text:
Note 4 contact quit syncing with Outlook
I have a Note 4 running Marshmallow that suddenly stopped syncing contacts with Outlook, with no changes to the exchange account or Outlook app (that I know of).  I have researched this and tried all the fixes I've found, i.e. making sure it's set to display the right contacts (tried all and the outlook service), making sure syncing is enabled (it is), and deleting the account from the Outlook web UI, restarting the phone, and resyncing.  Nothing works.  I found one post that said this could be caused by an invalid entry from the phone in contacts, but the instructions it gave for looking at the logs on the outlook webapp were from an older version and I can't figure out how to do it on the latest one.  Can anyone tell me how to troubleshoot this?

Try this tool for testing whether the problem is in your Note 4 or in the exchange: http://www.akruto.com/best-ways-to-sync-android-with-microsoft-outlook/
This should work at least for identifying the source of the problem. If you would sync your smartphone with Outlook using this software then it means that the problem is somewhere inside of exchange settings. If this software would act just like your current connection, try to check for special characters and the like in your address book.


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How to recover my contacts
I accidentally deleted all my contacts from my phone. In my Google Contacts I was able to recover some of my contacts but how or where can I find the rest of my contacts?

No way, sorry. Unless you have a backup.

If, you haven’t wiped your device completely, there is still a chance of recovering your lost or deleted contacts by checking if the old contacts database file is stored somewhere deep in your storage.
Depending on your manufacturer and Android version, you will find your database in different locations in your storage. For stock Android devices like the Nexus 5, the database file should be located here:
/data/data/android.providers.contacts/databases
The key that your are looking for is providers.contacts/databases. To get to this folder straight from your device, install aSQLiteManager, which is able to get into your Android device’s database storage and open .db files.
If you can find this folder on your device and it’s empty, it means that your contacts are gone for good.
Well… Now it’s time to blast out a message to all your friends on Facebook, Twitter followers, business contacts and your family, asking them to send you their contact details.
credit(Daniel)
also check this link

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Google photos keeps crashing
My google photos app keeps crashing whenever I open it. Sometimes it crashes in the background. I tried some fixes like clearing data, reinstalling, deleting big video files, maintaining nearly 4GB space etc. None of these fixed. I also tried an old version of the app which previously was working fine, now that one is also crashing.
I have the latest app version. I am on stock rom of 6.0.1 android version. My device is Lenovo K6 Power.
Since it keeps my photos synced to google cloud, so I would like it fixed rather than any alternative.

My findings :

App crashes when media scan is started.
Every version of app is crashing.

Are you stock? On what device? Version numbers of the app, etc, would be useful, please update the original question. This often occurs when you have a custom ROM and have flashed Gapps, but they are not updating properly. Also, have you tried just uninstalling and reinstalling the app?

Check this out please https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/200709/google-photos-and-files-apps-on-google-pixel-2-is-giving-the-following-error-an

By my search, I got some key points which are reasons for crashing Google Photos app.

First is low space. In my case, I was not having such problems as my device has good space. But need at least 1GB to work.
The second was a bad video file.
There is no way we can identify which one, but cleaning all videos after taking backup will help.
The third one was a bad photo file.
It wasn't posted as answer till I asked on google product forums. Clearing all of the photos from device helped me to get my photos app and as well as my device working fluently. Now, I don't have any problem.

These are those points which can't be helped by clearing data, reinstalling or trying any old version. These are also independent of device or android version.

I was having the same problem every time I oppended the app it crashed and I found that if i oppened it with wifi off it worked just fine so it had something to be with the automatic back up, I went to settings and allowed Backups trough cellular data and It started backing up just fine, then I turned off that option, went back to Wifi and all worked just fine, My guess is that a particular video or photo that was beeing uploades caused the crash with wifi so once it was uploaded with the cellular data the crash was no longer there, hope it helps.
I Have a Pixel 2 XL with Oreo 8.1

I found that Google photos was crashing for me because I had two folders with very large file size pictures (over 100MB), so I went into the file explorer and deleted those folders (completely off the phone, since I have backups) and that resolved the issue.

in my case i can confirm that is a corrupted file, when gphoto try to upload it, go into troubles.
To find the file:
Set airplane mode
Open gphoto
On your avatar you will find a file in "waiting to sync"
Understand what file is and delete it (open image details)
Done!
I hope to help someone!

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

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


text:
Which app uses my GPS
I have discovered battery drain and it is caused by GPS but I don't understand how is that possible when my location is turned off and location permission is denied for every app installed and also any app I use don't need gps. I don't have any unfamous or pirated apps installed, and didn't get any new apps since 5 days, and problem started today. So is there any way to see which app is using gps since here is just blank name..?

Whatever have happened here it is solved by rebooting phone (d'oh). I hate this way of solving bugs on R2D2's.

Go to setting--> Location
Then you will see list of recent apps who requested location.
If you are still seeing apps there who is using location service then you can find which app is using your location service .

Nothing special here only google play services "low battery use"

May be Google Play Services is the culprit here. It drains a battery a lot, infact it uses wifi scan in the background too!. So turning permissions off for it might help with the battery drain.

I turned off all location permissions, however you can't turn off permission for play services since it's location provider, you can turn off location what I did, and it didn't helped. Also I turned off wifi and bluetooth scanning.

In the settings you can go to apps and there should be a menu where you can see which app has which permission, there you can click on location and you will see.
Sincerely
Rikvola

There is 14 apps that have permission but as I said none of them have it granted..

Now i have a good solution:
root your phone and don't install any google stuff. It will use your battery as well but not that much. This is always on for the system it isn't used by any apps.
And probably some apps have a "hack" to overrule the permissions.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


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TouchWiz What does it DO?
What does TouchWiz actually DO?  In plain English.  And if it's really necessary to have, why is it made an option?

TouchWiz does what a launcher can do. Managing the user interface, etc

TouchWiz is not just a launcher. As advertised time and again in various places, its full name is "TouchWiz UX", with UX standing for User eXperience.
Early on when TouchWiz was in its infancy (TouchWiz 3/4), it was indeed not much more than a launcher: functions added by Samsung are few and not tightly integrated with the OS, and the launcher itself was easily ported.
Then things changed drastically when Samsung introduced TouchWiz 5 (dubbed "Nature UX") on their Galaxy S III, massively overhauling the interface (again, not just the launcher - lockscreen, notification drawer, status bar layout, icons, etc.), plus integrating key functions such as S Voice and Smart Stay.
As Samsung pushed flagship phones by generation, they introduced more and more functions, most if not all of which are tightly integrated into the framework, to the extent that there are no longer ports to other devices (except ones that port the whole ROM over).
TL;DR: TouchWiz is your device's user interface and experience. It controls the way you see and interact with the device.
As for its necessity, you could easily replace the launcher since Samsung did give you an option for that, but the rest of the UX (yet again, not just the launcher) is locked in, to act as a differentiating factor for their devices on the market, and to keep customers inside their ecosystem (e.g. using their apps brings them revenue). Unless you decide to dive in the world of custom ROMs (voids warranty), it's not an option per se.
Reference: Wikipedia

TouchWiz is Samsung's "Launcher", essentially comparable to a computer's GUI, like Windows.
It allows you to manipulate your environment, launch apps, set options important to you like networking. It can manage Contacts, documents, and similar, as personal data.
It allows you to communicate to the world through its browser, phone, and media apps. It allows the launching of social apps, and much more.
It is optional, because its interface, and the buttons, shortcuts, and such, are a particular target for those who can "do better" or "different", and have created "Launchers" to compete with it, and hence replace it.


text:
how can lock or block some SIM carrier on android 4.1.2
have here in my country to types of SIM cards on the carriers, the first is open to the all networks... internet, sms, calls... and a second is all close  data , only to call
how can i do to close in a android 4.1.2 on a samsung  gt s6310 to by only read a second SIM card and block the first?
thanks !!

What are you trying to achieve? Are you handing the phone to someone else  and don't want him to access data at all?

no here the religios people dont want internet in their phone, but some ones want phones android. here exist to types of SIM the the first is the common in all services an the second is without all services only calling.

how to can do block the reception of the firs types of SIM on the phone. thanks


text:
Edit native android app
How can i edit  the native text app on android 6.0 from my phone?
I have a Wiko U Feel rooted with TWRP.
Is there a Xposed Module i can use?
ty

What do you mean by "edit"? Do you want to theme it, change some resources (literally "edit") inside, or replace the app altogether?

Nadav's suggestion will do the trick

Get the apk for the app you want to use.
Use ApkTool to edit resources or change the code
recompile,sign and install.


text:
Media volume is disabled when 'Do not disturb' is active
Since I factory reset my Samsung S7 (SM-G930A, Android 7.0), the media volume has become coupled to the 'Do not disturb' state. When 'Do not disturb' is active, either from the toggle or by schedule, the media volume setting becomes greyed out, the slider is fixed where it was, and no media sound can be heard. Are there others experiencing this behavior? Any explanations?

That's odd. I have Moto G running 7.0 but DND doesn't interfere with media volume.

I just checked this again, and this behavior has gone away. I guess it was a bug in the build

This kind of things can never be analyzed. They just come and go like that. I had so many like that


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How can I print a conversation on Samsung S7?
I need to print a conversation that contains over 200 messages, can it be done?

Print Text Messages is useful if you need to print SMS messages for legal or business reasons.Using this you can print or save as pdf. App contain two options, Quick Print and Advanced Print.
Quick Print : select a conversation and print all messages in it.
Advanced Print : Based on a date range.
Source


text:
Why do the system sounds keep turning on?
Whenever I record with the voice recorder app on my Galaxy S5, the "system" sounds turn on— that is, the bloop sound whenever I click on something, the typewriter sounds when I type, the lock-click sound when the phone unlocks, etc. I would rather these sounds stay off permanently, and am tired of having to keep turning them off in settings.  How can I get these sounds to stay off?

No idea why it happens. To fix that you can try automation using Macrodroid. Create a macro with Trigger: Application launched > your recorder app. Action: volume change > set system sounds to zero. Constraints: blank. This should fix the problem or you may need to set other sounds to zero if it is not a system sound ( like notification sound). Let me know how it goes

Are you rooted?

It seems you keep the phone in silent mode. When you start audio recording app app, system automatically changes its mode from silent(or vibrate) to Normal mode. Check your audio Profiles and also turn off Audible touch tones, Audible selection etc in you sound settings.

I reckon this has to do with Samsung Galaxy S5 enhanced audio features typically Wise Voice
According to Samsung:

Wise Voice, a new feature of the Galaxy S5, lets the volume and
  quality of a voice call remain consistent, no matter how far or near
  you speak from the phone. When you speak too far away from the phone
  or the sound is too low, Wise Voice detects it and turns the volume
  up; when you speak too close to the phone, it automatically lowers the
  volume.

I believe this somewhat have effects on system sounds, as volume is auto-controlled by the system to suit the specific environment.
Additionally the Samsung Galaxy S5 has 2 microphones. As explained from this article:  https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help/microphone-problem-t2807110

The secondary microphone is used for active (ambient) noise
  cancellation. This can be weighted as well when recording audio.
  Normal mode uses both mics omnidirectionally. Interview mode uses the
  secondary mic only in a directional beam pattern. And conversational
  mode takes directional top and bottom audio.

Your issue could be caused by a number of things from poor audio quality, poorly chosen presets or an obstructed  microphone triggering volume to up.
As a possible fix try adjusting the Samsung "wise voice" feature that adds microphone gain to compensate  audio recorded from a distant place or tweak the notifications or sound mode settings or perhaps automation to auto-off sounds when recording (e.g using Tasker):


text:
Remove Whatsapp backup from Google account that is no longer used
Last week I tried to move my Whatsapp account to a new phone. For some reason it didn't want to restore the backup, even if I moved the backup file manually. It turned out that the file was encrypted using another Google account.
This is an old work account. It's inactive, and I can still login. That made it possible to restore my backup, so I'm happy with that. But I don't work there anymore, and I don't want the backup to be in that account, even if it's encrypted. And even if it's encrypted, how does the new phone know the unlock code?
Questions

How can I move the new backups to my normal account? Will deleting the old account suffice?
How can I remove the old backups from the old account?
Could someone else with access to the old account restore my entire Whatsapp history?

WhatsApp has a nice FAQ article about their Google Drive backup functionality, so I'll refer to that below.
How can I move the new backups to my normal account? Will deleting the old account suffice?
No, you will need to configure WhatsApp to store backups in the new Google account you intend to use from now on. See the section called "Change to which account you want to back up your chat history".
How can I remove the old backups from the old account?
Please view the section called "Deleting your backup file from your Google account". Aside from clicking "Delete hidden app data", I'd also advise clicking "Disconnect from Drive" afterwards so the link between WhatsApp and that Google account is also broken on Google's side.
Could someone else with access to the old account restore my entire Whatsapp history?
Yes, provided that they also have access to the phone number associated with that WhatsApp backup. If they only have access to your Google account, then no, that's not enough: "After verifying your number, you will be prompted to restore your messages and media from Google Drive."


text:
Is "high accuracy" mode in location setting, is what is known otherwise as A-GPS?
In high accuracy mode, the description says that WiFi/cellular network is used apart from GPS to determine location. How exactly are they used and what data does the cellular network provide?

High accuracy uses all means of location data such as wifi + cellular + GPS + any other means available to use. That is why it needs more power to run.

Here are the basic technologies for location on an Android device:

GPS (Global positioning system) - uses satellite signals to determine location without external request, high accuracy (~5 m), high power, high time to first fix.
WiFi - uses WiFi scans and requests location from Google (possibly over cellular network), medium accuracy (~50 m), low power, low time to first fix
Cellular - low accuracy (~500 m), low power; I am least sure how this works; there may be both versions where location is queried from Google as well as from the cellular provider.
Bluetooth - uses Bluetooth scan and requests location from Google, high accuracy (~10 m), low power, low time to first fix, low coverage (doesn't work in many places)

A-GPS is assisted GPS. Without assistance, the Android device must listen for what satellites are currently overhead, which is slow and may require 10+ minutes to give a first fix. In A-GPS, the Android device uses its data connection (possibly cellular) to request which satellites are currently overhead. This reduces the time to first fix to ~30 seconds.
High accuracy mode will use A-GPS, but is not equivalent. In high accuracy mode, the Android device will first acquire a coarse location fix (say using WiFi) because this can be done in a few seconds, then it will improve this location fix with (A-)GPS when this becomes available. When this happens on Google Maps, for example, you will see the blue uncertainty area suddenly shrink in size because GPS is more accurate than WiFi or cellular positioning. High accuracy will provide a fix faster than A-GPS alone would.
GPS specifically refers to the US constellation of satellites, but people use this term to refer to the European (Galileo) and Russian (GLONASS) as well. Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is the more appropriate generic term. The GNSS system used by your Android device depends upon its particular hardware. Your Android device's applications do not care which system is used.
In order to use Google's WiFi, cellular, or bluetooth location systems, you need to have an internet connection and be in an area with the corresponding technology covered and mapped. Your device scans for access points/towers/transmitters, and sends the results with signal strengths to Google, which estimates where you are. If the scan is empty, or in a place where that has not been mapped, your device location will be unknown. To be mapped, a sufficient number (as determined by Google) of people must have provided location information with scans for the area, like wardriving. It does not matter how you get your internet connection; you can use WiFi location with a mobile data connection because the results of a scan can still be sent.

Do Google maps use only GPS or do they use both GPS and GLONASS?

Also what are your assumptions when you say that using WiFi(and not cellular networks), the coarse location fix can be done in few seconds?

@VishalSharma updated answer


text:
"Unfortunately, Google play services has stopped." LG Destiny
Ive tried all of the methods listed by most forums, tech blogs, the google play help group or whatever it is, anyway. There literally has not been a single solution that's worked for others and myself.
I can't add any google related accounts, anywhere, on anything.
I've reset about a dozen times. Nothing has proven worth the hours trying to get a solution.
Here are some of the things that I have tried:

I tried deactivating the device manager, cleared the cache on download manager, Google play store, google play services, reactivated android device manager, and rebooted.
I have also tried downloading the Google play services apk file from apkmirror.com
Made sure unknown sources was unchecked,

I use an LG G3 device see screenshot below:

What do I do and how exactly do I do it?
Thank you.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Please would you mind explaining what specific things you did and what failed, so you can get  good answers, otherwise no one would guess what you did and you may end up getting similar answers you previously saw on other forums

I tried deactivating the device manager, mafe sure unknown sources was unchecked, cleared the cache on download manager, Google play store, google play services, reactivated android device manager, and rebooted.

Can you also [edit] your question to say what phone you have?

I've tried downloading other Google play services apks from places like apkmirror. I can't install that's.apk. i just get an unsupported format dialogue. I tried using the downloads app to open them but that didn't work either. I can't acess downloads within this version of chrome.

if nothing works find a stock rom for your phone and flash that (not all phones have the same methods for flashing ,google how to flash stock rom on "your phone".
flashing will format your whole phone!

I've done all of these steps. I usually rebooted after I did each solution.

There doesn't appear to be any roms or much development at all on xda for my device.

This is a very annoying message that many android users face. The worst thing about this error message is that there is no clarification about why this message appears and how to precisely fix it. I got a great help from this site, to how to resolve this issue. Below are some of the mentioned steps you can try for this.

Reboot your device.
Clear Google Play Service Cache.
Clear Google Service Framework Cache.
Uninstall Latest Google Play Service Update.
Update Google Play Service.
Check Internet Connection.
Disconnect and Reconnect Google Account.
Last and not on the list is Factory Reset.

If the issue is not being solved then you can try Flash Firmware.


text:
Is it bad for Android phones to install and delete one app multiple times?
Can OS become slower by installing and uninstalling an app multiple times?
Can this process make any harm to system, or is it safe to do it?

Nice question! I do it a lot since I don't want to use an antivirus and I install it every 2 weeks, scan and uninstall it again. I suppose though that if you are using some cleaning app like cleanMaster, then you will be fine.

Please see this recent article (2017/02/10) - 10 most useless apps and games for Android. Most prominent, but specifically named in the list: Clean Master (along with quote-Booster apps, Anti-Virus apps, and Task Killers-unquote)

@wbogacz These words are golden. I wish there were more people to say that.

@wbogacz I don't disagree that clean master does not boost your phone. It deletes unused files though. I also use it the same way I use the antivirus. once every month install - scan/clean - delete

@papakias
Thank you very much! Thanks to wbogacz and Death Mask Salesman too!
But since its one app that is being installed and uninstalled, shouldn't those unused files after uninstalling that application start being used again by same application after I install it again?

I@MiDZiiii If it's only one application they will be used again. The only thing that might stay is install logs if any.

No, it is totally fine. If you think your phone is slow clean the junk files or the cache using some good app like clean master and after cleaning everything uninstall it so that it doesn't run in background. Install it again when you think your phone has become slow and uninstall it again. Best way is keep a backup of the app so that you don't need to download it again and again.

Clean Master is garbage and malware, stay away.

It might be useful to read this latest (2018/11/26) Android Central blog report about "Clean Master" and its ad-click actions.


text:
Can't watch online videos on Android 4.2.2 tablet
I have Android 4.2.2 on a CRXT 1131 tablet.
I am interested in nsfw videos but I can't play videos longer than 5 minutes. Earlier I could watch any video online, then some problem happened and videos stopped playing. So I did a hard reset and even now I can't see video on nsfw sites. However youtube videos in chrome browser work just fine.
How can I watch any video I like.

Since you said that the videos are NSFW, have you checked if your network provider is filtering certain web content?

Do you pay for the internet connection and the Android device or do your mom and dad buy it for you?

firstly switch between your wifi and data if that doesn't work try using a different browser like uc browser that uses its own servers to play online content.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.UCMobile.intl&hl=en


text:
Issues with incoming MMS getting stuck
I have an issue with MMS messages getting stuck.
I'm not sure if this is an Android issue (standard, custom rom, rooted, ect) or a carrier one.
I'll have backed up MMS messages with no indication, but if I toggle data off for ~10 seconds and then back on, they ALL come in. Sometimes over a day's worth. I've done this and gotten bombarded with upwards of 30+ pictures, group chat, etc all of which had no indication that they were there at all.
I'm on a 6.0.1 CM based Rom.
I'm rooted (systemless with Magisk)
I have Xposed installed
My phone is a Oneplus 3T

Seems likely to be a ROM issue.


text:
How to reverse acceptance in Android Device Manager?
If a user opens Android Device Manager in a browser (https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager), and selects an Android device that has never been accessed via Android Device Manager, they will be presented with the following screen:

If they select "Accept", how do they later reverse that acceptance?

Google has a weird mix of app settings, device settings, and a website to manage location permissions.  I've found that the easiest way to access most of it is through Settings → Personal content in the Google Maps app:

As you can see I've gone through those one-by-one to disable all use of my location info by Google.  You might also need to go to https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols/location.
Android Device Manager still works though even though my device is not actively sending things up.  To remove your device from ADM entirely, you have to remove it from your Google account via https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity.  This will naturally also sign you out of Gmail and the like on your device.

Thanks Matthew.  I'll take a look at your recommendations.  It seems odd that the permission would be enabled via ADM, but then needs to be revoked via a different app.  But, usability is hardly Google's strong point.  Thanks again for you help.


text:
How do I connect Zoom H1 Recorder to an Android smartphone?
In particular, I want to connect the recorder to a Samsung S6 device I can borrow. The idea is to shoot videos from the phone by taking the audio from the Zoom H1.
I have done this for DSLRs. Is there a way for phones?
Regards.

You need to mod a 4pin Jack cable to make your phone detect a headset+ microphone combo when external Mic is plugged.
The ground is the first ring (nearest to cable), microphone is second ring.
Last two are stereo audio.

Zulgrib, hello. I used an OTG cable device and connected by Zoom H1. I then used OpenCamera app and recorded a video.
The video was recorded and the sound from Zoom was accepted. But there is a constant noise in the recording. I had thought a better, and more expensive, OTG cable will do the job.
Is that so? Or will I be wasting money? Any help will help my NGO work that needs economical solutions.
Thanks in advance.

Noise can be from many reasons, bad cable, unstable energy, poorly isolated audio circuits, poorly isolated usb circuits.

Zulgrib, I am using a smartphone, an Honor 6x. DO you think unstable energy is because of weakness of the phone in handling a USB mic like Zoom H1? In short, is a solution possible ?

If the phone is giving power to the zoom, and the zoom doesn't have it's own power, you may try an Y cable to provide additional power source.

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


text:
Charging "hesitation" with Pixel
Here's an odd bit of behavior I'm seeing from my refurbished Pixel:
When I plug it in using the rapid charger that came with it, it at first immediately shows as charging. Then stops less than a second later. Then starts less than a second after that. Stops. (This may repeat five or six times.) Then finally goes to "Charging Rapidly".
It never fails to start charging, nor do I see this from other chargers which, admittedly, don't have the same amperage and so don't kick things up to rapid charging.
Normal? A minor quirk? Or have I got a defective model1?
Notes:

I did not see this with my original Pixel; only with the refurb
This is the charger and cable that came with the original
None of the other chargers I have have enough wattage to kick the Pixel into "Charge Rapidly" mode
It doesn't always do it, but I saw it stop-and-start a dozen times, once

1 Again! I'm on my second unit because the first suddenly stopped recognizing the headphone jack and the microphone stopped working.

Normal? A minor quirk? Or have I got a defective model?

Not normal - it's not the expected behaviour

It is more likely a quirk , being a one time occurrence , not noticed since nor on your previous device

What may have caused it?
Firstly, being a one off occurrence, it is non – reproducible ruling out further investigations to establish the reason.  My best guess is this :

From Andrew's answer , to a related question, the charging speed indication is

....based on power (in milliWatt) it receives. As shown on the commit log, "Charging speed based on voltage", from the same config.xml file,

<!-- Threshold in micro watts below which a charger is rated as "slow"; 1A @ 5V -->
<integer name="config_chargingSlowlyThreshold">5000000</integer>
<!-- Threshold in micro watts above which a charger is rated as "fast"; 1.5A @ 5V  -->
<integer name="config_chargingFastThreshold">7500000</integer>

Charging slowly: < 5W
Charging: 5W - 7.5W
Charging rapidly: > 7.5W

In your case, the hesitation you refer to , indicates that power received by the device varied casuing it to fluctuate between Charging -stop- charging rapidly . This may have been caused by loose contact of the USB (on either end ),  pocket lint or dirt preventing proper contact or power fluctuations at source ( voltage fluctuations ).

Edit: Note that that difference between Charging upper limit ( = 7.5 W ) and Charging rapidly ( > 7.5 W ) is borderline (unlike Charging slowly  < 5 W), so intermittent poor connection or marginal fluctuation in input power is enough to have caused this
Next steps

You would need to pay attention to see if it happens again, which then would be a cause for concern as reported in Google forums - Pixel and Charging Problem and elsewhere on Internet. Solutions offered there have mixed results

If these solutions, don't help, my suggestion would be to change the cable and charger  (see related question  at bottom ) - simply because , they are more likely to fail rather than the device itself being the culprit ( probability wise , from experience  and information on Internet)

Should this behaviour be  a cause for worry? -  No. Since it has not been observed since.  If I were in your place, I would anyway buy, spare accessories , just to have peace of mind and use the current ones as back up (doesn't hurt to have spares) , especially it being a top end device.
Related How to select a Non OEM USB Type C charger or cable for my device?

Disclaimer I've owned a Nexus 6p for a year and had it replaced once due to charging/WiFi issue. I experienced a similar situation to what you're describing here with the "flicker charge"(It can be really annoying when the power save notification flickers).
What appeared to resolve my issue was when I uninstalled some recently downloaded apps. Mind you they were some silly games/ utility apps(Twilight). Regardless I suggest speaking with a representative. They were very understanding and accommodating when I interacted with them for my issue.
Good luck all


text:
No service in the UK, what baseband modem firmware should I try and flash?
I have a Galaxy S3 running CyanogenMod 13 and I had always assumed it was locked or something because I could never get any service in the UK. When I went abroad I noticed I could get roaming service.
I came across this video which seems to describe my problem and a solution to it. I notice though that the baseband firmware download they suggest (I9300XXUGMK6) is an Irish one according to Sammobile.com. I9300XXUGMK6 is actually the baseband version my phone reports now. Is the problem maybe that I am running and Irish baseband version in the UK or does it not work like that?
EDIT: So I found out that I9300XXUGMK6 is called PDA and describes the device I have and there are a few different versions available for that device. The most logical baseband firmware for me then would be the I9300XXUGMK6_I9300O2UGNA1_O2U.zip since I am on GiffGaff which uses the O2 network. But I can't actually find this for download anywhere though.

https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s-/GT-I9300/O2U/download/I9300XXUGMK6/24609/ It says the file has been archived due to few downloads, and there's a link to a contact form to request the file. Or you could try https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s-/GT-I9300/O2U/download/I9300XXUGNA5/25827/, which is newer.

Thanks yeah, I will try the request but am not too hopeful. Any ideas what the difference in the PDA (UGMK6 to UGNA5) signifies? Is my device compatible with the newer version?

I honestly don't know the difference between the two, but I've never had any troubles installing and running a newer version of the firmware as long as it's for the same hardware (GT-I9300 in your case).


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Stuck with stock rom
I have a galaxy s5 g900f and here is my problem i can't flash any custom rom i tried twrp cwm philz edition and the problem is the same i get stuck at* patching system image unconditionally at the very beginning of the blue line i tried with resurrection remix, slimrom, and other ROMs and when trying MIUI 8 i get an error couldn't mount system rw
Itried with adb sideload get stucked at 45%.
I e2fsck -y /dev/block/mmcblk0p23 wich is my system partition and fixed so many error but the problem stay the same ... i can flash a recovery or a kernel with no problem with TWRP the problem as i think when dealing with the system partition .. so im stuck with a stock rom that i flashed with odin btw who works great .. so is it my system partition messed up or the gpt table isnt right or is there a way to flash custom rom using odin

Stock ROM version (before you try doing any of this)? TWRP version? Potential mismatch factors here...

Rom 6.0.1 and i tried twrp 3.1.0.0 and 3.1.0.1

That seems fine, have no idea why it's happening.

I was thinking that the system partition is too small but it's about 1.5 Gb and the slimROm is barely 500 Gb

500 Gb is really greater than 1.5

Sorry i mean Mb


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All I need to know about image and video resolution, size and quality in my smartphone
About Images
My android smartphone captures images of resolution 4160 x 3120 px (horizontally) with its 13 megapixel rear camera. The image size is usually around 5 MB which is obviously hard to upload on Internet and share it via Whatsapp especially if we talk about slow Internet connection. Moreover it consumes a lot of precious storage space in computer, mobile, SD card etc.
Therefore, I resize images of above resolution to 1366 x 1025 px in my computer using some image editing software. The resized image becomes of size around 400 KB which is very much smaller than that of original image. But will it reduce image quality as well?
Additionally I am wondering about one more thing - What If I shoot a picture initially with resolution 1366 x 1025 px? Will it's quality be the same to the computer resized version of bigger resolution image? To make you guys more clear, here it is:
Original (JPEG)         Resized (JPEG)     Quality                                      Size

4160 x 3120 px  =>      1366 x 1025 px      Low/High/Same?                              400 KB

1366 x 1025 px  =>      No Resize           Low/High/Same to above resized version?     ?

About Video

The 10 seconds duration video recorded in SD (720 x 480 px) format is around 3 MB.
The 10 seconds duration video recorded in HD (1280 x 720 px) format is around 18 MB.
The 10 seconds duration video recorded in Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) format is around 25 MB.
The 10 seconds duration video recorded in 4K (3840 x 2160 px) format is around 55 MB.

Same situation arises for uploading and sharing video over internet. Also the storage problem too. So if I compress 4K or Full HD video into HD format then will it reduce video quality? Also how much HD compressed version of 4K and Full HD formats will differ in terms of quality as compared to original HD version without any compression?

A really important factor in determining the file size is the format in which the image is saved (e.g. JPEG, PNG, BMP, RAW etc.). Can you please add the file formats to your table for both the images from your phone and the images after processing with your computer?

I think this is more likely to be well answered on [photography.se] than on here. But in short, the benefit of taking in higher resolution is that you have much more detail before it's resized (I'm not talking about compression, it's a different thing)

@famdekk, I updated my question. Picture file format is JPEG.

@AndrewT., right, i was not aware of that sister site of stack exchange actually. OK, I'll ask this same question at there too. Btw, will original low resolution version of image will have the same detail as resized version of bigger original image?

Personal opinion. Resizing original ones is better unless you need the picture for nothing other than uploading. With the original picture you can do various tweaks and save, but you can't "upscale" a small one.

Ok @iBug, I understand but what do you mean by various tweaks? Did it also include printing? I mean resized version of image will not give true output after printing but high resolution will certainly.


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Unresponsive when network is on, ok if off
Since a few weeks, my phone is behaving strangely, it works OK in airplane mode but when the network is on i get several of the following symptoms:

the phone becomes partially unresponsive, i experience freezes, lags
apps like twitter often crash and are very slow
the phone reboots by itself
the battery usage becomes very high (emptying a fully charged phone within the hour)
the phone overheats

I have also noticed that when networking is on the battery charging indicator is stopping and starting alternatively (like 1-2 secs work, 1-2 secs frozen). This does not happen when airplane mode is on (indicator progress is fluid).
How do i troubleshoot this problem? Are there some diag tools i could use or logs i could check?
What i have tried so far:

install all app updates (but i have trouble doing that as google play works erraticaly)
reset cache & davik partitions from the cm menu
clear the cache of twitter & google play
delete google play history

My combo:

Galaxy Note 1 - N7000
CyanogenMod 11-20160815-NIGHTLY-n7000
Android 4.4.4
Band version: N7000XXLT3

EDIT: This is not linked to a ROM update (last ROM update was 9 months ago and the trouble started about 1 month ago).

Well you are using a Note 1, which is beyond old in technology years.  And you are also using a custom ROM.  These 2 things combined can cause problems.  What does using the factory ROM do?

@bmdixon please check edit

@sixandseven8ths thanks but your suggestion sounds a little bit too much like "ah you have a problem with windows, did you try to reinstall it?"

It's more like "you replaced Windows with a homebrew version that even the author thinks doesn't work, and now you want us to debug it for you?"


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How to get Lenovo Stock Rom
I had asked this question...
My Previous Question
Good News is that somehow I am able to put my tab in recovery mode. I wanted to install the stock lollipop version of Android in it and after doing some research I found this link...Link to Lenovo Website
But I am unable to understand that how can I put this in my device. So my question is can any of you provide me guidance on how to install this on my device or atleast can provide me a link to a flashable stock ROM. Any help would be appreciated
Edit: Okay, So I finally got it up and running, but I have a small problem that I can't enter it's recovery mode through the previously correct key combination. It just shows Lenovo's splash screen. I can however use:

adb reboot recovery

Can Anybody help me with this please?

Which Lenovo tablet model is yours?

The link you found is the source code (for developers), not a ROM.

What button combos you were performing to enter the recovery?

Vol + , Vol-, Power

Reading from your previous question, the model is  Lenovo tab 2 A7-10which has a Mediatek chipset (Mediatek MT8127).
So you need SP Flashtool and the firmware with a scatter file to be able to flash your device.

SP Flashtool (Download and unzip then run it)
Stock firmware or Mirror - password: lenovo-forums.ru (Download and unzip)
MTK VCOM, CDC Drivers or Mirror (Download and install)

Install the drivers for the computer to be able to detect the device.
Power down your device. If you can't, just force shut it down (Keep pressing Power button + volume down button for a couple of seconds).
On SP Flashtool, click on Scatter-Loading: Browse to the folder where you unzipped the firmware, you'll find a text file similar to this: MTXXXX_Android_scatter.txt. select it.
You'll be back in the SP Flashtool interface, uncheck the first field (Preloader) and leave the other checked.
Click on Download (green arrow) and wait the software do its things. You should get a big green checkmark if everything goes fine.
Please comment with any errors occurred. I'll update my answer with new elements.

BTW why do I have do uncheck Preloader? Can't I just install a new Preloader?

It is not recommended to flash the preloader because even if the flash file is correct, the preloader may be different. flashing a wrong preloader simply kills your phone.

Should be simply with Volume up + Power button

Actually, This vol+, Power combination lands me into the same test menu I mentioned in my previous question

Well, holding volume up + volume down + power should take you to recovery menu, weird this doesn't work, or may be on of your volume buttons is broken?... adb reboot recovery should work if you enable USB debugging from the developer menu

No. My volume buttons are alright. Anyways it does not matter anymore because I have rooted my device and installed xposed framework and I use one of its modules to add a recovery option in my power menu which reboots to TWRP (which I installed earlier).

You can try the following method. This is the convectional way of installing/upgrading firmware on most android devices:

Download official firmware (correct version) preferably on PC. Extract the download you should see a sdfuse folder

Depending on contents of the compressed file you may not find the sdfuse folder, in this case;

create a folder in your external sdcard and rename it as sdfuse
extract firmware zip and copy qsb firmware "the file vit extension .qsb" to sdfuse folder or it may have the .inb extension.

You will need to transfer sdfuse folder preferably using a micro sd card Adapter or card reader from the PC  to the phone.
Make sure phone is off completely. Then press and HOLD the POWER+VOLUME DOWN buttons simultaneously until the service menu appears.
Using your Vol+/Vol- buttons navigate to sd update and the installation should begin. Follow the instructions carefully to successfully re-install the firmware.

(Your phone must have at least 50-80% of battery charged )
Credits:

Lenovo S60-A Flash File (Stock ROM) zip

Files you need to download to your computer.
Download Lenovo Tab 2 A7-10F ROM or other Lenovo stock ROM.Download SP Flash Tool.
Download Universal ADB Driver Sedboz.
Download ADB Installer.
How to install stock ROM on Lenovo Tab 2 A7-10F?

Open SP Flash Tools then install on your PC.
Now click on Scatter Loading on SP Flash Tool.  Choose the Scatter file you downloaded earlier on your computer.
SP Flash Tool will load the Scatter file you have selected.  Now click the Download button on SP Flash Tool.
Remove your Lenovo tablet's battery if it's removable or if not just
Power It Off then press UP button.  Connect your Lenovo tablet to PC using the USB data cable then put your Lenovo tablet's battery back to its place while your finger pressing Volume UP (+) and this action    will automatically start the firmware flashing processes on your    Lenovo tablet immediately right now.
Wait the firmware flashing to    get completed.  If you see the round green notification shows up on    the SP Flash Tool that means the firmware flashing processes are    complete.  You may disconnect your Lenovo tablet from USB data cable    now and remove your battery afterward then put it back again right.
Now Turn On your device guys.
Well done.


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Reinstall on Proscan PLT7650G Tablet?
My son has a Proscan PLT7650G tablet that will not get past the ProScan startup logo.  I have tried a factory reset and its still a no go.  Before I throw in the towel I want to try an OS reinstall but I am not sure how to go about it.  I am a programmer/dba/sys admin and I am not afraid to take it on but my knowledge of Android is very limited.

Can you tell on which plateform is that tablet: Spreadtrum, Mediatek or AllWinner? I didn't find anything about that

I honestly do not know, how would I check?

Does this help?  https://www.amazon.com/Proscan-7-Inch-Screen-Android-Tablet/dp/B018YGD846/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494015630&sr=8-2&keywords=proscan+plt7650g#productDetails

Unfortunately no, they don't say which processor (chipset) the device has inside...

I found this link, but can't go further as the site is restricted for my region: http://www.proscanvideo.com/manuals-downloads?category_group=456&category=457

According to this link it says it has a Rockchip 3126 Cortex-A7 Quad-Core 1.2GHz processor
https://www.rakuten.com/prod/proscan-plt7650g-r-7-quadcore-1-2ghz-8gb-android-5-1-wifi-tablet-w/297542329.html

Okay, You need LiveSuiteEn to be able to flash a RockShip

Here is a video of it in action...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxJjaCFuo-5Ldmw0eDRvS2U0aHc/view?usp=sharing

Yeah, the hard part is finding the firmware. I've been searching but with no success so far

Try this:

Download the firmware from this site
Extract downloaded .zip (Should contain a .img file)
Rename .img file to update.img (If it isn't already)
Copy update.img onto SD card (Should be the only thing on the card)
Reboot. Should install the file.

You should read more here

Not sure if the link was removed etc but I could not find the firmware on the proscan website.

So I have searched and search for the firmware for this old tablet and I have found it decided to go ahead and release it for the public in case of people stuck with a bricked tablet.Everything you need to get this tablet back up and running is in the zip file. If you have any issues feel free to hit me up anytime!
LINK TO FIRMWARE:
https://mega.nz/#F!w35iWAqZ!TKWNZs-lLFbguaEog5bIWg


text:
I can't find the directory 100ANDRO on my pc
I was wondering why I can not find the folder 100ANDRO that contains the pictures that I take with the smartphone if I connect the phone with the pc.
I premise that this happens only with the directory on the sdcard (that I set as main storage for the photos I take), in fact I have two of this directories , one on the phone storage, the other one on the sd, both are inside a main directory called DCIM.
The problem is that if I use a file manager on the phone I can see every directory, differently on the pc the directory DCIM on the sd doesn't contain anything , consequently I can't see the picture I take apart from the case I move then to the internal storage.
Do you have any idea ?
ps: I've already activated the option to show any hidden directory on the pc but nothing changed

Maybe it's in /DCIM/Camera rather than /DCIM/100ANDRO.

I've checked a thousand times but unfortunately the correct directory is 100ANDRO

Camera photos should be in DCIM/Camera not in 100ANDRO, but however here is the thing that might help you:
Go to settings>apps and find apps "media storage" and "external storage" and clear cache and data for them, after that reboot your phone and wait up to 10 minutes for android to index all files, then connect phone to PC via USB and see if files are there.

I encountered this same issue where there are no files in DCIM folder on the sd card when connected to PC. I'm using a Sony Xperia Z3. I switched the connection mode from Transfer files(MTP) mode to Mass storage mode(MSC) and that enabled me to get to the files.


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How do you securely delete android 6 phone?
Settings states that phone data is encrypted already, so do I just do a factory reset and that's it? Is this the same as a hard reset?

Well factory reset means overwritng your current settings with factory settings.Yes thats the most secure way.

No it's not always the case, see here: https://press.avast.com/selling-your-smartphone-could-mean-selling-your-identity-avast-finds-used-smartphones-still-contain-personal-information-and-data

Factory resetting an encrypted device makes it essentially impossible to recovery any user data. As far as the SD card goes, just remove it and either keep it yourself, or physically damage the card and throw it away. Remember that you should delete your Google account from the device prior to performing a factory reset, or you (or the person you are selling the device to) will need to deal with FRP on the next startup.

Understood. Just wanted to make sure i got the steps right, as I've never done it before

Yes, a factory reset of an encrypted device will wipe your device and delete the encryption key; it's a secure wipe (you can see some of the requirements here).  If your SD card is not encrypted you might need to handle that separately — a full (non-quick) zeroing format from a PC should be sufficient if you don't want to reuse or destroy it.
A "hard reset" can either refer to a hard power off and reboot, or to a factory reset; obviously in this context it would be the latter.

What should i be looking for in that link? Thanks for the answer.


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How to use an ext4 formatted sd card as external storage with working app permissions?
I'm using LineageOS14.1 (Android 7.1.2) on a Moto G 3rd gen
I'm using a 64GB sd and my phone technically doesn't support it, it worked fine until I put more stuff on it and then it started to randomly unmount without any warning. So I tried formatting it to ext4 to escape from the lack of official support for exFAT.
The problem is that the SD mounts and i can read from it, however when i try to write or delete any file in It from an app (Solid Explorer and all other apps, even the build in file manager) it fails.
The sd is correctly mounted ($ df -l: /mnt/media_rw/c91[...]19  58G   14G   42G  25% /storage/c91[...]19) and if i try creating or deleting a file in It using adb everything works.
I tried giving the apps permissions to use the sd via the system file explorer, but nothing changes

I solved the problem by formatting the SD to FAT32 using gparted as suggested by @acejavelin

I simplified my way to apps see my ext4 formatted [1] on internal something apps will see folder usb1 and may read it (I have to check the write) .
[1]
mkdir /data/media/0/usb1
su -mm
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /data/media/0/usb1/
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /storage/emulated/0/usb1/

Full answer here : https://android.stackexchange.com/a/204616/119381


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What are the best 3D scanning mobile apps?
What are the best 3D scanning mobile apps?

In order to do true 3D scanning you'll need a phone or tablet with a depth scanning technology. Without it, the sizes and/or positions won't be correct.
Google Tango (was Project Tango) delivers 3D sensors in a mobile platform. You can see by this highlight reel Project Tango - Vision Summit 2016 what the technology is trying to accomplish: tracking in a room/indoors, geometry reconstruction, and various augmented reality overlays.
There are limitations like using infrared projector as part of the motion/depth sensing means that it works best indoors.
One phone, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is available, and another phone by Asus has been announced for a mid-2017 release.


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Bootanimation is changed but the official logo of penta is show
I have just remove my official boot animation & the new animation is work but the logo of company is show when before boot animation.
I have Penta t-pad callpro3G.

From your updated description, you're referring to the 1st screen (sometimes called "splash"). It's encoded and built into a separate partition of the device (not /system), which can't be changed easily. Only on popular devices can devs bother to figure out the location and the format of the stored logo, thus making it accessible to us modders.

Well, most modern phones have a separate partition named splash.

Thanks dude. I'll not find a splash folder but the pref_splash.XML and startappsplash.HTML present in my phone

@iBug There's a guide on XDA that I subscribed to, which supposedly tells you where to look for splash partitions on Qualcomm devices, but in reality I can't find it on most of my devices (I have quite a handful). Also, determining the storage format is another challenge in itself.


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How to script Android 7.0 to enable Mobile Hotspot AND USB tethering upon startup?
I have a router that can use a 4G LTE Android device as a WAN port for Internet access. Whenever the tablet runs out of power, upon restarting, the Mobile Hotspot and USB tethering options default to disabled.
Using Android 7.0 on an LG G Pad X 8.0, is it possible to write a script that automatically enables Mobile Hotspot and USB tethering upon startup ?
If possible, the solution should not require a Google login.

Is it possible to use both Wi-Fi and tethering at the same?

@xavier_fakerat - On this device, yes.

My suggestion would be doing it via Tasker, create a profile which execute the script at boot

What commands would have to be in the script ?

What about auto-enabling Mobile Hotspot ?

Are you comfortable working with tasker?

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

You can use Tasker to accomplish this:
Objective: Auto Switch-on USB tethering and Mobile hotspot after boot
Profile (or Trigger)
Create a Profile which allows triggering of the Task at after boot:

Go to Profiles Tab and click the "+"
Event >> System >> Device Boot
Tap back to exit from this window

Task
You will notice as soon as you exit, you will be prompted to link this Profile to a Task;

Scroll all the way up the Task list select "New Task + "
You can name this Task AutoTethering or anything.
Click "+" to add new Action
Code >> Run Shell [ Command: service call connectivity 33 i32 1, Tick "Use Root"]
Tap back to exit from this task
Click "+" to add another action
Net >> WiFi Tether (Set On)
Press back the way all back until you exit Tasker (your profiles are now saved and ready for execution)

Extras: Give Tasker more priority (allow auto-start for Tasker, exclude from battery optimisations, task killers etc)
Explanation: Soon after boot, the first action turns on USB tethering, and the second option
turns on WiFi tethering (note: there is no need for a second script because Tasker already
has a built in WiFi Tether variable which is capable of handling tethering state)
This should work.  Cheers (tried and tested).

That is an excellent and detailed solution.

Please let me know if this method worked for you, will be happy to further discuss this

I don't have a Google login and don't wish to use an app that requires one. At this point, it appears the only alternative is to root the device, modify one of the init scripts and add the commands you listed above.

You can purchase directly from thier website, http://tasker.dinglisch.net/download.html, no need for Google login. trial is 7 days if you wish to try it before purchasing. Oops looks like direct purchase is no longer available my bad, howver you can just test the trial version without Google login and seevit would be a more comfortable option. Remember the choice is yours on the final decision


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Google Assistant not showing messages

The image above shows the problem. I hear the voice, but no text shows up showing the response. This goes for any input: I hear the voice, but what the assistant says doesn't show up on the screen as text. It used to in earlier versions. Any ideas on how I can solve this?

I had the exact same problem running 7.0 android on the Samsung Galaxy s7 edge. I clicked on settings then  applications found the Google app clicked on it then I cleared all data and that erased all of the updates taking it back to the stock installed version from their I  updated the app restarted my phone and  my Google assistant works fine .hope this helps


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Cannot read from encrypted external SD Card - writing works though
I have a new phone with Android 7 Nougat. After cleaning up the old phone and copying all data from the external SD card to my laptop, I inserted the card into the new phone. It reported an error, and I had to format the card. I checked security settings, and set the phone to encrypt the card.
Using Android File Transfer (Mac only) I copied data back to the card. Using Total Commander or Asus Filemanager or any app I cannot open the external card, and I cannot open any files.
Asus Filemanager sees the card as 08AF-6412, but it has no files. Still it reports that 10GB is used of this 32GB card. If I copy a file to it, it says there is not enough space.
I've formatted the card twice, one time formatting it on my laptop to another filesystem to force the phone to format it again. That didn't help obviously. At some point I saw the option to move pictures and movies to the external card, so I did. The files disappeared. When opening the card on the laptop, the files were there, so it worked kind of.
When I open the settings menu and go to the storage settings, then open the advanced settings, I can see the card, its folders and files. I see that files I wanted to copy are created but no data is copied, so 0 bytes.
Anyway, I've found out that you can use the external SD card as internal memory with an ADB format option. So I've installed ADB on my laptop, enabled USB debugging and authorized the device. Then I followed the instructions, and still it doesn't work.
Questions

How can I get external storage to work?
Encryption is required!
If the external card works as internal memory - that's even better!

Today a new update appeared in the phone, and another after that. It seems to work normally now. All apps can read and write to the external SD card.
Glad I waited, because I was considering returning it to Sony to get this fixed.
NB: The second update worked without unlocking the phone by the way. I don't like that! That happened on my previous phone as well.
See Reboot encrypted phone without having to enter password and PIN after crash


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What does "RF Cal" means?
I'm using Samsung Galaxy S5. When I entered in the dial *#12580*369#, it appeared some information about the phone. One of them is "RF Cal" (it is formatted like a date).

Does anyone knows what it is?
What does "RF Cal" stands for?
Where did this terminology come from? What organization/person coined it?
If "RF Cal" is the manufacturing date of the phone, then why not just call it the manufacturing date of MFD for example? Is it because there is a difference?

A quick search showed me, its manufacturing date, but not sure

"RF Cal" stands for "Radio Frequency Calibration".
For smartphones, it means "time of first power up". After assembly, some parts of the phone (e.g. magnetometer & proximity sensor, radio chips, and antennae) must be calibrated before it's correctly functional. It is slightly different from "manufacture time" because hardware calibration is done after the device is fully assembled. You can simply think it's "time of the end of manufacture of this device".

What about some references?

A Google search can tell you most of these stuffs. Also check #46 of this thread.


text:
Change the actual kernel on my phone
After reading the "benefits" that I could have after changing the kernel of my phone I would change the actual one that my phone has.
I've already flashed custom roms in the past and my question is if the procedure to change kernel is more less the same , so do I have just to flash it ?

https://android.stackexchange.com/a/206097/283929

Yes the procedure is pretty much the same. Infact some custom roms already has the custom kernel inside them.
Anyways if you want to flash a custom kernel, find one for your phone ( probably from xda-developers ).
If you found a kernel, if its already in a flashable zip, just flash it via recovery.
Otherwise, put your phone in fastboot mode using button combination or via ADB by typing adb reboot bootloader and flash the kernel using this command fastboot flash boot filename
Note you need to have an unlocked bootloader for this to work and adb and fastboot working.


text:
Is it possible to simulate a gyroscope using the camera?
The title says it all. So, basically, I want to know if it would be possible to use the camera as a gyroscope, similar to how panorama mode works in most android devices. That's also the kind of quality I'd like. Not too impressive, and not completely horrible.
I'm not looking for alternatives. Don't suggest anything other than what I asked for.
Thanks for any help you offer.

Possibly, but would likely require quite a work-around as the gyroscope is gravity-based and has more physical attributes. You would either need a sort of "reference point" for the app to use like a light source, but then you run into image recognition technology. I'm not much of a programmer, but if I was limited to just a camera, I would have the user calibrate the app first or at least the room they're currently in. It would go something like this:
Center your head, and keep it as stable and forwards as possible.

Now, look up when prompted on screen.

Now left,

Then right,

And down.

Now rotate your body 180° clockwise, or counter-clockwise.

Room calibration is now complete!

The issue you have with this however, would be that this would differ if the room changes, or if the user moves to another room. Something of this magnitude would be akin to taking a panoramic photo like you stated, but instead using the images as a reference for the app to know where the user is looking. This is quite a predicament. I would also take into account the range of quality in mobile cameras, as this will indefinitely have a substantial impact on performance. I also advise including a sort of disclaimer telling the user that their devices camera may not be up-to-par, or limit the apps availability to higher-end devices. Your best alternative would probably be an accelerometer, but it sounds like your aim is for a more common piece of hardware. Hope this is helps.


text:
What's the recommended procedure when you need to stop using the SD Card?
I have a ASUS Zenfone ZE520KL which has a hybrid card slot.
I've been using one SIM card and one SD card for some months and now I need to use two SIM cards.
I need to stop using the SD card so I can use the slot for another SIM card.
My phone's memory can hold all data in the SD card as of today.
So apart from physical procedure to exchange them what I need to do with some apps data on it?
Camera photos go to there and I know where to change but some apps deliberate use the SD card for some internal purpose and I don't know how to safely start to use all this data without corrupt anything.
How to proceed?

If you didn't used your card as internal storage using adoptable storage feature or apps like link2sd than you shouldn't worry about anything, you just pull out card. But if your photos, and some other files are on sd card and you need it on phone than you should transfer it to internal storage via some file manager. Only trouble you can get is that some apps requires sd card and they won't work I think that world of tanks is one of them..

I'm using as separate storage. I'm just afraid I can lose some data because there is an Android/data folder with a lot of apps data.

@Vitor Canova In that data folder is mostly cache from apps, and content downloaded trought that apps, however that data will still be on sd card if you need it and phone should work just fine without sd card.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Why is Google maps 48M on Android 4.4.4 and 125M on Android 5.1.1?
Why is Google maps only 48 Megabytes on Android 4.4.4, but is 125M on Android 5.1.1?  The Android 5.1.1 phone seems to have a 32-bit processor and the 4.4.4 phone seems to have a 64-bit processor from devicespecifications.com.  I would think the 64-bit phone would have the larger binary.

Main reason will be that Android 4.4 uses Dalvik, but with Android 5 and up ART is used, which on average needs about 25..50% more space for "pre-compiled code". Though the difference between 48M and 125M seems to exceed that – which might mean different versions (either in terms of "version numbers" or in terms of "variants" due to the different Android versions) are a second criterion.

The version numbers listed in the app settings appear to be the same.  Is there any other way to check?

I've also discovered that I can enabled ART on my phone.  I tried, but nothing seemed to change.  What I read was that it only works for the snapdragon chipset, but I think my phone has mediatek.  Thank you for the information.

@Izzy Two primary reasons: 1. On a 64-bit system some apps are optimized twice, generating a 32-bit odex and a 64-bit odex. 2. All libs are extracted on Android L.

If you have root access, you can browse /data/app and that's the difference.

# Sample for Android K 4.4
com.android.vending-1.apk
com.google.android.apps.maps-1.apk

# Sample for Android L 5.0/5.1
com.android.vending-1/
com.google.android.apps.maps-1/

And if you list the content of one of them, you'll see

com.google.android.apps.maps-1/:
base.apk (54MB)
lib/

com.google.android.apps.maps-1/lib/:
arm64/

com.google.android.apps.maps-1/lib/arm64/:
libcronet.59.0.3602.4.so    (4.9MB)
libgmm-jni.so    (9.4MB)

Also, Android 4.4 implements the old Dalvik VM, while on Android 5+, Google switched to a new VM called ART. The main difference is that Dalvik compiles apps Just-In-Time (JIT), while ART compiles Ahead-Of-Time (AOT), so more code is compiled in ART than in Dalvik. That's why this one is really big:
/data/dalvik-cache/arm64/data@app@com.google.android.apps.maps-1@base.apk@classes.dex    (109.5MB)
On Android 4.4 it's much smaller, you can find it out by yourself.


text:
How can I completely remove deleted photos/videos?
I have an LG G5.  Last week I recorded a 20 minute video using my camera phone.  The file size was ~3 Gb. I don't use the SD card, so the video saved in the gallery.   I saved the video to Google drive and deleted it from my gallery.  Even after restarting my phone, and doing a soft reset by removing the battery, the 3Gb of storage has not been recovered.  My phone still thinks the video is there in internal storage, although its no longer visible in the gallery.
 I had a similar  problem once before, and was able to 'explore' the internal storage through settings --> storage, and I found a hidden trash folder that I could empty to finally free up the space.  That was only 3 months ago.  Now, when I try the same trick and explore the internal storage, I can neither find nor remember where that hidden trash bin was before.  Any thoughts???  Thank you!!!

Ok, so, I feel a little silly, but I just looked again and found that trash bin.  Its in Android -> data -> com.android.gallery3d -> files -> .trashcan.

..so now my question is - is there a better way than having to delete things twice??


text:
is it possible to use a drawing tablet with my phone?
i have a Huion 420 tablet and a Samsung J7 Prime.
i bought an adapter and connected everything properly but nothing shows up on my screen when i use my pen on the tablet
thanks!

I don't know much about it, I've just looked around on the internet and came out this


text:
Cannot get into recovery mode from boot-loop on BLU phone
I have BLU Life One X which is at 0% battery and in boot loop:

It shows 0%, then
"BLU/Bold Like Us", then
"Android is starting/optimizing app AAA of BBB", then cycles.

I tried to follow the instructions:

Pressed Power + Volume Up + Volume Down.
Got two teeny lines: Recovery Mode: Volume Up and Factory Mode: Volume Down.
No matter what I press, the screen goes dark and nothing happens.

What can I do now?

@esQmo: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/174514/48717

Bingo! Your phone has a Mediatek chipset (MediaTek MT6589 precisely), nothing is as easy as flashing an MTK device.
You just need a flasher and flashing files (ROM) and eventually have drivers installed.
[The process below is for Windows OS only]
Prerequisites:

Blu Life One firmware (ROM): Here (Requires to be registered to the site, takes less a minute) or here (Serous mobile phone forums).
SP Flashtool : Here (Grab the latest version, always stable)
MTK VCOM drivers: Here

Install the drivers. Otherwise your phone won't be detected by the computer.
Unzip the firmware (should be a .zip or .rar file).
Open SP Flashtool. Click on Scatter-Loading then browse to the folder that contains the firmware. You'll have a text file xxxxx-android-scatter, or similar. Select it.
SP Flashtool should load some files on the main interface. Uncheck the firmware field labelled: PRELOADER (very important), leave the other checked. It is sometimes recommended to only keep the field SYSTEM or ANDROID checked.
Now, click on the green arrow (Download) then connect your phone to the computer. Should be shut down with battery inside.
Windows should start installing drivers the the flashing process should start.
Wait until the end, a big green check-mark should pops.
Et voilà.
Please report any errors I'll try to help you.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.


text:
Hi all. I am unable to connect my Nexus 4 to my personal PC with MTP
I am unable to connect my Nexus 4 to my personal PC with MTP, but able to connect Nexus4 to my office PC via MTP and able to transfer data. Can anyone suggest what would be the problem why my Nexus4 is not connected to my personal PC via MTP. Phone is connecting via Camera mode to personal PC also.
My office PC is Windows7 and my personal PC is Windows8. Do I need to do something in Windows8 to connect my mobile to personal PC. Please suggest.

Just download Nexus drivers for Windows 8

This seems to a problem with missing MTP drivers or which have not been installed properly.
Try this to resolve the problem:

Press Windows key + X and go device manager ,
Check if your device is visible
Locate your android device, right click it and choose Update driver software .

Alternatively

reboot PC
enable USB debugging  change from Camera mode to MTP then plug USB cable
Now plug in USB cable, wait for MTP drivers to be installed (Don't cancel the windows which says "Device driver is installing, please wait...." )

After successful install you can now access files in MTP mode


text:
Constantly showing a popup - "unfortunately, YouTube has stopped"
I have an HTC desire 826 dual sim smartphone(Android 5.1) and a few days ago it showed a pop-up with a message saying something like "Youtube app might harm your device". So I have uninstalled youtube app (don't remember whether I did this by clicking a button in the popup or not). after that, it worked fine. but today for some reason, I have restarted my phone, and after the boot process, it shows a popup with "unfortunately, YouTube has stopped". It appeared instantly again when I click the OK button and cannot get focus to anything on the screen.(apart from 1-2 seconds)
I tried to resolve this by clearing the cache partition, reboot to the bootloader options in recovery mode, but they were gone nowhere.
Could anyone have an idea how to get rid of this ?

I got the same problem ...same phone model..did you resolve the problem ??

check whether YouTube is still present in app list. go-to settings, apps. if you can see YouTube there, then try to clear cache and data of YouTube.

I reset the phone to factory settings, solves the problem but still getting that pop up with "Youtube app might harm your device" time to time. I suspect this may be happened again due to the HD player app, installed by the manufacturer.

Same problem. After factory reset, after few days, "unfortunately, Youtube has stopped" appeared again.


text:
Hotspot not working after root attempt
I have a Motorola Moto G 3-TE with Android 6.0.1, Few weeks back I thought of rooting it and tried several methods. I tried using Kingroot app from my phone and also tried KingoRoot from PC. My fault was that my pc was connected to the same device's Hotspot. Although my phone restarted few times, the root attempt failed and unfortunately my phone's Hotspot stopped working. Everything else is working fine. I just want a way to repair my phone's Mobile Hotspot. Please Help

have you tried a factory reset, or wiping the data and cache from the the WiFi related apps.  I have tried this before as well, i thought that the programme would download all required files for rooting first. but it works much like the application, downloading as it goes ! ... Nearly all king root installs that say failed, actually worked, but the application ( KingUser ) failed to download or install, after it has gained temporary root access and already leveraged the .ku file into system/bin/ku/... Which means it has successfully installed the super user binary for kinguser.

Rooting has this great disadvantage: it makes the phone a guinea-pig, and data and system processes might be lost or malfunction after a rooting process.


text:
Galaxy s4 mini (GT I9192) - Android 4.4.2 .... Storage space depleting even though data being deleted
So this is a recent development since last night.. when the phone suddenly started misbehaving. Hanging, apps crashing, working really slow, screen going blank, Vol / Power key  buttons not working etc.
Messages kept popping up that storage space is low.. with great difficulty managed to delete apps and other data. Images, audio, video etc. The instant I clear up and check storage it will indicate the appropriate amount - 200 mb, 300 mb...
However in a few seconds, the same issues of hanging reoccur, and upon checking storage I see that it has gone back down to 180 mb, 700 kb n finally now its showing 56 kb despite having removed more than 2 gb worth of data and apps. CACHE continually being deleted, best I can do since the phone is barely functioning, but it keeps filling up to about 1.84 mb (not that it matters).
Help! I cannot purchase a new phone as I do NOT have the funds for it.
I also get a pop up which goes something like android.acore stopped functioning. Sometimes "process system" stopped functioning along  with the usual pop ups of Whatsapp, Google apps, Touchwiz not functioning.

Remove all your (CM) protection apps, thread and cache cleaners, battery savers and so one. Do not use frabrique reset or cache cleaning. It do nothing then erares all your address and other personal data and it's not the cause. The cause is that some protection apps are the treats. I've removed all mine (CM ) protecting apps and there is no stoped message any more. I use Sophos for this moment as protection app there it now the best in the AVG test.

You can check the option to see hidden files from my files. Then, go to my files and check what are the large files causing this issue.
Also, another temporary solution is to delete the thumbnails folder from DCIM (camera folder). It is about 300 or 400 MB usually. If you had enough space to install a small app, then Go install ES Disk Analyzer: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.storage.space.es.diskanalyzer
It is high quality application that helps you address these issues.


text:
Android raw Memo files from PC back to android
I used file transfer to copy the contents of my Galaxy S5 to my PC, thinking I had effectively "backed up" the data, then traded in the phone.
I had important notes about my daughter's first year (milestones, etc) saved in the Memo app. And of course, I'm now realizing I hadn't backed it up properly.
There seems to be a way to be able to get the files, as indicated in this post:
Anyone know where memos are stored on a Samsung Galaxy S6?
I can work with XML files, and have tried to pay someone to extract this data, but nobody seems to understand what I've done or what I need. These memos are so important to me ... can anyone with expertise recommend a professional that I can pay to solve this?

You deleted the memo files on the pc also? If you're just trying to get them back to your phone it seems the easiest way would be to email them to yourself. The files should be in (.smm). Hope this helps

I didn't delete anything on the PC, but I also can't find any files with that extension. Only a file with a ".bk" extension ... which I think is a database?


text:
Cannot see SSIDs except for mobile hotspots, why?
I have no idea why, but I cannot see any of the SSIDs, except for mobile hotspots from phones or laptops. I am from Belgium and am in the USA now, if that matters. Someone told me, it's because I can only see 802.11n networks and they are probably broadcasting 802.11 b/g, not n. Am i really not able to connect? Or can I change my settings somewhere to find those networks. This is really inconvenient :/
Edit: Could it be related to the channel it is sending out? Are they sending over different channels in the USA and Europe?

It seems they were broadcasting in 5GHz only, which my phone cannot receive...


text:
Android phone, recover photos or messages after factory reset, is it possible?
I recently bought an Android phone on a site similar to craigslist or ebay but more locally based. After buying it, I somehow got it into my head that the phone might be stolen goods. In hindsight, the price negotiation, periferals and seller history is what got me suspicious, though I must say I'm not a 100% sure.
The seller did a factory reset, obviously, it's what you do when you give the phone to a new owner, so that's not suspicious. But I was wondering, is it possible to undo the factory reset and recover any photos or messages, even is it's just partial, maybe this could give some clues to confirm my suspicions.
So I did a google search and there are many programs that claim to do this:
www.androidrecovery.com
www.recovery-android.com
www.tenorshare.com
7datarecovery.com
www.jihosoft.com
etc.
They all offer a program with a very similar GUI, the basic structure of them is all the same, so right off the bat that's a bit flaky and not very reliable. But I tried one anyway (jihosoft.com see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TdLzu_Q2C4 ), which seems to install an Android app on the phone, does some more stuff, and in the end it just says "gallery(0), videos(0), audio(0)". So the program might actually work as advertised, but the previous owner erased the phone properly and thoroughly.
So my question is;
Is there any way to (partially) recover photos or messages after a factory reset? Or maybe do some digital sleuthing using the IMEI nr?

IMEI might help, but that you can do if you take it to the police department concerned with software crime in your country. Factory reset removes everything. There may be some things that software engineers can recover, but I can't help thee about that. You can post this on www.quora.com.

Yes, you need root access for files other than pictures !
The particular method that doesn't require root access is only supported from Android 5.0.1+ ( i think )
You need to download
Disk Digger ( photo recovery ) - rootless
Disk Digger ( All file types, needs root )
I personally use Disk Digger Pro from Defiant Tech'
Google Store Link for Developer Defiant Technologies
Anyway i hope this helped.
Also,
• The Photo recovery doesn't need root access because it uses a new inbuilt photo recovery feature in Android 5.0.1+ devices
• The root access method will do an entire sector by sector scan on the internal storage, for the selected file types ... Several are supported.

Thanks for the tip, I tried  DiskDigger but it only found the same set of stock photos a couple of times in different file sizes. So city scapes, colorful mosaic etc, stock background photos that comes with a default Android installation. I'm not going to root the device, with the risk of bricking it, just for the slight chance that there is anything there.


text:
How to recover deleted photos?
By mistake, I've accidentally deleted the folder where my phone camera saves the photos; I was trying to delete just a couple of them, but inadvertently the whole folder was selected, and all the pictures that were inside were lost; the folder was residing in the external SD card, not on the phone internal memory.
What is the best way to recover them?

Please don't write anything on your SD card.
Connect it to a PC using card reader or, USB
if you are using windows
use Recuva recovery software
if you are using linux/ ubuntu
use TestDisk app
Both of these software are free.
Hope this helps.

You can use Easeus Data recovery software
Here are the detailed instructions :Easeus Website


text:
Weird Google search results on LG G4
The other day my Google search app search results started looking like this:

There appears to be a globe next to all results and it's just much less readable. The app is up to date.
When I change my account in tyre Google app to my secondary email account, the issue goes away.
Any idea how to correct this?

Did you update the app?

@Matthew Read I assume it's set to auto update

This happens when you search with Google Search App?  Seems strange, maybe its newer version mine doesn't do this. Let me try to reproduce the issue with mine. Will get back to you

imho uninstall the google search app. clear your google account setting and then reinstall the app. Also what happens if search from any other device while logged into the same google account?

While I couldn't entirely reproduce this issue, I found a few points worth to share:
Seems the issue is caused by autocomplete feature in Google App.
Searching using autocomplete

When you start a search on Google, you can find the information you're
  looking for faster using search predictions. Search predictions are
  possible search terms you can use that are related to the terms you're
  typing and what other people are searching for.

How autocomplete works
Predictions are made based on factors, like the popularity and freshness of search terms. When you choose a prediction, you do a search using the term you selected.
Where search predictions come from

The terms you're typing.
Relevant searches you've done in the past (if you're signed in to your Google Account and have Web & App Activity turned on).
What other people are searching for, including Trending stories . Trending stories are popular topics in your area that change throughout the day. Trending stories aren't related to your search history.

Here's what Google says about autocomplete feature:

Search predictions aren't the answer to your search. They're also not
  statements by other people or Google about your search terms.

Change autocomplete settings
If you're using the Google app on an Android device, you can turn off Trending stories .

Open the Google app .
At the top left, tap Menu Settings Autocomplete .
Tap the switch to turn "Show trending stories" off or on.

What can't be changed

Other than Trending stories, you can't turn off search predictions.
  Search predictions are built into Google Search to help you find
  information faster and easier. You can always choose not to use search
  predictions.

As I suggested in comments it maybe a feature associated with newer Google Chrome version, together with new features in Google App.

I suggest, who also check related settings in Google Chrome and look for any options suggesting autocomplete behaviour.
In addition look for any odd history and cache, delete the unnecessary entries, in these Apps as well as  when logged in to your Google account

Hope this helps
Search using autocomplete
Edit
BY default Google stores most of the users's activity in the My account section of Google account.
Here Google collects bits of information based on the user's activity (e.g played youtube videos, location history, browsing and search history)
The information is stored (even without consent) in order to improve user experience - at least that's Google best explanation of this annoying behaviour.
To find out any previous data collected, or at least gain some control over your account, you need to navigate to the "My activity section of My account
here you find most of the stored data, cache etc,and deleted these and also control what data is collected. ( I believe this is the cause for annoying predictions based on previously or commonly visited websites)
I managed to collect samples of the My activity section:
For multiple accounts, Google claims the default account may get to store more of this user data activity:

Carefully review this "collected data" be sure to delete any details you no longer need, I suggest remove everything no longer needed, clear the cache and start afresh. Do it for all Google accounts stored in device
Check if you still see this.
References

FWIW when I change my account to my secondary email, the issue goes away.

More or less what I was suggesting , you will find that Google stores most of the activities(e.g browsing, search, location etc) you do. Most of the settings can be customised under My account section so you will need to log in to review these Also, If you use more than one account at the same time, some data may get saved in your default account

The "globe" icon appears next to related sites, when you have the prediction service turned on.
It looks like an addition as of Google app version 7.0.
You can turn it off by navigating to Menu -> Settings -> Search/In Apps and uncheck Google Chrome.
Ref: Google Support

Thanks for the response!  Unfortunately, this didn't work.  In the Google Search App, I went to Menu > Settings > In Apps and unchecked Google Chrome.  I then restarted and I'm still seeing the globe and less-readable results.

This looks to me like some of Google's internal AB testing, and you just happened to be one of the random select users with this test. This explains why your other Google account does not have the changes in search appearance. Nothing is wrong with your device, nor a configuration on your account settings. This is purely Google doing some things on their end without your say.
There's no way to disable or change back to the old style, but if you're so inclined, signing out would probably do the trick. The test will automatically be reverted in a few days to a few weeks depending on what Google wants to do with their product.
Source: Android Police


text:
Why does a ifconfig command results in "Network is unreachable" on Android?
First, the sole purpose of the following steps is reproducing a problem in a way as simple as possible.
An Android device has an Ethernet port, and is connected to a router (IP: 192.168.1.1) via an Ethernet cable. A device on the network has IP: 192.168.1.163
Initially, shell command "ifconfig eth0" produces the following:
eth0: ip 169.254.0.125 mask 0.0.0.0 flags [up broadcast running multicast]

Shell command "ping 192.168.1.163" generates the following:
64 bytes from 192.168.1.163: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=3.00 ms

After running shell command "ifconfig eth0 ip 192.168.1.166 netmask 255.255.255.0", shell command "ifconfig eth0" generates the following:
eth0: ip 192.168.1.166 mask 255.255.255.0 flags [up broadcast running multicast]

Shell command "ping 192.168.1.163" generates the following:
64 bytes from 192.168.1.163: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=2.18 ms

Everything is as expected so far.  The following step will start the problem. After using shell command "ifconfig eth0 ip 169.254.0.125 netmask 0.0.0.0" to restore the initial settings, "ifconfig eth0" generates the following:
eth0: ip 169.254.0.125 mask 0.0.0.0 flags [up broadcast running multicast]

Please note it looks exactly the same as the initial settings. However "poing 192.168.1.163" generates the following:
connect: Network is unreachable

if Android Settings is used to do the configuration as shown by the following screenshot, everything is back to normal and the ping command will generate normal responses.

In summary, if ifconfig is used to the change the Ethernet interface's IP and mask,using it again to restore the initial link-local IP will result in network connection problems. Could anyone shed some light on this and offer a tip on how to restore the initial settings by using shell commands?

The address block 169.254.0.0/16 (everything beginning with 169.254) is link-local, meaning that it is only valid between two devices and not routed past the router.

Thanks for the commend. Why does the link-local address work initially and again after using Settings to set the link-local address?

Basically: You can't ping 192.168.1.163 (LAN device) from 169.254.0.125 (link-local) because the other device has no idea where to send the data to. On the other hand, there is no router capable of routing 192.168.1.0/24 for you because 192.168 is a private IP range, not reachable from anywhere else.

Thank you very much for trying to help.  My post may be misleading somehow, but I do not know how to improve it.  Any tip will be appreciated. My point is the  link-local address 169.254.0.125 does work as long as it is set by Android Settings.  Yes, 192.168.1.163 can be pinged from 169.254.0.125.   I suspect this statement probably has confused you. I use the statement to state fact, not an opinion or speculation.  Please let me know how I can clarify this so it will be crystal clear to everyone.

Ah I understand, well that's certainly weird behavior, maybe it has multiple address (link-local and LAN) but nevertheless my rule of thumb is: if there is a link-local address, it's broken. Just configure an IP address on your network and save yourself from all the headache.


text:
Download, install, and run Android App that is not available in my country
I am actually interested to download certain apps from Play Store. However, the app that I wanted to download (in this case, Android Auto) is not available in my country.
Previously, I managed to download the APK from some third party site and installed on my phone. Initially, everything works fine (able to run on my vehicle and even on my phone), but recently Google seems to prohibit usage of this app (not sure why, possibly due to change in policy). My question is, how do I able to use this app that is not available on my country? Detailed steps are appreciated.
Cheers!

Have you tried an app named floater? It basically fakes your GPS location. http://www.addictivetips.com/android/how-to-fake-your-location-on-android-no-root/

I am not sure about that though. I will try it out. My only worry is that it is based on my account's billing address. But I do not want to change this address every time I use this app.

You could use a different store to download the app
First, you will need to enable Unknown Sources ( To install apps from outside the Play Store )

Open Settings
Open Security
Click or Tick (Allow Unknown Sources)
Accept the disclaimer

Now you can install Apps from the internet, it's time to install Android Auto for your device

Find if your device is either ARM, ARM 64, Etc...
Download and install Android Auto

( I would suggest APK Mirror because of how hard it is to put fake software on their )
It's as if they check if your app has ever been on the play store first, And if it hasn't been it won't be added to their site ! ( i think, but I'm not sure )
AndroidAuto on APKMirror.com

There's two part to this problem.
First, you must get the APK. You can get it through APKMirror or APKPure.
Then, even if you have the APK, the app itself might detect your country through client-side means or server-side means and still block your usage of the application. If this is the case, then you might require either an older version of the APK, a modified version of the APK, to fake your location, to use a VPN, or, if it's server-side, you might not be able to use it at all.
Because you mentioned Google, I'm pretty sure they just get your Google account's country and block your usage with that, so there might be nothing to do after all. You can always create a new Google Account for another country, but it's not guaranteed to work and you'll have to re-purchase everything again.

And perhaps use a VPN to outsmart google to think that you are logging in from another country?

@papakias If it is Google, they probably just look at the country to which the Google account is linked. When you create a Google account, you must input your country in two places, and one of them is automatically determined by your location. Creating a new Google account using a VPN might actually work, however, if the usage of the location-tracking app is locked, then maybe even an US citizen might not be able to use it outside of the permitted areas.


text:
Free up space problem
My android device is lava v2s. I have sufficient space of 5.67 GB on my SD card and even of 263mb but, still, when I want to download any app from Google Play Store, it is saying to free up space. It's really very much disappointing. please try to solve my problem and give me a quick solution.

For some background on your issue, please see our insufficient-memory tag-wiki. In short, it doesn't matter how much free space you have elsewhere (e.g. on your SD card), it's just about your internal storage.

Try to go to your settings, find "Storage", then set your default storage to "SD Card", if you still have problems download a new version of Google Play from

As long as the internal storage is not "cleaned", this won't help either (though it might be helpful after the cleaning to keep the issue from reappearing too fast). For details, please see our insufficient-memory tag-wiki, as I pointed out in my comment on the question.

Move part of data on the phone to SD card in settings, or you can delete some useless data on the phone to get more space to install app.

Go To Application Manager From Settings and move your apps to External Storage (Some Apps Are Not Supporting This Feature)
Try To Disbale And Clear Data Apps Which You Don't Use And Bloatwares.


text:
Why does Android keep APK files of installed apps?
Android keeps APK files of installed user apps in /data/app directory and system apps in /system/app directory.
Does it mean Android extracts the dex files from the APK files every time the app is launched? If not, can I safely delete the APK files and still run the app?

An Android APK usually contains these things.
assets/
lib/
META-INF/
res/
AndroidManifest.xml
classes.dex

Upon installation, the APK file is copied to /data/app, and classes.dex is extracted and "optimized" by running dex2oat on it (on Android 5+ lib/ is also extracted). Result of the optimization is stored in /data/dalvik-cache/ so an app needs to be optimized only once per installation or update. Everything else is kept inside the APK. So the first answer is very clear: Things like assets and res that's required by the app must be provided, and they are inside the APK. The APK file is kept for supporting purposes. If you delete an APK, the app definitely won't start at all. (App: Where's my assets?)
Second, Google Play added support for "Delta Update" very long ago. In the delta update procedure, the difference between the old package and the new package is calculated. Then GP downloads the "Delta" and applies changes to the original APK to yield the updated APK, thus reducing download size.
An APK is always signed. This can prevent malicious modification to the package. You definitely don't want to install a modded app without knowing what is changed, or whether a virus has been injected. The META-INF/ inside the APK works for this purpose. Unofficial changes will result in non matching signature, and the Android system will refuse to install the modded app.
Also, when you update your Android OS, all dex files are "optimized" again so that you don't need to re-install them one by one. As is said above, optimization requires classes.dex file from the original package.

Note that Google Play Store's delta update abilities depend on having the APK to compute the delta between the installed and the updated versions, and the subsequent patching. Plus, the APK is compressed so it saves some space (anyone remember ye olde ZipAlign?)

@Tamoghna Space isn't really a problem, otherwise Android 5+ wouldn't have extracted lib/ from APK, iOS wouldn't have extracted everything from IPA. It's just for basic integrity check.

Executables rarely compress well - the space saving is more related to compressed resources like the binarized XML files, which aren't extracted. Also, about that ZipAlign - resource access can be somewhat faster on optimised (read word-aligned) compressed files.

So the asset files such as html and js files are not copied from apk to a specific location in android file system?

@user1788736 Yes. They're left in the APK.