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Using tablet as second screen for viewing
Is there any (free) way to use a (Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e) tablet as a second monitor (with Windows) without an app? But if that's the only way, then that'll do.

An app doesnt mean you have to pay. Even if would work  I wouldnt expect the mouse to work as well.

As tablets don't provide HDMI or DisplayPort input ports Windows can not directly recognize the tablet on hardware level. Therefore the only way I see is a driver on Windows that adds a virtual display that is then transmitted to a receiver like an Android app. Thus the critical point is not Android but Windows as you would need a special virtual display driver plus attached app. If I search for windows display driver android app I get several results, some of them non-free.

Yes, I am using spacedesk, but it isn't super smooth enough for watching movies, enough for working and coding. It is available for Android and Apple devices.
You will need to install the same software on Windows. Windows acts as a server. Open the app on your Android, and connect to the same WiFi
(it says even wire can be connected).
Your laptop's software has to be turned on to make it work, but it works well

If you have an Android phone, you can connect that as well. Once everything is set up, don't forget to change the display option in Windows settings.
Hope this serves your purpose.


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Gboard Arabic keyboard layout with extra-alphabetic diacritics
I was wondering whether it would be a good idea for the implementers of gboard Arabic keyboard to include a keyboard layout, perhaps for adult and kid learners, that included the ability to insert all the diacritics, including the ones that are not normally written (the fatah (a and e sound), kesra (i sound), dumma (o u sound), shadda (doubling of consonants), sukun (small circle indicating no vowel sound), alif with small mim above (mim is for muting, I think), and tilde above alif (alif madda, I think for lengthening).
I was wondering whether it would be a good idea in Gboard to have a keyboard that allowed you to input these diacritics (extra alphabetic diacritics and all).
Can someone please point me to where I could find such a keyboard in Gboard?
The fatah, kesra, dumma, and shadda, are not usually written down, but can be used by someone for studying (/ remembering where they go).
Perhaps a special button could be added, allowing the user to add the diacritics, where it made sense.
Or, alternatively, the special versions of the appropriate characters with the appropriate diacritics, could be suggested, upon long pressing on a letter.
Furthermore, a separate keyboard, perhaps, could be selected, that would be enhanced with the availability of these special diacritics available by long pressing on the keys where they could be used.
Thanks.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Android interaction and input systems for people with severe tremors
I wonder whether any work has been done in Android to support people with severe hand tremors in the accessibility settings.
I was thinking, the device could be configured, so that touching several times something, such as an app icon, would just move the focus of where the user wanted to select, whereas resting the hand would finally click.
Is this mode of interaction available in Android?
What version of Android supports this?
How can I configure my Android system for interaction by a person with hand tremors?
Eventually, a keyboard must be available that follows this principle as well.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your replies.
Thanks.

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


text:
Searching video streaming apps for media content simultaneously
I would like to search for videos to play on all of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Rai Play, and YouTube, simultaneously (ad I often cannot remember on which media service a given movie is to be found, and lose some time searching, and may need to locate and play a specific movie searched for quickly).
Is there a way in Android to cross search these services from a single place?
Thanks.

You can try https://www.justwatch.com (web site or app)


text:
Swapping windows in split-screen mode
I am running Android 12 on a Realme 8 5G phone. I would like to ask, how do I swap the above window with the below in split-screen mode?
For instance, I may have an app I am typing into above and music from YouTube below, and I want to switch the app I am typing in without stopping the music. But when I hit the three-line apps button, it is the window below (YouTube) that is minimized, and the music stops.
Instead, I want to be able to swap above and below, so that YouTube goes at the top and the app I am typing into (e.g. Google Keep) goes below, so that I am able to hit the square button and bring up Google Chrome after navigating to the Google Chrome app icon on the navigation screen where it is fine, for instance.
I could have opened YouTube first and then selected split window to open Keep or Chrome after that, but in general, navigation flow can require apps to be opened up in any order. So, I would rather be able to swap the app at the top with the one at the bottom in multi window, to achieve my end.
One possible way this could be done is to press the three-dot divider, drag, and then click on one of the app icons on either the top or bottom part of the screen before they disappear after the three-dot divider is released, but this does not work.
How can I swap the top and bottom windows in split-screen mode?

In split screen you can change the ratio of these apps using that split-line by moving it up & down and you can exchange the position of these apps also, to do so you just have to tap on that split-line bar and here you have two options first is for the same that is exchange the position of these split screen apps and second is the cross icon to close the below one as shown in the GIF(https://c.realme.com/in/post-details/1344344280830836736) may help

I can follow your instructions to swap windows, but I don't see the second option to close one window. I usually do this by dragging the split three dot divider to the edge of the phone. If there another way? Thanks.

I am sorry, I don't know how it works on your Realme OS and only pointed out a source from Internet


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Turn of Google Calendar event sounds
I recently upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S23. I previously had all sounds off on all previous devices. I have checked this phone and no sounds are on anywhere on the phone. But every time I get a Google Calendar event notification, it plays a damn tune.
I cannot figure out how to turn this off! I have tried everything.

In the app drawer, long press on the Calendar app.

App info > Manage notifications

At the bottom, you will see 2 categories

Calendar notifications
Task notifications

Both have a button, but both buttons are grayed out because it is a system app.

Select which you wish to make silent

Select "Set as silent". This should work.

Let me know if this works. Thanks!


text:
Is it possible to select base station to connect to?
There are applications that show the base stations around, but is there a way to select the base station to connect, inside the phone provider of course?
For example, if my provider XYZ has 3 base stations around my current place, how can I select one to connect to? How to change?

The answer is no. It's not the phone that decides on the base station to pick. The stations decide when and who to hand over the connection.


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Connecting a NAS device directly to an android device via ethernet and sharing the SMB share on the NAS through android's wifi
currently I don’t have both devices at the same place to test this, but maybe someone uses a similar setup. So I’d like to use an android tv box with a NAS device connected directly to the ethernet port of the android device. So there is no router in between. I can set a fixed ip address on the NAS, I guess the same can be done on the device running android. And android should immediately detect the SMB share on the NAS when connected this way, right?
Currently I have the NAS connected to an old samsung tv this way and it works as a media server for the tv. But I lose internet on the tv, because wifi can’t be used at the same time when the NAS is connected. What would be really cool is if I could use android’s wifi connection while the NAS is connected to ethernet, and if android was able to somehow passthrough the NAS’ SMB share to the rest of the local network devices, so they could also read/write to the NAS.
Any thoughts if something like this could be done? Connecting the NAS to the router doesn’t work for me, because LAN cable doesn’t reach the place where the tv is and wifi is too slow for video.

Routing network traffic (except from the standard hotspot/tethering options) always require root to my knowledge. But IMHO you should better check for a Wifi bridge that can directly connect to the NAS. Use a cheap Wifi router/bridge like TL-WR902AC

Thank you for you suggestion. Root is not a problem, I think. Additional device in the setup is a bigger problem, because the setup would be used by not too computer savvy people, so more devices means more things that might go wrong in everyday use :)


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Android 13: Swapping apps in split screen and adding new apps
Not a duplicate of Swapping windows in split-screen mode since it is Android 12 specific (I actually wrote out an answer for this without realizing the question is for Android 12 and instead of wasting the efforts in answering, I decided to make it a self-answered question).
As in title, how do I switch apps from top pane to bottom pane (and vice-versa) as also add a new app?

Firstly, the behavior of split panel has changed from earlier behavior. See the open issue tracker of Dec 21 (before Android 12 L update) Split screen feature doesn't work as it use to.

This works on Android 13, Pixel 6a, YMMV depending on the customization of your OEM.

I used split screen to pin two apps Permission Manager X on the top pane and What's running pro  on the bottom pane (app selected first for split screen goes into top panel).

To switch panels
Double tap on the panel divider

To change one of the panels
For example you want to change the top panel, close the app on the top panel and add a new app which automatically occupies the top panel.
And of course, double tap the panel divider if you want to switch panels.

I just tested this on Pixel 3a, Android 12L, and this answer worked. Unfortunately, I don't have Android 12 to test.

@AndrewT thanks. As mentioned in the first point this behavior is valid since 12L. Both my devices 4a and 6a are on 13, so I too can't test it on 12. Maybe somebody can!

Can you please explain how to change only one panel a bit better?


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Put SIM card w/service and number that didn't come with Blu M22 tablet
Is there any to make Blu M22 a phone?
I put a different SIM card on my tablet with service and a number. I have TextNow on the phone and can make calls and send/receive texts from that number. I just need to be able to receive messages to the number on the SIM card I put in.

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Though different model number, possibly related: How do I use my BLU M8L 2022 tablet as a phone? That said, for some reason, I can't find "Blu M22" model number on the internet.


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WiFi apps not working when VPN apps are connected
I have decided to use the AirMore app to connect my Android phone to my Windows computer. My internet speed was very slow, so I decided to connect to AirMore using WiFi. It was very good with very high speed and very high quality. But when my VPN app is connected, it's not working.
Also, I have tested scrcpy and it's not working either.
Is it possible to use these types of apps when the VPN is connected?

That depends on the VPN and the sharing app. Some VPN allow accessing the local network while connected to the VPN, others not. Even if VPN allows local access DNS will be different which may confuse the sharing app.


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How to use `adb push` after mounting /system R/W without losing R/W permissions to install app as /system/apps?
I'm using a rooted Revvl 6 5G - TMAF025G_0.05.29 - MT6833 - Android 12. Without a recovery.img, I rooted using Magisk_Patched-boot_a.img. After this, I used the RO2RW module to aid in making the partitions R/W mountable with:
adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw /system

The goal is to install apps as system apps using:
adb push xplore.apk /system/apps

How do I go from mounting the /system partition as R/W to 'adb push' without losing the permissions? How do I push xplore.apk to /system/apps while the partition is still mounted R/W? If I exit the root command and then exit the Android shell, the partition resets to normal. So I'm trying to figure out how to transition.

adb push is never affected from calling su from within a shell.
If you execute su within a shell a new shell instance is created that get the root permissions.
However adb push does not use a shell at all. Instead the push operation is directly executed by the adbd on the Android device.
The only way to get root permissions in adb push is by calling adb root. If the adbd running on the device supports it, adbd will restart itself and keep the root permissions.
If you now execute adb push all operations will be executed with root permissions.

So the response I am getting from pushing: C:\Platform-Tools>adb push Magisk.v26.3.apk /system/apps adb: error: failed to copy 'Magisk.v26.3.apk' to '/system/apps': remote couldn't create file: Permission denied Magisk.v26.3.apk: 0 files pushed. 55.0 MB/s (982920 bytes in 0.017s) comes after I use adb root and after adb shell, su, mount -o remount,rw /system, and exit twice to back out to adb push.. How can I achieve the proper permissions to push to the root directory?

I tried running su, mount -o remount,rw /system from the smartphone shell and then tried adb push from the PC and got the response:
C:\Platform-Tools>adb push Magisk.v26.3.apk /system/apps adb F 09-12 22:25:50 11244  2512 file_sync_client.cpp:326] protocol fault: failed to read stat response: No error

@NinjaAdmin If you can not directly adb push you first have to push the file to a place where you can write (e.g. /sdcard), then open an adb shell, execute su and finally copy the file from /sdcard/ to /system/apps.


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How can I use my BLU M10L Plus tablet 4G LTE as a phone using the SIM phone number?
How can I use my BLU M10L Plus tablet 4G LTE as a phone using the SIM phone number? I am unable to find the phone and messaging system on my tablet.

Is the SIM in there ?

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Though different model number, possibly related: How do I use my BLU M8L 2022 tablet as a phone?


text:
Adb push error: closed
I want to move the firmware to the phone’s memory in order to install it on the device via TWRP, since the computer does not have enough power to install the firmware in time, there is a problem with the waiting time. How I can install android 13 to pixel 2

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. As of current wording, I'm afraid this question might be considered XY-problem with "install Android 13 to Pixel 2" as X and "move the firmware to the phone's memory" as Y. Could you [edit] and explain in more detail of what you're trying to do, or otherwise restate the question clearly? Thanks.

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

make sure /data is successfully decrypted and mounted (or factory reset to remove encryption). try USB 2.0 Port/Hub or different cable. try from adb sideload or MicroSD Card/USB OTG pendrive. try adb usb command

Use google android flash tool then find your device image here there is a

"taimen" for Pixel 2 XL

and

"walleye" for Pixel 2

on their list. I hope this answers your question

Pixel 2 has reached end-of-life since a few years ago, I doubt it has an Android 13 image there.


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How to delete all information about the old device from the Google account?
A few days ago I transferred everything to a new smartphone and factory reset the old one.
Even before the reset, I signed the device out of the Google account, but it still remembers it and cannot delete information about it.

This is probably also related to the fact that the Google Play Store still remembers the applications that were installed there and still lists them that way.

How do I remove all old device information from my Google Account, please?
Thank you

How to Remove a Device From Your Google Account
From a Computer

From your computer browser, navigate to your Google Account dashboard (account.google.com)

Select Security from the left-hand menu

From the Your devices section, tap the Manage devices option.

From the list of devices connected to your Google account shown, tap the three-dotted menu icon at the top corner of the device you want to remove from your Google account.
Then select Sign out from the options displayed.

From a Smartphone

Head to your Android Settings menu

Scroll down and select Google

Tap the ‘Manage your Google Account‘ button at the top

Next, tap the menu icon at the bottom corner, and then select Security

Then, scroll to the ‘Your devices‘ section and tap Manage devices

Tap the three-dotted menu icon on the device you want to remove

Select Sign out

Google will then display a prompt urging you to confirm sign out. Tap sign out to confirm.

Here’s a quick video we have made on how you can remove a device from your Google Account.

Reference: https://www.dignited.com/80516/how-to-remove-a-device-from-your-google-account/

Based on the screenshots given on the question, looks like OP has signed out their Google account from their device, but the device is still shown on that page.

But this is exactly what I did. I signed out the device before the factory reset. The thing is, it's still listed there, which I don't want.


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What are the functions and differences of Android's Download Manager and Downloads native apps?
I would like to know what are the functions and differences of the Download Manager and the Downloads native apps of Android OS?
For example, I have downloaded and set Firefox as my default browser, and in it's settings, I see the option to use external Download Manager; so I wonder, is this app dependent (i.e., subordinate) to the native Download Manager or Download app? Or is it's own downloading utility independent from native downloading apps?

Related SO - DownloadManager vs Background service


text:
Synchronous video playback on multiple devices
I have multiple Android-based projectors (Xiaomi 4k) and want them to start playback of a movie file at the same time. It's not the same file on each device, so casting wouldn't work. What I need is to somehow be able to send the "play" command to all of the devices simultaneously. I also need to be able to schedule these "play" commands, so they are triggered automatically during the day.
How can I do that?

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Please note that questions directly asking for app recommendations are off-topic. Instead, we prefer the asker to just state the underlying problem that they want to solve and not put any restrictions on apps only. Meanwhile, due to the original wording, I migrated this question to our sister site, Software Recommendations Stack Exchange. Feel free to visit and join their site to regain ownership of your question there.


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Android 11 missing change lock screen PIN
In a new Android phone, OS version 11, I can't find the change lock screen PIN.
In this phone, privacy and security are separate (i.e., some related questions direct users to "Privacy and Security" -- Change screen lock from password to pin).
The Settings > Security shows the lock screen PIN item, but when opened it does not list an item to change it. And the options of Screen lock, are limited to 1) lock screen timeout and 2) power button activation.
As the screenshot below shows, I have not set up a Device admin app.

When I click the cog next to "Screen lock," I see the content illustrated by the screenshot below:

How can I change my lock screen PIN or set a pattern or password?

Have you tried tapping the "Screen lock/PIN" text (left of the cog wheel icon) instead? If it's empty, could you also take a screenshot of it?

The second Screenshot you see in this post, is the content of cog @AndrewT. is referring to

I meant to press the text on the left, not the cog itself.

press the word "Screen lock PIN" instead of the cogwheel icon. Enter your pin if prompted. Then select PIN again to enter a new PIN


text:
Debug HDMI over USB C
I have a Motorola Edge 20 Pro. Till about 8-9 months ago, I could connect an unpowered (Without a separate power adaptor) USB C Hub to the USB port, and connect a HDMI cable to the hub. This would allow me to use the phone as a media hub and project on the screen connected to the HDMI cable. I believe this was part of the "Ready for" feature
I have recently tried using this feature again, and it refuses to work. When I connect an unpowered USB hub to the phone, the "USB controlled by" settings go to read only mode as "Connected device" and I'm unable to use the hub in any manner. Connecting to a powered USB hub just charges the phone.
Trying to change the USB preferences to "This device" fails with an error message.
I have tried the following as of now:

Tried cleaning out the port
Tried with 2 different adapters
Tried with my work profile disabled
Tried safe mode

Looking for any other options to debug this issue and get HDMI out over USB C working


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Adoptable storage missing on "Samsung Galaxy Tab A" after partitioning the SD card
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (8"-2019). I tried to partition my 128 GB, Kingston, MicroSD card into 75% internal (adopted) and 25% external.

The partition command, for ID = 179,64; was as follows:
sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 25

After reboot, I realized that the adopted/internal part (should be, approximately, 96 GB) part is missing, and that the external one is shown.

The whole process is shown through the Windows PowerShell below:
K:\> adb devices
List of devices attached
R9WN91B9GYJ     device
K:\> adb shell
gto:/ $ sm list-disks
disk:179,64
gto:/ $ sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 25
gto:/ $ reboot
K:\>

Afterwards, I executed the following command:
adb shell sm list-volumes all

and here is the output (I cannot implement it):
K:\> adb devices
List of devices attached
R9WN91B9GYJ     device
K:\> adb shell
gto:/ $ sm list-disks disk: 179,64
gto:/ $ sm list-volumes all
private: 179,67 mounted d8ef1b16-ab2b-4010-a1b1-79b1cc6cff16
private mounted null
emulated;0 mounted null
public:179,65 mounted 3484-15EF
emulated:179,67;0 unmounted null
gto:/$ sm list-volume all
usage: sm list-disks [adoptable]
       sm list-volumes [public|private|emulated|stub|all]
       sm has-adoptable
       sm get-primary-storage-uuid
       sm set-force-adoptable [on|off|default]
       sm set-virtual-disk [true|false]

       sm partition DISK [public|private|mixed] [ratio]
       sm mount VOLUME
       sm unmount VOLUME
       sm format VOLUME
       sm benchmark VOLUME
       sm idle-maint [run|abort]

       sm fstrim

       sm forget [UUID|all]

       sm set-emulate-fbe [true|false]

       sm set-isolated-storage [on|off|default]

       sm start-checkpoint <num-retries>

       sm supports-checkpoint

gto:/ $

Where is the adopted/internal storage?
Is there something wrong?
Is there a way to fix it?
Is there a way to undo partitioning using ADB commands?


text:
How to track lost phone without mobile data and location enabled?
My relative lost his phone. The mobile data and location are both off.
I tried tracking it through Google, but it just says it's outside my house.
Is there any way to track it?

I think you know the answer already based on what you just shared here.


text:
Force enable encryption for portable SD card
There should be an option to encrypt SD card (formatted as portable) in the settings, but some manufacturers disable it while some (e.g. Samsung) have it enabled. If that is a built-in Android feature and not a custom thing added by manufacturers, is there a way to force enable it even if the manufacturer has hidden that setting? Maybe something using adb?
For example, this has some instructions on force enabling adoptable storage that has been disabled by the manufacturer. I was wondering if something similar can be done for portable SD card encryption as well.
A non-root process would be nicer, although root-only solutions are welcome as well.
And adoptable storage is not an option for me. I tried it, and it didn't turn out to be reliable. I just want to expand my phone storage using an SD card while also having the data encrypted. Thanks.

To my knowledge encryption for SD-card is only available for adapted storage. This is the first time I heard about encryption for SD in portable mode. Therefore I would assume this is a Samsung specific modification.

@Robert Oh so that's not a standard Android feature? That's a bummer. Even more disappointing as it's so easy to do in Linux which Android is based on. Thanks for the info.


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Infinix Hot 12i can't boot due to dm-verity corruption
My Infinix Hot 12i on Android 11 is having this dm-verity corruption. The phone turned itself off and it can't boot.
I tried to flash, but it's saying no command. Nothing is working. The phone can't come on.
What do I do? And it's operating

Did you try fastboot flash vbmeta --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta.img when flashing vbmeta.img?
OR;
Plug your phone in fastboot mode to PC and open command prompt in platform tools.
Type:
fastboot oem cdms


text:
Is my company monitoring traffic in my personal profile through mdm policies/VPN on my work profile?
My company is very high on security.
It's difficult to work with the company laptop remotely because once it goes to sleep(after about 2 mins of being idle) it disconnects from the internet and you need to log back in, connect to the wifi, connect to a VPN with your credentials, authorize the VPN via your phone and then click accept before you get internet access on the computer again.
In other to reply emails and slack messages faster, I had to add a work profile, I installed the required apps, accepted polices etc.
communications apps that connect to the company domains or work apps have to be funneled via a VPN (required installation by the company).
So basically these apps don't work without the vpn.
My main concern is that this VPN might be monitoring traffic in my personal profile although I have premium proton VPN installed, I don't feel entirely safe about it.
I've checked online and the answers I've seen are generic.
Any help here?

Sorry but your question is too confusing to being answered. 1. why do you talk about "company laptop" - this site is about Android only. 2. you forgot to tell us details about your Android device: what MDM is installed? 3. you can check yon your own if traffic interception is done, simply look at the certificate list of a site like stackoverflow.com and compare it to a device that is not from your company.


text:
Rooting Samsung Galaxy A8 tablet (SM-x200)
My device is a Samsung Galaxy A8 tablet (SM-x200) running Android 13. I need to root my device to perform certain actions (delete app data) through MacroDroid. I have a MacBook and no access to a PC.
I have read the XDA Dev threads, etc. but there are so many different files and different downloads and methods.
I am essentially asking if anyone here has the time and willingness to spell it all out for me and tell me exactly which files to download, and what to do with them.

This tablet is Galaxy Tab А8 10.5 Wi-Fi SM-X200 and it has a unisoc processor. Try this tool for unisoc devices. It should work with unisoc chips.
Clone the repository using git clone then change your directory to the cloned repository using cd
If you already enabled OEM unlocking on your developer options, Boot your device to fastboot mode using adb reboot bootloader then try fastboot devices if it can detect it. Here's the steps you will do in order:
Open cmd/terminal and navigate to the folder
execute fastboot oem get_identifier_token first to get identifier token
./unlockbl.sh IDENTIFIER_TOKEN sign.pem signature.bin to create the unlock file
fastboot flashing unlock_bootloader signature.bin to unlock the bootloader
Tell me if it works on MAC system plssss :)

Rooting an android phone with a computer is mostly done by a Windows PC. But if you don't have access to a PC, you can root directly by your phone using some rooting apps.
By installing and running one of these apps such as Kingroot, it will start rooting and restarting until it has been rooted.

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.


text:
Long-pressing power button shows Assistant, how to restart the device?
The long press on the Power button that I used on my earlier Android (Oreo) is now popping up the assistant. So what is the secret gesture?
This is for a Pixel 7 if that makes a difference.

On a Pixel Device
Power + volume up  pressed simultaneously will give you options to restart amongst others

Note: You won't find the bug report option unless you enable it from developer options (enabled by tapping build number 7 or more times)

For Samsung users. the gesture is Power + volume down , per this comment

For Samsung users. the gesture is Power + Volume Down, instead of Power + Volume Up

@CSM, thanks , added your inputs to the answer

Long pressing the power button is still the standard gesture to show the power menu, including the restart option. However, the Assistant is likely due to the system gesture setting.
At least for Pixel devices with Android 12 or later: Settings  → System → Gestures → Press and hold power button → Hold for Assistant.

Toggle
Description

Off
Press and hold for the power menu

On
Press and hold for the Assistant

Note that since Pixel 6, the default is set to on (Assistant).

This is new for me// I don't use assistant so this is easier!

From what I can recall, at one point they changed long-press to ONLY do Assistant, and only later added the option to change it back. I spent quite awhile very annoyed about this.

@beeshyams Yeah, I just noticed that it's been turned on by default since Pixel 6.

@GlennWillen I didn't find any info about that though. It would be helpful if you could provide some more info, like which device model and Android version.

@AndrewT yes, confirm on 6a and therefore likely on OP's phone

Note that not all phones have this setting. My phone (Moto G71 5G, stock android) doesn't have this setting as it has a separate button for the assistant. The power/lock button by default does show the power menu on long hold.


text:
How to get notified when I get too far away from my phone?
If I am too far from my phone, then it will do no good for the phone alarm to warn me. I may not hear it.
Is there any way to get notified when I get too far away from it?

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Please note that device/gadget/peripheral recommendation is off-topic here. You might be interested in our sister site, [HardwareRecs.SE], but please follow their guidelines to get a suitable device for your needs.

One solution is to use a smart watch. I have been using one for years. One of the many features is a warning when the two go outside the bluetooth range.
I  am using Samsung, but others may also have this function.

thank you. is there a device that you may know ofm that is simpler than that. maybe a two peice device that one pert sticks to your ohine and the other you carry like on your key ring or in your wallet or purse that will sound alarm if you get to far away such as , say 20 feet away?


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How can I block a game on my child's phone during the night?
My son is playing chess on the Chess.com app on his Android phone. I do not have issues with the total time he is using the app, but rather the time of day (e.g. just before school or late in the evening).
How can I restrict the usage of the app for him for only certain times of day? Note that there are other apps (e.g. maps) that I do not want to restrict at all, so blocking the whole phone down is not an option.

Please tell me the Phone Brand and model, and I'll try to help.

I have Pixel 7, my child Pixel 2


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Bought a used Samsung Galaxy A03, cannot bypass FRP, cannot enable Developer Options
I bought a used Samsung Galaxy A03. I'm pretty tech savvy but I didn't know about FRP protections and making sure he was signed out of his Google account and all, until I factory reset it and got stuck with Google wanting me to sign in to his account before I could proceed past the initial setup.
So I went to the Internet to find out how to bypass FRP and for some reason, it won't let me open Package Disabler Pro. Get right to the end and it craps out and wants me to enter a code it says I received but didn't. So I looked into this for the last 2 days.
Learned about rooting my phone, so I go try to do that and I download and again get right to "open" and it too craps out. I don't know why or what is happening, but I can't do any of the major system bypasses.
I can get to the Internet from the FRP Google's Verify screen by activating Talkback, then going through YouTube's, and then its Terms of Service. I can download AND SUCCESSFULLY RUN all of the "fixes" from fixfirmware.com/apk but not Disabler Pro. So then I tried iRoot and KingRoot and can't do them either, iRoot and something about a network error, but my WiFi is on and good.
I think it must've been the guy's kid's phone because the whole reason I did the factory reset was he has Google Family Link on and I was limited to kid stuff. So I reset it. Now I'm stuck and can't get this guy to answer my messages or anything to get him to log in to it and sign out so I can sign into my account and use my new used phone.
Is the child safety settings still active after the factory reset? And if so, is that what's stopping me from rooting or being able to run Disabler Pro? Also, I can't turn on developer options.
After factory reset and before you sign into Google, you know how you can't access anything until you sign in unless you turn on TalkBack and access the internet through YouTube TOS, and then from the browser, install, download, or run Settings app or Galaxy Store app.
Is it because I'm going through that settings app and not signed in that I can't enable developer options? I go to about phone, hit build number 7 times and it doesn't even do the backward count from 7, saying how many more times to hit it to access dev ops. It's like it's not the way to do it but it's how I always have. Please help me figure this out.

A lot of people are posting question that are too short, lacking details. Yours is the opposite, it is not a question but a story with a lot of irrelevant details. Most people won't even read it to the end. IMHO the correct way would have been to contact the person who sold you the phone and constitute an ultimatum - release the FRP or you got to the police because you have to assume you bought a stolen phone.

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. We may sympathize with your situation, but Stack Exchange works better with focused questions. There are a few related questions about the overall situation: How to bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP) or "Verify your account" screen?, "One-click" root apps don't work anymore. Why not? ...

Also, Enabling developer options does not work (caused by Family Link), Unable to activate Developer Options on Samsung, Can’t enable the developer options of Samsung Galaxy Tab

Usually the developer options can be enabled by tapping the Build number multiple times. But not all the phone has been made to be like that.
Sometimes hitting the Baseband and Kernel version multiple times will
also enable developer options, before you root this device make sure
OEM unlocking is enabled inside the developer options.
I think you already know about unlocking bootloader stuff... If not, then go ahead read this tool from github maybe it will help you:

For Qualcomm
For Unisoc

If those tools doesn't work for you then more unlocking tools can be found here just read it thoroughly and try to understand how dangerous it is.

Man I did all that and nothing worked. Went to flash odin and held all e buttons down. As It said down loading I started reading what was on screen and noticed that it has a line that said "FRP lock-OFF". I nearly died trying to stop odin. So now frp is gone and I got in and in my google but my phone service isn't working...idk nit i figured that out, ill figure this out too. I'm going to read over what I sent just cause I love to learn. Thx man


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Multitasking gesture slower when using Nova Launcher
I recently switched my Galaxy S23 from on-screen buttons to gesture navigation. I noticed that using the stock launcher I can open the multitasking screen very quickly when swiping upwards and holding (it takes about 0.5 seconds). When I set Nova Launcher as my default launcher and open its home screen, opening the multitasking window takes about twice as long, almost a whole second. When opening the stock launcher again it works fast like before.
This is very annoying as it heavliy hinders my workflow. I tried adjusting Nova's gesture settings but was unable to resolve the issue. How can I fix this?

I too use Nova on a Pixel device and have similar observations - this is because the launcher APIs are not freely available for integration with Nova//With Pixel, they at least have a companion tool that helps some

Does Nova Launcher support system gesture navigation?
This isn't up to Nova Launcher, or any 3rd party launcher, but up to the system. If your system does not allow you to enable gesture navigation when using a 3rd party launcher, unfortunately there is nothing Nova Launcher can do about that

Please lodge a support request with them.


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Cycling and launching apps through holding down power button: extra support for blind users
I want to use Android as a person that cannot read (for example, as a blind user), in a supermarket to read out what's in front in me via voice, using headphones, by pointing my Android phone with Google Lookout to the bar code or handwriting below each item I consider for purchase (and, the supermarkets I have been to, have barcodes or descriptive handwriting next to the items that can be purchased).
In order for this to work well, I would like to quickly open up Google Lookup by pressing holding down the power button and skipping beyond the power off/reboot screen and having an app suggested (in this case, Google Lookup), and have it fire up upon releasing the power button.
This would be very comfortable, and intuitive, for a blind user.
This is just a use case. Let me describe the generic functionality I am looking for.
I would like to configure a list of power off/reboot screen, app 1 screen (minimized, sort of like when you view your apps to choose from with the apps software button, but with just one app), that opens up when the power button is released), app 2, ..., app n.
While the user holds down the power button, the phone cycles through this list, displaying the app in a smaller rectangle, not occupying the whole screen, and opens it up when the power button is released. The user may then return to normal phone functioning and interact with the app normally. The app name is displayed above or below the app in smaller size when the user keeps the power button pressed.
This list can be configured in accessibility settings.
When TalkBack is enabled, and the power button is pressed, the name of the power off/reboot screen or app to be fired out on release is spoken out loud.
I feel that this would be a major step on making the phone more user friendly, to blind users, especially to younger blind users, that were getting accustomed, to using a device, and found a power button to interact with, which, once configured in Google accessibility settings, also via Google Assistant, could do all of this.
This would be nice.
Where can I find this behavior on Android?
When will this behavior be implemented?
I am using an Android 12 reale t8 5G phone.
Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you for your support.
Thanks.

The cycling action may be a bit much with out custom development, but an app called Tasker could be used to tie a long press to a volume button to launch an app like the camera, although it doesn't seem you can use the power button. Let me know  if you'd be interested in this!


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getting an old Nexus 7 to connect to wifi
I have an old 2012 Asus Nexus 7. How can I get it to connect to wifi again?
My goal is to use it as a digital photo frame, where the software for showing the slideshow of photos is a React app (website) that I've built.
So all I need this tablet to be able to do is browse a website hosted on my LAN.
(Ideally the browser ideally will support localStorage and IndexedDB.)
Currently, I can't get the Nexus 7 to connect to my wifi.
It has some custom limited version of Android 7.1.2 that I barely remember installing.
Sometimes it can see my wifi networks and lets me enter its password, but then never lets me browse the internet. Sometimes the wifi is "Off", and when I try to turn it "On", it just hangs.
My WiFi router is a NOKIA BGW320-505 (AT&T fiber) with WPA-2, WPA-3, and B/G/N/AX.
NOKIA BGW320-505 gives me 3 options in the dropdown for WPA Version: "WPA-1 and WPA-2", "WPA-2", "WPA-2 and WPA-3". It has been on "WPA-2 and WPA-3", and I'd love to keep it there. I temporarily changed it to WPA-2, and even then the Nexus won't connect.
I've already tried a factory reset of the Nexus.
What are my options for solving this? I'd be up for installing a new OS on the Nexus if there is a high chance of achieving my goal.

I installed 5.1.1 (LMY47V) and still had the same problem trying to connect to my router. https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/253173/getting-an-old-nexus-7-to-connect-to-wifi/253178#comment343147_253178 It would accept the password but never fully connect. It is able to connect to my Pixel 3 hotspot though.

Follow these steps to set up a fixed IP address on your Nexus 7:

Make sure that the Wi-Fi on your Nexus 7 is turned on.
Go to your Nexus 7's Wi-Fi options.
Find your Wi-Fi network and choose it.
Click "Forget" to remove the network.
Join your Wi-Fi network again. You'll see a button that says "Show advanced options" Click on it.
Choose "Static IP" from the dropdown options or fields that appear next.
Enter a fixed IP address in the same area as your router's DHCP server. This means selecting an IP address that falls within your router's DHCP address pool.
Fill in the other essential information, such as Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS (if needed), which should match how your router is set up.
Save your settings.

Alternatively, if you want to set up a static IP address, you should
do this instead of using DHCP, which automatically assigns the address
from the router. Ensure the static IP address you choose is within the
range of IP addresses allocated by the DHCP server in your router.

Thanks for this idea. I tried it, and that status flickers between "Connecting" and "Saved", but it never seems to fully connect.

I might try: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/143794/22600 "nakasi" for Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi) 5.1.1 (LMY47V) https://developers.google.com/android/images#nakasi


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can't get bluetooth audio working while using chromecast despite setting
i am using a pixel 5a/android 13 to cast to a 1st generation chromecast, using the system wide screen cast available in settings because subtitles don't work when using vlc's casting.  i'm casting to an acer k330 projector but want the audio to go to a tribit xsound go that is bluetoothed.  i can find a setting that says "play vlc audio through tribit," but it still sends the audio to the chromecast/projector.  how do i get it to go to the tribit?


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Is there a native option to keep the screen on if there is an any application open on the screen?
Sometimes I need the screen to remain active on a website where it updates news in real time without needing to refresh the page manually or on a football game application that updates the scores in real time without needing to refresh the page either.
But the device does not detect these updates and the screen turns off.
Is there an option that realizes that there is an app open on the screen so the screen will not turn off?

In developer options (enabled by tapping build number 7 or more times) there is an option for stay awake (screen will never sleep while charging). You can enable that and keep the device connected to power source for charging// Note that this bad for battery health unless it is for occasional use//Is your device rooted?

Also check if your display is an LCD or an OLED. If it is the latter don't let the display stay on for too long because this can cause the OLED to burn-in certain parts of the screen so they stay as physical ghost images.

Coffee

This Android app allows you to keep the display awake without having to change the device settings. It can be toggled at various places:

A tile in the quick settings, the place that holds the toggles for e.g. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Requires Android 7 or higher.
A button in the app itself
A shortcut on your home screen. It can be created in the app, if your launcher supports it.

Coffee can be set as assist app (Device settings => Apps => Default apps => Assist app) and changes it's state when assist is called.


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LG G Pad F 8.0 (UK495) Android 6.0: Cannot Access Bootloader or Recovery
I have an older LG G Pad F 8.0 (UK495). The tablet originally came with Android 5.1 but at some point received an official upgrade to 6.0. My ultimate goal is to hopefully root the device & install a custom recovery & ROM. But I am running into two problems in trying to access the bootloader & default recovery.
Enable OEM unlock & USB debugging are both enabled in developer options. ADB recognizes the device connected to my Windows system:
> adb devices
List of devices attached
LGUK49520651306 device

I didn't find any instructions in the official documentation from LG. But according to many tutorials found online it should be possible start the bootloader using a combination of the power & volume keys. The only combination I have found to do anything is holding power + vol down to start the device. Release once the LG logo appears & immediately press power + vol down again. But this only brings up a minimalist menu for resetting the device to factory defaults:

ADB is also unable to bring up the bootloader. Executing adb reboot bootloader restarts the device but in regular user mode. So I am unable to use fastboot to unlock the bootloader & flash partitions.
I can get into what appears to be recovery mode with adb reboot recovery. A black screen with the Android logo laying on its back:

But the usual "no command" text is missing & no button combinations (power + vol up/down) bring up the recovery menu options.
I read on XDA that some manufacturers/distributors make the bootloader & recovery partitions more obscure or just completely remove access.
Some users have been able to use a KingRoot exploit to root this device without unlocking the bootloader. But the exploit only works for devices with Android 5.1 or older. So it's not an option for me. I need to access the bootloader to unlock it as far as I can tell.
Is anyone familiar with this device or have any suggestions that may help me to unlock the bootloader & access recovery mode? This is the first device on which I wasn't even able to bring up the bootloader.
The following is a selection of tutorials & threads from the many that I looked through for help:

Help Can't access bootloader
Cannot boot into bootloader/fastboot
How to put LG UK495 G Pad F 8.0 in recovery mode?
How to unlock Bootloader in LG UK495 G Pad F 8.0?
Download and Install TWRP Recovery on LGE LG G Pad F 8.0 2nd Gen LG-UK495 t8lte (this one says "2nd gen" so not sure if it even applies to my device)
How To ROOT Android 6.0 Marshmallow Android 10

-- Update --
I found some stock firmware images available for my device:

UK49520c_00_0718
UK49522a_00_0329

I was able to flash them to the device in upload mode using LG Flash Tool. The ROMs were successfully applied, but did not fix or change access to bootloader or recovery mode.

Hello is the bootloader already unlocked? please check Developer options and look for OEM unlocking.

Google introduced a new security feature in Android from Android 5.0
Lollipop onwards. The new feature named “OEM Unlock” has a meaningful
purpose in the device. If you’ve tried rooting your device, unlocking
its bootloader, flashing a custom recovery or ROM, you must have seen
“OEM Unlock” option to be checked as a requirement for doing any of
the aforementioned custom processes. -Reference here

You need to unlock bootloader before rooting or installing custom roms. Please try this tools:

For Qualcomm
For MediaTek
For UNISOC

This tool helps me a lot for rooting my phones. It is more advanced than fastboot. If you are lucky, you could even restore the system in case it was damaged due to how risky rooting is.

The bootloader is not unlocked. OEM unlocking is enabled in developer options, but I cannot boot into the bootloader to execute the terminal command fastboot oem unlock to actually unlock it. I will look at the tools you suggest & see if they help.


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Use fingerprint to unlock the lock screen after booting Pixel 6
Background
I am trying to unlock my Google Pixel 6. Due to an accident, I lost much of my memory and in turn, forgot the lock screen PIN code for my phone. I have, however, also activated fingerprint detection for unlocking my phone.
Now, the issue is that the device ran out of battery while I was in a coma, and upon trying to use my fingerprint to unlock the device, I received the following message:

PIN required after device restarts

I have tried remembering the PIN for the past few months, however, I frankly cannot remember. As I have important data stored on the device locally (that is not backed up as far as I can recall), a factory reset is not really an option for me.
Question
Is there any way of enabling the fingerprint sensor on a Pixel 6 to unlock the phone (via adb or similar) or any other means of unlocking the device without wiping all data?

On my android, it immediately unlocks on the correct code being keyed in. In theory you could try bruteforcing it - there's apparently a few software tools that work over USB OTG emulating a keyboard that do this. I'd start with numbers meaningful to me though, birthdays and so on. Its a terrible way, but it might work

Too late for your situation unless this is something you did but forgot: some password managers permit to set up recovery contacts that can unlock your stored passwords/PINs after a certain delay, which is what I set up bitwarden to use. It's a paid feature but definitely worth the few bucks

My Pixel 6 gets backed up to Google servers every night. Are you sure you didn't have this set up?

@OrganicMarble I am not certain which account I used on my phone. Do you happen to know if there is any way of looking up stored backups from e.g. a laptop?

Unfortunately there is no way to use fingerprint as authentication directly after rebooting the device.
The first unlock always have to be performed using the PIN/password, because the PIN/Password is passed on into the Gatekeeper system (the central Android security core) and there combined with other keys to generate the master encryption key.
That means without the correct PIN/password the gatekeeper can not build the key that is necessary to decrypt your user data.
Biometric authentication systems can not be used to generate something reproducible so you can not derive an encryption key from it. This is the reason why Google had to implement it that way. And to answer your question, even if there would be a way to enable fingerprint authentication directly after boot it wouldn't help you as the user data would remain locked. As without the correct PIN/password the decryption key can not be generated.

Somewhat related Conditions for triggering "pin required for additional security“

Robert's answer describes why you unfortunately cannot unlock an android phone with a fingerprint after a reboot. However, depending on you password habits, there's a significant chance you can guess your pin with surprisingly few attempts.
For example, cybersecurity professional Tarah Wheeler claims the following 20 pins are most common and will unlock 26% of all pin locked phones:
1234, 1111, 0000, 1212, 7777, 1004, 2000, 4444, 2222, 6969, 9999, 3333, 5555, 6666, 1122, 1313, 8888, 4321, 2001, 1010
(other readers, if you use one of these pins, it is a good idea change your pin)
If none of these pins work, you can find similar lists by performing a web search along the lines of "most common phone pins". Other common pins that won't nessesarily appear in such lists include the user's birth month and day, user's birth year, birth days and months or birth years of the users loved ones, the user's year of graduation, or other dates of significance to the user.
If the most common pins don't work, you can use a tool like Android PIN Bruteforce (software) or a USB Rubber Ducky (hardware). These tools can pretend to be a keyboard and type in pins automatically, waiting a little between attempts. Reportedly, all 4 digit pins can be tried in just under 17 hours without triggering a lockout (neat but scary).

Before brute forcing make sure you didn't set up any "wipe on x failed attempts" feature - though IIRC natively Android doesn't have such a feature thus making this unlikely

This is why security conscious users should probably set up an 8 digit pin. There are many tricks how you can easily remember an 8-digit pin (combine a birthday with some other pin you use, interleave a birthday with a single number, or 1,2,3,4, ...) this will most likely prevent any brute-forcing without serious social engineering.

Vaelus' answer is the most useful one here, and did well to cover the actual kinds of tools you want to be looking into, so I won't repeat those here - this answer is more concerning the methodology of what you need to do, as well as a little motivation.
It's no longer possible to unlock your phone through legitimate means (and if it was, no Android phone could ever be considered secure). Your only chance of getting into your phone now is to think like a hacker, where the target is yourself. The good news is that - as any hacker will tell you - the more information you have about a target, the better your chances, and no-one has more information about yourself than you do. Even if your memory is no longer reliable at all, that information is likely still easily accessible to you, either noted down or in the memories of those around you - your secure pin codes, the birthdates/years of significant people in your life, the date you got married, and so on. In other words, no-one is better placed to hack into this phone than you are.
Bear in mind that all the numbers you're looking for will be the same length as your passcode, which you can get by entering a wrong code and seeing how many digits you can enter before it automatically fails.
Once you've compiled a list of your significant numbers, combine it with the list of common pincodes in Vaelus' answer and any other similar lists you can find, then run your list as a dictionary through one of the Android brute-forcing tools. You could also just try each code one by one, since you also have another luxury that most hackers don't - unlimited access time with the physical device - and therefore never need to worry about being permanently locked out; at any time you can just stop and try again tomorrow.
If you're unsuccessful even after several more months, your best bet at that point would probably be to hire the services of a reputable white hat hacker with experience in this field. Whether that's worth it for you depends on how much that service would cost, and whether that cost is worth the value of the data you have on the phone.
All the best for your (health and data) recovery, and good luck.

If you can find your pin-codes for other services, try them - many people reuse codes (a single pin for bank-account, smartphone, laptop)


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Can I transfer images from the Phone to Windows?
Almost every photo I take, I transfer to my Windows 10 PC.  I normally do this by connecting the USB cable between them and using Windows explorer.  All my phones fail with the USB connector becoming loose on the phone.  I normally charge it wirelessly, it's only the car Android Auto and Windows connection that requires a physical cable.
I would like to minimise the usage of the USB connector.
How can I connect the two using WiFi or Bluetooth, so that I can transfer files across.

If you use Google photos and set it up to sync you can Access them on the web and download

Do you mean FTP? You can transfer files from Android to Windows and vice-versa using Local area network. You can try installing WiFi FTP Server and see if this is what you are looking for

Hi. I don't think OP meant FTP (although solutions based on it would be acceptable nonetheless). Could you mention the steps needed with WiFi FTP Server app so as to achieve the objective in question? Our site is a little bit different from the rest of the internet. We prefer to keep our answers detailed and to-the-point. Merely linking an app is not sufficient here.

I didnt, but its a really good solution as its more convenient to select the file on the PC than a small handheld device.  The only issue I have is that you cant change from internal storage to sdcard from Windows.  I will take that up with the author.

Once you have enhanced your answer, I will accept it.  You can add the 2nd, 3rd and 4th screenshot from their website

Nearby Share by Google, is available on Windows now. It allows you to send files or photos from your Android to your Windows. But it requires Bluetooth for the Windows.
To use it, you just need to install the application on your Windows by downloading it from the link I provide above.
Here's a picture of what Nearby Share on Windows looks like :

And to send a files/photos from your Android, simply click the Share and click the Nearby Share button
Alternatively, you can also use Shareit or Arc which work the same but you have to install both app in your Android/iPhone and your Windows/Mac.

Conclusion :
If your laptop/PC has a Bluetooth connection, go with the Nearby Share. I really recommend this a lot, and it's made by Google too, and I've been using it ever since it has been released on Windows, where before it only work Android to Android.
If your laptop/PC does NOT have a Bluetooth connection, you can try using Arc.  It's easy to setup and the UI is user friendly too. It works both on Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac. It requires you to have both laptop/PC and your phone be on the same Wi-Fi/Network, doesn't matter if your laptop is connected through a LAN Cabble, it still works.
I use both of them bunch of times.
Thank you.

NearbyShare.  It looks like the apps on Android implement their own share list and for the two I tried, neither show NearbyShare.  But even if it did work and I asked for this, it would be less convenient than ftp.  But +1 anyway.

Found Nearby Share on Android, it was on an expected place.  But it kept failing.  I tried Arc, but usage is a mystery.  I couldn't see it on the phone.

Nearby Share on Android should be built in in your Android. Arc need to do some scanning QR Codes. Pretty straight forward on the application itself.

You could use a simple webserver running on your computer using php and htlm.
Then connect to the server with your phone and upload all the files you need.

This could work, I already xampp running, so +1


text:
Can a cancelled alarm still switch on the phone even when it's off?
After searching I know that some phones if you set up an alarm then you switch the phone off, it will open up exactly at the time you set it up to ring this is in case if the alarm is active before you switch off the phone.
But what happened with me is I set up an alarm and then I just cancelled it "but without deleting it or changing the date or the time" and I turned off my phone. But still it opened up exactly at the time I set up the alarm as if the alarm still active. I just want to understand why this happened? Is this a common thing in Android or it indicates to something else?
Also some of the alarms I set don't ring exactly at the time I set them to but after a couple of minutes or so. I also I don't understand why it's happening?

By turning off, do you mean a short press on the power button?  Or a long press on the power button and then pressing power off on the screen?

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

Yes a long press on the power button and pressing power off.

Normal Android devices don't have the ability to switch themself on after powering it off. If your device has such a ability it has been added by the manufacturer. And of course the manufacturer may have implemented it with bugs, so anything can happen. That common appointment notifications come too late is usually just because if Android battery saving which accumulates events so some events are delayed to be processed together with other events.


text:
Family link setup prevents making phone calls and using Messages app
I got phones for my kids, and I set them up with family link. Because I'd previously had a similar setup and they would continually factory reset the phone to get rid of the family link supervision, I set these phones up with an account I own and used that to enable "Find my phone" so that if they factory reset the phone they still can't use it without my pin.Then I turned on multiple user profiles, and created a second profile that's managed by family link. All of this works fine. (The phones are Pixel 7s with the stock carrier ROM.)
What's odd is that they can use everything except the phone app and Google Messages. When they try to place a call during allowed time, the phone app says that only emergency calls are allowed. And when they try to open Messages, it says This app isn't allowed by the device owner, even though I've got it set to always allowed.
How can I enable these to allow the phone to actually be a phone?

It does not seem to have to do anything with family link but with default behavior of multiple user profiles.
As mentioned in answer to Hide call logs across user profiles, the default behavior is not to permit the secondary user to make or receive phone calls.
Tap the cog icon on right of the secondary user and disable
Turn on phone calls and SMS
That's it.
If you enable, it gives you a warning that your calls and SMS would be shared as shown and they can use phone and message apps.


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head unit touch screen calibration menu missing
10.2" Secain Chinese head unit touch screen only works with a usb mouse.Since I reinstalled and updated the iGo navigation app last year, I noted that touch sensitivity reduced and eventually became nonexistent. I notice that the touch screen calibration option has dissapeared from settings and every effort including 'Factory Reset' failed to recover the menu option or to get the touch reactivated. Further confusion with trying to update the Android version due to the unit showing that it is 'V 5.0.1' and a test app identifying it as 'V 4.4.2 KitKat'.
I would very much appreciate any guidance as to any action that I should take to get the touch working again and maybe recover the menu option.
[

Maybe its a hardware fault

Did you check if developer options reveal calibration sensitivity. you may need to tap 7 times or more the system version or MCU version to show developer options


text:
How to restore WhatsApp chat -- without a backup?
I have switched phones (both Android) and activated WhatsApp on the new phone.
Unexpectedly, the WhatsApp chat messages did not become available on the new phone and disappeared on the old one. I also had WhatsApp on my MacBook, where the old messages now also disappeared.
Unfortunately, I did not have a regular backup activated.
Is there anyway to restore access to the chat messages either from the MacBook or the old phone (whatever is easier/more reliable)?
Thanks!

This may work, assuming you havent made drastic changes on your old phone. Whatsapp is linked to a phone number, so this is the side effect of it. I am basing this on seeing the same effect, when I  tried to run a second copy of Whatsapp on the same phone

Disable Whatsapp on new phone
Enable it back on the old one, the messages should come back.
Enable backup in Whatsapp setup
Wait for it to backup
Then switch over


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TWRP fails to mount data partition with error, says Invalid argument
I have a Fairphone 4 with /e/OS that I accidentally left a long download running overnight until the storage filled up. The phone also ran out of battery during this, and now it won't boot. The behaviour is always the same: It makes it all the way through the boot screen and to the initial unlock prompt, but when I enter my pin, the launcher fails to load and it shuts down by itself. It reboots into recovery, but the default /e/ recovery is really limited and only has the option to wipe the device and no file manager.
I really don't want to wipe as I have a lot of data on the phone so I flashed TWRP onto it to try to access the filesystem and delete the offending file. However, TWRP cannot seem to mount the /data partition, neither from the mount screen nor the terminal. Both cases it gives the following output
mount: '/dev/block/sda11'->'data': Invalid argument
The phone is encrypted. Is there any hope of getting the phone to boot properly again at this point? Or is my only option to wipe? Also, because it can't mount the data partition, it's not giving me an option to back up the storage, is there still a way to do that and decrypt the output? The data is really what I care about.

Do you know if the devices used FDE (password prompt in the middle of the boot process) or FBE (no special password prompt, password is the lock screen PIN/password entered after boot)?

The latter. It boots directly to lock screen and then asks for my password.

Then the partition is really in a defect state, as mounting should work independent of the encryption. Not sure what is the best way to repair the existing user data partition.


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How to enable hotspot button on Samsung S23?
I recently switched to a Samsung S23, Android version 13.
It seems that in the quick setting buttons (when you swipe down), the button "Hotspot" is missing, which toggles whether the phone provides a wi-fi hotspot for other devices.
There are some online articles discussing that this setting might be disabled based on your provider. I have bought the phone independently from a provider.
I tried this workaround described by XDA Developers which uses adb to add MobileData and Hotspot to the sysui_qs_tiles list. However, that does not seem to have an effect, the desired button does not show up.
Any suggestions of what I might try?

To my knowledge, the provider controls this, I  assume via the Sim. if your plan does not offer hotspots, then you cant enable it.


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How to really enable manual carrier selection on Android?
On Android settings it is possible to disable the automatic carrier selection. However, the functionality doesn't seem to work properly since as soon there is no reception for the chosen carrier, it will automatically connect to another carrier, causing extra changes when roaming. How to actually enable manual carrier selection on Android?

This may help https://android.stackexchange.com/a/189727/131553

Whats wrong with disabling roaming ?


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Backup.ab - Java NumberFormatException Error
I got an ab file with adb from my phone's notes folder.  Which I can not access without root. I am trying to convert it to the tar file but cmd gives me this error in the picture.
My command was ;
Java -jar abe.jar unpack MyFile.ab MyFile.tar password

And I'm trying to use this with Android Backup Extractor Master with Gradle. Can you help me please I'm trying to save this file for over 100 days.

Hi Kaan, it is much easier to read if you post teh text of teh error instead of a screenshot.

How large is the MyFile.ab file` If it is less than 1Kb then it is most likely invalid.

The file name suffix .ab is no guarantee of this type of backup file format. Please show the hexadecimal header of the file.

Invalid format. Compression header not found: https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor/blob/master-20221109063121-8fdfc5e/src/org/nick/abe/AndroidBackup.java#L79

@RohitGupta i tried but i couldnt do it sorry

@Robert it is like 7Kb

@alecxs it is ab file i got it from phone with adb but before i tried to make it tar, i open it with text document so it became a txt file and i converted it to the ab file again maybe file corrupted in here

@IrfanLatif i didnt understand what should i do

@Robert By the way i got this file from folders that i can not reach without root. Maybe it corrupted because i turned it txt and make it ab again. Because of that i'm trying to get ab file again but i just got 1kb file how can i fix that

On devices running Android 12+ adb backup is limited to old apps. Recently apps that are compiled to be executed on Android 12+ don't return any data when executing adb backup. The only workaround is downgrading the app to an old version.

Well my goal was the get files from my note app folder. I found information that deleted  notes are stored in /data/data/com.miui.notes in my Xiaomi phone. I mistakenly deleted my notes few months ago so i'm trying to reach my deleted notes from that folder . So you think if i downgrad notes application (which is a system app) i can reach that files with adb backup?

First the app has to support backup at all, second downgrading only makes sense if you can go back to a version that was designed for an Android version prior to 12 (which is unlikely for a system app). Third, if you want to perform data recovery you have to do it immediately not several months later.


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How does Samsung Wi-Fi password sharing work?
Every article I find mentioning how to share a Wi-Fi password between Android devices either mentions using a QR code, or clicking a "nearby share" button.
But when I enter the password for a new Wi-Fi network on my Galaxy phone, my Galaxy tablet connects automatically to the same network, without any action on my part. No QR code nor button pressing. And this happens while the tablet has no internet access.
What mechanism is making this happen? Is this something that I enabled and I don't remember, or does it happen by default?

What accounts (Google/Samsung/other) are setup on both devices?

Both devices have the same Google and Samsung accounts.

Maybe by Wifi sharing creating a hotspot that is specific to Samsung devices? (I don't own any)

If this is the case, you can write up an answer

Note: this answer was based on the original revision with an assumption that the other Samsung device already had an internet connection through another method.

Samsung Cloud provides several sync features to all Samsung Galaxy devices linked to the same Samsung account, including Wi-Fi profiles.
From Samsung Support - Sync data across all of your devices using Samsung Cloud,

You can make sure your phone's data is up-to-date with Samsung Cloud. It will sync data on multiple devices, so they'll have the latest information. For example, if you added a new Calendar event or contact on your phone, they will appear on other devices that are signed into the same Samsung account.

From Samsung Support - Back up and restore data or files on your Galaxy device

Content types that can be backed up using Samsung Cloud

[...]
Settings: Accessibility settings, ringtones, Samsung Keyboard options, Wi-Fi settings, and Always on Display settings (your default ringtone won't be backed up)
[...]

From Samsung Support - Access your device backups in Samsung Cloud

Access and manage the Cloud from a Galaxy phone or tablet
Samsung Cloud is integrated directly into your Samsung account, so you can access it easily from your phone or tablet's settings.

Navigate to and open Settings.
Tap your name at the top of the screen, and then tap Samsung Cloud.
From here, you can access the following options:

Sync: Choose which apps or settings you'd like to automatically sync to Samsung Cloud, such as Contacts or Samsung Notes.
[...]

Access the Cloud from a web browser on a PC

To access Samsung Cloud on your computer, open your desired web browser, and then go to https://support.samsungcloud.com.
Click Sign in, enter your Samsung account information, and then click Sign in again.
If you're unsure of your account information, click Find ID or Reset password after you click Sign in.
Once you are signed in, you can see all of your synced data.

I'm not sure I follow. Or, I guess the question is: how does my tablet connect to Samsung Cloud without the wifi password, to get the wifi password?

@MartinArgerami Sorry, I guess I misunderstood the situation because I assumed your Samsung tablet already had an internet connection through another method, like mobile data for example. Otherwise, I'm not sure either whether Samsung has some kind of active sync through another method (perhaps the other possibility is through Bluetooth)

Yeah, that's what my question is about. My tablet, with no internet connection, learns the wifi password (and connects to the network) a few seconds after my phone does.


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Connect ADB through SSH
How can I connect ADB on remote server through SSH to a local, non-rooted Android devices without installing anything on the middleman with root?
This is what I want to achieve:
┌─────────┐                       SSH through internet
│ Physical│ USB cable  ┌────────┐ (outside LAN) ┌────────┐
│ Android ├───────────►│ Laptop ├──────────────►│ Cloud  │
│ device  │            └────────┘               │ server |
└─────────┘                                     └────────┘
192.168.0.5            192.168.0.7                            (internal IP address)
                       204.12.46.76             108.63.15.64  (public IP address)

The one in the middle must not install any software with root/sudo. The laptop and server are both running Ubuntu 22.04.
From Android device to laptop, I can use the physical USB cable. From laptop to cloud server, I can use local SSH port forwarding (ADB uses port 5037). However, I do not know how to go from "physical USB cable" to "port 5037".
I include the relevant (fake) internal and external IP addresses for demonstration only.

In Laptop you should simply execute adb start-server to make sure adbd is running. Then port forwarding can forward TCP 5037 from Laptop to Cloud so that an adb client on the cloud server can connect to the adb server on the Laptop.

@Robert the laptop does not have ADB installed (Command 'adb' not found, but can be installed with: sudo apt install adb) and the laptop must not install any software that doesn't exist on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 install (a non-root install is acceptable).

Sorry, I don't care how you install it, but the Laptop and Clout server need adb. I usually prefer the latest version from Android SDK, but if you want to use the one from Ubuntu package manager it should be fine, too.

It is possible to install ADB without root by downloading directly:
curl -LO https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools-latest-linux.zip
unzip platform-tools-latest-linux.zip
cd platform-tools
./adb version

To use it through SSH, see this other Stack Exchange post.


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Setting a reminder for when you enter your car
Most of us have Android smartphones. At the same time, not all of us may have Android powered(/enabled) cars, but, may have to do something (such, as, check a note in the front drawer, or under the top light blocking panes, or do something next to the engine or other car part in the front hood, or grab something in the back part of the car and give it to someone in the morning, or check the fueling components at the back or at the front, or clear the back seat, or something along these lines).
Google Keep has location reminders, but here we need something to remind us when we get in proximity of the car. And we may not be able to go to the car, because we may be busy or it may be snowing outside.
We want to set a reminder that kicks in as a notification next time we are in proximity of the car, perhaps also with a specific associated time or time interval in which that reminder will be active.
Does NFC do the job? Do I need to purchase a special NFC chip for my car, and how can I program it make the notification kick in when my phone is next to the car or when I enter the car. Can NFC be made to work this way?
How can I do this in Android?
Thank you for your contributions.
Thanks.

Something like this When connected to car Bluetooth

you need to give more informations to help us understand and then help you.
When you say 'next time we are in proximity of the car' what kind of proximity is it ?
NFC could be a solution but the max range of it is 10 - 15 cm so you would need to be really close.
I would recommend using wifi (15 to 45 meter range)or ble (bluetooth low energy | max range 100m).
You could setup a ble device broadcasting auround the car and have an android app on your phone to "catch" the broadcast.

Thank you for your answer. Do such devices exist. If so, then can you please post a link in your answer? Thanks.

I don’t know. i thought you could make your own solution by making an android application. Another way to go could be using AirTags but I don’t know how they broadcast.


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What could cause outgoing phonecall audio to fail?
My Moto G6 Play runs Android 9. Some time in the last year or so (I don't make a lot of phone calls) people started telling me they couldn't hear me, or only very quietly, when I called them.
It's not the microphone because I can use that to record audio on an audio-recording app.
It's not the sim because the I can use that in another device without a problem.
It's not the default Google phonecall app because the same problem occurs with e.g. Viber.
Location might be a factor because I've noticed the problem at home (where I make almost all of my rare phonecalls) but people seem to have been able to hear me during some brief outdoor phone calls. On the other hand perhaps I was speaking louder.
Any ideas?

ETA: It's not a "two microphone" issue because turning on speaker-phone during a call doesn't make a difference.
I can't find any noise-cancelling setting that could be affecting it.

Are you using headphones, hands free or holding to your face?

@RohitGupta I've tried both with the same result.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. There are similar questions with more possibilities, like VoLTE/VoWiFi, speakerphone, 2 microphones, 1 broken (and more on Related Questions). You might want to browse and try some of them.

@AndrewT. Thanks for the suggestions. I've added to my OP why I don't think those Q&A's fit my case.


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Read websites text on Chrome/Firefox/Edge mobile
Is there any way (e.g. extension) for text reading (text-to-speech) from websites through mobile browsers Chrome/Firefox/Edge, etc.? I'm at the Android latest.

You may want to replace "I'm at the Android latest" with an Android version number.  It's unlikely "Android latest" will remain constant over time.

For Chrome & Chrome Canary nothing worked despite many internet claims of turning on the 'Read Aloud' flag from chrome://flags to enable.

I didn't try on Edge

On Firefox 117.1.0, the add-on Read aloud-Text to Speech can be enabled, and it works. You need to open a site and tap on add-ons, select this to read aloud (note: certain pages like Mozilla help pages are not read aloud)

You can select various read-aloud options as below:

BTW, the reason that Mozilla pages are not read aloud is because of a security policy that prevents extensions from operating on Mozilla's pages.  Otherwise, a single bad extension could potentially install more bad extensions.


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Getting Google Maps to lead the road through a path from Google Assistant
I am running Android 12 on a Realme 8 5G phone.
I was able to use the interface between Google Assistant and the Camera app by saying "Take a photo", and, Google Assistant takes a photo (after opening the camera app and launching a timer).
Now, I would like to have the same sort of functionality between Google Assistant and Google Maps.
I would like to tell Google Assistant (show me the path from town A to town B in maps, passing from town C, and talk the corresponding directions to me).
Google Maps should open up and do that.
However, I was unable to make this behavior work in Google Assistant/ Google Maps.
When will this be implemented?
How can I get this to work?
Thanks.

While multiple stops is already possible in Google Maps, I don't think Google Assistant supports it yet.


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Smaller floating windows of smaller sizes
I am running Android 12 on a Realme 8 5G phone.
While using Android I was able to create a smaller floating (on top) window, in one of two sizes, for one app (in my case, the WhatsApp app), as shown in the screenshots below (I could not find the screenshots for the even smaller WhatsApp window size). I can drag such Windows by pressing and pulling on the long dash that appears in the title bar of the app.

In general, how do I achieve this with a generic application I want to use in this way, how do I switch between different application sizes for such floating windows, and how many of these can I have at the same time, on my screen?
Thanks.


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Loose location accuracy problem
It is very annoying to calibrate my Samsung Galaxy A53 compass every  3 minutes when I navigate in big city. In many places accuracy becomes low after several minutes of navigation. I have feeling that when phone is connected to car navigation is better.
How to solve loose accuracy problem in general?
Does using more expensive Android phone can solve the problem?
Should I move to Apple?
Can I somehow connect external GPS module with compass like I suppose is done in car?

We had recently the question how to disable magnetic compass for navigation and use only GNSS. For vehicles that move compass is not needed, only if you stop or move slowly like walking compass is often better (if it works correctly). If a compass doesn't work reliable I would assume that the phone was just designed in a bad way. IMHO it says more about the manufacturer that the platform. I headed that a lot of modern phones don't have a compass at all, may be because this loose calibration too easy?


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Could activity showing up on Google My Activity show I used an app but didn't actually use it at that time?
I don't want to accuse my partner of lying if it is possible, for an activity to show up on Google's My Activity while sleeping or not using the phone.
Is this possible? Or, if it shows up on Google's My Activity, did someone actually have to access the app?

I think you need to  clarify, phone, model, android version, activity and app.

I would not recommend answering this question at it's current state as it is too generic and too many details are unknown like what devices exist the account is logged in. It may also have an effect what type of data we are talking about as I don't think Google activity log is precise in all manors. Delays in synchronization may also have an effect on the recorded activities. For a personal history an exact timing is usually not that important but if you want to detect if someone accessed your device...

Does this answer your question? Google Maps Location History is showing an incorrect location


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How to list devices in ADB through SSH?
How can I list devices in ADB through SSH, when it works fine locally?
On local, it shows up as device. and on cloud server, it shows up as offline.
Setup
┌─────────┐                       SSH through internet
│ Physical│ USB cable  ┌────────┐ (outside LAN) ┌────────┐
│ Android ├───────────►│ Laptop ├──────────────►│ Cloud  │
│ device  │            └────────┘               │ server |
└─────────┘                                     └────────┘

Android device

enabled USB debugging
connected to laptop through USB cable
all "do you trust this device?" prompts have "trust" selected

Laptop

connected to cloud server with ssh -L 5038:localhost:5037 -R 27183:localhost:27183 ecokjeonb@redacted
in first terminal:

> adb -a nodaemon server

in second terminal:

> adb devices -l
List of devices attached
887d9087               device usb:1-2 product:redacted model:redacted device:redacted transport_id:1

> adb version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 34.0.4-10411341
Installed as /tmp/platform-tools_r34.0.4-linux/platform-tools/adb
Running on Linux 5.4.0-58-generic (x86_64)

Cloud server
> export ADB_SERVER_SOCKET=tcp:localhost:5038
> export ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_ADDRESS=localhost
> export ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_PORT=5038

> adb devices -l
List of devices attached
localhost:5038         offline transport_id:1

> adb version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 34.0.4-10411341
Installed as /tmp/platform-tools_r34.0.4-linux/platform-tools/adb
Running on Linux 5.15.0 (x86_64)

Sorry but this is exactly the same question. It doesn't matter if you want to connect to an ad  device or list all devices, the set-up is identical. You should better use the default ports and kill adb server on the cloud server so the adb client can connect to adb server in the laptop.

@Robert then can you answer why it is possible to list the device on the laptop, but not on the cloud server and how to connect the cloud server so that it sees the Android device?

I'm following the steps at https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/blob/master/doc/tunnels.md since I want to be able to use scrcpy later too.

Did you see: How to set up ADB for remote machine development and local device deployment

@MorrisonChang yes, I did adb kill-server (fresh install, so no running server yet), adb start-server (adb -a nodaemon server starts in foreground, not background), ssh -XC -R 5037:localhost:5037 (X forwarding and compression (-XC) not required) and -L 5038:localhost:5037 (-L and -R direction swapped because the "remote" and "local" are swapped. The port is different because I explicitly start it on port 5037 locally, and keep the default of 5038 on the server).

It even sees that there's a device on localhost:5038, but it shows up as offline. It shows as online locally though.

I have created a GUI tool which I am using for this purpose myself. https://github.com/dshatz/Adb-Gateway


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How to always show NFC/location/Bluetooth icons on status bar when on?
I have Samsung Galaxy A14 with Android 13. My problem is that the icons for NFC, Bluetooth and location are only shown in the status bar when they're currently active, for example when I'm connected to another Bluetooth device. I want them to show up on the status bar always when they're on, so that I can turn them off if I forgot to do that. Is there any way to do that?

For these functionalities, you can consider using a home screen widget
To get native icon in status bar, custom ROMs might be only solution but it might not be feasible to you

Thanks, I ended up using this app. But I don't understand why it isn't a built-in functionality.


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Viewing list of downloaded apps, in the order they were downloaded
I am running Android 12 on a Realme 8 5G phone.
How can I view my apps in the order in which I've downloaded them from the Google Play store (instead, of alphabetically, in the phone's app drawer)?
I need this because I would like to go through all the downloaded apps and go through them.
Is there a place where I can download such an operating system enhancement/ window manager enhancement, on Android?
If this cannot be done, then I wonder whether this can be done through a special app that keeps track of downloads, and whereby you can launch apps from it. I wonder if this is possible also for apps that are not launcher apps, but could allow you to open apps by presenting them in a list (is a special "launch apps" permission required for this, I think not). Can the app just retrieve, the app installation time, from the file system (if it cannot determine the order in which the Google Play install button was clicked)?
Thanks.

Usually phone OS does not offer this feature. Many third party apps do this.
APPs history is one such app that is simple in it's interface. From the app description

A list of your applications, last installed shown first. Run or see details

My Latest Apps shows you an application lists sorted either by the first install or by the last update time so you will not miss any apps when testing time comes!

You can directly launch applications from the list or go to app's settings in order to stop/uninstall a certain app.

I find it useful to debug changes in Phone's behavior if one of the recently installed apps is causing it.
I am not affiliated with it.
You can also use pm list packages/adb dumpsys packsges commands for similar queries.


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BLU G71+ G0570WW stuck in bootloop and won't boot into recovery nor download mode
I just got BLU G71+ (G0570WW) and from the beginning, I've had problems. It was getting super hot and would just shut off out of the blue. My cousin (who is usually good with phones and computers, etc.) said if I root it, that would fix it. I don't know how, so I gave it to him, and now it's worse than it was before.
He said he unlocked the bootloader, got a ROM for my phone (something about magic?), put it in fastboot, and ran
fastboot flash boot_a boot.img
fastboot flash boot_b boot.img
fastboot reboot

at which point apparently my phone started flashing on and off, on and off, and it continues to do so. Anytime I turn it on, I have to disconnect the battery.
Please tell me this can be fixed because apparently from what I have read, he voided my warranty when he unlocked the bootloader. And it doesn't respond to power + vol up nor power + vol down. Please help. He said it's a Unisoc T610, whatever that means.

Sidenote: is it normal that in my phone settings, my phone is G0570WW, but on the little sticker with the IMEI codes, it's G0571WW?


text:
Most suitable file formats for exporting a text chat from a chat application
This post may be more appropriate on Super User Stack Exchange.
Please migrate my post there if more appropriate.
I was wondering what the best file format world be for exporting a chat from a messaging application:

For machine processing.

For incorporating into a word document.

I ask, because I would like to make some suggestions to some Android app developers regarding including some support in their apps for chat export, with the most suitable file formats.
Thank you for your support.
Thanks.

Tell the developers what you need and why. How to do it if thier job

For machine processing common formats are JSON or XML. For humans an HTML export would be best. But common developers should know all that.


text:
Block whatsapp channels
My phone, a galaxy s20 fe, recently updated whatsapp bringing along with it 'whatsapp channels'. Is there a way to block or get rid of the new whatsapp channels update?
Thanks for your time

Since this is an official feature of WhatsApp, I don't think there's a way to block/get rid of it other than using a 3rd-party/modded WhatsApp app, unless they finally add that options. Using the older version may only borrow some time because WhatsApp usually forces a minimum version after a certain time.


text:
How to Unlock Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra with totally dead screen?
My screen stopped working. Both display, and touch. I can connect it to a dongle with HDMI and USB ports.I get the display out, as seen below. When I connect mouse or keyboard, I get the "device connected" sound. But no matter what I press, drag or click, it doesn't seem to make a difference, phone stays locked.
I didn't have an option to unlock my phone using accounts.samsung.com enabled on that device, something I regret, but can't fix now.
If it matters, I unlock using the symbol method. I have a face unlock enabled, too, but I lost about 23kg / 50lbs and it stopped to recognize my face. I was "just about to" re-record it. Another thing I should've done to save me from being in this situation, but didn't and can't fix now.
I need to unlock it in order to migrate Google Authenticator and Signal to my new phone. It can only be done with QR code. I would also gladly retrieve newest messages, but only the Authenticator and Signal are things that I would be seriously inconvenienced loosing, everything else I have backed up in more than one place already, or is not that important.

What type of lock screen protection do you use? If you have PIN/password you may be able to type in blindly on a connected USB keyboard without screen: RETURN PIN RETURN.

As I wrote, I use symbol.  The one that you draw on 3×3 dot mayrix.

I tried connecting a wireless mouse into my S23 Ultra using a USB Type A to Type C Converter (OTG) with a Screen Locked enabled (PIN) and it worked just fine. It's weird seeing yours won't at least wake up the phone from sleep/screen-off state. Even just connecting a USB DAC to my phone does wake my phone on.
In my experience, some phone (my old OnePlus One) disable waking up the phone using a mouse that is connected with an OTG, it just stays locked until I unlocked it, unplugging and plugging the OTG back in, then it start working. I'm not sure about your S21 Ultra, but it should be the same as my S23 Ultra too.
Have you tried using other mouse or other OTG/Converter?


text:
add guest and add users grayed out
The add user and add guest buttons on the lock screen of my lenovo tab p11 are disabled after leaving my tablet for a week.
I have turned on the ability to add a guest and new user from the lock screen in the settings. This lets me add a guest or a user by clicking the button on the lock screen as you would expect. However, after leaving the tablet for a week the add user and add guest buttons are now greyed out and disabled.
The number of users has not been maxed out as no users have been created.
If I log in as the main user and then restart, the buttons are enabled again. but this is not an ideal solution for me.
edit:
my question has been answered here
How to unlock non owner account after reboot?

It can help to know the reason for this requirement. Is this sitting in public space?

The tablets are booked out for short periods of time. using a guest account allows me to quickly wipe the account when they bring it back.

My question has been answered here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/221046/how-to-unlock-non-owner-account-after-reboot Unfortunately after a reboot you seem to have to log in as the main user.


text:
Install "outdated" app from Google Play
I want to buy Minit, but it says "This app isn't available for your device because it was made for an older version of Android." How can I install it?
This question was asked before (How to install an app that is available on older and newer Android versions but not on mine?), but the only answer was download an APK, but 1, I can't find the APK anywhere cause it's a paid app, and 2, I'm not really comfortable pirating it because those sites seem really sketchy.
I've tried buying it on the Google Play website, but it requires a device it says is capable of running it before I can buy it.
Also it was last updated in late 2019 so I should still be able to run it.
I've also tried Aurora Store, but it doesn't show up when I search for it, and when I manage to get to the page for the app, it says "Download Failed App not purchased"
Sidenote: Why can't I comment on the old post? Apparently I need reputation? Wouldn't that be better than posting a new question?

Maybe I could use an Android emulator to trick it into thinking I have an older device? But I can't get any Android emulators working on Linux. Everyone seems to have abandoned Anbox in favor of Waydroid, and I can't get Waydroid to work on X11

Google forces app authors to update their apps and makes older apps unavailable for new devices. But of course the app can simply be incompatible with your device. BTW: It would be easier to help you if you would add a link to the app you are trying to buy. The more concrete a question is the higher the chance for an answer that directly helps you.

Why don't you mail the developer? Explain your problem to find out why it is incompatible and how to get it Working while legitimately paying //yes, commenting needs reputation but in this case it would not have helped because your problem is different to that of the linked one and you did the right thing by asking a new question. Upvoting to help you build up reputation.. Welcome to Android SE

Sorry here's the link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.devolverdigital.minit You can find it if you search minit google play

@beeshyams The developer isn't updating the app anymore, so I don't think emailing them will help. Also I'm pretty sure it's not actually incompatible, Google Play just won't let me buy it
"Starting from 1 Nov 2022, apps that don't target an API level within two years of the latest Android release (API 29 and below) won't be available to new users with devices running Android versions newer than your app's target API level. This means that new users won't be able to discover or install your app on Google Play"

Try using Aurora Store to spoof an Android 8 device. Right now the Play Store website displays my Pixel XL as compatible.

@jkmartindale Nah, Aurora Store doesn't let you buy paid apps


text:
Get rid of simplify page option in Chrome for Android
I am on Chrome 117.0.5938.60 which was updated on 11 Sep 23.
I occasionally see this Simplify page colored sticker

Which collapses into a page icon after a while

I am not sure if it is because of the update or me messing with some flags but how do I get rid of it?

In Chrome flags, chrome://flags/#contextual-page-actions-reader-mode shows this menu.

Select disabled to get rid of it.