text:
Log for WiFi on Android Tablet
Is there a log that records WiFi connectivity events/issues? I keep getting disconnected when using my Nexus 10 tablet and other devices on the same network do not.

Can you confirm if the Wifi MAC address is unique? And that it is added into the Wifi Router's mac filter list?

It is better not to ask question this way on Android Enthousiast. Because it is considered Off-Topic if you ask for app recommendations (see FAQ). It is maybe better to explain the issues you are having, so the reason why you need the logs.

There are several applications available that will read the log. In Android there is only one major log, where everything is written to.
Per application a different Tag is used in the log. So to find out information about the WiFi, you have to find out what the exact tag is. That way you can filter out all these messages, for me it was something like "WiFiStateMachine" for WiFi.
Next to the application mentioned by Abhishek Sha (Log Collector), there is also aLogcat. I have used this application multiple times, and always helped me to find the problem.

You can take
"adb shell logcat"

contains wpa_supplicant related logs. Wpa_supplicant is an open source application which is used in android phones to connect and manage Wi-Fi connections.This would help your disconnect issue.
or
"adb shell cat /proc/kmsg"

which is the file where kernel dumps the logs.here you can see Wi-Fi crash related logs.

The Log Collector app grabs the Android system log. It should include information about anything interesting (errors, information, debug stuff) that happened to your phone in the last few minutes. You should give you the option to email the log to somewhere (yourself would be good).  Word of advice: I see that you're new here. I would advice that you do not ask for app recommendations as I have had issues in the past and my question was closed.


text:
Unable to locate play store after flashing my android phone to CM7
I flashed my Samsung Galaxy I5510 with CM7. Everything was fine until I found that the Play Store was missing in the app drawer. I am unable to find it anywhere on the device.
I even tried installing an apk for Play Store but that didn't work.
Any help would be appreciated.

You need to flash this Google Apps (GApps) from this site here.
Installing just one apk for Play store will not suffice and will fail as it has dependencies on other components that makes up GApps.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How can I successfully run this script on a emulated terminal on Android?
Background
I am trying to install Ubuntu onto my Acer Iconia A500 using VNC and this application called Complete Linux Installer. My tablet is rooted and I have found several sources saying they have achieved this on their tablet. It is Ubuntu 12.04, but since this is about doing this on the Android OS, it is off-topic on Ask Ubuntu.
Script
The script I am trying to run is as follows:
$ cd /sdcard/ubuntu $ su
# sh /data/data/com.zpwebsites.linuxonandroid/files/bootscript.sh /sdcard/ubuntu/ubuntu.img

This is what it returns:
$ cd /sdcard/ubuntu $ su
# sh /data/data/com.zpwebsites.linuxonandroid/files/bootscript.sh /sdcard/ubuntu/ubuntu.img
[: not found
dirname: not found
[[: not found
[: not found
[: not found
[: not found
[: not found
Checking loop device... [: not found
MISSING
Creating loop device... /data/data/com.zpwebsites.linuxonandroid/files/bootscript.sh: /system/xbin/busybox: not found
[: not found
FAILED
Error: Unable to create loop device!

Question
How am I able to install this correctly? I have ubuntu.img and ubuntu.img.md5 in a folder named ubuntu in /mnt/sdcard which is the root of the system.
 What is the [: part of [: not found? Is it just the script text?

Missing busybox? Busybox has the [ symlinked to err.. busybox, can you tell me where you got the script from? It might need to be "slightly altered" to work within Android?

It's from within the app. It can be altered, but is supposed to work straight off the bat. I have never installed busybox. Thanks :)

Is it possible to see the script ? Thanks in advance.

I don't think so... I'll edit it into the question if I can get hold of it

You must install busybox on your device. And you need a kernel with loopdevice support. I use a 2.6.35.7 Kernel and I can run Debian. You may have a ARMv6 CPU Then Ubuntu doesn't work.

This is rather vague. How would busybox help exactly? How would the OP use it to solve the problem? (As a side note, please don't sign your posts)

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


text:
Kindle Fire HD 7" runs very slowly after rooting
I recently rooted my Kindle Fire HD and it now runs very slowly. It was mentioned in the rooting instructions I was following that this would happen during the rooting process. I am wondering if this is a permanent consequence of rooting or if it is fixable. If it is something I can fix could you tell me how.
Thanks for the help!
Here are the steps I followed:

Download Root MANY ANDROID! to your desktop. Extract to your desktop. This package includes updated adb daemons.
Download Qemu automated root to your desktop. Extract to your desktop. This package includes updated adb daemons.

NOTE WINDOWS 7 USERS: You need to open a command prompt "as Administrator" when running the above utility batch files RunMe.bat and RootQemu.bat - otherwise Windows will respond with "Permission Denied".
Root Step 1: Run RunMe.bat from Root MANY ANDROID!. Choose option 1 Run Normal Method and ignore errors. Pay attention, you will need to answer "Restore" a dialogue box on the Kindle. Click on Restore. When the program has completed, the Kindle will Reboot.
Root Step 2: When the Kindle reboots it will react VERY slowly, this is normal - leave it alone. Immediatly proceed to Step 3.
Root Step 3: Run RootQemu.bat from Qemu automated root. Follow the instructions Step-by-Step allowing Windows to re-detect the Kindle between reboots (about 2 minutes). Let this utility complete to the end.
Root Step 4: Click on Superuser.apk under the Apps tab.

What steps did you follow?

When I rooted my Motorola Milestone 2, I afterwards also had lags and instabilities. For me it helped to do a factory reset. Keep in mind to make a god backup of your apps/data before, as a factory reset will wipe the device (not the sdcard, though). As you are rooted already, Titanium Backup will be very helpful :)

Does a factory reset unroot the device?

@connor No it doesn't. Rooting modifies partitions of the phone that are not object to factory reset.

The process of rooting your tablet shouldn't affect the performance.  However, any apps that are installed when rooting can affect the performance.  SuperUser is a very common and popular app that is used when rooting and I have not seen any performance impact when installing SU on Motorola and Samsung devices (100+ devices).
Based on the junk that the first link tried to get me to download and how my virus detection (AVG) went off after extraction of the Zip, I'm guessing that there could be an app that was installed when rooting the tablet that could cause some performance delays (adware, monitoring app, etc.).  It's an extremely large download to for just rooting a tablet and the fact that it has 2+ threats to security programs it's not a good sign.
You can look at apps that are taking up system resources by enabling Developer Options and then looking at "Process Stats" under Settings->Developer Options->Process Stats.  This will show you what apps are taking up a lot of CPU Cycles.  If there is something you don't recognize and it's not a Google service, it could be something that was installed when rooting and soaking up resources, slowing your system.
The .bat file in the second download (Qemu) looks legitimate and there is nothing malicious in the batch file.
You can try uninstalling Superuser.apk from your device and installing it from another source.  This could resolve the sluggishness you tablet is experiencing.
Before doing anything else, I would recommend doing a complete backup of your entire tablet so you have a restore point if anything else goes wrong.  I use TWRP on the devices I manage and I've had excellent experience with it.  It appears they have a version for the Kindle Fire XDA Link.  If you already have a way to backup everything from the system level, use that before installing/uninstalling anything else.


text:
Xperia J becomes little unresponsive after I make or receive a call
My Xperia J becomes little unresponsive after I make or receive a call. I have to restart the phone afterwards. I did a factory reset and it worked for 3-4 days, but the problem comes again.

Do a general reset all will be well. If you still have trouble, do a factory reset by holding the volume down and power buttons as you turn phone on.


text:
What folders should I backup to my computer
I have a SGS2 with ICS. The phone is rooted. I use Titanium Backup Pro for backup, but that only backups to the phone itself, so if the phone is stolen or lost those backups are gone as well.
I have SSHDroid installed, and yesterday I made a backup of the sdcard folder to my home server using rsync. Now I would like to know if there are other folders that have data in them that I miss. I don't necessarily need a full backup of the phone, don't know if that's useful. I just want all user data safe.
So is there something that I'm missing? If so, what folders should I backup as well?

There's a number of mounts which differs form device to device. The read-only mounts (most importantly /system which contains the firmware) don't need a backup. The tmpfs file systems (/dev) also don't need one. App related userdata is in /data, personal/media files, etc. reside in the SD card partition, starting with Android 4.0 also in /data/media (the usual sdcard folder is just an export for seamless legacy support). In Samsung phones there might also be an /efs mount which holds the keys for encrypted partitions and mac/imei IDs iirc.

Your SD card contains pretty much all the data you need.
In addition to app backup, you can also use SMS Backup+ to backup your texts to the SD card (and then to the home server).
Titanium Backup Pro version has an option to backup files to your Dropbox folder, so you can use that instead of rsync if you like.
Also, try to move as much data to the cloud as you can - including contacts, settings, photos etc - you get peace of mind knowing that most things are already backed up even if your phone gets damaged or stolen.

Thanks. I believe Titanium Pro makes a backup of sms, so that should be covered. I use crashplan on my computers for local backup and to the cloud.

As Sumesh suggested, synching the complete SD card should be sufficient (Titanium Backup stores its backup data there as well). You could use FolderSync for this, regardless of the backup target (your computer or the cloud). Not everybody loves to have private data in the cloud (I don't, for example) -- but with FolderSync, everbody has the choice where to backup to.

Titanium will also backup your call log and wi-fi settings. I include both in my backups.

True, but it might create problems when trying to move between ROMs, so I usually avoid it. Works well if you're reinstalling the same/similar firmware, though.

If you paid for the Pro version of Titanium Backup, you should have the option to store the backups to several online storage locations. Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box are built-in to Titanium Backup Pro. All you need to do is add your account info, then tell your schedule to back up to those locations.
This is how my phone is set up. If I lost my phone, I would be able to restore my app settings and call logs/text messages on a new phone through Titanium Backup. And since I tell Google Plus to automatically upload photos taken by my camera, I would have photos as well. Everything else that matters is already synced with google.


text:
Kies is not working after flashing cyanogenmod on my Samsung Android phone
I have flashed my samsung android phone(GT-I5510) to CM7 and everything is fine with it exept that kies has stopped working with it..i.e when I connect my phone to laptop, it doesn't show the option for kies mode.
Please help me with how to enable it.

Samsung's Kies software only works with Samsung phones running official Samsung ROMs.
The only way to get Kies working with your phone would be to put an official Samsung released OS version onto it again.


text:
What should I do before I try advanced troubleshooting
Are there any generic troubleshooting steps and tips to be followed before I search for problem specific troubleshooting options? Then what are they?
I only have a general knowledge on Android and not familiar with flashing, shell commands, etc.

See also: My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?

There are several steps/things you can do before you do advanced troubleshooting. Most of the problems can be solved following these steps.

Backup your data. Backup your data first (of course, if possible). You don't need to risk it. Keep it somewhere else. It is better to have backups for personal data and app data separately.
Try rebooting your device. You can use your power key or a third party reboot app
Keep your device switched off for a while. Make sure you remove your SIM card (and the battery and SD card as well, if they are detachable) and wait about 30 minutes.
Try freeing some space. You must always have some free space. It is better to have more than 50MB free so that the apps can work smoothly. (Some say it should be 2% of total memory)
Try re-installing apps. If you believe your problem is caused by a specific app, try uninstalling and re-installing that app. Also you can try clearing the app cache. It will give you some more space.
No hardware fixes. Do not attempt to quick hardware fixes unless you have clear understanding of what you're doing. And keep in mind that you'll lose your manufacturer's warranty by doing such fixes.
Update your OS. Make sure that the relevant updates are compatible with your device, referring to your manufacturer's website.

If you are still in the problem, you can try searching help for your problem or contacting your manufacturer's customer support personnel. Remember to do this before you go to factory resets.

Sid, you may want to add: clean caches of misbehaving apps (as a separate item -- yes, I saw you have it in the "re-installing apps" section). This solved many app-specific problems in the past (especially Playstore). Insert before "freeing some space", and that then becomes "freeing some more space" :) Also: last resort = "factory reset" (needs backup before) might be a valid point here. Moreover, I would move "update your OS" 1 further to the end.

I have added that last resort before hand. Good thoughts by the way. :)

Travis Bemrose has a question regarding this post.  It would be good if you could please answer the question there, not here, so that we can preserve the comments which are there.


text:
How to get rid of bogus "Phone storage full" message (cannot send SMSs)

Possible Duplicate:
Why am I getting a “Low on Space” warning and having other weird problems?

I tried to compose a new SMS (text message): I tapped "New Message" and I got this error message:
"Phone storage is full! Delete some files to free space".
So I deleted almost all the previously saved SMSs, and then also moved a few apps from internal space to SD card, and uninstalled some other apps. After this I had about 4MB of free internal space, but I still kept getting the same message.
So I cleared the browser's cache and now I have reportedly 15 MB (of 190) of free internal space (and more than 7 GB of free external SDcard space).
I still get the exact same error when I try to compose a new text message (I also restarted with no luck).
At this point the message is clearly bogus, or at the very least the system is low on some other (god knows what) kind of space, NOT internal storage as it says.
WHAT on earth do I need to delete to free up this misterious kind of space that somehow got low?

Also, now I tried to install an app that requires just 127KB and it said "insufficient storage available" when I habe more than 15MB free. So it looks like deleting things doesn't free storage space despite it is reported as free.....

Now I deleted the Gmail application's data, which freed about 6 more MBs of internal space (now I have 21) and now it DOES work. This makes absolutely no sense. 15MB of free space are not enough to send an SMS????? Also, I could send and receive SMSs until yesterday, and I certainly haven't received several MBs of emails in gmail in one day. So the less than 4MB of free space I had until yesterday used to be enough to send and receive SMSs, but suddenly today 15MB were not enough....?!?!?!

We had this issue already a couple of times. To get rid of that insufficient storage available message, you need to have at least 25MB free available internal storage (source: TechniPages, AndroidCentral). To achieve this, you can...

delete apps you no longer need
move apps to sd if possible
clear app caches

See also:

Why am I getting a “Low on Space” warning and having other weird problems?
What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?
I can't receive SMS when I have low storage
HTC Incredible says SMS storage is full, but it isn't
How can I get rid of the low disk space notification?
My internal storage capacity is running low, what can I do?
Message Memory Full, Incoming message rejected


text:
What are my firmware options for Desire HD

Possible Duplicate:
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

My requirements:

Wifi hotspot needs to work properly since it often provides Internet access for my tablet.
I connect to several Blutetooth devices they should work too. (Speaker, Car, send files to other phones)
If possible i'd like the most recent Android version, as vanilla as possible.
I want an easy, scheduled backup solution

I really don't need the whole HTC Sense thingie.
I am prepared to lose all data stored on my phone.
I am a bit of a newbie concerning custom roms, so maybe there is a proper tutorial on how to proceed with getting root, etc.
My Phone is currently on Android 2.3.5 Sense 3.0, Build Version 3.12.405.1 CL199157 release-keys (latest stock firmware i guess) and i do not have root.

XDA's forum has ICS/JB, Cyanogenmod has officially only Gingerbread builds. The latter link has some info on how to upgrade/install aftermarket firmware (or see here). To have the latest/most vanilla fw: Search for AOSP builds (then CyanogenMod or AOKP, they add little clutter and preserve the vanilla feeling). I'd go for the most viewed thread with the most recent build on XDA (so it's hopefully well tested with fewer bugs).

Ah, one more noteworthy thing: JB-4.2 threw out bluez bt stack in favor of a new broadcom stack. Stick to 4.1 better (even the official 4.2 builds have some reported bt issues). I'd go for maybe this one, the rooting howto's here

Also take a look at Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?


text:
App install failed but files are still filling up the phone
I installed the game N.O.V.A.3. When it was finished, I got an error message saying that the install failed. However, the 1.7GB that the game required are still missing from my phone. The app does not show upp on "Application Manager. Since I used the refund button in Play Store, it doesent show there either.
My memory on the phone right now is 300mb. So, I can't install the game again or something like that. The phone is not rooted, and I won't root it since it breaks the warranty :( Is there any chance that I can remove the files without having to restore the entire phone?
I've also checked the folders when hooking up the phone to the computer. It's not there.
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini.
I'd be very grateful if someone helped me!
SOLVED

Answer from the comments, as OP/answerer disappeared:
Browsing the device from a connected computer, those files could be found and deleted.

Unfortunately, Rick missed to say where he found them. So I include some clues where they might have been, together with some reason. These items include places to look for left-overs following even a successfull uninstall:

/data/local: That's where Google Play downloads .apk files to before installing them. As this directory also is accessible "publically", this is the most likely place for the OP's case.
/data/data/<package_name>: unlikely, as it requires root for the user being able to access it – but that would have been the place the app would be installed in
<sdcard>/Android/data/<package_name>: another candidate, again unlikely: while publically accessible, data here are usually placed by the app itself. Not being successfully installed, and neither turning up in the app drawer, the user couldn't start the app – so it couldn't place stuff here.
<sdcard>/<some directory>: same as previous point. Some apps place stuff in different places, which then does not get cleaned-up automatically on uninstall.


text:
Installing different language on phone
Is it possible to install a different language other than the ones already in the system? I want my phone to display in Japanese. Everything...the menus, status bars, labels. Just as if my phone was made in and for Japanese.

Check out Custom Locale. It lets you modify the Locale of your Android device. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mhoffs.customlocale&hl=en If it doesn't work, let me know.

@Geff: Seemingly, Custom Locale doesn't add a new language entry, it just let's you switch to hidden locales that were already there. Or am I missing sth. here? Pedro: PS: Which phone do you own and which Version of Android does it run? My Android phone runs 4.2 Jelly Bean and it has this language setting entry: 日本語

You may want to see this question as well.

Well, your device is bundled with Japanese language support. I think this was started with 2.1 release. If you are using an older version of android (like 2.1 or so), you might want to check this thread on XDA.
If you have a later version of android, simply go to your language settings and select Japanese as @ce4 suggested
There is no need to install Japanese language in your device.


text:
Nexus 7 says it's charging but it isn't
I have had a Nexus 7 since September and today something strange happened.
I plugged it in, as usual, to recharge the battery. It charged up to 36% and now it still says it's charging but it never moves from that percentage.
How can I fix my device?

Could try turning it off and on again? Charging whilst off? Charging via PC using USB?

I was originally charging it via USB. Then I tried to use the wall plug. I still have to try with the device powered off.

If that doesn't work out, it might help to remove the battery for a few minutes, then put it back in.

It doesn't work. How can I remove the battery from a nexus 7?

You can't remove the battery that easy. I guess there is some app that's consuming too much power, and with normal usb charging it pulls only 500 mA. Reboot the device and try again.

What is the right way to reboot? I try to hold the power button and then press power off, but it seems just to hibernate rather than reboot

When you press power off and it hibernates, it goes to a deep sleep. You can still wake it up by a long press on the power button.

I solved my issue using a 2A charger instead of my phone 1A charger or the USB port that provides only 0.5A.
I am sure I have been able to charge my nexus with all the power sources, but maybe I left it on charge all night long.

As you have found, a bigger charger helps.  Also check to see what is running.  One graphics intensive game I play tends to consume 25% of the battery / hour when I have everything turned up.  Even the stock charger barely keeps up with it.

I wasn't paying. I was just surfing the web, reading the news and interacting on social networks

Actually Nexus 7 battery is easy to change. The back is easily carefully pried off, the connector inside comes undone without much effort. I replaced my battery with a new one still it only recharges to about 50% then begins to discharge. I'm going to try a slightly stronger charger. Though even fully powered off and charging over night did not increase charge though the indicator claims it is charging.

I don't think it addresses "How can I fix my device?"

Try calibrating (Completely Discharge battery), by playing games or watching videos. Once battery dries try switching your nexus on untill your device refuses to do so. The charge it from a wall charger. See if it works. I have a motorola MB855 , i generally claibrate 5-10 times in a month. That keeps its backup and life healthy.

"Calibrating" a Li-ion battery the way you do will cause the battery life to be reduced drastically. Don't do this.

I hav'nt faced any single problems past 6 years, either with laptop or mobile phones. I am using mobiles since 11 years when we have NiCd batteries, claibrating batteries will help you in taking full advantage of your battery.

Well, if you want to go against everything the mobile manufacturers say, more power to you! Enjoy your amazing battery life!

@ChinmayKanchi : Kid ... Read this http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490. Calibration is Highly Recommended by HP and Apple for their devices. Even HP laptop box comes with instruction to calibrate battery on regular intervals. And these days Mobile and Laptop batteries are both Li-On battery. Only sizes and mAH are different. If calibrating is considered as bad idea , then the laptop or tab manufacturer will suggest you to operate the device while charging. Instead they suggest to use it on battery as max as possible. Over charging or online usage is always said to be avoided

@See-Sharp The Apple article you post says "every few months", not "5-10 times in a month" or maybe once per month if you leave it plugged in constantly (not the case on a phone or tablet). Each time you do it puts wear and tear on the battery. You're doing it way more often than needed to keep the charge monitoring working.

I'm using a 7" Galaxy Tab (SHW-180S) and this same thing happened with me a few days ago. This is how I solved it:

Remove the battery from the device
Charge your battery from another electric source (I don't remember the device name but most mobile repair shops have them)

You can also try a hard reset. Changing your charger may also help if it isn't providing enough power to charge Nexus 7.

Unfortunately it is not possible to remove the battery from a Nexus 7

Would you please describe the reason of the down vote?


text:
Why aren't Android updates published simultaneously for all users in the same continent?

Possible Duplicate:
Why aren’t the manufacturers updating the phone to the latest Android version when it’s available?

Why aren't Android updates published simultaneously for all users in the same continent?

To not overload the servers, maybe? If all users would update at the same time, this would not only lead to high server load, but also result in slow downloads, which in turn users would complain about even more.

Most phones have per carrier custom firmwares (which need to get tested individually). Verizon for example is slow (delayed some Galaxy Nexus updates up to 3 months or so I heard somewhere).

Also see: Are Android OS updates region specific? / What is Google's OTA phase deployment strategy? / Who are responsible for pushing out the OTA updates? / What is the typtical Android OS Upgrade policy?


text:
keep losing names from numbers on my contacts list in my HTC desire s
I keep losing names from numbers saved to SIM in my contacts list randomly on my new HTC desire S. If I reboot my phone, they come back, only to disappear again randomly! Only some of my contact's names disappear and all my contact's numbers are saved to SIM in the same way....!? What do you reckon?


text:
Stop old posts from reappearing in Facebook News Feed
I've recently been given an update of the Facebook App on Android and I have noticed that in my News Feed old posts are appearing. Some as old as a week or more. Obviously the point of a News Feed is to see new things, not old stuff.
How can I turn this off so that I only see new posts appear in the News Feed?

The problem is that Facebook wants to be smart and recommend posts for you.
If you just want the most recent posts you can press the button top left of the app (some stripes on top of each other), this will open the menu for you. To the right of the 'News Feed' button, there is a gear wheel button, click on it and choose 'Most Recent'.
PS: could be that this is not completely the same in older android versions, I'm talking about 4+

Yes, confirmed in Android 4.0.4. Yet again, Facebook has got a bit more nippier aka native, but buggy still :(

That is somewhat prevalent glitch in the updated Facebook.
Have discovered earlier, the "somewhat" temperamental cure is this:

Try logging out and log back in again to clear the cached data.

And also try get in touch via Google Play Store and there should be a button/linky to email the developers directly about the issue.

As a developer myself I don't want to recommend the use of commenting on Google Play when something is wrong. Because that is very annoying because you cannot reply. Just send a mail to the developer of those apps (there is a button/link for that)

+1 ndsmyter, same here, that's true though - have amended my answer based on your comment :)


text:
Restart camera service
I have a smartphone which the camera doesn't work very well with CyanogenMod.
Sometimes (and very often), after taking some picture the camera stops working until I restart the phone.
When I try to open it, it just says "Cannot connect to camera".
I'd like to know if there are some way to "restart" the camera service, or something like that, because it's very annoying to be obligated to restart the phone everytime it stops working.
If that's somehow useful, I have a modified version of CyanogenMod 7 installed.

What is your device?

It's ZTE Racer. The problem is that the camera was modified by the carrier that sold it.

Might be best to check over on Modaco's ZTE Racer Forum Very likely the kernel has got a unstable driver for camera capture... head over there and you might find the answer :)

@DielsonSales Have you managed to find a solution to this problem in the end ?

No, the only way to get the camera to work properly was coming back to the original version of Android.

If the problem is in the kernel driver, as t0mm13b suggests, then only resetting the kernel driver will help. There might be a hacky way to achieve this with rmmod from the command line, if the device is rooted and that driver was built as a module in that ROM. I wouldn't recommend it. Restarting the phone is probably the only way to reset the driver.


text:
Android 4.0.4 - Wifi WPA-PSK hex password too long
I am currently trying to connect to a Wifi (WPA-PSK TKIP with 64-bit hex password). However my device - LG Optimus L9 with Android 4.0.4 - only allows to type in 63 characters.
It seems that it only support "passphrase" password which is supposed to be 8-63 characters long but not "hex" password..
Did anyone else have the same problem?

Why hex password? Why not a usual combinations of letters/numbers?

Well that would be the "passphrase" I meantioned. I tried that.. I deleted the last character and it worked perfectly. However I have lots of devices using this network and I dont want to change the password for all of them just because of this.

64bit hex password, so 64bits is 8 bytes, so the password length is in fact of 8, composed of letters/number? Clarify?

@t0mm13b: it's probably a 64 hex-char string what was meant (4bit per char, i.e. 4x64bit or 256bit binary key data). Also see here, it should be fixed: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=2009

@ce4 cheers for that tidbit of info - apparently post #7 on that linky is having some trouble too? I do recall issues with WPA supplicant when porting ICS... maybe a replacement binary is available?

it's >3.5 years since the bug was closed and 2 people complained. That's too few to be relevant. I'd say: Either it's case-sensitive (must be all lowercase) or someone mistyped it by accident (and a non hex char slipped in).

@t0mm13b Yes it is a 64 hex-char string.

@ce4 Thank you for the link. I (just to be sure) checked the password and it really contains hex characters only. I copy and paste the password in my android device so I am sure there's no typo.

My experience: One friend's network uses WPA with a 64character hex-key and I haven't had any problem connecting to it since Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
I also had a look at the wifi config at /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf which holds all the wifi credentials. The one entry from above is configured just as every other with the exception that it has a 64 character hex key. I, of course censored both keys and SSIDs, fyi.
Here's a sample:
network={
        ssid="normal_psk_key_network"
        psk="secretpassphrase"
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        priority=1
}

network={
        ssid="64hexchar_network"
        psk=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        priority=2
}

Did you look at the file on a PC or on the phone? In other words - how do I access this "/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf" file? .. and after that, do you think it would be possible to edit it, just to add the last character of my password?

I have a rooted phone and used USB debugging (ADB) to view it on the command line. It's probably possible to add it, at least if you're already root it's little effort to try it. Not sure which editor does a good job (I prefer non-graphical commandline tools). Maybe try OI file explorer or ghost commander (they support root mode and include an editor). What may also work: Google offers wifi passphrase sync iirc. you could set up your network from another phone.


text:
What difference does it make that I have two SD cards
I guess I don't really understand the Android storage structure; maybe someone can enlighten me or direct me to a place that does. I have a Galaxy S3, Android 4.0.5, with two 16GB SD cards. So:

Does the phone have internal storage other than the SD cards?
Under /mnt, I see both sdcard and extSdCard; there is also sdcard under /. I assume this is just a link. But this implies to me that the external sd card is somehow "less important" than the original SD card. Is that true?
I would like to use perhaps doubletwist, or some other application, to put my whole iTunes library, which is slightly larger than 16GB, on my phone. Will that application (or any application) insist on having 16gig on one card, or will it just figure it out and put the data wherever it needs to go?
The file structure on my sd cards seems pretty complicated, with lots of empty folders. What folders are really needed by the OS, and how can I figure out what is supposed to go in each?

I guess this comes down to two questions: 1) how can I figure out what the principles are behind the Android file system, and 2) do applications care that there are two cards, or do they/can they treat it as a single disk?
Thanks.

By the sound of it, its like as if the handset is in fact a 16GB model variant, if so, then the so-called sdcard is treated as internal storage i.e. sdcard, and the external SDCard is symbolically linked to extSdCard.
That is the way Google are doing it now, and doing away with having external SDCard's... :)
No its not true that one is "more" important than the other, its just a way of increasing internal storage capacity for apps and media etc, the external SDCard acts as a "overflow" bucket once the storage space on the internal sdcard gets maxed out.


text:
Hardware ID missing on Galaxy S3 after Windows update
A few days ago I accepted Windows Update's Samsung drivers for Galaxy S3 running rooted Jelly Bean. It worked fine as USB MTP device until then.
Now, every time I connect the USB cable I get the error "Hardware ID missing. Contact manufacturer..." and I can't see my device's file system.
Switching to PTP or enabling Debug doesn't work.
How to fix it?

Yes, it worked, I erased the crappy samsung driver, and the kies software, and everything is working good in my old windows vista 64. Just copy and drop. thanks for the help

Make sure your device is connected. Open Device Manager. In USB Devices, find a SAMSUNG composite device (can't capture a screenshot because it goes away).
Right click, choose Uninstall and make sure to check "get rid of that sheet of driver software"... Well... I mean "delete driver software too".
Disconnect and reconnect USB, or clik Detect Devices button

Windows detects the phone and installs the plain old MTP driver.
Optional step: report to Samsung
Optional step 2: upvote :)

lol @ Optional Step 2!  +1 from me :)

Community wikis can't be upvoted :)

Nah... If they can't be upvoted, my +1 will be invisible LOL


text:
Restore deleted photos
I accidentally deleted the entire "downloaded" album full of pictures from my Samsung Galaxy S2 (SPH-D710) and am trying to use a recovery program I downloaded.
My phone will not show up as a remove-able storage device on my computer, or on the program. I have tried to change the USB settings on my phone but there is no USB settings when I go to Settings > Wireless and networks as most information instructs.
I found the setting for USB debugging by going to Settings > Developer options and can turn that on and off, but that is the only setting I can find relating to USB storage.
When I connect it to the USB cord it gives me MTP or PTP options but again no USB options.
Any advice??? Thank you!

try store your photos with app supporting cloud hosting, i.e. dropbox (every new photo is uploading on your account and you have 30day backup fore every deleted or losted file)

If your device is rooted, you can try Undelete for root users which claim to restore even from internal storage, which is boon as other PC based apps does not work well unless they have physical access.
The app Dumpster claims to work even for unrooted device. But I suspect this has to be installed before the event of deleting - not sure just give a try.
If either of the apps seems promising, I would advice you not to directly or indirectly use the internal storage as if the data blocks are overwritten (by you or by an app or by the system) your chances of recovery goes slim.

If the folder is on your external SD card: remove the card from the device, and connect it via a card reader. This way you ensure your computer will have the physical access to the card which is needed by most recovery programs for best results.
For further advice, also see Data Recovery - How to Restore Deleted / Formatted Files on HD Micro SD Card

yes, http://android.stackexchange.com/a/7072/14546 try photo rec, it's user friendly

Answer taken from an edit made by Christin taylor (Christin: Edits are for fixes/clarifications; alternative solutions should be presented in their own answers)

When photos deleted from android, the os removes the pointer to the files from the file allocation table and flags the deleted files as no longer needed. in order to recover the deleted photos, you need to avoid writing data to the card or internal storage, plug in your device and set the usb setting as mass storage so that both the sd card and built-in storage should be recognized and mounted as removable drive, scan the drive, then recover the deleted photos from android.

Remarks (by Izzy):

This only works as long as the Android device supports USB Mass storage.
The reason described just applies to FAT based file systems (which admittedly are used here in most cases).
It's always the safer method to use a dedicated card reader for such low-level operations – though, in absence of such, it should work.


text:
USB on the go cable with power for HTC one X?
Is there a USB on the go cable that will allow me to connect both an external hard drive and a power cable to charge my device at the same time? I have not seen such a device but I would like to know if anyone has seen such a product?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts, please read the [FAQ], the question is bordering on shopping recommendations which are off-topic. :)


text:
text message notification interrupting voice calls samsung galaxy s2
Does anyone know how to turn off the notification for text messages that breaks into voice calls on my Sprint Samsung Galaxy s2 (SPH-D710)?

Do you want to turn them off permanently, or just during calls?

On my S2 (SGH-S959G) the setting is in Settings App > Call > Call Alert > Uncheck Alerts on Call.

Samsung Galaxy S3 has a setting within the Phone Dialer "Call Settings\Call Alert\Alerts on call". Unchecking this will prevent alerts from interfereing a phone call. This is probably similar on your Galaxy S2.


text:
galaxy tab 2 usb issues
My new Galaxy Tab 2 can't connect to my PC via USB. When I plug it in my PC, it plays a tone. It means some new hardware has been connected. It appears in Kies as GT-P3113. But when I mouse-over it, it says connecting... But it has completed the connection only 3 times (more or less). The rest of the time, it doesn't work. It also doesn't show up in my computer as an external storage, so I can't add files that way either.
Any help would be appreciated.

Please check my question Unable to connect Samsung Galaxy (Tab-2) GT-P3100 to Computer via USB and its answer too.
It is defiantly helpful to you...


text:
Tasker Newbie Question
I am learning tasker and reading up tutorial on http://tasker.dinglisch.net/tour.html.
If you look at the picture,
you can see the two same tasks "Set Widget Icon".
Is that a typo, or something I do not understand?

Also, what is the benefit of toggle? Why is the property ternary, not just off and on? Can you please help with a practical example?
Thanks much.

Yes, that seems to be a typo: the conditions should be If %WIFI ~ on and If %WIFI !~ on (or If %WIFI ~ off).
The %WIFI variable can only be on or off, not toggle. But the Wifi action can be used to enable, disable or toggle Wifi, i.e. if Wifi is enabled, it will be disabled, and if Wifi is disabled, it will be enabled.
The example (minus the typo) talks about creating a "Toggle Wifi" widget: if Wifi is on and you click the icon, Wifi will be disabled and the icon will be changed to a "Wifi is off" icon. And if Wifi is off and you click the icon, Wifi will be enabled and the icon will be changed to a "Wifi is on" icon.


text:
how to connect blue yeti mic to galaxy nexus
I'd like to use the blue yeti as audio input for recording video on the galaxy nexus. How can I achieve this? I know thus far that I need a USB otg cable, but when I plugged it in it didn't seem to be recognized. I'm running android jelly bean 4.2 and am using stock camera app for video recording.

I think you cannot do it yet because the drivers do not support it.
You can record audio on its own, though. USB Audio Recorder Pro from the Google Play store may work for this purpose. If you search for it, the description contains a link that will allow you to download a demo version for testing.
It definitely works with the Blue Yeti on Nexus 7 as reported by the developer, and a number of other devices.
Note that it has to be USB Audio Recorder Pro by extream software development (to which I am not affiliated), and not USB Audio Recorder which is a different product.
Whereas this is not a full answer to your question, I hope it helps.

You could then re-sync this to the video, using any good video editor, including the many free ones.


text:
Low internal memory, but high local and SD memory
I have a MID android tablet which has been giving me low storage messages during some downloads lately. But when I check, the local and SD have practically 3GB free. So, where is this data going, and how can i direct it to local or the SD?
I'm new with tablets; this is my first one.
the local and SD have 3 GB free combined(sd has 2 GB local has 1 GB), the system disk shows about half full (795 MB left) and I have no idea how to move my apps to the SD.

Do you mean local and SD have practically 3GB free each, or both together? For "low storage" warnings, SD is mostly irrelevant. How much free space do you have on internal storage? Also, check the "Related" section of this question (in desktop browser, it's to the right) for other "low storage" questions. We had this issue quite often here, so your question probably is already answered.

I have system memory and internal memory, so "internal memory" is not all non-external memory

I've just added the insufficient-memory tag to your question. Please check its tag-wiki, which will answer your question.


text:
How to install extensions on Android's stock browser?
I have JellyTime (R30 - https://code.google.com/p/jellytime/) installed on my HTC Desire HD phone which is running a variance of Jelly Bean 4.1.2.
Is it possible to add some extensions/features to the default available Internet Browser in Jelly Bean? For ex. Ad Blocker, Flash Blocker, etc.?

Are there any extensions to the default browser? I know of none. So the answer is probably "No".

The default Browser does not have extensions, but what you are looking for might be found as Android apps, for instance: "Bookmark Sort and Backup" (BookmarkSB).   The bookmarks themselves are considered part of Android not of the default browser, but the addon would only have use through the default browser and there are changes made to the options in Browser that you will not see in other browsers from installing this app.
For serious stuff like effective ad blocking and changes to the hosts file you would need root access, before you can use full features of such addons, and in particular modify your hosts file.   The hosts file would apply to your entire system not to a specific browser or application.


text:
How can I get a phone app on a tablet?
I have a brand new Galaxy Tab 2 that is apparently not compatible with my bank's tablet app. Someone on another forum mentioned that they just use the phone version on their tablet, but they don't say how they got it. When I go to the google play store, I only see one version. I do have the app on my phone; is there any way to transfer it?

Try searching on Google Play using your computer. That should show all the results.

Thanks. I tried that, and apparently there only is one version, so I don't know what the other user was referring to.

If you already have the app on your phone, you might want to take a look at AppMonster. This app allows you to create backups of your apps' .apk files to your SD card (the Pro version even can do so automatically each time you install/update an app, so you always have the chance to revert to a previous version if an update breaks something). You can then pick that .apk from your SD card, copy it to your tablet, and "side-load" it (i.e. install it manually). For this to work, you must enable "unknown sources" in your tablet's settings (otherwise it only accepts installs directly via the Playstore).

Not sure I understand. Are you saying I would back it up to my phone's SD card, then move that card to my tablet? Is there a reason I couldn't just copy the .apk to my dropbox online and then copy it from dropbox to the tablet?

Either way would work. But first you need to get access to the .apk -- that's what AppMonster is for. Once backed up with AppMonster, you can find the .apk on your sdcard. Now it's up to you how to transfer it to the other device: copy via computer, via Dropbox, via WiFi direct... whatever suits you best.


text:
Can I install Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM on my HTC One X by AT&T?
Can the Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM that seems to be released for the HTC One X international model be installed on HTC One X subscribed by AT&T?
I found the update for HTC One X on following link :
Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM for HTC One X
Does my HTC One X from AT&T support this ?

No you can't flash an international ROM on your device.
Because your phone's configuration is different than international version.
Details are given below:
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon (AT&T)-----  Nvidia Tegra 3 (International)
CPU: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait (AT&T)-----   Quad-core 1.5 GHz (International)
GPU: Adreno 225 (AT&T)---------               ULP GeForce (International)
if you flash this , it may brick your phone.
See this

Thanks mate, since I am using an unlocked HTC One X from att, if att provides an update for this phone, does my phone able to get it ? It was bought in US and I am using it here at Nepal and its unlocked.

That means you are not in AT&T network now. Right?

yeah, im using other network subscriber. He don't have AT&T here at Nepal

Thanks, I heard Odin is just for Samsung mobiles, isn't it so ? AT&T ROM is not important for me, I would like to install android 4.2.1 with or without HTC Sense.

If you need 4.2.1 then go for CynogenMod 10.1 Nightly...

Yeah, I can see CynogenMod 10.1 on this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2064621 which has few issues, if I install this, will it be a clean anroid Jelly Beans or it will include HTC Sense too ?

Its pure android vanilla experience, not HTC Sense..

can I install HTC Sense separately later ?

@hsuk Odin is definitely just for Samsungs.


text:
Select IP phone account for native dialer
I have two different SIP accounts: one is my favorite, but is only available from my home network. The other should be used from all other wi-fi networks. In case that I do not have any wi-fi connection, I would like to use the regular telephone service.
I managed to setup both accounts as IP accounts in android (4.2, G Nexus, native SIP support). However, I can only define one of the IP accounts as primary. This means that I need to change the primary account manually whenever I leave or come home. Android only asks whether to use IP or not, but doesn't ask which IP account to use. Is it possible to change this behavior?
If possible, I would like to use the native dialer and no SIP app.

I'm not 100% sure, but you could try Tasker together with the Secure Settings addon. The latter mentions "SIP: change call options" amongst its features; but it's not clear to me whether that could mean "enable/disable", or whatever. There's a free 7-day trial of Tasker available on their homepage for testing.

Don't define any account as primary account. In that case phone ask from you at everytime which ip account would be used to call. I check it on htc sensation z710e while wifi is available. Its working fine.

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


text:
Is HTC one X AT&T and HTC one XL same?
Just noticed HTC one X AT&T and HTC one XL has got same configuration. Are those mobile same ?
HTC one X AT&T vs HTC one XL (GSM Arena)
Actually, I read a article on which it was mentioned like " Android 4.2.1 ROM is cooked up for the HTC One XL (the AT&T One X) ". This tend to think me whether these two are same.
Android 4.2.1 AOKP Custom ROM for the AT&T HTC One X

The short answer is: No, they are not the same.
The long answer is as follows:
At least for dimensions, they are not exactly the same (HTC One XL, to the right, is a bit smaller)

Also, from the comparison table you talk about:

HTC One X AT&T wouldn't support HSDPA 900, while HTC One XL does.
HTC One X AT&T supports 4G network with LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 /
2100, while HTC One XL does it with LTE 1800 / 2600.
HTC One X AT&T supports Mini-SIM, while HTC One XL supports Micro-SIM.
HTC One XL has Stereo FM radio with RDS, while HTC One X AT&T does not.
HTC One XL has 32 GB internal storage, HTC One X AT&T has 16 GB internal storage.

Sources:

Left image: HTC One AT&T at HTC US website
Right image: HTC One XL at HTC Australian website

Actually, I read a article on which it was mentioned like " Android 4.2.1 ROM is cooked up for the HTC One XL (the AT&T One X) ". This tend to think me whether these two are same.
http://drippler.com/htc/one_x#!602019

Nope, both have different features, and are not the same.

Would you care to elaborate on the differences?


text:
How to get Recovery without the Hardware key
Apprently I am stuck in a known problem the Cyanogen Bootloop.
The solution involves going into recovery, which is not possible since my "volume down key" is physically damaged.
Do I have any options of escaping the vicious Bootloop? Or did I officially brick it?
The model is: HTC Desire HD (HTC Ace)

Which is your phone model?

Try booting while pressing the back key. That will get you into fastboot, and you can access hboot (and hence recovery) from there.
If it worked try any solution among this..
It depends on the cause of the boot loop
Wipe cache and dalvik (depending on what recovery you look in different places for these. I think ClockworkMod may have wipe dalvik in advanced). TBH I think this is unlikely to do it, but is harmless.
If something has been corrupted in the ROM then reflashing the ROM (without wiping) will fix it.
If it's data corruption then a factory reset will do it.

the rom is CyanogenMod 7 so i don't think fastboot is even possible.

@AndreasPetersson Fast boot isn't dependant on the ROM.

If you have fastboot, boot into that. You can then procede to wipe data while in fastboot mode by issues the fastboot -w command. You can then reboot the device using the fastboot reboot command.
Be aware that not all devices come with fastboot. If you can access ADB while the device is booting, then you can issue an adb reboot recovery command to reboot into the recovery menu that way.


text:
Rooting failed htc one x : adb server is out of date
Tried to root my mobile HTC One X AT&T Build number 1.73.502.1 710RD ATT US edition referring the following link.
Root HTC One X
Restarted twice but the phone was not rooted.
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    ** daemon still not runningerror: cannot connect to daemon

    DON'T TOUCH THE DEVICE OR UNPLUG WHILE ROOTING!
    PUSH FILES
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    3388 KB/s (2005736 bytes in 0.578s)
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    2874 KB/s (91980 bytes in 0.031s)
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    3240 KB/s (570342 bytes in 0.171s)
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *

    REBOOT
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    ** daemon still not runningerror: cannot connect to daemon
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    ADB server didn't ACK
    * failed to start daemon *
    error:
    AGAIN REBOOT
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *
    adb server is out of date.  killing...
    * daemon started successfully *

Does rooting require bootloader ?

The bug is probably fixed in your build. Try bin4ry's 'root many android!' exploit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1886460


text:
Google apps settings deleted
I just deleted the Google apps settings by mistake (from Applications -> Google Apps -> clear data). So, my HTC Magic is not connecting to the Google server anymore. How can I input the dates I've deleted? Can it be reinstalled?

I'm not sure about HTC, but you can probably configure your Google account in Settings > Accounts.


text:
birthday duplicates after removing google account and adding it again
After removing my Google-Account on my HTC One S and adding it again, i recognized that all birthdays stored with contacts are in my calendar twice. When i change birthday at some contact, there is only one, which changes. The information is not from another calendar like Facebook or Google.
After removing my account once and adding it, i had two birthdays for each contact, only one changes.
After removing my account another time and adding it, i had three birthdays for each conatct and only one changes.
So why this happens or how can i delete or avoid this?
I would like the delete either automically or manually (prefering automatically) but i found no solution to do this.
I made a screenshot to make it clearer.

Meanwhile, the only thing that helped was a softreset.i wanted to do it fast. And after the new HTC Update i switched to some Custom Roms anyway.

"Online version of GCalToolkit" may help.
http://gcaltoolkit.net/

Follow these simple steps to remove all duplicates from Google
  Calendar, clean up failed Imports and Sync Sessions, delete events
  based on text or date ranges, and more... If that's not enough -
  please try the Windows Desktop Software version of GCalToolkit.:

I have these duplicates only on my phone, so i don't think that works. It's no Google Calendar Entry.

In that case you could try to first sync your phone calender with google calender. Then use the provided link. Sync again if required.


text:
"Settings" hangs when scanning for WiFi since JB update on One X
I have an HTC One X which has never before exhibited any connection problems.
Since the update to Jelly Bean around 2 weeks ago, it cannot reconnect to a WiFi network once it has lost the connection. It stays on the 3G network by itself. When I go to Settings and select WiFi, Settings sometimes freezes still showing the normal Settings screen but not reacting to touches, sometimes the screen becomes black (the bar with the network information and battery level is still visible). I can still use the Home button to start other applications. At some point, I get a message telling me that Settings is not responding, prompting me to terminate it.
When I restart the phone, it automatically establishes the connection to a known WiFi network. If I am somewhere where it doesn't find a known network, I can use Settings as usual to connect (scan for networks, choose one, enter password, connect). But after about an hour, I find that the phone is again on 3G and the above freezing happens when I try to reconnect.
I think this is not a problem of the way the networks are set up, as I had the same symptoms in 4 different home networks, using different router brands. Many other devices, including other Android phones, function in these networks without a problem.
A software update which came 2-3 days ago did not change anything about the problem.
The phone is running Android 4.1.1, firmware version 3.14.401.31. It is not rooted.
Any suggestions how to troubleshoot this? When I search the Internet for the HTC One X having WiFi problems, I only get scores of articles about known hardware problems.

As described above, the freezing does not occure during the first connection after reboot. Therefore, I was able to open the Advanced settings in the WiFi menu after a reboot.
There, I changed following settings:

Keep WiFi on during sleep -> Always
Best WiFi Performance -> Off
Auto-Disconnect -> Off

Since then, the problem hasn't appeared. The phone was on a mobile network many times (when I was outside of reach), and it logs on without problems when I return to the reach of a known network. No freezing any more.
I don't know which one of the three settings changed anything, because I didn't try any combinations. I am just happy that the problem disappeared after weeks of slow mobile internet only.

Just for the record, I have following settings: "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep: Always", "Best Wi-Fi performance: On" and "Auto-Disconnect: On". And no problems here, so it is probably the "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep" that causes the problem. (And I'm also not in the mood to test it out myself :P)

I am using the same version of the OS on my HTC One X and I have never had this problem before. So I am thinking this is maybe a problem concerning the hardware of your phone. Maybe you should contact HTC for this problem. They can probably help you some more.
But you could always try to do a hard factory reset (this is something which HTC support will ask to do too) . Because an update doesn't really reset anything. A factory reset should reset all settings, this to make sure it isn't a problem of your settings. Before you do a factory reset, make sure you have a backup of everything.

At last i found the answer to the dumb issue I  have had, whereby the WiFi scan "hangs" and never sees local WiFi. set WiFi on during sleeps - always , Best WiFi - off and Auto-disconnect - off.  Think it is the last setting which cleared my issue.


text:
Is it safe to install cyogenMod on my rooted, bricked , then unrooted Samsung Captivate
My Samsung captivate was running the latest version of Android available to it which is 2.3.5 Gingerbread.
I rooted it by installing ClockworkMod Recovery, (flashing zImage using heimdall on Ubuntu), I then installed CyanogenMod 10. It worked up until the point I went and tried to restore the data or db data(can't remember) part of the backup I made in CWM. This broke the ROM I had to revert to a stock ROM I found.
Firmware version: 2.1-update1
Baseband Version: I897ucjf6
I then tried to restore the custom ROM to no avail. The CWM recovery log said something to the extent of I can't re partition the device or mount the device due to a bad sector. The long and short it did not work.
When I start the phone normally, it does not boot. When I hold 2 vol keys the screen looks as if a VGA cable is not connected properly - everything is colorful, but distorted (no text is recognizable).
Is there a way to get an official (or official-ish) version of Android 4.1 on my phone, preferably using Odin 100% of the time so I am not having to boot into recovery and apply update from zip (Although I can do this if needs be).
Should I use Kies Mini to update to Gingerbread and try again?
Should I just forget about my Android 4.1 dream?
I followed this guide the first time I rooted the phone.
I downloaded CyanogenMod 10 from their seemingly official website under the Samsung Captivate section.


text:
Does stock Android have a panorama camera feature?
I was wondering if Android has any panorama-like feature like how iOS does?

This depends entirely on the OEM and what features they decide to put in their devices.
However, I've used a panorama feature since the beginning (2.3 Gingerbread) on my Nexus S, and have had it all the way till my 4.2 Galaxy Nexus, so I can say that the stock Android camera app has panorama, at least 2.3 onwards.
Beyond that, device specific panorama is dependent on the OEM.
You could always use third party apps, like this one, which supports Android 2.1 and above.

Thanks! Good response! Is photo-sphere what your talking about? Or is it something else??

PhotoSphere is only available officially on Android 4.2 so far. However, XDA comes to your rescue (scroll down to about halfway through the first post, and you'll see photosphere listed as one of the backported features).

Thanks for your amazing explanations. :) BTW speaking of XDA I'll never forget this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvCpR45LKA :)


text:
Different methods of moving apps to SD card
There is a native method for moving apps to the SD card, by viewing the app info and pressing the "move to SD card" button. (I don't know on which Android version this was introduced). Not all apps can be moved this way.
There are other apps that promise moving apps to the SD card, such as Link2SD, App 2 SD, MoveToSD, Move2SD Enabler, and many more. Some require root, some (apparently) don't.
Do all these apps work in the same (or similar) ways? Is it the same way of the native method? The native method works the same way as the apps do? Why do some apps require root access and others don't? Is it safe to move apps that have the native method of moving disabled (grayed out)?

After asking this question I found this answer -- http://android.stackexchange.com/a/4967/22441 -- by @LieRyan that covers in detail the points asked here. I don't know if I should copy the entire answer and post it as a new answer, or mark this question as a duplicate of the other question -- they look different to me, but the answer to that question is perfect to this question.

Many questions in one, but all connected -- so I'll give it a try:
You can device those apps in two categories, basically: those which work "similar" to the native app2sd, and those which don't. There are several rules an app must obey to be "allowed" for installation on SD card. Apps installed on SD card can e.g. not automatically start at boot time (as the boot_completed event is broadcast before the card is mounted). They also may not offer widgets, services, alarms, and some other things -- as those functionalities would break when the sd card gets "removed" (e.g. when mounted to the PC). All these rules are obeyed by the native method. Those "advanced app2sd" helpers which "move more apps" mostly ignore some of these rules. The app will work nevertheless, but maybe some of its features are broken.
And then there's at least one app working completely different: Link2SD. This app simply creates "symbolic links" to the sdcard (after copying the app/data over there), and thus fool the system which still thinks they're on internal storage. By using a separate partition on the card (which will be "invisible" when connected to the PC, and thus not mounted) it works around some of the caveats -- a trick some of the above mentioned "advanced app2sd apps" also play. This variant obviously requires root, as it handles apps and their data itself -- which is not possible for a non-root app. Same applies to some of the above tools when they offer to move app data / Dalvik cache to the card, which is also not possible without root.


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How can I get location detection working on my Pocket TV?
I have an Infinitec Pocket TV (PTV1000 running Android 4.0.4, build ICS02A) and none of the location detection settings seem to work.
Whenever I click the my location icon in Google Maps, I get this message:

Please enable a My Location source in system settings

The News and Weather app/widget just says "No weather location available" and has an option to enter my location.
In Settings -> Location services I have both "Google's location service: location determined by wifi" and "Location & Google search: Let Google use your location to improve search results and other services" ticked, which are the only options in there.
I know that this device doesn't have GPS, but the network location features using wifi and IP should still work the same way they do on my non-GPS & non-3G tablet?


text:
Empty SIM contacts list, but they still show up in contact details
I use solely Google contacts as my contacts repository and display only the Google "My Contacts" group in my contacts list.
When looking at contacts details, most of them have in the "connection" field both the Google and the SIM logo - implying that this is a fusioned contact between Google and the SIM (both small logos are also visible in the contact list).
Strange thing nr 1: When I limit the display to "SIM" only the list is empty. So what does that SIM logo mean?
Strange thing nr 2: in contact details I can separate both contacts (Google and SIM) - I am asked if I really want to separate both contacts and, abracadabra, the SIM contact is gone. The SIM logo is not displayed anymore and the SIM contact list is still empty.
I have no idea how the logos got there, some contacts have it, some others not -- apparently randomly (there is nothing special in contacts which have them and do not -- all are managed from my Google account).
Any ideas on how to fix this (= remove the SIM logo in batch if this is a bug -or- understand what the SIM logo really means)
Than you!

Once you're in the contact list, go into the options.  Your sim contacts are probably filtered.

No, they are not. As you can see from the description I have dug into the settings but thi sseems to be a bug more than anything else.

About SIM contacts: they were copied from the SIM card to the database when you first set-up your Android, and Android does not read automatically your SIM card anymore looking for contacts. If you added more contacts to the SIM card outside of Android (by puting the card onto another phone for example) then you should copy them manually again to the database (there is an option to do so in the contacts app).
I wrote an app that lists all your raw contacts with their belonging account (groups). There you can see how your contacts database is populated: every contact is attached to an account that determines its origin and synchronization, like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn or even SIM and Local Phone. Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brapeba.minicontacts
My app shows you the contacts that there are in the database, but those in the SIM card that never were copied won't show (they don't really exist for Android). To see them, go to the contacts app and choose import from SIM (on some brands you'll see first the list, on others you only have the option to import all them without having a preview).

authors: ام مها الحلبية


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How to root Samsung Galaxy Discover?
I just bought a Galaxy Discover. I can't figure out how to root it.
All I could find was this xda-developers link; but, I get an error running mount, so the root doesn't complete successfully.
How can I root my Discover?

There also isn't any ClockWordMod for it. Gah.

I was able to root my Samsung Galaxy Discover using UnlockRoot.
Basically all you need to do is download this installer from their website and run it. However, the installer will attempt to dump a bunch of junk on your computer, so you need to be very careful. Read each page of the wizard to make sure the appropriate options are selected.
Once installed, connect your phone via USB and make sure USB debugging is enabled. Start the application and click the big green "root" button. You should receive a popup containing a button with the name of your phone. Simply click the button and wait for a few moments. After the phone reboots, your phone should be rooted.


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Why is screen sometimes unresponsive when receiving calls
On occasion, my Droid Bionic (4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich) does not react to screen touches when the phone is ringing.   The swipe to answer icon appears, but does not respond.   After the call goes to voice mail, I can turn the screen off and back on and the phone behaves normally.
I believe this has only happened when the phone has been locked with the screen off when the call arrived.
I don't receive a large number of calls on this device, so I don't have a very large sample size, but it probably happens less than 1 time in 20.   The most recent was within a few hours of rebooting the phone, so I don't think it is due to memory consumption by another app, etc.

so how did it go? still got the problem? did you try what's mentioned in the answer? :)

Haven't had many calls due to the holidays, etc., and none of the few I've had so far have resulted in an unresponsive screen; as I mentioned, it happens infrequently to start with.

This problem is quite known for sometime for touchscreen devices. Most of the times this happens when the screen is under some pressure during touchscreen recalibration after being woken up by the incoming call (maybe being inside pocket, etc.).
The only solution for you is to disable the option, power button instantly ends call by going into Settings -> Accessibility -> System
If your screen becomes unresponsive to a call, just press the power button (to lock your screen), press it again and unlock the screen (with your pattern or PIN, etc.) Then you will be able to answer the call.
This solution is applicable to any situation where the screen is unresponsive.

I already had the option disabled; I'll try the power button next time it happens.

After not happening for a while, I've bad 3 recent incidents where I could test turning the screen off then back, and it's worked each time.


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Samsung Galaxy s2 not showing missed calls
My phone won't show any missed calls. I have a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S2. It was working earlier today. I called my phone 3 times because I was looking for it. But when I found it, it didn't show any missed calls. It won't even show up on the call log either.
How do I get it back to showing my missed calls?

You could change the way the logs are "viewed by". Go to logs-->settings-->view by-->all logs.
If it is already on all logs, then quite possibly the logs are full, try deleting some or all of the logs.

Go to Logs, press Menu, select View by, then select All logs.

There is an easy method.
Go to notification panel by swiping from top to bottom.
You can see all missed calls

If they were logged that is. As the OP describes, they were not – so it's unlikely they are found in the notification area if they are not even in the call log.


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Android ADB unable connect with IP address
I have successfully installed Android OS in Oracle virtual box, but I have one problem: I cannot connect to ADB in the Android OS virtual box.
In my Network settings in virtual box:

When I select host-only Adapter option, I can connect with ADB, but I have no Internet connection.
When I select NAT, I cannot connect with ADB, but I have Internet connection.

How do I fix this?

If you use NAT you must add the right forwarding rule:
Go to your network configuration.
Select NAT, put PCnet-FAST III as adapter, and deny in mode.
Then click in the button to add the rules and add a rule for TCP where the host and guest ports are 5555.
Always the most sneaky part is the network configuration of the VM, try with this one. If you still have issues check this tutorials:
Speeding up Android development with Android-x86 and VirtualBox


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How do I arrange the icons manually in the app menu?
I am using Micromax Canvas 2 A110 with Android ICS 4.0.4. I installed few apps which are sorted randomly (or maybe alphabetically). I want to arrange the icons on the app menu manually. i.e. set frequently used apps on one page, games on second page and so on... I could not find any option to re-arrange them manually.
So, how do I arrange the icons manually in the app menu (app drawer)? I want to do this on ICS's default launcher (not third party launcher).
PS: This question is for auto arrange while I want manually.

I guess you're talking about the "app drawer" of your home screen? In this case, the "how to" would very much depend on the Launcher (homescreen app) used. E.g. with GO Launcher EX you could even create folders there, other launchers may have different features. So you could either try out different launchers -- or at least add the one you use to your question. (and no, "arrange" will not be a good tag)

@Izzy - Hello, I am talking about Menu screen not about Home screen. for Android's default (built-in) launcher.

...set frequently used apps on one page, games on second page and so on... Exact way I'm doing. See the answer :)

Well, As @ Izzy said, it is the app drawer. That's the place where all your installed app icons shown.

So, about your problem, there are two ways you can solve it. You can either go to a third party app like Izzy said or customize your stock app drawer (which comes originally with your phone.
GO Launcher EX, AppDrawer (MIUI App Drawer) and Color App Drawer PRO are good apps.
On the other hand you can find the sort icon in your app drawer (the green arrow) and select Own order. With that, you can arrange your app icons as you wish. You are allowed any number of drawer shelves (pages in the app drawer).

Are you sure that the "Own Order" is part of the stock android launcher, and not something that is added to your sony model?

@RyanConrad - Exactly. I could not find such options. :(

Well, you have to use apps as suggested then. :)

@Sid - Which version of Android is this? Is this built-in android launcher (com.android.launcher)

this is the stock app drawer on Xperia S running ICS. Cannot get to apps since I'm not rooted.

@Sid - please use @Reply. So specific person can get notification about your reply.

Using Android 4.1.x-
Go to the all apps screen(not the home screen).
Hit the menu button and choose "edit".
Press and hold the application icon you wish to relocate/edit/rearrange.
Dragging the icon to the extreme right or left sides of the screen switch to the next/previous tiles.
Hope this helps :o)


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Reverting LG GT540 to its old interface
I just tried to install my LG GT540 with a KDZ file that I downloaded from a site, hoping that my problem with the Android Market would be fixed but nothing happened.
My problem is that I can't revert the phone back to its original interface. It now has a Vodafone on the background screen.
Any idea on how I can revert it back?

What network are you currently using? I'm assuming it's not Vodaphone. You need to use a firmware that is compatible with your network.

how to know? actually its my mothers phone and i think she bought it at Hongkong a year ago. and yeah, its not a vodaphone it just turned out to be one after installing the firmware.

What network should be using now?

i really dont have an idea but im using a local network in my country (its Globe) any idea how i can revert it back i dont like the vodafone background and some icons has changed into vodafone mod..technology is very complicated to me..

If you're on Globe, then I assume you're in the Philippines. (Same here)
Check this out: http://www.droidevelopers.com/f236/11721-%5Bdownload%5D-%5Bfirmware%5D-lg-optimus-gt540-original-roms.html. It has a ROM for Philippines, and instructions on how to install it.


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Does installing the clockworkmod recovery require rooting galaxy s2?
Does installing the clockworkmod recovery require you to root galaxy s2 gt-i9100?
In the link here
it seems the rooting is not required. However I have read that rooting is required for installing the CWM
Can anybody help with this? I am complete noob!!!
I am trying to install Cyanogenmod on my galaxy s2
Model number: GT-I9100
Baseband version: I9100DDLPB
Kernel version: 3.0.15-1056084 dpi@DELL168 #3 SMP PREEMPT Wed Aug 22 22:55:24 KST 2012
Build number: IMM76D.XWLPW

to flash the ROM I am almost certain you need to root your phone. For CWM maybe not, but if you are going to flash in CM then you need to get rid of the chains

In general, no you should be able to install CWM with needing to root, but most of the tutorials I have seen for the S2 GT-I9100 involve rooting the device.
Here are a couple links that may be of interest to you.  I do not think you will need to root to install CWM.
As always, proceed with caution when flashing.
Galaxy S II GT-i9100 Install CWM & Root
Samsung GT-I9000 Galaxy S CyanogenMod install: Flash ClockworkMod Recovery
INDEX of GUIDES/TUTORIALS: SGS2 GT-I9100

I installed CM10.1.3 and CWM on my unrooted GT-i9100 just two weeks ago. You do NOT need root to install CWM, and you do NOT need root to install CM10. However, installing CM10 rooted my phone automatically.


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Broken Camera - Galaxy S3
The acrylic cover to the camera cracked open while in my pocket, now the camera is degrading. Is it possible to replace the camera on a Galaxy S3?

oh, just found this! http://dx.com/p/diy-repair-part-camera-lens-module-for-samsung-galaxy-s3-i9300-146464

I don't know about the camera, but the lens and acrylic cover should be easy to change. Here is a replacement I found on ebay. It's quite cheap also.
P.S. I've just seen your comment :). Take this as an extension to your findings.


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Get the first time Android device launched or used
I am about to buy a new nexus 4, the seller claims its never been used.
Is there any guaranteed way to check the mobile first time use?
Thanks

Simply go to the handset service menu and check the total call timer. Simple and easy.

Unfortunately service does not work on galaxy nexus

What do you mean does not work? There are several methods in the question. None of them work?

is "total call timer" is totally guaranteed? can it be reset in anyway? does not work means when I insert the code on the dialer simply the code reset to empty and nothing happen.

total call timer can be guaranteed. are you using it with a SIM inserted?

yes absolutely with SIM inserted

can you try ##786# ?

Connection problem or Invalid MMI code

@Sid What about factory reset? - Easy for the seller to do just that prior to selling used Nexus! There may be clues lying around, possibly a recovery.log within  recovery partition... as for the dial code that looks wrong!


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How to install same app more than once on same device

Possible Duplicate:
Is it possible to have multiple instances of the same app (logged in to different accounts)?

I want to install same app more than once on same device. For example: I want to install facebook application 5 times with different accounts.
Is it possible or not?


text:
Can I relight my hardware keyboard?
I have an HTC chacha with a hardware keyboard.  A nighttime reading app turned off the keyboard light  long ago, but I don't remember which of the hundreds available it was.  Is there anything I can do?

Please read the [FAQ] under this title What about other Android-related questions?, specifically this: Recommendations, like "Which phone is better?" or "Can you suggest an app that does X?"

I'm trying to solve an error or other issue with my android device.  I am not asking for a suggestion for an app.  I am asking a practical, answerable questions based on an actual problem I am facing.

Your best bet is to get the same app or another and undo it.  Most likely the driver was moved or disabled, unless your kernel supports settings to disable it.

You can download this app from the Google Play Store, called Soft Buttons Light.
It really works, even on HTC Chacha.

You have fixed a problem I've been putting up with for months.


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Names not shown on WhatsApp anymore; contact details suddenly gone
My phone is Samsung Galaxy Note 2. All of a sudden, halfway using WhatsApp, the names are not shown anymore. Instead, I can only see the number.
I went to my contact list and checked. Most of my contacts appeared to be shown in email addresses. And it's the same person's email address. I clicked in and found that the detail of these contacts is gone.
What happened to my phone and what should I do?

In Settings > Contacts > Show all contacts should be disabled which was the case for me but still had the same problem. So I enabled "Show all contacts" and exited WhatsApp. Launched WhatsApp again and disabled 'Show all contacts' and got the names back again instead of just phone numbers. Hope my experience helps.

Hmm, didn't work for me. I had to keep it checked. Odd. When I uncheck it, the contacts go back to showing numbers.

Just reboot your phone after checking "Show all contacts" in settings, it will work.

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


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Transfer a file from Android to a PC (not in the same network)
If I were connected by wifi in my network, there isn't any problem because with AirDroid I can access the sdcard files using the browser.
However when I am out, how can I transfer a file from my phone to my PC? I can access my PC using SSH, but then from the PC I can't access the phone for get file using SCP.
I guess the question is: Is there any app that allow do such action? I think the only possible thing is install a SSH server in the phone, isn't it? Any free (from Google Play) app? I've seen AndFTP but it only allows ftp in its free version.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts, please read the [FAQ] , particularly, under this title What about other Android-related questions?, specifically this: Recommendations, like "Which phone is better?" or "Can you suggest an app that does X?" as stated in the question Is there any app that allow do such action? It is off-topic. Also one question per post :) Thanks!

add a VPN (eg. openvpn on linux, or pptp) to your homenet and add it to your android. Maybe gtalksms also does the job

Use Dropbox in both phone and computer.

I don't like cloud services. Will give a try to the VPN.

The VPN only works whether I'm using wifi. But if I'm with 3g (99% of cases) it doesn't connect to the VPN.

I think you should try dropbox / google drive.
It will be more flexible than running a separate server on your phone. You will be able to access you file from the cloud at any moment even if you don't have access to your cell or the battery is dead.


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Android 4.2 Nexus 7 Update "Assert failed: apply_patch_check()"
When I try to update my Nexus 7 from 4.1 (Jelly Bean) to 4.2 (also Jelly Bean) it works fine up to a point where the little android (with the rotating shape) lays down and has a red warning triangle with an exclamation point. When I press the power and VolUp buttons simultaneously to see what went wrong, the log shows this:
Verifying current system
Assert failed: apply_patch_check("EMMC:/dev/block/platform/sdhci-
tegra.3/by-name/LNX:5013504:c48f8e86e73fb2c2ba1794f5ec98e27c9e206ed5:
5060608:319331fae14fec8a88063751475fce26bae328e0")

I searched for the error message online and couldn't find anyone with the same problem. I even removed the random letters and numbers after "by-name" (I assume these are device-specific), and still found nothing. I also tried factory resetting and still the same problem.
I'd like to know what went wrong, and how to fix it.

Why did you remove the random letters and numbers? They are part of a signature check to verify the update... probably the download got corrupted, was this OTA update? If so, you may have to re-initiate the OTA download again and retry.

I have downloaded and redownloaded probably 20 times. The update probably isn't being corrupted OTA.

disregard my last comment - something is wrong with the boot partition! Check the first posting over on XDA Notice that the block device name refers to the /boot partition... So my question to you is this, is the bootloader unlocked?

The bootloader was locked up until about 2 minutes ago. I'm going to try installing 4.2.1 with fastboot and see if that solves the problem.

Good luck :) Please do report back your findings :)

I'll do that. Currently downloading the official 4.2.1 from Google.

It worked! My Nexus 7 successfully updated to 4.2.1. I used the instructions provided here: android.stackexchange.com/questions/26612/doing-a-clean-install-of-android-on-nexus-s-galaxy-nexus-or-nexus-7.

Congratulations! :D

I don't really know what caused this problem. I had to unlock the bootloader and sideload with adb. This involved completely wiping my tablet. Here are instructions. Now my tablet updates just fine.

Q- What is an assert script?
A- All it does is check to make sure you are flashing the ROM on the correct device.
How to fix Android Custom ROM Status 7 installation Abort assert failed error in Recovery Easily [Ultimate Guide]:
http://mobotechie.com/tips-tricks/how-to-fix-android-custom-rom-status-7-installation-abort-assert-failed-error-in-recovery-easily-ultimate-guide

Assert failed [SOLVED]:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/optimus-v-rooting-roms-hacks/182438-solved-assert-failed.html

Thanks for those cool guys, and good luck.


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Cannot find apps on SDcard after flashing Custom ROM
I just took the plunge and flashed  my HTC Incredible 2 with stock ICS 4.0.4 to Psycho's CM 9.1.
I am happy so far but I don't know how to retrieve the apps I have saved on my SD card. Prior to performing a root, I used App2SD pro to move them. Now after rooting and flashing custom ROM they don't show up on SD card.  I re-installed App2SD pro and still can't find them.
I know they are there because file manager says there is 14GB of used space. I could re-download everything but I would like to avoid that.
Any help for a noob would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

While there is some merit in the reply from Audiophile; apps on an SDCard should not be lost.  I had a similar problem after rooting a Samsung Exhibit 4g (T-sgh759); and while I found this thread I continued digging.  The solution required removing the battery, then restarting; and voila! everything was visible from the phone on the card again. (I used the suggestion from Scotty85 in this thread --> http://androidforums.com/rezound-all-things-root/517575-cant-see-sd-card-after-root-noob.html )
If that doesn't work, before you do anything that might write to the card... As it is an SD card, you can pop it out and see if it mounts on the computer.  Do a search for *.APK (those should be the application files).  Are any files visible?  It is doubtful that installing a rom would format the SD card... however, if you can't see any files, many companies like Sandisk have free recovery software with the their higher end cards.  Googling you could find a download link, and try recovering the files from the SD.
In my case, the files were visible when the card was mounted on the computer and not visible on the phone after rooting.
Titanium backup, ES Filemanager, and Root Toolbox Lite all work for copying files.  Some care should be had before rooting, and installing roms that you have a complete backup; as some have found a false sense of security, revealed only when they try to restore and can't (see Jason Lewis' Cautionary Tale --> http://myblog-online.co.uk/2011/12/a-cautionary-tale-the-dangers-of-root-and-titanium-backup/ )
It is possible to make a complete backup without rooting; using ADB from the Android SDK (see --> http://www.howtogeek.com/125375/how-to-create-a-full-android-phone-or-tablet-backup-without-rooting-or-unlocking-your-device/ )
Good luck to anyone else who experiences this.
D

Sorry pal, I think your apps are down the drain. Apps2SD doesn't necessarily move the apps to the SD card so that if you plugin the sd card on any phone it would work automatically, your phone still has the data of what apps are installed.
If I'm correct at the assumption that you are now using a new ROM, your phone basically got reset. The best analogy I can think of is when you format a PC. When you install the OS, all the files in the drive are still there, but the System apps and files are all brand new.
What can you do in the future? I've heard good things about Titanium Backup, but personally I prefer Appmonster. It basically saves the APK file of an application installed so you can uninstall/install on your whim. Please do note that I've never used Titanium Backup, but from what I hear you can restore lots of things from that app: applications, SMS, Contacts. Not sure if it also saves the state of the apps and restores them to your phone though.
So I guess you need to download all your files again.
Update:
I went to the Play Store and looked at the Apps2SD app and yeah, it works as I have outlined above. I looked at Titanium Backup too and it claims it can backup your apps and data. Here's where it hurts though: you need root access to use it. Basically, the ideal way would have been to root your phone first, use Titanium Backup, then install the new rom.


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Saving battery life: pressing home button or back button
My friend said when using an app, pressing the home button saves battery life instead of pressing the back button. He thought by pressing the home button, the app stays in RAM so that when you reopen it it just open, android doesn't need to create the app and store it in RAM, which costs battery. Is it true?

That's basically what Android does in many cases, yes.  But I don't think it's true that it will have all that much of an effect on battery life.  Most apps don't take long to start up at all — it would take repeatedly opening apps that take multiple minutes to start to noticeably affect your battery life, I would think.  Android does automatically close apps when needed, and apps normally can't run in the background (just services), so there is not much reason to back out of an app rather than just using the home button.

When you click the Home button, it keeps the app in background, which means it's running. When you click the back button, it kills the app (but not always; it depends on how the developer implemented the app).
I'm not really sure about it's effects on the battery, but the more services / apps you have running in background, the more battery it eats up. It's running after all. And if you're dealing with games, I would suggest exiting it properly (the back button will usually ask you if you want to exit the program; again, it depends on how the developer implemented it).

Reason for downvote?

down vote is probobly argueing about what you mean by 'running'.  Pressing home the app is still in memory but it's probobly not running any code on the cpu and hence not using any battery.  it is ready to go straight away though if you go back to it hence the original argument that this uses less battery.


text:
Error downloading apps in Google Play Store with Samsung Galaxy S3: "Package file invalid"
Whenever I try to download an app in the Google Play Store on my Samsung Galaxy S3, it keeps saying "package file invalid" and won't let me download anything. The message also has a triangle with a ! inside it.

This is likely a temporary problem on the server side. And if this is the case, then there is nothing a user could do.

Try downloading via WIFI.
I had this issue recently, same phone. Tried a few times; both on PC and on the device itself each failed. I realized WiFi was off (mobile data only). I turned WiFi on and the file downloaded first go.

Log into Google Play Store (via browser)
Scroll to the bottom of the page & Locate "My Orders & Settings"
Click on the Settings Tab
Assign a "Nickname" to your phone
Check "Shown in Menus"
Save settings
Return to the Play Store and download Apps.

This worked for me.


text:
Why do some earphones work but some have garbled audio on my phone?
I recently bought a rebranded Innos D9 from China. When I tried using the earphones that came with the phone and the Sony earphones I have, the audio is fine. Really awesome too.
However, when I use a generic Samsung earphones, I hear garbled audio, like the sound is coming from a cave. When I play a video, the voices / speech of people are distorted. Also, I don't think equalizers would fix this because I know how they work. I also tested Apple's Earpods, to the same effect.
I would like to know why this happens. Maybe I could download an app to correct the sound, or at least know what earphones to buy in the future.
Note: The phone has a built-in Yamaha music amplifier that boosts AAC or something, if that information would help.
Another update: Found a relevant thread on XDA and the fix I did was to push the answer button on the Samsung earphones, and the audio was fixed. Do note that for the audio to stay that way, the button should be pressed always. This is not a good fix.

The pin layout between the working and not working head phones might be different and hence this behaviour.  Though it appears to be simple there is no one standard to which all these manufactures seems to stick with. For instance my LG P500's stock ear phones exhibit this issue with Sony Ericsson SK17i, while Sony's head set played well in my LG P500.
The same problem exhibits when I use my LGP500 head phones in my desktop computer. While doing so, I just pull out the head phone slightly out to solve this issue.

Pulling the head phones out a little works for me too, in most cases

I have Nokia earphones which I got with my MusicXpress, and they behave the same way. The audio in the human-voice range gets really really garbled.
Over time, I learned how to use it relatively well:

If your earphones have a button (generally for answering calls, etc), when that is pressed the sound comes fine, but when not pressed, sound is garbled. I use a clip to hold the button pressed mostly ;)
If on a computer, you can adjust the balance of your sound output to either 100% left or 100% right. Then the sound comes alright, although sound from one channel is lost, but the vocals come perfect.
Downmix to mono. Not supported in Windows 7 & Linux by default, but there are plugins which can do it (like DFX).

Thanks for the button tip! I have the same problem, my SonyEricsson headset works perfectly with Macbook Pro but doesn't with my Nexus 5X... Unless the button is pressed.

If we have the same headphones, I figured out o way for them to work for me. The little plug you put into your  device has a little button on the top, I had to peel back my case and fully press plug in and now it works. Perhaps you don't have them plugged in enough. Hope this works:)