with an auto play video, the sounds can start up
Screenshot (as requested) of the Message and Do Not Disturb setting

Can you post a screenshot?

@Firelord Image of the message added:-)


text:
Is it safe to delete "Miscellaneous Files" of WhatsApp?
Based on an earlier Q&A, is it safe to delete "Miscellaneous Files" of WhatsApp?
"safe" as in that it won't delete anything you might regret deleting (like photos, etc which haven't been backed up elsewhere).
--- click image to enlarge ---

Doesn't your Android list the files/directories accounted into "Miscellaneous files" when you tap on that entry?

@Firelord No, it does not.

Downvoting without explaining why is not all too helpful.

No, it is not.
If you want to clear storage space on your internal storage, you may copy-and-paste your WhatsApp media folder to another place, like your SD card; then delete the folder's contents...


text:
How to enable USB debugging on a soft-bricked Huawei phone?
Yesterday, i rooted my phone with KingRoot and downloaded a SoftKey Enabler because i wanted to play Uplink on my Huawei Y560 (a.k.a. Y5). The SoftKey Enabler edited the build.prop file. It restarted my Huawei Y5, but after it showed the Huawei logo, the screen flashed and turned dark. I panicked a bit, took out the battery and restarted into Recovery Mode with pressing Vol + Power. I formatted everything, cleared the cache, but it still didnt work. Then i found that i can fix it by using ADB, but it required USB debugging enabled, which i dont know how to make.
My goal is: To repair a soft-bricked Huawei Y560 (Y5) file so it can boot again. It has no USB debugging enabled, and the firmware on the official site is outdated. Please, somebody help me!

Yes, you can (may be actually) fix the device if you precisely know what you changed in build.prop or you've an original copy of it. If you don't then don't bother with USB debugging. Also, if you do not have a custom recovery, then there is no point in thinking about solving the issue using adb. You won't be granted shell access, let alone root access in stock recovery. // Flash the ROM.

If you already formatted everything (by which I assume you only mean /data and /cache otherwise you can't boot at all) and it won't boot, then you need to access the file using the recovery. Get hold of a custom recovery (TWRP or PhilZ should do the job, CWM does not always have a USB debugging feature) and edit that file. Even better: Get the original file or look for a backup (good apps do backups) and put that in place of your broken file. Last thing: Don't modify anything of the system without a backup (nandroid ie. full device backup).

With formatting i mean resetting to factory and clearing cache

@GiantTree How i can do that? I have a microsd, but the USB debugging is disabled and i can boot only in recovery mode

I don't know how to flash a custom recovery on Huawei devices, but it should involve fastbootAFAIK. You don't need to enable USB debugging in Android, the recovery is Android independent.

@GiantTree Where can i get that 'fastboot' thing? I downloaded the TWRP for Huawei Y5, what should i do next?

Again: I have no idea how to flash anything on Huawei devices. Check out xda threads on how to install/flash a custom recovery to your device.


text:
Android: Unreadable files - broken flash cells?
In the last month I noticed that more and more files on the internal data partition of my Android phone are broken. The files cannot be read via MTP and are empty when opened on the phone itself (e.g. grey pictures). As the number of "new" broken files increases I think that a part of the flash memory is broken.
1st: Is that a possible explanation? I would have expected flash controllers to hide broken cells automatically?!
2nd: Can I manually mark those sectors as bad sectors?
3rd: SATA-SSDs show how weared-down they are via SMART reporting - is there a way to check the quality of the flash cells within an android device?
Android is 4.4 CM 11.

If it doesn't mark the sectors as bad, it's a broken controller. Given that you are on CM11, I guess you are out of warranty. Do a nandroid backup of your device and get a new one.

How can I verify that? So far I only noticed broken files, not marking bad sectors is just one possible cause for this. For environmental reasons I usually stick to devices as long as possible.


text:
Multi-call - Route calls to multiple cell phones at once
I have 2 employees, each with their own cell phone and cell number. I am trying to find some service where I can call one number and both of these employees' cell phones ring; the one who picks up first takes the call. Ideally this would happen by calling either of the employees' existing lines, but having it happen when someone called a new, 3rd line would also work. I only need this for 2 employees.
I know Google Voice can do this, but unfortunately their VoIP service has had too many issues with lag/choppiness for me to use them for business. Do you know any other apps, services, or otherwise that can do this without sacrificing call quality?
Thanks!


text:
Is this simple method of moving ANY app to an external SD card on KitKat reliable?
There are hundreds of articles and many SE QA's about moving apps to an external SD card.
Some of the articles and QA's are outdated, some are incorrect, some require the device to be rooted, some require additional partitions to be created, and some require specific apps that cost money or include ads.
I stumbled on this article, which described a technique that seems unbelievably simple: http://www.howtogeek.com/114667/how-to-install-android-apps-to-the-sd-card-by-default-move-almost-any-app-to-the-sd-card/
The crux of the article can be summarized in a concise manner.  It states that the key is running this simple adb command:
adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2
This technique is free (gratis), ad free, and requires no extra software or partitions on the Android device.
But does it work?  Is it reliable?

I'd say it works as long as the manufacturer didn't disable it. For sure doesn't work for all apps (only those supporting App2SD). It triggers a feature of Android itself – but if the ROM-cook disabled App2SD support, I doubt it will work. Not tested, though.

@Izzy Thanks.  I thought the technique described specifically is supposed to work for apps that aren't designed to be moved to an SD card.  The example they use is Slacker Radio, which I don't think has the appropriate flag to be moved to a SD card, hence requiring the technique described.

Nope. setInstallLocation is described in the dev docu to only work if the app permits so in its Manifest. Also see: Installing to SDCard by default.

@Izzy Hmmm... I'm trying to understand their example.  They show an app that was unable to be moved, and now suddenly can be moved after running this single command.  What would make an app unable to be moved before running this command, but able to be moved after running it?

That's a puzzling thing. The install location is not forced but rather preferred – and it's usually a match between that setting and what the dev specifies in the app's Manifest. But the ability to move an app should AFAIK not be changed by that setting (it doesn't alter the Manifest). So: No idea.

The article you linked to was published in May 2012. KitKat wasn't even in development at that time. Anyhow, I followed the tutorial on my Android 4.4.2. I later  installed multiple apps. All of them went straight into internal storage. I then located an app which had android:installLocation="2" in its manifest. Thankfully, it was Aldiko app v3.0.13. I installed it and it also didn't install into external SD card. // That is enough for me to conclude that the command-line method is not a sure-shot one. // I'm yet to test with an app having android:installLocation="preferExternal".

@Firelord That's great info.  Thank you!  If you decide to try out that other case, please post your findings.


text:
How can a shell script get the number of an incoming/outgoing call?
new user here from Montréal, Canada!
So i have a shell script that runs when a call comes in, and another one that runs when i make a call. How can this script get the phone number of the caller / of the number being called? Grepping through the logcat output doesn't show it.

How do you run your shell script? MacroDroid can give you the number for both incoming and outgoing calls. You can use that app with Secure Settings to pass the number directly to your shell script or let it write a file and read the file from your shell script. // Let me know if this would suffice as an answer to you.

Which Android version and device are you using? Is it rooted?

Thanks very much for your reply Firelord. I (currently) use Tasker to run this script. It works with MacroDroid dumping the info to a log file, and then retrieving it from my script, but i wish there was a less clunky way to do it. I could use MacroDroid directly if it had the ability to run arbitrary shell commands, i haven't found how to do that though :/

Android version is 4.4.2 running on a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Oh forgot to mention, yeah it's rooted.

Receiving caller number from incoming call
Tasker maintains a global variable  named Call Number (%CNUM) which would reflect caller number for the incoming call.
If you intend to run your script when the device rings, you may setup the following profile:

Profile: Event → Phone → Phone Ringing → Priority: Highest
Task: (Actions): Code → Run Shell → Command: sh FILE_PATH "%CNUM"
Replace FILE_PATH with the absolute file path of your script. In your script, %CNUM can be received as an argument by storing $1 into a variable. (See this answer by Bruce Ediger for any related help.)
Example script:
#!/system/bin/sh
incoming_no="$1"
echo "$incoming_no" >> /sdcard/incoming_no.txt

Save the script and try executing it from an action in that profile. For an incoming call, it would create or append the file incoming_no.txt with the caller number.

Note: Tasker supports creating global variables, so if you don't intend to run your script with that profile, use the action Variable → Variable Set to store the value of %CNUM into a user specific global variable. Whenever time is ripe, use that variable in your script from Tasker.
Receiving called number from outgoing call
Tasker doesn't have an inbuilt support for this, as it seems to me. Worry not, since this answer by sush can be used in Tasker for our goal. The crux of that answer is: listen to a broadcast with action android.intent.action.NEW_OUTGOING_CALL and receive the value from a particular extra type key.
Tasker has support for receiving intents. Before we begin with profile, hear me out on how I extracted the value.
I made a call to a number and immediately ran the following command (requires adb in PC):
adb shell dumpsys activity

In the output, under the section ACTIVITY MANAGER BROADCAST STATE (dumpsys activity broadcasts) I noticed:

BroadcastRecord{32699300 u0 android.intent.action.NEW_OUTGOING_CALL}
act=android.intent.action.NEW_OUTGOING_CALL flg=0x10000030 (has extras)
extras: Bundle[{android.intent.extra.PHONE_NUMBER=+919XXXXYYYZZ}]

Here, android.intent.extra.PHONE_NUMBER is the extra type key.
As for Tasker, setup your profile in the following fashion:

Profile: Event → System → Intent Received:

Action: android.intent.action.NEW_OUTGOING_CALL
Priority: Highest

Task: (Actions):
the number can be retrieved from the variable
%android_intent_extra_phone_number

As usual, store the value of that variable into a user specific global variable using Variable → Variable Set and use the latter in your script whenever you want.

Note:

The solution is tested on Android 4.2.1 and Android 5.0.2 (COS12).
Per userguide of Tasker, the Variables tab is not shown if Menu / Prefs / UI / Beginner Mode is enabled.
Caller number for incoming calls can alternatively be retrieved by listening the broadcast intent with action android.intent.action.PHONE_STATE and receiving the number from %incoming_number. Use %state in a condition to check whether its value is RINGING or IDLE. If former, get the value from %incoming_number.

Wow, thanks very much Firelord for the very detailed and complete answer!

On a similar topic, is there a way for my script to know if the phone is ringing, or connected to a call?


text:
SuperSu update binary error
I have a lg optimus g pro f240 running on android os version 4.4.2. I recently rooted the phone using the software in This thread
I have installed SuperSu though each time I try and open it, it tells me The SU binary needs to be updated. Continue ?
It prompts me to use CWM, which I have installed, though each time I try and use it SuperSu does nothing and just opens the app.
Each time I click continue, after 30 seconds I get the error message:
Installation failed!
Please reboot and try again.
I have tried rebooting, though nothing solves the problem.
If the rooting software linked above did not work, how can I test and see if that is true?
Is there any way to update the binary manually(I have tried sideloading SuperSu but an error in tmp/Update happens)
What options are there that could fix this problem?

Can you remove your SuperSU app and follow step 1-3 of my answer?

You can also use normal mode to update.

Heyy tristo
          Its not a fix solution but for try you can download su binary zip file from google 2.76 version and after download move it to sd card from downloaded folder after shut down the phone and come in reboot in recovery mode normal power off and volume up and down key press one time to reboot but setting may be change for your phone so check on google before rebooting after when its done choose recovery mode use volume up key to select then select install zip from sd card use volume down key and press power button then select zip file from sd card at bottom and press power button and then click yes to flashing after done flashing press go to go back and from options reboot the system.after reboot go in supersu error should be going on if not click on continue and normal mode its showing installing binary after some time it will show installation sucess and reboot so reboot now and then open supersu its time error will go surely if not continue process done again and this time don't reboot click on ok and close supersu and open again problem may be solve
Your qutipie AJ

Please punctuation and sentences to make your answer readable.


text:
Connecting a Galaxy S3 to my MacBook Pro 10.10.5
I am trying to connect my Samsung Galaxy S3 phone to my OS X 10.10.5, with no luck.
I have tried all sorts of different cables, and have checked USB debugging. The phone successfully charges when plugged in to my computer. But it doesn't show up in Android File Transfer or adb devices.
What should I do? Do I have to install a driver of some sort? I have read mixed reviews of something called Kies, some saying DONT install it, others saying DO install it.
Update: I tried downloading Kies, and not only can I still not see my device, but Kies says that I cannot use Android File Transfer as long as Kies is installed, and that I need to uninstall Kies. WTF Samsung?

I have faced the exact same problem when I first started android development. My One Plus One would simply not show up in Android File Transfer. I would highly recommend that you re-install Android File Transfer.

Install Android File Transfer app.
Reboot your Macbook Pro after installation
Plug in the usb cable into your mac and start android file transfer.

Let me know if this helped or not!

OK, I'm going to uninstall Kies and try this now!

Just a fyi, if you see the android icon jumping up and down in your application tray after you plugged in your phone, then your set.

Nope, it doesn't work still. I uninstalled Kies, reinstalled AFT, tried a bunch of different cables.

Check out this Link: http://esausilva.com/2010/10/02/how-to-set-up-adb-android-debug-bridge-in-mac-osx/

Try plugging the cord into different usb ports. If that fails, try a usb hub. I have a similar issue with usb ports not working on my PC.

I stuck it in all the holes as well as my USB hub. My USB hub doesn't even charge it, but none of the other holes show up (although they charge it fine)

Have you tried wireless debugging?

Wireless debugging is possible? I didn't know that.

Yeah you can without root!