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Want to install kitkat 4.4 on Samsung Star Pro (S7262)
I want to install Kitkat 4.4 on my Samsung Star Pro S7262 (rooted). I could't find a solution by googling. If it is not possible or not available for my phone right now, please suggest me any other version which is greater than jellybean 4.1

There aren't many ROMs for that device at all. Your best bet is to search around XDA. I only found the Stock ROM myself http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2569046 but you may have more look if you keep searching. However, it doesn't have its own page on XDA so I doubt there is much development done for it to be honest.

http://guidesdna.com/update-galaxy-star-pro-s7262-android-4-4-kitkat/
http://techbeasts.com/2014/02/17/update-galaxy-star-pro-to-android-4-4-2-kit-kat-custom-rom/
I am willing to try this on star pro. Not done yet although. Do it on ur own risk ;)

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the links for reference (please [edit] your question and do so). Otherwise your question ceases to be helpful in case the links die.

Mrigesh Raj Shrestha>>>> Have u tried it...? Does it work???

Not yet. It seems this guy's offering is working for few only. So I couldn't take the risk. It seems to work well for star pro mobiles that hasn't been updated to latest version provided in system update. My device is up to date so its prone to fail.

I recommend trying to get in contact with some Samsung developer on XDA forums and request him to develop for the device.
There are less chances of this method working but this is the only thing u can do other than developing yourself.


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How do I get an iTunes podcast into an Android phone?
I want to listen to an iTunes podcast in Podcast Addict app on my Android phone. It doesn't come up in the search engine in the app, and I can't find the link (RSS I guess) on the iTunes site to plug it in manually.
How can I do this?

Podcast Addict v2.3 supports searching and listening to iTunes podcast directly from the app.
You can subscribe to iTunes podcasts (just copy/paste or press on the URL) and you can also browse the iTunes database, so the podcast you're trying to listen will now show up.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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ISIS under NFC in features.xml Galaxy S4 -- Can I enable Google Wallet
I rooted my phone again (I accidently downloaded the update that caused me to loose root). I was looking to add features to my TouchWiz like infinite loop for the home-screen and that information is stored in features.xml.
I found the NFC location and ISIS was under one of the tags. Is it possible to make Google Wallet work by changing some of these values?
Here's a screen shot:

You might be able to prepare (see below) your phone for Google Wallet by modifying the following parts in feature.xml:
Replace
<CscFeature_NFC_SetSecureEventType>ISIS</CscFeature_NFC_SetSecureEventType>
<CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_SetAccessControlType>GPAC, MODE1</CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_SetAccessControlType>

with
<CscFeature_NFC_SetSecureEventType>GOOGLE</CscFeature_NFC_SetSecureEventType>
<CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_SetAccessControlType>GAC</CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_SetAccessControlType>

Remove
<CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_HideTerminalCapability>eSE</CscFeature_SmartcardSvc_HideTerminalCapability>

Add
<CscFeature_NFC_DefaultCardModeConfig>eSE</CscFeature_NFC_DefaultCardModeConfig>
<CscFeature_NFC_CardModeRoutingTypeForEse>ROUTE_ON_WHEN_SCREEN_ON</CscFeature_NFC_CardModeRoutingTypeForEse>

Note, however, that this will only prepare the NFC service of your device to be able to interact with Google Wallet. There are still some more problems:

Google Wallet will still try to detect your mobile network operator and will typically refuse to work if you use a Verizon SIM card. (Possibly even your phone's Verizon-specific model number might be enough for GW to refuse to work.)
Same applies for getting GW through Play Store.
I'm not sure that Google has the keys for access to the embedded secure element on any of the ISIS branded versions of the S4. If Google doesn't have them, it is impossible for Google Wallet to install any of the on-card components of Google Wallet into the secure element. Thus, a secure element based Google Wallet would not work.

I'll try this when I get home. Thanks for the answer. It's worth a shot. My phone is rooted, obviously, but I don't want to install a custom recovery right now. I'm happy with Touchwiz. It's way better than Sense.

I did the mod for my phone and this was partly involved.

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


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How do I have the contacts name only once a text comes?
on my samsung android 4.3 I turned off in messages settings preview, now when I receive a text I get "new text messages". When turned on I get the contacts name & some of the text written from the person. Is there a way I can receive the contacts name only?

I don't think so, from what I can see on my S4 it's either 'New Text Message' or 'Name and Preview'. You could try a third party SMS application to see if this feature is present.

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


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Nexus 7's MTP does not connect in mass storage mode anymore
I've had a Nexus 7 for a year now and since the day I've got it, I could easily connect it to my PC and transfer file to/from it in MTP mode. But some weeks ago I tried installing Ubuntu on it and since I failed, I downloaded and reinstalled Android on it. But ever since, it is not recognized as a mass storage on my PC!
Does anyone know how I can fix this?

I've occasionally seen a new (or factory reset) N7 refuse to appear on a PC until you change the storage mode to camera then back to MTP. From memory (I don't have my N7 to hand) go to Settings, Storage, tap the three dot menu and there is an option to change the storage mode there.

Thanks but it didn't work! Switching to PTP opens the tablet's picture folder on my PC but switching back to MTP does nothing (other than closing the picture folder). Any other idea?

It's starnge that PTP works but MTP doesn't. I'd probably resort to flashing a factory image using fastboot, unless of course that's what you did to remove Linux.

Most likely a hardware issue. I recommend you get your device repaired by sending it to Google/Asus.

Try uninstalling drivers.
There is a tool in the Nexus root toolkit
http://www.wugfresh.com/nrt/


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Is there any way to remove the 10 recipents limit from the SMS app?
Can you actually do this? I know that there are some apps where you can send SMS to a unlimited number of recipients, but I would prefer to remove the limit of the built-in SMS app. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note II (rooted).

Since your phone is rooted you can install the Xposed framework (check out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ma.wanam.xposed&hl=en) and there is a module for 'SMS recipients' so you can override the max limit in this. It's an amazing piece of kit an lets you tweak virtually anything in your current stock (or cusom) ROM. Visit the XDA thread for full details: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2383484

@RossC, That seems like a solid answer to me. I think it deserves to be posted as such =).

Since your phone is rooted you can use  Wanam Xposed
Note that the framework itself doesn't add any functionality, but once installed you can download (via the framework itself) modules that have custom functionality. Wanam Xposed module has many tweaks for stock Samsung Touchwiz ROMs, GravityBox has many for morer 'stock' type ROMs. You can change the SMS limit through either, in the default SMS application.
Please read the XDA Thread on this module as it has a lot of detail, and clarifications.
 XDA Thread


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How to solve the short battery life with galaxy s4?
I bought Galaxy S4 in just half year. However I found some wrong with the bettery, my phone shutdown automatically recently with over 20% battery. I can only use the phone for two hours after my phone charged full. How can I solve it? Should I change my bettery? Or some thing wrong the software?

Have you rooted,  have you disabled google location services? They do drain battery, but from what you say this would seem to be the hardware to be honest. Check the serial on your battery and if it begins with BD it is due a replacement from Samsung, due to defects. Check your phone sits level and the battery isn't swollen, this is another issue many S4s have at the moment. The best bet is a service centre, and see if you can get a free battery replacement.

If you still have the warranty left it is best to change the battery , but the problem could be because of overcharging and discharging of the battery it has happened to a friend of mine who had a samsung galaxy s3 and after 3 months after purchase he had his battery replaced by warranty.the reason they gave was that he was using the charger on for too long and it had affected the battery.
personally it doesn't occur a lot but if it does its better to check it at a service center and get to know the problem clearly instead


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HTC Sense keeps asking for Facebook permission
Every time I run the Facebook app on my HTC One, HTC Sense keeps asking for permission

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
Click Next and the screen disappears. Nothing seems to happen. Log out and log in again, then the same screen always appears. What is the solution for this problem? I mean, can Sense asked for permission only once?

Go to settings>Accounts and add add your FB account to your HTC Sense app. After doing this the app shouldn't ask for the
But, as you use the native Facebook application why not entirely disable the Sense UI FB widget? The default app is more than sufficient for ones FB usage. Go to Settings>App>All and disable the default app.

I tried that. The funny thing is if you log out from the app, then you FB account entry on Settings > Accounts & Sync will also disappear. I think this behaviour is weird. My previous HTC phone was a Desire HD (running Sense 2). It didn't exhibit this behaviour.


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How can I add a contact to internal address book (instead of Google Account) on Android 4.4?
I'm using Android 4.4.2 with my new Google Nexus 5. I have a question about adding new contacts. On my workstation I'm running my own cloud system. It is an Apache sever running eGroupware on it and I'm using Sogo-Connector and Synthesis Sync Clients to synchronize all my clients. I synchronize all my contacts and calendar data over my different clients such as Laptops and Mobile phones. Now I want also use the cloud to sync my Google Nexus. Adding a new contact on the workstation (or any other client except the Nexus 5) works fine and after synchronization the new contact is available on the Nexus 5.
If I want to add a new contact on the Nexus 5 itself, I really want to force the Nexus to add it in the internal phone addressbook instead of the Google Account. However this option is not available, because the phone forces me to sync it with the google account.
How can I add a new contact to the internal phone addressbook?

You could try to disable Google People (Contacts) Sync application using Storage/Apps menu item and then disable Contacts sync option for Google account. After that you should be able to add contact which is marked as phone only - not synced.
Hope this helps...

Thanks for your suggestion. How do I disable the Google People Sync app?

Settings/Storage/Apps long press and details should open. There should be "disable" button in upper right corner.

You could also try to import the contact using .vcf file. It will bypass that "sync with google account" dialog...

Thanks for your patience, but in Android 4.4.2 there is nothing like /Storage/Apps. I can't find anything like this in the setting to disable the contact ab

Please go to "Settings" application then find item "Storage". Under Storage there is item "Apps" or "Application", long press -> list of application should open. Find that "sync" application. Open details for it and disable...

I do not know Sogo-Connector and Synthesis Sync Clients, but I am sure it's possible to select an account for synchronization. Look for MyLocalAccount in Google Play Store. This allows to create a local account. Once the app is installed nothing happened. Even you will not find this app in your list. But now you are able to create an account which is a local one. You have to go to System settings -> Accounts and create a new one. Now you see a new account and you are also able to add contacts to this account. Of course you have to configure your connector to add this account for sync operation.
I am using MyPhoneExplorer to sync (in combination with MyLocalAccount) all these things with success since almost 3 years. Generally it does almost all I want to do. I can sync from different PC's (home and office). What I cannot do is to sync to different devices, for example to phone and to tablet with the same database on the PC. Do you know, is this possible with your solution?

You can't do it with the same Google Account that is made to sync with other clients.
Only alternative is use a separate Google A/C imo.

thanks for your quick answer. Just a small question: The only reason I set up a Google account was to use the playstore. So removing the google account is not an acceptable choice, since otherwise I can't download any apps. What do you mean by a separate google account? I do not sync any data with this google account. All sync options are set to off

I'm not really sure what this answer is saying. The first part makes sense (Can't store internally if there's an account available to save to) but what's the second part saying?

@dotVezz Do you know if it is possible to somehow add a new contact into the internal phone addressbook while having (but not syncing) a google account. I really just need the google account for the playstore. In the menu settings for the google account all sync are set to off.

@user8 I wish I knew. Seeing your question made me open up my own Contacts app and I was pretty surprised that it forces it to go to one of my Google Accounts. I can't find any option to make it save to anything else.

@dotVezz A workaround is to add new contacts just on my laptops / workstation or the webapplication of eGroupware itself and then sync it to the Nexus 5. But this is not satisfactory at all!

Edited the post a little. I didn't know that it can't be done. But I'm sure 3rd party apps like Contacts+ can do it?

@KaranRajBaruah no they can't. I just installed Contacts+ but if I want to add a new contact, the same window opens with the only choice to sync it with google accounts!

A work around is to go via the phone dialler icon, click the three pips on the bottom right for options and select new contact.
This will allow you to create a local contact, but no need to add the number here, just add the name.
once your done, go back to your message, click the options button and select 'add people'. it will allow you to add the number to an existing contact, so pick the contact you created a moment ago, selecting the device type.
hope this helps.

Go to Settings→Storage→Apps
Scroll to Google Contacts Sync
open this app
select disable

You can now add contacts without the pop up saying it will sync with Google. It will say Phone-only unsynced contact. Also when disabling Google Contacts Sync, a warning will say "may affect other apps"; click ok anyway. When done
adding contacts go back to Storage→Apps, select disabled (top right): Google Contacts Sync will be there re-enabled, and your good to go.


text:
Sync iPod Classic on Asus Tablet
I have a lot of music on both my iPod Classic (pre-iOS type), and my Asus Transformer tablet. Is it possible to sync the two for music and pictures? Or am I forced to use a computer?
The tablet is rooted, and the iPod does have Disk Usage enabled. All the music files show up as just 4-letter folders and filenames though.

I have a similar setup with iPod Classic (160 GB) and Asus Transformer TF300T. I have yet to find a direct method to connect iPod to the tablet and sync via an app. As of now, the only way is via a computer.
If you want to go the PC way, you can use iSyncr for PC and sync playlists. iSyncr also has an app for Mac.
However, I am not sure of pictures being synced via iSyncr.
Another option is to export all the music via programs like Floola to your computer and later transfer to the tablet.

I'm mostly wanting to send data to the iPod

I am afraid the data sent to iPod from Transformer will not be showing up in iPod's song list. This is because, iPod only recognises the files listed in iTunesDB file under iPod_Control folder. In order to manage music/pictures in iPod you need to connect it to a computer.

I realize just copying to it wouldn't work, but I was hoping an app would allow me to transfer

As of now no app can do it in Android.


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How to edit 'etc/hosts' file?
I'm using Nexus 5 on Android 4.4. Kitkat. I would like to edit /etc/hosts file and add redirect mappings in order to block few ads.
I need to know how to access/modify/replace /etc/hosts file.

I have already checked below similar Q/A:

How to change the 'hosts' file to redirect URLs? -> Link in the answer is broken
Guide to editing /etc/hosts -> Not found a way to edit hosts file.

If you're trying to do web development, you might not need to edit the /etc/hosts file, you can use remote debugging with Chrome.

This is actually a compilation of answers and my own expirience.
So, get/install a copy of ADB, then type
adb devices -l # make sure your gadget is listed
adb shell # run a shell there
su # become the root (don't miss confirmation request!)
mount -o rw,remount /system # allow to write
vi /system/etc/hosts ## edit the file in place - do what you whant, then <ESC>:wq ##
mount -o ro,remount /system # get things back to normal
exit # unroot
nslookup YourBlockedAdSite.Net # check if it works
exit # good bye

You're done.

Things after # are comments and may be omited from your input. If you cut'n'paste them, it should be safe enough too.
It's supposed you have root access on your device (or the su wont work).
Actually, you'll be unable to edit the file if you have no root anyway.
It's supposed you have a busybox installed (otherwise you may miss things like vi and nslookup). Well, you may still try to play with adb pull/adb push then.
It's quite common the adb remount fails to work and this is a workaround.

Note:
When you run su in the shell, you may be asked on your gadget to confirm!

Does this work if the device has not been rooted?

neither su neither vi commands are not present in my case: S6 edge

Sure, the phone must be rooted first (any linux must be "rooted" to edit files in /etc, actually).
I'd recommend SuperSU  by Chainfire application and its busybox - it will give you both su and vi .
The question "How To Root My Phone" is out of the scope here.

Old good echo saves me:  echo "1.2.3.4 domain.tld" >> /system/etc/hosts

echo is good only if you have to add a line.
or to replace the whole file.
in case of any more advanced edit, you'll have to use vi/sed/awk/you-name-it tool.

[1] I need to use mount -o rw,remount /system in Nexus 5X.
[2]  vi is not necessary, you can adb pull /etc/hosts, modify it, then adb push hosts /sdcard/, and finally do cp /sdcard/hosts /etc/.

I had to follow this https://stackoverflow.com/a/41332316/1756069 to make it work.

Note : In-order to edit hosts file your device should be rooted
You can edit etc/hosts file using ES File Explorer or any File explorers with root access.
OR
Check this method

Root needed
Use FTPServer app to explore files via PC/Mac. Just copy out /system/etc/hosts edit it on your PC and copy and paste the hosts file to the same dictionary on your phone.

How you want to copy the file to that location on android?

save the contents of hosts blacklist into file called "hosts" [no extension at end]
copy it to internal storage on the phone
then via cmd:
adb shell
su
cp /storage/emulated/0/hosts /system/etc/
exit

DONE, reboot phone

The system partition needs to be remounted in rw mode for your solution to work. That said, in Android versions supported by Magisk it is better and easy to use systemless hosts which avoids making changes to system partition.

authors: Сергей Евтухов

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


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How do I record video from both front and back facing cameras at same time?
How do I record video from both the front and back facing cameras at same time?

I think that the only phone that's capable of simultaneous recording from both cameras is the Galaxy S4 - If I'm not mistaken, there aren't really any apps or methods to record from both sides at the same time on other devices.

@dotVezz Interesting. so every samsung model thereafter should have that?

@BCLC I can't say for sure, but I suspect they don't on newer models.

@dotVezz They do on the samsung galaxy s6 edge plus :D


text:
Would Nexus 4 bought from UK work in India?
I bought a Google Nexus 4 LG make from UK, will it work in India?

I'm pretty sure there is only one model of the Nexus 4. It should work with no problems.
On the off chance that there are problems, there were also different radio images released for different areas. Almost all of them (if not all) can be found over here, on XDA Developers. The version for India is 0.54.
If needed, these images can be flashed using fastboot or possibly using a custom-recovery.
As long as your carrier in India uses a frequency that the Nexus 4 supports, the hardware itself isn't locked to any geographical location.
From GSMArena:
2G Networks:

GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

3G Networks:

HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
HSDPA 900 / 2100

However as per my discussion with the Phone retailer , they are saying that Phone is EU compatible and hence it would not be working with Indian service provides.
Currently I am in UK but I have to use it in India after my travel back to India.
I am confused that in case it didn't work in India my investment on Nexus 4 phone would be waste.
Please guide what should I do ?

The phone retailer people were wrong. The Nexus 4 should work in India, no matter where you purchased it, as long as your carrier supports the frequencies it supports. (Check with your carrier in India). I've updated the answer with the Nexus 4 frequencies.

Thank you so much again , will check for the Service providers in India and the frequency range they operate on.

Is there any way, it could be traced/identified by the Product Serial No OR IMEI No that this phone is EU specific or can be used internationally?
Retailer was saying that it is unlocked and can be used with any network in EU however they were not sure about that It can be used or not in INDIA.
Have you come across with any similar case where any Nexus Phone is location specific.
I am not being convinced that If the phone is unlocked why it can't be used across the globe , is there any other thing which plays role in making it EU specific?

The hardware and IMEI for the Nexus 4 are international, not EU specific. It should work perfectly. If it's a little weird in India, just flash the radio from the link above (Does not require factory reset). If you feel satisfied with the answer, feel free to upvote it and/or mark it as "Accepted".


text:
Android images backup to the Cloud
Is there a way to backup all images of my Android, something like Dropbox, but for all images of gallery, not only camera and screenshots? But for monitor other folders, created by other apps too, like 'WhatsApp images' or 'Messenger'.
Thanks in advance.

A very flexible solution for this issue is offered by FolderSync: this app not only allows you to specify which local folders should be synchronized with which remote ones, but also supports a ton of different services, including Dropbox, FTP/SFTP/FTPS, Google Drive/Docs, WebDAV, Ubuntu One, and a bunch of others. I use it myself for Dropbox and SFTP, and am very satisfied (switched to the payed version quite soon after having tried it).

I'm trying some apps. I already had DropSync, I think FolderSync can do the same thing but with more services. And I think it works the way I want. DropSync is enough to DropBox, but I think for others, I'll need FolderSync.

Agreed, to my knowledge that's true. But FolderSync also gives you more flexibility than DropSync (e.g. scheduled syncs, Tasker support, and more). // Please don't forget to come back and accept the solution chosen by clicking the checkmark next to the corresponding answer :)

There are tons of apps that will allow you to backup images to the cloud in addition to Dropbox. Some are more "aggressive" than others.

Google+ Auto-Backup
Copy
Carbonite Mobile
BitTorrent® Sync
more...

But, these apps, allow me to choose the folders or just camera uploads like Dropbox? Thanks!

As I said, some are more aggressive about grabbing new images in various places. Except for G+ and Dropbox I haven't spent a lot of time with any of them. You'll probably just want to install and see how it works for you.

If you want to sync specific folders, take a look at FolderSync. Works with multiple services, including Dropbox.

@Izzy: That seems like it should be an answer.

OK, done so. Thought it rather an addition to your answer, but it also can do "stand-alone" :)

Copy doesn't allow you to choose the folder, only camera uploads, probably DCIM directory. The same with G+ Auto-Backup. BitTorrent is not cloud but should work, I didn't try. Carbonite seems to do too much things, didn't try either.

Well, my point wasn't that these apps let you choose the folders, but rather that some are more aggressive in where they look for images to back up.

There's some options that I found after trying and researching:

MyShoeBox: this seems to be the most "dedicated" app for this thing, but there are limitations like the max size of image and resolution (free plans).
Cloudii: like FolderSync, but free just for a couple of days, and there's a option to automatically send camera photos, is easy to use.
DropSync: does the same, but only for Dropbox, and you can choose which folders, or file type to filter, but just in a excluding way.
FlickrUploader: maybe not the best option because of the Flickr terms about usage of the service.

But I think, the most advanced option is FolderSync, the only that can filter files by type (not images only) and features advanced options.


text:
Trying to root Galaxy SIII Mini (Canadian) SM-G730W8 for additional language support
I bought an S3 Mini in Canada, but have noticed that I do not have a language option for Portuguese.  I have done some research, and found that it is likely that the Portuguese language is included on the ROM, but is not accessible with my carriers version of Android.  I can modify some language xml and config files in order to enable access as per this link http://www.pcwired.com/2013/07/how-to-add-international-languages-into-settings-on-android-samsung-galaxy-s4
However, the problem is that I need root access to do this, and there isn't a confirmed root for the Canadian version of the phone as there is with AT&T and Verizon versions of the S3 Mini.
Can anyone give me some advice on how to enable Portuguese language on this phone either through a rooting method that will work, or through another approach?
Am I out of luck until there is a root?  I am disappointed that the carrier would hide this language as an option when it is, as I understand, already baked into the ROM.

You might wish to take a look at How do I add a new language? Also check the "linked questions" section there for more details.

Yeah, I've done that.  However all of the options require rooting which isn't available on my phone yet.  The other option of flashing my ROM isn't feasible as there aren't any good Android ROMS (Cynogen, etc) that are ported to my phone model...

use towelroot app to root the sm-730w8 version


text:
After upgrading the preview of text messages on my lockscreen feature disappeared
I have a HTC One Mini and recently upgraded from Android version 4.2 to 4.3,. Everything went fine, but I noticed when people were sending me messages that I couldn't see a preview of them or who sent them on my lock screen. I went into Settings and Personalized settings and my lock screen feature has disappeared.

The settings have moved to the "Security" list, rather than the "Personalisation" list, but I've been unable to see previews on my lockscreen since the update even with these settings. Others that I know have experienced the same issue.
HTC just recommend a factory reset... -_-


text:
how to run binary on non-rooted android phone?
I have cross-compiled a binary on Linux using the arm toochain. I uploaded the binary to a non-rooted andnroid phone.
What do I need to do in order to run this binary on the non-rooted phone ?
EDIT: I tried to run via terminal emulator, but I get the following error.
$ pwd
/mnt/sdcard/external_sd
$ ls -l hello
-rwxrwxr-x system   sdcard_rw     8420 2013-12-31 22:12 hello
$ ./hello
./hello: permission denied
$

I suppose you could install a terminal emulator, navigate to the binary, and use ./binary to invoke it. Making sure permissions are properly set, of course.

I tried this, but the file is not executable on sdcard, i tried chmod +x, but it does nothing. I tried to copy binary to /data folder on phone, but got permission error. How can i run it ?

Can you [edit] your question and give us the output of ls -l [file]? You won't be able to move anything to /data/ because it's owned by root.

check my edit above

sdcard is probably (usually) FAT32/exFat, so it doesn't have Linux permission system, which is why you can't execute or chmod anything on it.  I would try to find a "rw" partition using mount (e.g. /cache) and trying to execute from there.

As mentioned above, I tried to copy to /data (mounted rw) but I still get permission denied error, same with /cache.

Try sh hello while in the same directory as your executable. That even works on SDcard.

sh is for running shell scripts, right ? not for running compiled binaries, right ? Anyway, it gives me ""hello:1:Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting")")"", because it is expecting a shell text script file, not a binary.

Well, it might be a bit difficult to create a little shell script wrapper :) OK, so a little more detailed: echo "./hello" > hey && sh hey will do. IOW: first create a shell script that does nothing but execute the binary, and then let sh run that shell script. Sorry, thought that was clear – obviously I was a little cryptic ;)

It gives me : "hey: ./hello: permission denied".

@Izzy, Even though sh can run the script, doesn't anything it runs in turn still have to have the proper permissions?

/data/local should be writable typically, even though other portions of /data are not. Try moving the binary there, marking it executable with chmod (if needed), and then running it.

I tried to copy "cp hello /data/local", it gave me "cp:/data/local/hello: Permission denied".

@dotVezz Not necessarily. I didn't try it with a binary recently (so you might be right concerning that), but shell scripts do not need to be executable when passed as argument to sh. aseaudi: That error is strange. Can you do a ls -l /data/local (to see whether the file already exists, but is owned by a different user)?

@Izzy, "ls -l /data/local" gives me "opendir failed, Permission denied"

My bad, /data/local is owned by system:system, and not world-readable. But unless a similar permission issue exists there as well, ls /data/local/hello should work. If it does, please also cross-check with id to see whether the user matches.

You can download termux, copy your binary to the termux home folder and run it
cp /storage/emulated/0/mybinary .
chmod +x mybinary
./mybinary

I haven't actually managed to run something because I don't have an android binary handy and a quick google doesn't bring up any android hello world binaries, but it should work.

A hello world binary on android isn't any different than on any other system. Try this one, https://github.com/leachim6/hello-world/blob/master/c/c.c

Tried this with Android Terminal Emulator and it works!

Removable media, as well as several other (user writable) partitions are mounted NOEXEC, meaning you can't execute binaries on these partitiions.
See the output of 'mount' for details.
Modern android builds generally prevent you from copying binaries to partitions mounted EXEC as a security precaution.
Short of rooting your device, you can't run this binary.

This one's correct.

is it possible to overcome this? for example by requesting a permission to write in a exec zone?

You need to pack the binary into an app now, and execute it via the app (possibly with NDK?).  Or if you're lucky, you can copy it to /data/local/tmp/ then chmod +x it, and execute it from there.

mount | grep -v noexec to find which partiotions are not noexec so that's possible to run binary files, or maybe better way mount | grep -v noexec | grep ext4


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Why does every application run as a separate user under Android?
If it's for security reasons, so that one application cannot harm another, why is it not like that in the desktop Linux distros?
If desktop operating systems do prefer interaction between applications, why isn't it the same in the mobile ones? What's the difference?
What needs does a desktop Linux have that justify interaction between applications, that Android doesn't have?

Why does every application run as a separate user?

Because Android enforces a far stronger process isolation as traditional (desktop) operating systems like Unix, Linux or Windows, while still allowing interaction between applications (IPC is one of the strengths of Android) secured by a good security model.

If it's for security reasons, so that one application cannot harm another?

It is mostly for privacy reasons, but also comes in handy from a security perspective. The strong isolation of Apps in Android guarantees that no App can affect another App.

why is it not like that in the desktop Linux distros?

Most modern desktop multi-user systems have the focus on isolating users. Processes are also isolated, but not as strong as on Android. For example, if you install a program on Linux or Windows, it will have full access to your private user data. On Android, if not special permission is granted, it will have only access to its own data.
A while ago, the fact that Android apps that request the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission also get access to the users pictures residing in /sdcard/DCIM was a big shop stopper. Somehow, nobody seemed to remember that under a normal GNU/Linux or Windows installation, every installed app that is run by the user has full access to it's private data.
Android is a few steps ahead compared to traditional operating systems when it comes to permissions and access control for normal end-users. Typical Linux installations for end-users don't expose those features yet. Likely because nobody has written nice, user-friendly GUIs for them. And if there will be ever another Windows version after Win8, we likely see a similar permissions system there too.

What happens when you want to add a new user?

That's an excellent question. I suggest that you ask it as new question here.

For those interested: asked here

Desktop and server systems have a completely different usage model, and they have system administrators to mediate access between users and applications (by setting appropriate group permissions, etc).
With Android there's no room for that kind of thing - your biggest target user base is completely non technical, and security is a must. So things default to high security - no app can fool with another's data. Further, mobile apps tend to be small, and focused on one task, so limiting them to just their own data isn't much of a hardship.


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how to view custom google map on my android device?
I have created a new map (layer) using the website google-map-engine.
how can I view this custom map on my android device?
It used to use google-map web site and then view on mobile via official app
but now i don't find the way to view. Is it not accessible anymore?
Does someone know how to show saved maps in the official google maps app?

I think we're going to need some more information in order to help you.

like what? I'll be happy to provide

Is the official app not working for you? What have you attempted, specifically, and what problem did you encounter?

It used to use google-map web site and then view on mobile via official app
but now i don't find the way to view. Is it not accessible anymore?
Does someone know how to show saved maps in the official google maps app?

Did you save it to "My Maps"? If so, see: How can I view Google My Maps on my phone (Nexus One)?

but that's the thing there used to be a "show layers" but I don't see it under the menu anymore


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VNC android app which takes native control of touch as a mouse
I've been trying to install a linux distribution onto my android tablet for some time now and have done so but have recently stumbled upon a problem. When connecting the mouse, naturally the app does not support dragging windows or scrolling or right mouse click. I was wondering if there was any way to have these things supported by any VNC app. Either that or an alternative way to install linux as a rom.

VNC Viewer from RealVNC is a bit pricey ($9.99) but probably has the best keyboard/mouse support of any VNC app on Android.

I've tried that one out and yeah I guess that KINDA works... But I am looking for a more native answer (although a great suggestion!). I think I might try and flash some type of linux kernal and see if I just cant go and work on that but I have no clue where to go from there.

I answer a question on SU, then it gets migrated back here. So much for trying to branch out of Android =P


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Installing Play Store on Chinese Samsung Note 3
I have a Chinese Note 3 running Android 4.3. It doesn't have the Play Store which defeats everything that made Samsung dominate the smartphone space. I can't download GMail; I am stuck with a browser that uses Baidu for search; there is no Facebook and Twitter. It could almost be just one big feature phone outside China.
I would like to ask how do I install the Play Store and get the other Google services on the device. I searched the internet and it always tells me to root the device.
Could anyone enlighten me on how does rooting the device be able to get the play store running again?
Could anyone provide the steps in installing it after you rooted the device?

Please let me know your Android version?

@Asif Andorid verion 4.3

Upon searching at XDA, few had success in rooting Galaxy Note 3 (Chinese version) SM-N9006 and installing Google PlayStore via CWM. Nobody there has mentioned why root is required to flash CWM via ODIN. My guess is it is required to flash CWM by ODIN. CWM is required to flash GApps.
Please follow the instuctions in this thread at XDA where users have reported success with CWM and PlayStore functionality.
There is another thread which uses a safe method for rooting without disturbing Knox. I would recommend trying it out before following the first link for flashing GApps.
Disclaimer: I do not own this device and any answer provided by me is found from internet search and the rate of success may vary. Please read thoroughly before proceeding to avoid bricking your device.

@Mr A, there is no other way to install google apps without root. It is happen because the system need to install gapps to system folder. You only need to root and flash custom recovery base on your device. After that, you can flash the corresponding gapps to your OS version through custom recovery.

This is overly broad and not necessarily true in many cases. Although for the Note 3, it seems to be true.

@dotVezz for which devices is this not true? GApps require root to be installed (package installer must be installed as system app, or it cannot be used). GApps come as update.zip to be flashed via recovery, which requires a custom recovery on most devices (signature check). There might be some exceptions to the latter, but not to the former.

@Izzy, Hmm... I may be confused, but I was pretty sure that in cases where a custom recovery can be installed via fastboot, odin, etc, root is not necessary. I'll have to test my theory now. UPDATE: Yeah, I can install gapps without root on my Nexus 5, and I'm fairly sure that I've done the same on various other devices with recoveries flashed over fastboot and odin.

@dotVezz I didn't work with fastboot yet, but I imagine it works with adb sideload or the like? Maybe you could make this a full-fledged answer – either here, or (to make it easier to find) to our central How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

@Izzy: I'll probably just add the fastboot details to the wiki answer as it's not really enough extra information to justify a full-fledged answer. Basically just involves running fastboot flash recovery TWRP.zip, then installing the gapps in recovery mode. Still, this means an unlocked bootloader is necessary.

To get GApps I just have to get it on another device?


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Application unpublished from Google Play Store but user still can add their review
I just came across such a strange thing from Google Play Store .
I unpublished my application from  Google play store 3 days ago. But i see users still adding their reviews. I cannot understand how Google is accepting their review even if my application is not on Google Play Store.
Its very strange to me about Google.
Can anyone unveil this secret of Google ! :)

Existing app users will still be able to receive app updates, even if you unpublish your app. So a existing user can go through Google Play > My apps, and review your app. Only the new users are unable to find it.
Source:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/113476?hl=en


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How to image MTDblock device?
I am trying to image the mtdblock of an android 2.1 Sony Xperia phone that has YAFFS2 file system. I know there are mtdblocks and mtd files in the device. Using nanddump, I have successfully created images of mtd0, mtd1 and mtd2 partitions. But when I attempt to mount them, either with Linux mount command or busybox mount cmd, it says block device required. So apparently these images of mtd devices that I have in hand are of no use.
Now when I try to image the mtdblock device, it is giving me error
nanddump: MEMGETINFO: Inappropriate ioctl for device

I have enabled yaffs2 filesystem in my linux kernel but they also expect input image file of mtdblock device, that I am unable to make.
So the real question is, how to image MTDblock device?
Tried:

change the r/w permission of mtdblock files to 777
changed ro to rw of mounted partitions

No luck yet.


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LG G2 is not showing up in ADB even if I check USB debugging
I can't find my device in ADB for my LG G2 phone running Android 4.2 ICS. I have enabled USB debugging.
What did I miss?

Could be, but that requires some more details: where are you looking for it (Windows, Linux, Mac)? What exact steps have you performed? If Windows, have you installed the appropriate drivers?

what OS are you trying this on?

Make sure "USB Debugging" option checked and your driver has been installed properly.
You can try following step command:
1. adb kill-server
2. adb start-server
3. adb devices
Hope this help.

On What OS?
For linux try lsusb to see if something is listed that could match your phone.
Is the debug icon showing in the notification bar on the phone?


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Long press home button and power button both showing power menu?
Yesterday i installed the official rom for my note 2 (N7100DDUEML4), and after that i rooted the phone. But After that power button and the long press home button both shows the power menu.

I am unable to see the recent apps popup

How can i fix this or is there any way i can change the behaviour of long press home button as my phone is rooted.

As your device is rooted, Button Remapper might provide a solution. It allows you to re-assing actions triggered by buttons, so you should be able to re-map the home key accordingly.

It did the trick


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How to make Hangouts stop sending me SMS messages?
I've tried out the SMS feature of Hangouts app, which allows you to handle SMS within itself instead of the default one.
I didn't like it for certain reasons, so I disabled it.
However, for some reason, almost each time anyone sends me something via Hangouts (from a PC for example), I get it in both Hangouts and via SMS (with phone number that looks like "1000274" ). That's right - I get 2 messages - one for hangouts and one is an SMS message shown on the normal messaging app.
Why does it happen? How can I stop it from happening?
I hope it's a bug and that it will get fixed soon... :(
NOTE: I have Android 4.3 on a Galaxy S3 I9300 device.

Are you using a Google Voice number?

OK, I think they've fixed it some weeks ago, as I didn't notice any new SMS message that comes after a real hangouts message.

Go to

Settings -> Under data usage tap More
Tap Default SMS app and select your SMS app

Source with detailed instruction: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57613499-285/manage-default-sms-app-on-android-4.4-kitkat/

sadly I don't have kitkat. I have Android 4.3...

@androiddeveloper, does this not work on 4.3?

@dotVezz android 4.3 doesn't have this option on the settings of the device. I was talking about the feature within the Hangouts app... Only android 4.4 has the ability to choose which app is the default SMS app...

The functionality is different with Kitkat as you can choose your default SMS application in the Wireless & Network settings. Below is for 4.4 and for 4.3 and below.
Open the google-plus-hangouts application.
For Android 4.4+ (Kitkat) (As per the above):
Click on Menu then Settings.
Click on SMS.
Click on the setting "SMS Enabled" under the General heading and change your default SMS application.

For 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and Below:
Click on Menu then Settings.
Click on SMS.
Untick the setting "Turn On SMS"

(source: cbsistatic.com)

well as i've already written, i've already disabled this functionality. the problem is that for about half of the messages i get via hangouts, i also (in addition) get an SMS containing those messages.

Have you uninstalled hangouts and reinstalled it? Have you installed any other 3rd Party apps for SMS and reset your default? I know my answer is generic, but I wasn't sure WHAT you had disabled already. I've not seen this issue on the S3, S4, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, HTC One, HTC Desire X or any of my other devices. I wanted to give a generic answer, and assumed you had cleared all data, reinstalled, rebooted etc. Are you getting IMs from Hangouts converted into SMS? The wording is not clear to me on your question. Are you rooted, running custom firmware?

I'm not sure how should I write this problem. For almost each message I get via hangouts (that someone writes to me via his PC, for example), I also get the exact same message to both hangouts and the SMS messaging app, and it's really an SMS message, with a weird phone number as I've written. I've now updated my question. hope now it's clear.

Ok that's totally clear now, that's very very odd. Did you reinstall hangouts from scratch (delete data and cache, uninstall and reinstall)? Do you have a different SMS app, or the default one that came with your device. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I'll keep looking for you. Something very odd going on there.

I've now tried to clear the data of the app. It didn't work. In fact, I think it got worse (or maybe it was like that before too) : now some messages are sent only as SMS, plus video calls request don't always get to be received ... :(

But before reaching to this setting in case of android 4.3 you need to update your Hangouts using google play store, otherwise setting for sms will not appear in the setting menu of Hangouts....

I've recently flash a custom ROM called "OmniRom" (AOSP, Kitkat based), and I think this problem is now gone.
Not sure why it occurred, and why I don't see it anymore.
Maybe it's because of a bug on 4.3.


text:
Using OTG cables when connecting to PC
Can an OTG cable, micro B male to USB A female, be used with the cell phone if connecting to a PC either with a USB A Male to Male lead or with a standard A Male to Female lead plus a standard A Femal to Female adapter?

This really isn't an Android question.

no, the OTG marks to the phone it's OTG and not normal cable
the easy way is just to use a normal cable


text:
Google Chrome icon disappears from app tray after restarting?
I have installed the Google Experience Launcher on my Nexus 7, and have a variety of applications in my app tray, including Google Chrome. However, each time I power off and power on the device, Google Chrome disappears from my app tray;

I can re-add it fine and it will stay present until the next time I power off the device. What is causing this problem and how can I resolve it?

Could it be you've installed Chrome on your internal /sdcard partition? That's the most common reason for "disappearing icons/widgets", as the launcher gets started while the SDCard is not yet fully mounted (both, launcher and mounting process, get started almost simultaneously, so the latter might not be finished in time).

I wasn't given an option to choose where applications were installed - also, this problem doesn't occur in other launchers

Does it show up under hidden apps? But @Izzy is correct in the first comment.

Go to Applications under Settings, and see if you can move Chrome to the primary storage.  There is no prompt, and how other launchers behave doesn't affect the fact that the primary launcher is a silly thing that removes shortcuts if it can't find the app.

That happens on Stock "Launcher" sometimes, and I don't think that there's anything you can do until Google, or the manufacturer releases an update. Until then you can use a different launcher if it really bothers you. Personally, I use Next Launcher 3D and nothing else. Izzy's response seems most feasible to me.

You could try clearing the Google Now Launcher and Chrome app caches in Settings › Applications. Since an app's configuration sometimes is also stored in it's cache, clearing those caches should fingers crossed, force the apps to rewrite your config to their caches and allow the icon to survive through reboots.

all set and yea the n7 had two storage size models; 16gb & 32gb.

I've just cleaned up the post a little (and no, the down-votes are not mine): The SD card IMHO has nothing to do with the issue (it might have if the "icon" were a widget), so it looked a bit confusing – especially as it appeared to say installing the app on SD card would help (if it were related, it would rather be the other way around – see my comment on the question itself).

ok, i think i misunderstood what you wanted in the edit. all good. thanks for the cleanup.

Try opening the Google Play Store app, and search for Chrome. Which buttons show up on the app page? Do you see "Open" and "Uninstall"? Is there an "Enable" button? If you see "Enable," then it's been disabled somehow. I know you mentioned looking to see if it was disabled, but just to be sure--go to Settings>Apps>All, and tell us where you see Chrome. Is it where it should be in alphabetical order? Or is it at the very bottom of the list?
If it isn't disabled, then you could try the following, but be aware that it will reset your homescreens and make them blank, such that you'll have to set them up again. Go to Settings>Apps>All, select "Launcher" (or possibly "Homescreen"), and Clear Data. I think the App Drawer is part of the Launcher, so perhaps by clearing data, it will force the Launcher to repopulate the App Drawer, and maybe Chrome will then show up.

authors: Евгений Некрасов


text:
Do I need to flash stock recovery same as my stock rom's version?
I am using Android 4.1.2 with TWRP custom recovery, now I want to flash stock recovery, do I need to flash the recovery from 4.1.2 stock ROM or any version of stock recovery is ok ? Thanks


text:
I have a search icon that cannot be removed
I dont know why but since 2 days I am getting a search icon in my screen, I can move it and place it where ever I want but it will show in all my screens and also I cannot remove it.
thanks

Weird. Probably a stupid question, but did you try rebooting?

Is it an app shortcut? Can you long-press it and drag it to the "Remove" X?

dotVezz,I turned off and on again a few times an when restart is not there but after some min its appear. Dont want to erase everything what I have in my phone

Krampus, I can long press and move it but I have no the option to remove it :(

What device is this? Can you check your running apps and start to force close them and see if it disappears?

I have a nexus 4 with android 4.4.2
I tried going to settings->app and stop all the apps trying to make the icon disappear but it didnt :(
any other idea?

@iair007 Didn't see this as you didn't tag my name. I have the same device here and I've never seen that. I would imagine it is embedded in something you have installed. If you long press it and move it to 'app info' what does it tell you? Have you side loaded any dodgy apps on the device? Sonething LIKE this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.saintalexispress.simplewidgets  but that is misbehaving on you would be the first guess. What happens when you click on the icon?

thanks you all for your answers,
I have no idea what happen but yesterday I updated like 15 apps and now the icon is gone.
I dont know which app made that happens but the good news is that its gone :)
just FYI it didn't act like a regular app icon, it didn't gave the option to see "app info" or "remove" it was staying in all the screens no just in one. and when it was press it opened a search that when was press to search was searching on Google.
any way, thank you very much
greetings
Iair


text:
Issue after upgrading from 2.3 to 4.1.2
Just upgraded the operating system on a Galaxy S II from 2.3 to 4.1.2.
After upgrading we are unable to update any apps because it says the phone is too low on memory. When I look at the storage breakdown I see:

Device memory has 1.97 GB and only 189 MB is available (which is where it says the issue is).
"USB storage": 9.86 GB free of 11.36 GB.

"USB storage" appears to be where picture/videos/music/ringtones are stored. Oddly enough, it also says that this is where the applications that are unable to be updated are stored.
We tried the solution found here, but it didn't seem to help.
Does anyone know what might be going on?

It might help to look at the questions tagged [tag:insufficient-memory] to see if it has been answered, here's one example

I did (and I saw the one you linked). The question I provided a link to in the post offered the same fix, but through a menu instead of needing the phone to be rooted. But as I said in the post, the fix did not work for this issue.

did you make a nandroid backup before your update? If no then here is the problem and solution that I faced recently.
On my Walton primo g1(a local branded phone manufacturer is Gionee) I got an update from 4.0.3 to 4.1.1. So as-usual I decided to update my phone. But after updating my phone I faced frequent crash and had to reset my phone to update it again. However, after this time whenever, I went to market to download anything it prompted the low device storage message. Even I am using my browser and surfing on net, it freezes and gave me a notification that low memory on device. So I looked into my device storage and found only 13 mb were free on my rom.
Solution:
So, I decided to root my phone and to use a custom rom. But after rooting when I went to root/data/data file path, I found all those apps data that I installed previously on ICS rom are still there, which is about 350mb (internal space 500mb and 412mb is user available on my phone). So, I just went to CWM and did wipe data+wipe cache+wipe delvic cache and re-flashed the rom. And my problem was gone.
I don't know about your case here, but it seemed way like my problem. So, you can also give that a try. Just wipe data,cache and delvic memory and flash your phone with the stock JB(which you can download from the samsung website) rom again with odin. And this should fix your issue.
Hope that helps

Here is what could have happened. When you went from 2.3 to 4.+, Android created user folders. So now you have all of your data in /storage/emulated/0 where it was /storage/emulated/ before. Each number, is the user on the device, so if you have multiple folks using the device, they have a folder for all of their apps and stuff. Now it has all the old stuff in the emulated, and all the new stuff in emulated/0.
When you look at your storage through an app, it ignores anything that is under the /0/ folder, and therefore you can't see the extra space that's being taken up.
The only way that I had to deal with that was to wipe the device clean. If you aren't rooted, make a backup of your photos, wipe the device, and you should see the boost in your on-board storage.
Source: had this happen going from ICS to JB on a Samsung phone. Going into CWM/TWRP (don't remember which) and deleting contents from /emulated/ solved the problem.

The reason this happens is that the newer versions of Android will only let apps install to internal memory. On older versions (such as Gingerbread) an app could install on the SD card or be moved there.  For the newer versions of Android an application can store it's data on the SD card if that's the way it is designed, but the app itself will be installed to internal storage.  This is a problem I ran into a lot working for Verizon and customers were not pleased, as you can imagine.  Outside of rooting your phone I am not aware of a good option to fix this issue.

Somehow I believe its' not correct! Whether an application should install on internal storage or sdCard depends on the configuration written in an android application. For instance, if I want my application to be installed on sdCard, I can easily do that by providing some extra information/code in AndroidMenifest file. Like that I can also provide command whether a user can backup/move this application to SDCard or not.

I would like some more info on this topic as well.  I was fairly certain based on numerous articles on on the web such as these - 1: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-2-10-1/662404-how-move-apps-sd-card-in-ics.html 2: http://forums.androidcentral.com/sprint-samsung-galaxy-s4/281725-apps-move-apps-sd-card.html 3: http://beranger.org/2013/06/14/android-storage-what-nobody-bothered-to-tell-you/  I know it's something I haven't been able to do with any of my Samsung phones since ICS.  Perhaps a Samsung thing?  Does anyone else have a definitive answer?

May be or may be not. But the thing that is bugging me is that, my Galaxy S4 (international version) works fine on this issue. Got my phone rooted but till on Samsung Touch Wiz. However, I have not faced this problem till now. Another thing, Yes! you are correct! you can not move apps to sd card but you can move its content. I also wanted to mean that,however. So, the last thing that I can say, may be this is the limitation due to The Samsung Touch Wiz over android?  \


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Rooting Xperia Ray (ST18i) with 4.1.B.0587 build
I've been trying to root my xperia ray device by following the instruction given in this post. It doesn't seem to work properly for me. Whenever I try to flash with 4.1.A.0.562 kernel it says that my device USB debugging is off even when I've ticked it. Also I've put it onto MSC mode. When I try to put it on flash mode both kernel.sin & loader.sin is grayed out. Below is the log what I get.
02/016/2014 02:16:42 - INFO - <- This level is successfully initialized
02/016/2014 02:16:42 - INFO - Flashtool Version 0.9.13.0 built on 2013-06-04 22:50:00
02/016/2014 02:16:48 - INFO - Device disconnected
02/016/2014 02:16:50 - INFO - Selected ST18 / 4.1.A.0.562 / Kernel
02/016/2014 02:16:50 - INFO - Preparing files for flashing
02/016/2014 02:16:50 - INFO - Please connect your device into flashmode.
02/017/2014 02:17:28 - INFO - Device connected with USB debugging off
02/017/2014 02:17:28 - INFO - For 2011 devices line, be sure you are not in MTP mode
02/017/2014 02:17:44 - INFO - Device disconnected
02/017/2014 02:17:47 - INFO - Device connected with USB debugging on
02/017/2014 02:17:47 - INFO - Connected device : SonyEricson Xperia Ray
02/017/2014 02:17:48 - INFO - Installed version of busybox : BusyBox v1.18.5 (2011-07-18 07:43:28 PDT) multi-call binary.
02/017/2014 02:17:48 - INFO - Android version : 4.0.4 / kernel version : 2.6.32.9-perf / Build number : 4.1.B.0.587
02/018/2014 02:18:14 - INFO - Device disconnected
02/018/2014 02:18:31 - INFO - Device connected in flash mode
02/018/2014 02:18:31 - INFO - Opening device for R/W
02/018/2014 02:18:31 - INFO - Reading device information
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Phone ready for flashmode operations.
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Current device : ST18i - CB511VGBZ7 - 1252-6163_R1I - 1248-9545_4.1.A.0.562 - WORLD-i_4.1.B.0.587
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Start Flashing
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Processing loader.sin
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Checking header
02/018/2014 02:18:32 - INFO - Flashing data
02/018/2014 02:18:37 - INFO - Loader : S1_Loader_Root_773f - Version : R4A066 / Boot version : R9A029 / Bootloader status : ROOTABLE
02/018/2014 02:18:37 - INFO - Disabling final data verification check
02/018/2014 02:18:37 - INFO - Processing kernel.sin
02/018/2014 02:18:37 - INFO - Checking header
02/018/2014 02:18:37 - INFO - Flashing data
02/018/2014 02:18:39 - INFO - Ending flash session
02/018/2014 02:18:39 - INFO - Flashing finished.
02/018/2014 02:18:39 - INFO - Please unplug and start your phone
02/018/2014 02:18:39 - INFO - For flashtool, Unknown Sources and Debugging must be checked in phone settings
02/018/2014 02:18:39 - INFO - Device connected in flash mode
02/018/2014 02:18:55 - INFO - Device disconnected

And I've attached a sample screen of what I get. Please advise me what to do.. I'm totally lost... even the log says flashing finished, my current kernel build is in 4.1.A.0.587 but not 4.1.A.0.562.

Model number: ST18! , Android Version: 4.0.4 , Build number: 4.1.B.0.587

Did you install the flash drivers from the flashtool installation directory

Do these:

Download flashtool(I did from 4shared).
Turn on Usb Debugging
Turn on Unknown Sources
Install flashtool in C: drive.
Extract doomlord's zergrush tool in C:.
Download both the kernels and first paste first one, which is 4.1.a.0.562 in firmware folder of flashtool.
Switch off phone.
Start flashtool, select flash icon, select flashmode.
When window gets open,double click on the kernel name.
When prompt window open,connect your phone pressing volume down key.
Make sure that your adb drivers are installed, then flashing will happen.
Disconnect phone when completed and restart it.
After 15 second(even Sony logo won't be shown, only backlight), connect phone to system. Wait for the adb drivers to be installed.
Go to where you extracted your doomlord's tool and double click runme.bat file.
Wait for around five minutes until it says DONE.
Disconnect phone and remove battery.
Replace the kernel in flashtool firmware folder with 4.1.b.0.587.
Open flashtool and click flash icon.
DoubleClick kernel file then connect phone in flashmode.
Disconnect phone when flashing completed.
Disconnect phone and restart it.

Your Ray is rooted now. Then install clockworkmod by using CWM installer.exe from the same system. Enjoy romz...


text:
Samsung Galaxy Ace stuck on boot after failed rooting attempt
I've been formatting my Samsung Galaxy Ace (GT-S5839i) and it worked pretty well. Then for some reason, I tried to root it, which I failed, and now my phone won't turn on anymore. It just stays on the boot logo (the one where Samsung GALAXY Ace is printed) and it never goes any further. Before my phone stopped working, I tried to install some "ClockWorkMod", and I guess I didn't follow the steps as I should've.
I can access the recovery menu, but each time I tried to just wipe data/factory reset or wipe cache partition, it didn't help, so right now I'm stuck with a non-working phone. I can still put files on the SD card. I just don't know how to go back to the Gingerbread version I had before.
So I'd like to know if anyone can offer a solution?

If you have had ROM manager before, then you can install any ROM which you will find on different sites.

According to the OP on the 2nd revision of the question,

I kept searching and I found a guide about ODIN and flashing the phone, and it worked very well! My phone is now working like it never died!
You can find the guide I followed right here (The guide is in french, but if you look for flashing a phone with Odin, I think you can find a guide in English)


text:
Disable badges on Samsung Galaxy devices
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 with Android 4.1.2 JellyBean.
When I get notifications in SMS or from Facebook, I see a red notification with number (notification badges) on the application icon on home screen.
Is there a way to stop that? I stopped all notifications from Facebook app but I still get notification badges on home screen.

I have yet to find a way to do this with Touchwiz based ROMs I'm afriad. You could use an alternative launcher, and disable it (it is disabled in Nova Launcher by default). Or if you have root you could look for an Xposed Module, again though I haven't fond any of those either.

I found this article that explains how to disable it on the Galaxy Note i717. I don't have a SG phone but I imagine the solution would be similar for yours.

Go to Settings > Manage Applications > swipe laterally through the top tabs until you reach "All"
Scroll down to locate BadgeProvider and tap on it
Click on the Disable button and confirm that you would like it disabled.

This will disable all badge notifications as there is no per-app setting interface.

Yape. That does it :) Its doesn't remove badegs already there but it does prevent new badges notification to appear. Thanks

This sounds like disabling badges for all apps (incl. e.g. Messaging/SMS). Too bad there is no disabling per app like there is for notifications.

@DanielSparing that was not what the OP requested, so I didn't think to make any special note that it was a global setting. But you're right, it disables all badges.

One additional point that I would like to make is that the users have to scroll right 4 times to reach the "ALL" tab where they can find the "BadgeProvider" service.
At first, it wasn't obvious to me so I thought I didn't have that option. Glad I found it, so happy!!

Unfortunately it seems that this does not work on the Galaxy S6, at least with Marshmallow. The BadgeProvider service cannot be disabled.


text:
How to disable AEC (audio echo cancellation) on Android 4.2?
For some of my experiments, I need AEC to be disabled.
Are there audio modes (loudspeaker, headset, bluetooth) when AEC is definitely disabled?
Are there any platform-specific options for MTK65xx chipsets?

'sidetone' effect are available on MTK, but I don't think it affects AEC


text:
Android App Force Closing
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764): java.lang.NullPointerException
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at com.htc.music.browserlayer.fragment.HtcMusicFragment.initLyricsView(HtcMusicFragment.java:8905)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at com.htc.music.browserlayer.fragment.HtcMusicFragment.initialUI(HtcMusicFragment.java:2305)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at com.htc.music.browserlayer.fragment.HtcMusicFragment.onCreateView(HtcMusicFragment.java:662)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.FragmentManagerImpl.moveToState(FragmentManager.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.FragmentManagerImpl.moveToState(FragmentManager.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.BackStackRecord.run(BackStackRecord.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.FragmentManagerImpl.execPendingActions(FragmentManager.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.FragmentManagerImpl$1.run(FragmentManager.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java)
01-02 15:30:21.361: E/AndroidRuntime(3764):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
01-02 15:30:21.541: E/EmbeddedLogger(2496): App crashed! Process: com.htc.music
01-02 15:30:21.541: E/EmbeddedLogger(2496): App crashed! Package: com.htc.music v522301810 (5.1.2320352112.658919.648253)
01-02 15:30:22.081: E/EmbeddedLogger(2496): Application Label: Music

I open Music app in Android but it force close. I have taken logcat and found this problem causing.
At Line 8905 here is the code :
> if-eqz v11, :cond_1
>
> const-string v11, "[HtcMusicFragment]"
>
> const-string v12, "onServiceConnectedHandle, mActivity is null

That looks like a bug in the app. You should contact the app developer and let them know about it. If you're the app developer, then you're on the wrong site. Please read the [help/on-topic].

Conclusion
This is a programming error within the HTC Music app (based on the package id). The best option is to report this error to the developers using the force close dialog.
More details
As a programmer I recognize the nullpointer exception thrown in the HtcMusicFragment at line 8905. The package (and class name) indicate that this is an app from HTC for Music playing.
Since this code is closed there is no reason to look further into this yourself, even if you had the knowledge. Let's say it would be perfectly possible to decompile the app (it isn't) and fix the nullpointer even then you wouldn't be able to replace the app on your phone since this is a vendor app. That is without root.
If you want to read about the nullpointer exception try this link https://stackoverflow.com/questions/218384/what-is-a-null-pointer-exception In short there is a method called on an object that hasn't been initialized properly. It's up to the programmer to check for these kind of issues.
My advice
Go get a better music app on the google play store.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S GTI-9003 spontaneously reboots
My Samsung Galaxy S GTI-9003 spontaneously reboots itself with different time intervals. The boot cycle does not complete and freezes at Samsung Logo.
When I take off the battery and switch it back on, all the data is gone, the phone is literally formatted.
I have tried several options like factory reset, changed the sim card, removed memory card but nothing is working.
Appreciate help from Enthusiasts

Sounds like a physical defect to me. Can you return it for warranty repair?

Are you familiar with adb tools from the Android SDK? What you'll need is logging from your device as a starting point.
The easy way
There are tools available (apk's) that can be installed from the Google Play store to read out the logcat. The 2 first hits on Google play look useful:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.jtb.alogcat
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nolanlawson.logcat
However this logcat is usually cleared on each reboot so that might not be your best option.
The better way
More information will be retrieved using command line tools like adb from the google Android SDK.
A quick step by step guide

Download Android SDK from http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html (If you're not planning to develop go for the "Download for other platforms" > "SDK Tools Only" option on that page)
Follow the installation instructions (download, extract)
Have your android device connected to your computer using an USB cable (check if drivers are needed for your environment)
Navigate to the platform-tools folder and execute the adb command with the following arguments:
adb bugreport > bugreport.txt

That should create a bugreport.txt file within you current directory. Post that information here (check for personal information first though).
For more information about the adb tools check http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html


text:
Is there any way (or any iOS or Android app) which i can use to change the current location of my mobile device to be detected as a US location?
I want to test a mobile application which has map search and directions functionality, i.e driving directions from the current location.  Is there any way in which i can change the current location of my device to be detected as a US location?

@shivan Its not about Android only, I need to test on both Android and iOS hence I've posted it here and tagged both. Please provide solution to the problem instead of marking it down. Thanks!

Developer Settings > Allow Mock Locations! I'm not sure how it works on iOS, I'll try and find out.

Enable mocklocations from settings and use any application
Eg. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lexa.fakegps&hl=en

In settings we can allow mock/proxy locations in android.


text:
Connect Smart TV to laptop
I am working with not a well known Smart TV manufacturer, It uses Android 4.0. I want to customize its dashboard and splash animation played during the system loads. Working on my own launcher and dashboard alongside, but now when I have hit a roadblock when the testing phase has arrived. I cannot use a smart tv emulator for this purpose as the manufacturer is not either of Samsung, LG or Google.
I want to be able to test it on the Smart TV itself, but I cannot connect to the device through my laptop. Wi-Fi, LAN or usb cable connection, tried all, but I cannot access the system itself as an emulator on my AVD manager... Any ideas where to proceed from here?

I think you can do it from a Linux terminal if you know the Vendor ID and device ID. There is a 51-rules file you might have to modify though. Not sure though.

I have the MAC address of the device..will it work?

https://developers.google.com/tv/android/docs/gtv_debug

$ //platform-tools/adb connect  try with the IP of your Device.

@AstralProjection Thank you for the help, I am currently on step 4 of the link provided. I cannot navigate the option In the Settings application, select Applications Development. in the device. The system uses android 4.0.4.

Once you are on the Settings page choose Applications and then development?


text:
Changing the default location of Receiving files of bluetooth
Hi I am user of Samsung Galaxy S4, I want to know how can I change the default location of the Received files to SD Card instead of the phone storage?

You may not be able to. It depends on the Application you are using, and if it is just the default way it depends if the OEM has exposed the Bluetooth path and allow it to be modified. As far as I can tell you can't on an S4. It won't change on mine through the settings OR in an app that I wrote.

so sad...:( so can any app does that...
:(


text:
Automated deployment of app to multiple devices
I have a business android app and I need to deploy it to 2000 android devices. Is there an automated way to do this? Can I deploy my app, install a widget app from google play and configure it in an automated and tested way? Coming from a web background I'm thinking of something like web deploy. Octopus deploy for example.
(all devices are 4.1.2)

Are all these devices owned by the company that your business app is for? IF so this sounds like a job for Mobile Device Management Software. Many of them allow an administrator to specify apps that should be installed on all of the managed devices. See some of these previous questions: Which program allows remote management of Android devices? or Galaxy Tab Multi Device App Installation

thanks for your reply. I came across that before but at a $17,500 pricetag it's a big no. it seems like a good management tool but too much for what I need. I just need a one time deployment. Don't need to track or manage what apps are installed. but thanks anyway.

No, sorry. In the end we had an external team doing the tedious work of deploying the app on each device. We've added an Update function on the app that pointed to a remote repository of apks.
There are paid solutions out there. but I think that on all of them you need to install something manually on each device first...

Zebra devices use a program to serve and deploy smartphone apps, called StageNow
You can connect to your devices wirelessly through the same network using the adb from android studio, once connected install the app with an adb command
there should be more options provided by the official android team, in my opinion, some times they treat android developers as if they were all hobbyists, i deploy apps for production in a factory, we use StageNow which allow rapid deployment


text:
KitKat calendar defaults to AllDay on new day event
In month view (my default) is there a way to stop new events defaulting to all day? Other views use my default setting of one hour.


text:
Samsung galaxy note 3 root void warranty
I have read several articles pertaining to rooting a Note 3 and voiding it's warranty.  I know a custom rom, or custom rom app would change the binary counter.  Would I be safe rooting and using Titanium backup or similar to remove / freeze samsung bloatware?

No in fact there's the Knox void warranty flag that will be set to 0x1 if you are on the 4.3.
Knox is not yet really understanded but so far something is sure, if you flash any rom that does not contains the knox security (official or not official) it will void your warranty.
So even if you flash a 4.2.2 version of stock rom from samsung it will set the knox void warranty to 0x1 and your phone will not be supported by Samsung.
Edit 1 : Well according to comment, it might be possible to avoid the change of th knox flag, with the root method from root de la vega. But still if you are in USA (where voiding warranty with a simple logical flag is possible) be carefull while proceding because it still tricky.
Souce:
xda forum about Knox behaviour

Just to add on this, many people on XDA have actually gotten a service from Samsung, and their support are giving very dispirate answers on the issue, despite tripping the Knox flag. There is a method to root it without tripping knox, but any custom kernel/firmware will trip it to 0x1 immediately. However, I find it is best to assume that once you root you lose warranty. Here's the "Knox Friendly Root" http://www.xda-developers.com/android/knox-friendly-root-for-multiple-galaxy-note-3-variants/   So the OP could root it and use TB to freeze bloatware in theory, but it COULD trip still.

Well thank you for the knox friendly method, I wasn't aware.

My pleasure! Knox is a pain in my side, so anything to get around it makes me happy! It's worth nothing that a few people who had their devices repaired by Samsung got them back with Knox back to 0x0! That is without any motherboards etc being replaced. It seems not to be an eFuse but any answer to fixing it / changing it is still up in the air!

It looks like de la vega would work for my Tmobile Note 3  according to this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2481330&page=2

authors: Владимир Салеев


text:
Galaxy S2 Messaging: persistent badge number
I use a Galaxy S2, SPH-D710VMUB (Virgin Mobile) running Android 4.1.2
The default messaging app it comes with has this (very common) feature of showing a little red circle with the number of new text messages in it. When you read your messages the icon disappears and you are left with just the yellow envelope icon.

Lately it has been displaying "3" new messages whether I have new messages or not. It never goes away, always the little red circle and the "3" inside it.
My notifications tab at the top of the screen is properly updated, if I have no messages it does not display anything.
It doesn't seem to affect any of the other apps, notifications or functions of the phone. It's almost as if the icon simply never refreshed or something.
I have already restarted the phone, cleared RAM in Active Applications, etc.
Thanks for your time.

Head to Settings
Scroll down to find Application manager
Scroll to the right until you reach the page All
Locate Badge-provider
Click on Clear data, if you cannot click clear data then first hit Force stop, then you should be able too.
Restart your phone

(Source)


text:
How can I emulate ctrl-Z (undo) in Android 4.1.2 on a Galaxy Note 3?
Based on this question and this question and this issue, it sounds like Android basically doesn't have undo/redo functionality. (I guess? Correct me if I've misunderstood or if the situation has changed.)
My goal is to use a Galaxy Note 3 with an external keyboard to work on long-form writing projects.
I'd like to have undo/redo functionality.
Is there some way to "bolt it on?"
Like maybe is there a text editor that has undo/redo as a feature, or some app that lets you add it, or a trick you can do an automation utility or something?
(It doesn't actually have to be ctrl-Z. Any reasonably convenient keypress would be fine.)

If the Android OS system doesn't allow to undo actions (other than some special Toasts allow e.g. in Gmail when you delete a message), you can't expect that just by connecting an external keyboard will circumvent this.

For anyone who comes across this via a search I found these options...

Polaris Office's word processing program implements undo that works via control-Z on my Galaxy Note 3 using a Bluetooth keyboard.
The JotterPad X text editor implements undo and redo that works fine via on-screen controls.
The JotterPad X app description on the Google Play store claims specifically...

Compatible with physical and Bluetooth keyboard including shortcut keys (E.g. ctrl + Z for undo)

On my system, JotterPad X's undo didn't work with a Bluetooth keyboard, but maybe it will work on your system or with a different model keyboard.


text:
How can I toggle mobile data from a terminal?
I have a rooted Sony Xperia 3 running CyanogenMod 10. Can I turn off mobile data from the terminal?

From the terminal, you can use svc to control several elements of your device. For mobile data, it would be:

To disable: svc data disable
To enable: svc data enable

You can simply type svc help for a list of available commands, or svc help [command] for a list of subcommands. For example:

To get the list of subcommands for controlling mobile data: svc help data
To get the list of subcommands for controlling wifi: svc help wifi

svc data disable didn't work without root permission. Any suggestion for an un-rooted device?

I don't believe it's possible for an unrooted device.


text:
Nexus 7 came with Superuser & ROM Manager pre-installed
I just received my Nexus 7 from Google and I was surprised to see superuser and ROM Manager apps already installed. How normal is this? Does this mean my tablet is rooted out of the box? Does it mean it was used before? Does it void the warranty?

Did you purchased it directly from Google? Very likely you simply got a returned tablet, i.e. a tablet that already had a previous owner, which installed these apps. I doubt that Google pre-installs SuperUser and ROM Manager.

Actually I won it on the Kit Kat promotion. Yet it came with the precinct and all.

Still, it seems that somebody used it before :)


text:
Connect a 3G Android phone with a WiFi-only tab to see phone call information on the latter
I own a WiFi-only Android tab and an Android phone with 3G.
I use the tab regularly at work or while working out on the treadmill, and often I miss a phone call on my Android phone while using the tab.
Is there any App or other possibility to link the phone to the tab to be able to see incoming phone calls on the WiFi tab? Via Bluetooth, for example?
(I also own a Sony smartwatch which does exactly this, but I'm looking for a solution on my tab).

If you are willing to pay there is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apdroid.tabtalk&hl=en_GBTablet Talk that allows you to route SMS through your tablet. I can't find a voice option for this though. I'll keep looking. You may have to use Google Voice or something VoIP like Skype.

I certainly am willing to pay if the software works. Maybe I should emphasize that seeing the incoming phone call information would satisfy me already, no need to be able to answer the call on my tablet (thus no VoIP routing required).

MightyText is a free app that allows you to get communication notifications on your tablet through WiFi. While its geared for people that would want to text from their tablet, it also has some other really nice features. Among them are call notifications, battery alerts, and photo syncing. They also have a Chrome extension which allows you to get the same features on a computer. I used to use this app all the time and highly recommend it.


text:
Mysterious icon in Notification Area
It is on a Sony Xperia T. The first icon from the left that looks like a battery in hands. I checked the manual and asked around. No one knows... There is no information when I drag down the Notification Area.

According to the Xperia Z manual, that icon indicates that "Stamina Mode" is active.
I don't see it in the Xperia T manual, so I'm guessing that there was a recent update to your device that added that feature.

This is definitely right track. Thanks. On my phone I must have enabled it. It is called "Extended Standby Mode" and functionally it's the same as Stamina but with only ON/OFF option - no customisation.


text:
Note 3 keyboard saves URLs I type into incognito tab
Just purchased a Note 3 recently.  I'm using the stock keyboard.  When I go into an incognito tab within Chrome and type in a URL, then later on in the day return to Chrome (regular tab). When I tap in the URL field the keyboard pops up with the last three URLs I typed in.  One of which being the one I used in incognito. Any idea of how to stop this from happening?
(If the answer is technical I'm an Apple guy so keep it plain English. Thanks.)

I'm not sure there's anything to be done about that. The keyboard has no idea you're in an Incognito tab in Chrome, which really only protects you from having cookies or history saved within Chrome. I'm sure Samsung has made their own version of the keyboard; the Google Keyboard may or may not recognize that it's being used in Chrome, but it couldn't hurt to try.


text:
Turning on USB mode in Galaxy Grand
I have 2 mobile phones, a Samsung Galaxy S II and a Galaxy Grand. The Galaxy S2 has Android 2.3.6 and the Galaxy Grand has Android 4.2. When I am trying to connect the Grand to my PC, it gives me 2 options: MTP and Camera. MTP is media Transfer mode, and when I select it, restricts speed. On the other hand, the S2 has USB mode which works fine for me.
So is there any way that I can connect the Galaxy Grand with USB mode?

Possibly a duplicate of phone mounts as media device not usb storage or How can I use my Galaxy Nexus as an external USB storage drive?.

If your phone is rooted, try installing one of the "mass storage enabler" apps from the Play Store.


text:
How do I change the spell check language independently from the hardware keyboard layout
I'm using an Asus Transformer Pad Infinity with a German (Swiss variant) hardware keyboard and with the standard Asus variant of Android version 4.2.1.
On a regular basis I need to type in both German and English, so it would be nice to have spell checking in both languages. However, whenever I switch to English spell checking, then the tablet assumes I'm using an English keyboard layout and swaps keys around such as the Y and Z keys. Is there any way around this?

What a great question!


text:
Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9300): Wiped Download mode
Something went badly wrong while trying to flash my phone. I have somehow managed to delete Odin/Download mode. I CAN access ClockworkMod, but it's a very old version not supported by the ROM I wanted to use. I cannot access download mode.
Is there any way I can update ClockworkMod and/or restore Odin?
Galaxy i9300

I didn't even know it was possible to delete Odin mode...

You may have soft-bricked your device if Download mode is not available. Since you have a SGS3, a USB Jig won't help as it only work on Gingerbread and earlier Android versions. Try taking out the phone's battery, then boot into Download mode by holding down Volume Down + Home + Power keys, and while holding down these buttons (ask someone if you can't yourself) put the battery back in the device. Wait until you see the Download mode before releasing the buttons. If you still don't see it, then you have hard-bricked your device. You need to take it back to the reseller and get it fixed.

I appear to now have some kind of download mode, though it's not the Samsung one - I just flashed a new ROM. Going to close this either way, as I don't think there's a simple solution other than sending it back.

An S-BOOT clip can restore your phone in download mode.

I have i9300 water damaged no light at all (dead) but i managed to put it in DL mode by inserting this S-Boot Clip. If your phone stuck in DL mode you have to flash it and then repair IMEI by z3x box.


text:
Google accounts on my Galaxy S4
I would like to get rid of one of my Google accounts since I don't use it anymore. Currently I have both my Google accounts (gmail, Google+..) on my phone (Galaxy S4, had to link/transfer data from my old phone to my new) and all pictures and information and such gets saved to the old account I don't want to use anymore.
But I still have some important emails on the old account as well as some contacts and such which I would like to keep. Can these be transferred to my other Google account which I wanna keep and have as my primary?
What do I have to do in order to get rid of this old account I don't longer need without losing the data (pictures,  some emails, contacts) which are currently under that primary gmail/G+ account which I don't want anymore?
Otherwise,  is there an option to say "lock/disable" that old account so nothing gets send or saved to it anymore?

Important: Sync your old Google account data between your phone and Google before starting with the following instructions.
You should log in to your old Google account, and then go to Google Takeout, where there are tools to export your account information to an archive (and even you'll be able to transfer all your Google+ circles to your new account).

To move contacts and other info from the old account to the new one, follow the instructions from this article.
Also you can go to Data tools settings page, where you'll find how to delete your old account, in the section Account management. Good luck.


text:
How to read 2 or more documents side-by-side in Android?
When I do my math exercises, I need to view the book and the exercises at the same time. Sometime I need to open a third PDF, but it's more optional. How can I do so with Android? On iPad I use the application Side by Side, which allows to read up to 4 different PDFs side by side.
I use Nexus 7 with Android 4.4.2.

In order to help you, we need some more information, like: What brand and model of device do you have? What version of Android does it have? Add any other additional info you guess it can be of use to answer your question.

Try using floating apps. Multi window feature is only available on a few android devices like samsung Note, etc.
Floating apps will provide similar functionality. Try this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lwi.android.flappsfull

You may also look here: How do I run two programs at once in split-screen?
Tested on a Samsung Note 10.1 (SM-P605) with Android 4.3 i found some apps which are supporting multi window, e.g:

My Files (*)
stock Video Player
MX Player
stock email app
Gmail
stock Webbrowser (*)
Chrome
Gallery
Contacts
Phone
Google maps
Polaris Office 5
WhatsApp
Facebook
Watch now
Chat on (*)
Google Play Store

But there are really very few apps capable to run with multiple instances (from the above list only those which are marked with (*)).
So, you can for example open My Files twice (left & right of upper & lower half screen):

Unfortunally, Polaris Office 5 (pdf viewer) isn't capable to run twice. So if you want to view 2 pdf docs side by side, it seems that you have to install a 2nd pdf viewer app and e.g. open Polaris Office 5 on the left and the other pdf viewer on the right side of the screen. A short look to Google Play Store for pdf viewers that support multi window:

PDF Reader from Ivan Ivanenko (free)
Ebooka PDF Viewer from Ivan Ivanenko (free)
RepliGo PDF Reader (paid, 2,26€)

At the following screenshot I had opened Ivan Ivanenko's PDF Reader & Ebooka PDF Viewer side by side:


text:
LG-P990 (2x) Australian, upgrade to ICS or latter
I have an LG-P990 (Optimus 2x) Australian, is there an official upgrade to ICS or latter available? If so how do I get it and do the upgrade.

To upgrade your phone to official LG's ICS release do the following (remember to backup all your important data before starting):

Go to official LG support page for your region, Downloads & Manuals section
Scroll down to Search by keyword and input this: Optimus-2X-P990, click the only
result.
Scroll down to Downloads
Click the tab Software Update
Follow carefully all the instructions there.


text:
Setting default storage location in 4.0.4?
My sister got a tablet for Christmas which runs 4.0.4. The internal storage is measly, but she has a big enough SD card.
Going to Settings > Storage should give the option to set the 'Default storage location' to either internal storage or external SD card, but it doesn't. My phone (which runs the exact same firmware version) does have the option to do it.
What ways can I change the default storage location for Android 4.0.4? We're at our wits' end here.
Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts, Joshua: Can I ask you what brand and model is her tablet?

If the "DEFAULT STORAGE" is not showing there then you should use any third party application. App2sd,AndroidAssistant, CleanMaster or Link2SD should do this. But if your device is rooted you should definitely try Link2SD, with some few tweaks it automatically transfers all apps to sdcard. Hope that helps.


text:
Android software to write on anything?
I currently do not own a smartphone or a tablet, but am interested in getting one or both that could help me with the following:
I am a teacher. I regularly have notes displayed on an overhead projector AND simultaneously write on a chalkboard. I would like to be able to write (using a stylus) directly onto the screen on top of what I am displaying.
I usually display notes in PDF or Powerpoint. If it would be possible to then save the written notes on the file would be a major plus, though not necessary.
Is this possible with Android devices – and if so, how could it be done?

you can try with team viewer connection on your tab to other devices

To close-voters: This question seems perfectly fine (after a little re-phrasing I've just applied, at least). Remember there are features like screen mirroring, which might even be pre-installed.

Izzy's answer is (as typical of Izzy) fantastic. I'll just break form a bit and insert my own experience with tablets in the classroom: Android tablets for projection are a great idea in theory, but have been a pain in practice. The best results I had for doing real-time annotation and various projection tasks were (disappointingly, considering how I'm a big Android fan) with x86 Windows (Non-RT) tablets. Combining Miracast with generally excellent app and stylus support makes a winning device in the classroom - but expensive.

This is definitly possible. There are even multiple approaches I could think of:

Screen mirroring
Some devices already ship with this functionality. My sister e.g. just got her new Samsung Galaxy S4 mini which I helped her to set up, and I noted a related "toggle" in the notification bar to switch "mirroring" on/off. Also, newer builds of the custom ROM cyanogenmod IMHO offer this feature. Especially via HDMI, this also should be supported (maybe requiring an additional app).
Remote Tools
iDev already mentioned Team Viewer in his comment. While the specific component to remote access the Android device itself only exists for few devices (the list might grow, some time given), there are several similar/comparable solutions, as VNC.
Other means
There might also exist specific "whiteboard apps", designed for exactly this purpose. I don't know such one (but I didn't explicitly check for), but searching the Playstore cannot hurt (to ease this, as the "official Google Play website is quite restricted in its search capabilities since its relaunch, I recommend using AppBrain for searching; it's an alternative "web frontend" to Google Play).

Thank you everyone for the wonderful answers. I've realized two things: 1. I did a poor job of asking the question I was actually thinking and 2. I hadn't thought through the process of connecting a tablet to a projector very well. The question I actually was trying to answer (it turns out) was asked and answered in this thread. Nonetheless thank you for the answers, I will look into these options as well as the ones in the other thread.

But you did not only a good job locating that other question, but also to link it by mentioning it in a comment here! That promises a great future for you on our site :)

The easiest way is, if your projector supports wifi connection then any android device will work(phone/tablet) with appropriate application. And to view pdfs + to write on it just use Adobe Reader.
Or, you can just install Droid@screen to do it for you link is this
hope this helps. :)