text:
Wifi slow to find correct network
I have a a10 tab 2 lenovo. I recently reflashed the original new rom. Before everything was working except the wifi was slow(lots of lag) which was on a hacked rom for some similar tab.
The problem I have now is that when I turn on the device for the first time, the main wifi network is not found nor loaded. It either takes a few minutes or I have to simply open the wifi settings in which it then finds and connects to it. It ends up connecting to a more remote network which is too slow to use.
My phone is connected to the same networks and it finds and uses the correct network immediately without issue as did the tablet before I changed roms.
I'm not sure if the tablet thinks that the first network it connects to is better(sometimes I use it, but rarely, only when I'm take it to the other side of the house) or what. It seems it is the tablet. I'd basically want it to always use the main network A(which is 100% signal strength) rather than the 50% strength of network B that it connects to(which is on the other side of the house).
any ideas why this is doing that and how to change it? Basically I want it to connect to network A. I suppose I could forget network B and it might do it but then I'd have to remember the wifi pass to it and enter it in every time and have it forget every time... just to fix a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
I'm pretty sure it must be a setting/configuration on the tab since it was working before the rom change and my phone works fine which has identical wifi setup, locations, etc.
It is android 6 rooted.
[The problem is that when I turn on the device, go to a browser I get wifi error. I open the wifi settings, it connects without me telling it which network. I have to clear the browser so it stops using the old wifi network, then everything works]

Try this app - you can specify the connection order

@beeshyams I'd rather not install an app. Surely there is some config file that can be modified or settings that do not require some app to run constantly for a temporary thing.

I understand. That rules out automation option to disconnect on connection to the undesired WiFi. See if enabling Always allow WiFi Roam scans in developer options helps- a guess

If it is happening only on this ROM, there may be a fix discussed in ROM forums

Some ROMs offer "priority settings" – so the other, slower WiFi might be setup with a higher priority, thus taking precendence over the stronger, closer one. Try removing that slower one from your "known WiFi networks" list and see if that helps.

@Izzy: suppose it did, as I said, it would not be acceptable as a solution because I need both active. I can't be having to mess with wi-fi configurations ever time I use the device or move to the other side of the house. So, if was the problem, what would be the permanent solution?

@beeshyams I will try that option. I could install the app but I imagine it requires continual running to fix. Surely if an app can do it then it is a settings/configuration issue. It would be nice if someone new where the settings are at and which ones would be the problem and I could mess with them.

I of course already thought so – but didn't want to go into depths before establishing if it's worth it. If the above works out (i.e. without the 2nd network, the device connects to the "main network" as planned), I'd re-add the other one and see if the issue returns (hopefully it does not). If it returns, we'd know a triffle better in which direction to investigate further. As your device is rooted, that would be e.g. taking a look at the wpa_supplicant.conf and checking the priority= parameters of the two networks.

@Izzy Thanks, I'll try to figure it out from here. I should mention though, that the network is not listed in the list of networks at the start. It lists every other one but for some reason the main one is not and takes a minute to show or so. So, I would imagine if it were strictly a priority issue that it would still show the network, it just wouldn't connect? It seems like the device doesn't even try to find the network until I go in to the wifi settings and then it decides to look for it.

Ah, yes, that's different. Anything specific to that network, like e.g. a hidden BSSID? That would explain why it shows up delayed. And its showing up delayed is most likely the reason why the other one connects first and, once connected, the "real one" is ignored. Some [tag:automation] app could possibly work-around that (along the lines of "if %WIFI in reach and not connected, connect that regardless whether you're already connect to something else").

@Izzy yeah, I think it's hidden. But my phone connects immediately and has the exact same setup(same location, etc). I think it was fine before the rom change. I thought it might be because it was hidden but since it works fine on my android phone(android 4 though) I thought it might be something else. I'll unhide it and see. Strange that it would matter since it knows the name.

@Izzy so, I wasn't able to get it to work. I looked at a wifi analyzer and noticed that there is another network that is on the same channel, says it uses the same router model, and when the wifi eventually connects correctly(at first doesn't work) it goes from channel 6 to channel 6(8). So I'm wondering if there is some type of interference? maybe my phone as a weaker antenna and so the other network is out of range(it's across the street)? This wouldn't explain the past but maybe the rom tweaked the strength of the reception and now it's getting interference or they changed something.

Also, the other wifi in my house is on the same channel. I'll try to change the channel when I get a chance and maybe that will solve it. It doesn't seem like it should be the problem since the main one is about -40dB while the other is -72dB(11 times less powerful).

"says it uses the same router model": most routers have their models set as BSSID by default. If that's the case with the two, it could indeed be a bit confusing (though it shouldn't as the MAC addresses should differ) – so next to the channel, I'd think about using a "more unique" BSSID as well. Cannot hurt :)

@Izzy Ok, I made the SSID non-hidden and it now connects like it's suppose to. I noticed that the channel was 11instead of 6 so that might had something to do with it, but it was automatic. This router runs in bridged mode and I'm not sure if it uses the same ch as the main router, but it always looks to use it. This might be the problem though since the other router might think ch 6 is good where it is at but it's not good where the bridged one is. In any case, it still has to be an issue with the device ultimately because my phone has no issues either way.


text:
How to jail google?
I'm currently flashing my Samsung A3 (2015) with Lineage OS because I begin to be really annoyed by google's intrusions in private life. But the thing is that I've to admit that google has some great tools (like google maps/Play store), and even if there exists some very good alternatives (like Open Street Map), I'd like to be able to use them when I really need them. However, most of the time they should be "jailed", so that I can call them only when needed.
In an ideal world I'd like:

To control what they can access (GPS/file system...) and provide wrong data if needed
Shut down them most of the time, and manually start them when needed

It looks like I want a virtualisation/chroot-like solution, but I'd like to use android facilities to avoid an heavy full virtualization.
Any ideas?
Thank you!

To do anything significant in this direction your device needs to be rooted. That's the first step. Once that is done they're are a wide variety of tools, apps , Xposed modules that can to a very large extent do what you need

@beeshyams : sure I'll root it, Xposed modules looks great, thanks!

Even if you want, you cannot always stop Google from collecting data. For example, read this question.
There are some processes that we, as a layman, can take resort to.
Firstly, go to the apps in settings and deny permissions from the apps. This will prevent apps from getting any unnecessary data.
Secondly, use apps like DataEye. It stops apps and system services from using data  as per your choice. Stop all apps from accessing data, except the ones you really need. This way, those apps won't be able to send anything to Google. When you start those apps, DataEye would ask you whether you would like to allow data access. I personally use it to stop apps from showing up ads, and it works great.
Thirdly, I found this. It seems to completely mummify apps as per your wish. I haven't used it, but it has good ratings. If google apps can be mummified, then they'll not be able to send statistics to Google.

Oh, you can for sure. See my answer. As OP goes with a custom ROM that ships without any proprietary Google stuff, the solution is to simply not install it but use some proper replacement :)

OK, I was not aware of all that. You see, I'm no developer but only an enthusiast in strict sense of the term. I use Android, and can advise only in terms of a layman. For deeper aspects, we need developers like you. :-)

I must disappoint you: with "developers like me" you'd be completely lost – I'm not an Android developer, just an Enthusiast user. Agreed, with some more knowledge than the average Android user has (or I wouldn't have published books and given courses on Android for end-users).

Off topic: you have any online course that I can follow to learn Android? I've got Android Studio installed on my desktop with SDK upto 7.0.

Please read again: "I'm NOT an Android developer" – so no, I cannot help you with Android Studio. And my books and (offline!) courses are in German (I give adult evening classes at a center here in my city).

OK, OK I understand.

If your device is supported by an official LineageOS build, it's also supported by the special LineageOS for microG builds. Those replace the GApps with the more light-weight and privacy oriented microG framework, which should meet your purpose:

control location access: µG ships with UnifiedNLP, which takes care for location stuff. It's then up to you to chose location providers. There are some using "online services" – but also some that work completely offline, like the LocalGSM provider I use: it downloads a CellId database for the region you chose, and then uses that to obtain your "network location". So your location doesn't need to be uploaded anywhere. Works like a charm.
shut them down: not needed then, see previous bullet point. Nothing is sent to Google that way.

µG doesn't come with Playstore (or any other proprietary Google components), but it covers most of what Google Services does (except for ads and tracking stuff). You can e.g. use YalpStore to access the Playstore (either anonymously, or with your own account data), which even allows updating/installing apps you've bought. Note however that you can neither buy apps with it (you can do so using your web browser), nor can it do "license verification" (so apps relying on Google's vending.CHECK_LICENSE won't work). If you need the latter, AFAIK there are ways to replace the "FakeStore" integrated with µG by the official Playstore app.
PS: Of course you also can integrate µG with your specific custom ROM, and then take care to e.g. chose Playstore over FakeStore from the beginning. But that requires some extra work.

Thank you, I did not know this interesting tool, I'll givekit a try ! By the way, I also read some stuff about Open Gapps, what is the difference between these tools?

@tobiasBora then you might also be interested in my articles Android without Google: microG and Android without Google: Where do I get my apps now? As for OpenGApps: that's just a re-packaging of the proprietary GApps for devices that ship without them. If you want to follow the path of my answer, you don't want those.

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text:
Cannot flash factory images to Google Pixel 2 XL
Device: Google Pixel 2 XL (taimen)
Carrier: Unlocked (purchased from the Play store)
Image: image-taimen-opm1.171019.011.zip
Ultimately, I'm trying to root the phone by flashing a batched boot.img to the stock image, but I'm unable to flash any images, whether that's the patched boot.img, TWRP, or even the stock factory images themselves. I've already unlocked the bootloader, using fastboot flashing unlock_critical.
I am running the newest version of adb and fastboot, downloaded yesterday:
$ fastboot --version
fastboot version 0.0.1-4500957
Installed as [REDACTED]

$ adb version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.39
Version 0.0.1-4500957
Installed as [REDACTED]

Here's what happens when I try to flash the stock factory images, downloaded straight from Google:
$ adb reboot bootloader
$ ./flash-all.sh
target didn't report max-download-size
sending 'bootloader' (36344 KB)...
FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed
)
finished. total time: 0.000s
rebooting into bootloader...
OKAY [  0.000s]
finished. total time: 0.201s
target didn't report max-download-size
sending 'radio' (60428 KB)...
FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed
)
finished. total time: 0.000s
rebooting into bootloader...
OKAY [  0.001s]
finished. total time: 0.201s
extracting android-info.txt (0 MB) to RAM...
Warning: Could not determine slot for secondary images. Ignoring.
extracting boot.img (40 MB) to disk... took 0.289s
target didn't report max-download-size
archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
extracting dtbo.img (8 MB) to disk... took 0.039s
archive does not contain 'dtbo.sig'
archive does not contain 'dt.img'
archive does not contain 'recovery.img'
extracting system.img (1936 MB) to disk...
archive does not contain 'system.sig'
extracting vbmeta.img (0 MB) to disk... took 0.000s
archive does not contain 'vbmeta.sig'
extracting vendor.img (349 MB) to disk... took 4.445s
error: Failed to identify current slot

Other commands fail with inconsistent error messages or failure modes. For example:
$ fastboot flash boot boot.img
target didn't report max-download-size
sending 'boot' (40960 KB)...
FAILED (remote: Requested download size is more than max allowed
)
finished. total time: 0.000s

If I retry with -S
$ fastboot -S 512K flash boot boot.img
Invalid sparse file format at header magic
sending sparse 'boot' 1/51 (508 KB)...

which hangs indefinitely, never sending the first segment.
I can try booting directly, which yields the same problem:
$ fastboot boot boot.img
downloading 'boot.img'...
# hangs indefinitely

Similarly:
$ fastboot --set-active=_a

will just hang indefinitely as well. I have to restart the bootloader to kill it, at which point it just prints the cryptic error: Device does not support slots (the Pixel 2 XL does support slots!).
The error messages aren't always consistent; sometimes the first fastboot flash boot boot.img command will appear to hang (requiring a restart, similar to --set-active) instead of printing the error message about max-download-size. I've let that run for about fifteen minutes before having to kill it. Unlike system.img, boot.img is only about 40MB, so it shouldn't take that long to flash - something is clearly wrong.
I've also tried this with multiple cables on different USB ports, with the same results.

Ultimately, I solved this by using a Macbook Pro with a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Previously, I had tried it with two different USB-A to micro-USB cables, using two different micro-USB to USB-C adapters, on a Linux laptop with two different USB-A ports and the then-latest version of fastboot/adb downloaded. Unfortunately, I can't be certain what the issue was, but since it happened consistently with multiple cables (and those cables still appear to be working), my guess is that there was a bug with the Linux version of adb/fastboot.

For some reason I had the same issue, and I tried various USB cables, and only USB-C to USB-C cable that I bought solved it. Used Windows OS though . Seems to me that ever since USB-C came to the world, countless issues emerged with it.

Are you tried to unlock using only "fastboot flashing unlock_critical" ?
You need "fastboot flashing unlock" and then "fastboot flashing unlock_critical"

I had this problem when I got my new Pixel 2 XL.
And after I test three computers, I find that it is causing by my laptop USB ports.
So this problem is not related to Windows or MacOS or Linux.
And if I connect my phone to laptop through a hub, it works too.

I had some similar weirdness with a lenovo x1 gen 5.  The factory image installer would hang at the system image 4/5 and a few other wierdnesses.
I had been using a usb-C<>usb-C cable.
When I changed to a usb-A->usb-C cable, the problems vanished.

did you ever solve this? I have exactly the same issues top to bottom.
thanks.
EDIT: wow tried my 5th cable and it worked. Used a USB 3.0 to C (Anker brand)
Used this...
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/development/tool-deuces-bootloop-recovery-flashing-t3704761
Made sure to install the Google USB driver

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How to navigate the directory of my computer while using adb?
I want to download recovery onto my phone and to do that I need to open a command window in the folder. However, I run into problems when I try to do that. I already downloaded minimal adb and bootloader and because of that I cant open a regular cmd in the folder. In the adb itself I do not know how to navigate directories and I get confused fast when I try to Google the same question. Thats Why I want to ask all of you. How do you navigate directories in adb?

minimum adb recognizes regular paths, just use adb push D:\folder\recovery.img .

But MTP mode is faster than adb.


text:
How to root Samsung J5 2017 (Android 7.0) on Ubuntu Linux?
Phone Name: Samsung J5 2017
Model number: SM-J530F
Build number: NRD90M.J530FXXU1AQI3
I am using Ubuntu 17.10.
My question is, how could I root this phone using my PC? I have intermediate Linux shell knowledge and Android knowledge, however this is my first time attempting to root my device.
Many thanks, Thomas.


text:
"ServiceManager: Waiting for service media.audio_policy" after booting Phoenix OS for Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi on LTE device
I was trying to boot Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi (flo) ROM on the LTE (deb) device. The ROM is Phoenix OS. I'm stuck waiting for service media.audio_policy.
01-01 20:04:22.973   1041   1235 I ServiceManager: Waiting for service media.audio_policy...
01-01 20:04:22.973   1041   1235 I ServiceManager: Waiting for service media.audio_policy...
01-01 20:04:22.974   1041   1235 I ServiceManager: Waiting for service media.audio_policy...
01-01 20:04:22.974   1041   1235 W AudioSystem: AudioPolicyService not published, waiting...

Screenshot of logcat
The LCD itself sometimes shows "Starting Apps", other times it just shows boot animation.
Any solution for this?

The ROM finally booted.
What I did : I replaced /system/lib/audio*.so with file from working ROM (in my case, LineageOS ROM).

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text:
Internal Storage Dying? (S.M.A.R.T. equivalent?)
I suspect the Internal Storage on my device is failing.  How can I confirm?
If this were a computer, I would check the S.M.A.R.T. data for each storage device.  I am looking for something similar.
Misc:

My device was released over three years ago. I'm running a Marshmallow, custom stock ROM, rooted with Magisk, and with Xposed installed.
I recently wiped my device and reinstalled the custom ROM.
When requesting root, MagiskManager often crashes and logcat reports: android.database.sqlite.SQLiteDiskIOException: disk I/O error (code 1034)
I occasionally see other I/O error messages fly by on logcat
From recovery, the e2fsck / fsck.f2fs commands report no filesystem errors.

You probably want to check for bad blocks. See e.g.: How do I check bad sector on my android with ADB recovery mode? // How do you test the disk integrity of your Android tablet's file system? // probably some more candidates in this list.


text:
Removed profile photo still appears on my contacts WhatsApp
I am using WhatsApp and have a profile photo set. I updated this picture several times. Now I noticed that on the phone of my first contact there is an old profile photo displayed. On the phone of my second contact there is an even older photo displayed. I removed the picture on my phone successfully though.
Solution attempt:

I restarted WhatsApp on my phone and the phone of my first contact.
I cleared the cache of WhatsApp on my phone.

Result: The old picture is still shown.
What am I doing wrong?
Profile picture is set to "My contacts" in
Settings -> Account -> Privacy -> Profile photo -> My contacts.

This is not a duplicate of this question as I want my picture to be removed from my contacts WhatsApp.

What do you mean by "on the phone of my first contact"? Do you mean that when checking your profile on your fronds phone, they still see your old picture? Does the other phone have a working internet connection?

Exactly. Of course it has a working internet connection.

Strange. I find that sometimes only after i press on a friend's profile picture then it changes. If i don't press, it won't change. But it seems like you've tried everything. Did you try setting it that all contacts should see the profile? Maybe that will change it

I pressed it to maximize it. The old one is displayed in a very poor resolution. I had the settings that no contact shall see the picture (as this is my current intention to remove the picture), did not change anything.

I want to remove my photo from all my contacts phones, I reformulated the question.

This almost always happens with me. Your contact's WhatsApp hasn't refreshed the changed profile photo from the Server and hence it is displaying the low resolution cache version of the old photo.
There's nothing you need to do on your phone. Try to refresh the contacts list on your friend's phone. That's best you can try as the problem is not on your side.


text:
(SOLVED) How (methods) to unlock Bootloader on own Xiaomi Mi5 MIUI8 (Data Recovery context)
UPDATE: 2018/06/27, bootloader implies wipe and it is a dead end for Data Recovery, mount as USB Mass Storage implies root to change settings, and for Mi5 or MIUI 8 this implies flashing ROM (dead end too as implies Data overwritten) so the only method I found is this (if the device is functional) then with the RAW partition dump recover files is easy
(LEGACY-post, solved)
I have a problem (objective: Data Recovery)
To install TWRP (it seems, I need, explicitly unlocked-bootloader)
To unlock bootloader I researched and saw some methods:

Official method (tedious and If I understand it correctly, implies flashing some Developer-ROM, and "shit") (I want avoid that)
non-Official methods (a group of queries, I don't find too much clear methods) (BTW quality-posts on XDA-Developers have seen better days :'(

The thing is, I don't want to re-flash some ROM (as I want minimize writings for Data Recovery)
How to check if bootloader is effective-locked ?
Question: I need ways to unlock-Bootloader in this Xiaomi Mi5 device with MIUi 8 global stock (methods, more than one or two, and then I will research about it)
(This is not a trivial-question as in this particular-case:
Logic => unlocking-Bootloader <=> install TWRP to backup partitions (do Data Recovery with them, mounted on PC)
I don't know, I don't have (the Knowledge) to do some hack, but I think this has to have proper-solution.
The objective is here:
How to recover Data from Android .. sdCard / .. Downloads on Xiaomi Mi5 MIUI 8
Therefore both questions are related to each other...
Any help will be very appreciated (final objective is Data Recovery, but I want to try software, before "JTAG dump" etc (and implications of that process)

No unlocking method will preserve data, that's an anti-theft measure. Basically your position right now is the same as any thief holding a phone stolen from somewhere else, trying to obtain data inside. Also, you're better off rewording the question so it prioritizes the "data recovery" aspect rather than the "BL unlocking" aspect.

@beeshyams, I am working on it (official MIUI forums), thanks for answer

@beeshyams Mi A1 isn't quite a Mi device so to speak...

@AndyYan: That is a "theory" (statement) the excuse of anti-theft is not for me (sorry) BTW, if Xiaomi wants I have probe it is "my phone" don't worry about that. But I don't trust Xiaomi either to recover my data. There is more on Data Recovery and IT-Forensics beyond the excuse of "capped-control" of our own devices (encryption solve things, managed by own user of course). About rewording I agree, but the thing is there is main question open related to that.

@AndyYan: The real theft (usually) is "inside" the OS, that is the tragedy. (Thanks for answer BTW), there are methods to verify identity and property of devices (that implies serious support by the OEM), and they have procedures to get the data (If they want) And I want now. (When the government wants, think about your "anti theft" measure. Warranty of "control your own data", that is the important key here. The "bad guys" argument (always is), that is another matter.

(BTW) My comments have zero-acrimony (I don't know if that is a common or proper word :D), English is not my mother language. I value my data (that is all) zero intention of "roughness" I understand the "bad guys" argument (and why you said it) @AndyYan, fortunately is not that case.

I roughly get your idea. I believe manufacturers do have access to the data without unlocking BL, but that would require hardware-level access (special connectors, cables, PC-side tools, etc.). Do note that even to reflash a semi-bricked Mi device you'll need a specialized cable to access the emergency download mode. Upvoted for legit concerns - I just hope any potential answer won't be used in illegal actions.

"How to check if bootloader is effective-locked?" → fastboot oem device-info should tell you (this Xiaomi thread might give you more details, though it's for the Xiaomi Mi 5/Pro). And congrats to your gained rep, you now can enter our chat room so extensive "discussion" in comments can be avoided. Not many people in there at the moment, though; but dropping a question and having some patience usually helps :)

Thanks for answer @Izzy (I am learning about ADB and Fastboot, this days, searching for a hack, I am newbie on Android context but I am a faster-deep-learner) in the meanwhile, maybe I learn something because of this. I will see that link and continue my research about this matter (from a "own smartphone" perspective, of course) the right of owners to recover "own data" beyond the "common problem" ("the Righteous pay the price of Sinners", idiom I don't know if exists on English, as I am spanish speaker. About the levels rep etc (I am a newbie on StackExchange :D) thanks for comment and help.

@AndyYan Thanks for understanding (this is a complex topic), I have background on Data-recovery and IT-Forensics (I could access data directly via Hardware) even if that implies a JTAG-like dump (but I prefer, first try a "software method", the nature of personal info implies I won't hire a "specialist", only a specific "how to". I post on official MIUI forums, I will see if that get some answers. – TarekJor 14 mins ago   delete

BTW, I agree with the "extensive discussion in comments" problem, sorry about that :)  (from now on I will use chat). Now I am on this step:  first get official support from OEM Xiaomi, even if they need to use their propietary tools, but that has a problem about "confidential data" on Data Recovery (I will try to avoid low level JTAG-like dump, as possible), thanks for all your answers. The key thing is, if there is no-exploit, then only OEM has the solution, and as the "device owner" this need a proper special fix, but it is possible.


text:
How to test internet speed using terminal emulator on Android
I have Termux app installed on my Android phone. Is there a speed test tool that I can install and use from the command line? I have tried speedtest-cli, installed it by:
pip install speedtest-cli
pip install speedtest-cli --upgrade
I also have python installed.
When trying to use speedtest-cli it gives me error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py", line 1401, in shell
    speedtest = Speedtest()
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py", line 743, in _init_
    self.get_config()
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py", line 765, in get_config
    raise ConfigRetrievalError(e)
speedtest.ConfigRetrievalError: The read operation timed out

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/speedtest-cli", line 11, in <module>
    sys.exit(main())
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py", line 1498, in main
    shell()
  File "/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/python3.6/site-packages/speedtest.py", line 1402, in shell
    except (ConfigRetrievalError, HTTP_ERRORS):
TypeError: catching classes that do not inherit from BaseException is not allowed

How do I get a working command-line speedtest tool in Android and Termux?

We can run an script called speedtest.py  localized in Github
python speedtest.py

I'm trying to place that script inside the python working directory /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/python but it turns out I can't access it unless I root my phone (Nougat). Is there a way to set an external python path outside the termux directory?


text:
Is it possible to use one Android phone as a touchpad for another Android phone?
I really want to control my Android phone with a touchpad. But I don't have a bluetooth keyboard with touchpad. Is it possible to use one Android phone as a touchpad for another Android phone? If so, please explain how to do it.
(I want to see a mouse pointer on my main screen and control it by moving the fingers on the screen of the Android phone used as touchpad).

Whoever leaves downvotes: please explain the reason.

@Izzy I suspect there's a downvote reason for "intention too weird".

@iBug not if you think about it. If you've got your finger on the display, you can't look through the finger. There are some use-cases where an external touchpad comes in handy. But you might be right that someone thought differently – which is why I asked to state the reason. Except for very obvious cases (e.g. completely off-topic wall-of-text with gibberish) it's always a good idea to leave a comment. If it's a good reason, OP can learn from it.

@Izzy And we may soon face questions like How can I use one Android phone as a joystick/control panel/remote control/external storage/extended battery/camera/microphone/light sensor/proximity detector/ for another Android phone?

@Izzy Well, all I have done is found it interesting and voted it back to zero.

Does your phone have OTG support? You can connect a standard mouse using OTG cable. This may be the easiest option here.

Hi guys. No I don't want to use a mouse over OTG since I don't know of a good way to use OTG and charge the phone at the same time. Anyway, now that I have come up with the idea for using an Android phone as a touchpad for another Android phone I hope that we find a solution some day. Maybe someone reads this post and starts thinking "hey, that's actually a good idea" and codes an app. Or maybe there already is one. In any case, if in the future someone finds a solution please notify and link in this thread.

I haven't tried these apps since I don't have another device to test, but perhaps you can try any of the apps mentioned on this Android Central forum.


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Huawei G8 (GX8) big problem (strange)
first of all sorry for my English. I'm from Bulgaria and second this is my first time ever to do this so please excuse me if i'm doing something wrong.
I have a Huawei G8 (Rio L01). I tried to install another ROM. I have done it so many times with 30+ different Samsung phone. So I downloaded "custom rom 6.0.1" for Huawei L01. My device is rooted so I installed the latest TWRP and got a problem: I got stuck in Recovery Mode.
I had this problem a couple of years ago. I Installed older TWRP and problem solved. So I made a Factory reset, wiped and all I should do, then installed the rom, restarted the phone and boot. I got it to the screen where u choose LANGUAGE (the first screen after boot) and the moment I choose language my phone went crazy: blue, green, yellow absolutely every color on the display and flashing o.O I turned off the phone and booted it up again and got to that language choose screen and didn't press anything and same thing. I tried 10+ times and same thing: display goes crazy.
I can't go to RECOVERY MODE – only can go to that "FASTBOOT AND RESCUE MODE" . Please help! I can upload pictures if needed.
P.S. it is the bigger version - 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, dual sim if important.


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Is it a Virus? : " HTMLViewer "
For one time in my live, I accidentally set the option "Always" (tick the box) when Android ask me the question "which application must be used  to open this type of file?"
Android suggested some text application and " HTMLViewer".

I found out this was not a good idea at all!
I tried to change the default application but " HTMLViewer" does not appear in the applications list, even if system files are displayed.
" HTMLViewer" is not known on Google as it seems, and I am now suspecting it perhaps is some kind of malware.
I only installed apps from "Play Store"..
Does anyone know something about this, and maybe solution to stop this behaviour?

Here are my device's specs. As you can see... We can not update more ☺

The inoperant changes done with "Better Open with" :

Whatever it is: if it's on Android, it cannot be a virus – as there are no viruses on Android. Malware yes, but no viruses. A virus can self-replicate. Malware on Android always needs the help of the user for that.

Sorry for that!  I wrote my first assembler program it was 40 years on a compter à have built myself... The difference between virus or   Mal are does NOT change anything to the facts. Thx

HTML Viewer is not a virus and you shouldn't be alarmed.
Actually it is a core application in most android versions (It's also present on my device running android 4)
HTML viewer (as the name suggests) basically lets you read HTML files stored on your device and it occasionally handles some .txt or related extensions of files present on your device and normally appears alongside other .txt handling applications.
Under normal circumstances you should be able to remove defaults of the HTML Viewer as an individual app:

Go to Settings → Apps → Tap 3 dot menu → Show system.
Select HTML Viewer → Open by default → Clear defaults:

You also can reset default applications by following this procedure:

Go to Settings → Apps → Tap 3 dot menu → Reset app preferences then click Reset Apps to confirm:

Alternatively as beeshyams suggested: using an app like Better Open With provides flexibility to choose the prefered app even if its one.
Update
Lib Caris is right by claiming that "even by clearing defaults/resetting preferences" HTML Viewer still opens .txt despite these interventions, and I agree with him.
Don't know if I can call it a bug, I reproduced this issue again and even if defaults are cleared the changes are not confirmed in android (Android 6).
Nevertheless I have two workarounds to bypass this "bug":
1. Temporarily disabling HTML Viewer

Go to Settings → Apps → Tap 3 dot menu → Show system.
Select HTML Viewer → Disable:

After disabling HTML Viewer, navigate to your device storage and look for any .txt file and open it.
You will notice it will open with any available text viewer (not HTML Viewer)
Next follow the above procedure and re enable HTML Viewer.
Then try opening the .txt file again, this time around the defaults are cleared automatically and you have a chance to choose your preferred text viewer:

2. Choose open as with file manager

Alternatively, directly navigate to any .txt file on your device storage with a suitable file manager e.g ES explorer .
Long press the .txt file and choose "Open As"  → Clear defaults

Final Update
Due to problems in language barrier, it was a challenge to provide a conscise solution, nevertheless I will express my sincere gratitude to Lib Car, in his quest to address the problem and identifying pointer that ultimately solved this issue:

I did not find it since the beginning because it's name is NOT "
HTMLViewer ".  The NAME is " Visionneuse HTML " :


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Turn a physical device into a virtual machine for use on a PC
How can I turn a physical device (specifically this) into a virtual machine for use on a computer?
I am doing this so I can safely attempt to root my device without bricking the physical one
It should be obvious, but the device is not rooted

"It should be obvious" - how? Phones are using ARM SoCs; PCs have x86/x64 CPUs. Existing Android emulators don't run images ripped from phones, they have dedicated x86/x64 system images compiled explicitly for them.

@AndyYan Sorry I was not clear. I meant it should be obvious that the device is not rooted, not that the answer to my problem is obvious

Duplicate: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/133143/218526

Not possible. Rooting is highly hardware-dependent operation and it cannot be done virtually outside the device

So is there no "safe" way to root the phone?

Nope. Rooting usually is not "safe"


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Updated phone, now fingerprint & WiFi don't work and I can't read or write from internal storage
OnePlus 5 128GB, running OOS 4.5.15, rooted with Magisk 15.1, tried updating to latest OTA (Oreo), ended up bricking the phone, unbricked it, restored Nougat + backups of /data and /sdcard, now everything works except WiFi (stays on "turning on..."), fingerprint sensor (only works as home button) and sdcard isn't readable (I can only list files, but when I try to read or write I get EACCES.
Tried flashing latest firmware+modem, didn't work.
Tried wiping system/data/storage and flashing Nougat again, in the "first setup" page it was able to list WiFi networks but couldn't connect (stayed on "saved, secure").
Now I reloaded all my backups so I have an almost working phone, but without internal storage I can't do much. I can't take pictures, can't download files, can't play games (obb is on internal storage).
It worked fine before the update so it can't be a hardware problem, and even, it would be surprising that both the WiFi antenna, the fingerprint sensor and the eMMC card stop working at the same time.
Also worth mentioning that I can write to internal storage without any problems from TWRP.
edit: oops, wrong site. I forgot there was an Android-specific board. My bad.

After a few days, I figured out the solution for each problem:

Wi-Fi: I needed to delete /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf (which had been restored from Nougat) and reboot
Fingerprint: Delete /data/system/users/0/fpdata and /data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml
Storage: Wipe storage from TWRP, reboot to OS to reformat it, and restore files from TWRP

For those who would be wondering how to update from OOS Nougat to Oreo, here is a guide.


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My wifi will not stay on anymore
I have a Android 5.1 system a few day ago my wifi started turning it self off now it will not stay on for more than 5 minutes. I been through setting up and down I can find anything wrong accept one thing in the wifi advanced settings the web certificate section is totally empty. First advice I tried from online was infected with malware So I downloaded the the tool to check and remove. After the scan it came up clean.

If your using a Samsung device, then turn off smart network switch in WiFi settings


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Trouble Unlocking Bootloader on Android Device (RCA Voyager Tablet)
Okay, so I've figured out how to set up ADB on Mac OS X and I've followed all the instructions on how to get to Fastboot from ADB. The last command I use is:

fastboot oem unlock

This command in ADB is supposed to unlock the bootloader.  On my device, it asked for confirmation to unlock the bootloader, volume up is yes and volume down is no.  Well, the "no" option works perfectly fine but then the "yes" option does absolutely nothing on the device or the terminal window.
Does somebody know what's going on? I can seem to figure it out, even though I've searched all over the internet.
Some sites say that you have to take the device off of the charging cable before booting into fastboot, but I've tried this and found it unsuccessful.
My device is running Android Lollipop.  All the developer settings are enabled like they're supposed to and ADB commands all work until the point where I get stuck.
EDIT: I'm attaching a screenshot of what my developer settings page looks like.  I can't find the OEM setting anywhere.Image

In developer options, have you enabled "allow oem unlock"? Also, have you seen the XDA guide on RCA Voyager RCT6873W42 Unlock Boot loader and root? As you only say "all the instructions" but not which ones, it's hard to guess.

I have already checked that page, however, the ADB terminal code was invalid when I typed it in.  They used something like "fastboot flashing unlock" which just showed an error in the terminal window.  I've been using https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/24-06-2016-oneplus-2-how-to-unlock-bootloader-flash-twrp-root-nandroid-efs-backup-and-more.345478/ for the process.  I've checked the developer options, however, "oem unlock" doesn't seem to be an option at all.

The fastboot flashing command is e.g. used on Verizon devices. OK, I have neither, so I am out here. Just thought to mention the XDA post; couldn't know you'd already seen that.

Thanks I appreciate your help.  I was going to follow that XDA post, but it seems the links to the downloads on it no longer even work :/ Oh well, hopefully someone can help me out or I'll con across a solution I haven't found yet online.

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited the site anymore after 4 years, and no upvotes on existing answers). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

Do you have the USB DEBUGGING CHECKED BOX ON. I know USB DEBUGGER has to be on. Theres also a box about ADB/ADT make sure that is checked along with the setting install from unknown locations has to be on for 3rd party apps other than the ones from google play. It sounds like that is all that has to be on in your settings under Accessibility and under Developer options in your Settings menu.
Your other question about your volume up and down button. You need to shut your phone off then hold down on volume button and power button at same time until you see the Android bootloader settings pop up on screen then let go, somme samsungs you also have to be holding down on the menu key as well as power key, volume down.all at same time till bootoader then hurry let up

I'm not having an issue entering fastboot. But when it asked to confirm unlocking the bootloader the volume up key doesn't work, which is the button you need to press yes to confirm.

It should be the VOL UP but you may want to try the VOL DOWN as weel I remember on another RCA device that people having that problem that it only worked with the VOL DOWN.     By the way which version of Android does you device run? Were you able to turn on OEM unlocking in developer Settings?

I remember seeing others having the same problem.
One of the solutions I have found that worked is to hold down the the Vol up while you enter the command on you PC and hit enter. Then when release the VOL UP and press the POWER button.
You may want to go thru the following 2 threads on XDA Forums From what I remember there were some other solutions to your problem there.

[Guide] RCA Voyager RCT6873W42 Unlock Boot loader and root

The above solution I found in the middle of post #103 (its a long post and the poster first says he wasn't able to get it and then edited the post with this solution).

RCA Voyager rct6873w42 rooting help


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Disable Split-Screen/Multi-Window for apps
Forgive me if this is a duplicate post as I couldn't find a solution in post history.
My question is concerning Split-screen/multi-screen functionality in Android Nougat. Is there a way to disable app split screen functionality? My device is a rooted Motorolla Nexus 6 with Android 7.0. I was wondering if there was an adb command or a line I can add to the build.prop file to disable multi-window in the system.
If it is easier, is there a way to simply change what occurs when the recent app button is held?

[Is] there a way to simply change what occurs when the recent app button is held?

You can tweak the Overview (Recent) button for long-press event using GravityBox [N]. GravityBox requires a comapatible Xposed Framework.
In GravityBox module, go to Navigation keys actions → scroll to Recents key → tap Long-press action → choose an appropriate action.
From then on, long-pressing the Overview button would not show spit-screen mode.
Tested on Nexus 6 running stock Android 7.1.1.

Thanks for the information! After looking at your answer, I noticed there is a download for Xsposed framework ported within the Magisk Manager. Do you know if this version of Xsposed is compatable with GravityBox? If not do you know of a good guide so I can be sure to set up the Xsposed framework safely and correctly. Thanks!

A quick search on setprop multiwindow nougat disable turned up a Reddit I managed to disable multiwindow in Nougat!. The part matching your question is:

Set the secure setting "set_multiwindow_feature_list" to " " (space).

The command-line for that would be:
> adb shell
$ settings put secure set_multiwindow_feature_list " "

The Reddit post also includes a howto for Tasker.
Note that I've not verified the above as I have no Nougat device to do so.

Thank you for the useful information I particularly like the adb shell settings list the reddit post mentioned.  Unfortunately, after a little digging, it appears like his solution does not work for my Nexus 6 device as there is no "multiwindow_feature_list" attribute to modify with adb for google devices.

Scanning the Reddit again it seems ir refers to a Samsung device. Yuck, why does Samsung always do its own thing – and always "just the other way around" (like putting the "back" key on the right side when every other device has it on the left)? Sorry it didn't work out then. I still leave the answer stay as it might come handy to some Sammy users.

There are also apps available on Play store for Samsung users but none for others :(

There's no setup for Xposed. If you're rooted with the excellent work of topjohns Magisk, just flash the latest Xposed. If your ROM is compatible it will boot GREEN. Be sure to give it root privalages and you may need to reboot twice. Hard boot suggested. As for disabling your split window stuff, look for it in build.prop if there's a 1 next to it, replace with with "0". Better yet, flash AEX ROM and enable, disable whatever you want. Oh and Xposed is system-less within Magisk. Be sure to flash Magisk Manager "mm" and follow the super simple set up guide. It'll save your ass. And I'm sure you know to save any changes you make to your build.prop as 0644.

Build.prop can also be edited systemless.


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Is there a downside to keeping the HDR mode on my Moto G phone camera always on?
My moto G allows HDR (in the camera app ) in three settings:

Always on
Off
Auto

I was wondering, what's the downside to keeping HDR always on? Is there such a thing as spoiling a shot with HDR when none was needed?
I sometimes feel the HDR in Auto does not always kick-in in situations where it ought to have!

Auto HDR mode captures good images and storage size will be larger than normal images. Also, it may have some lag during capture. Otherwise, there's no downside I think.

No downside to it (barring some scenarios)
HDR increases the dynamic range between the darkest and brightest colours in your photo and there's no downside to it apart from lag (that may be fixed by using camera apps that respond faster -you would need to experiment)
But it's not a silver bullet to increase the quality. Some situations where it spoils rather than help :

If the picture you wish to take isn't already brightly lit with a bright spots and dark ones (like shadows)  , it's better to avoid HDR. In this case, HDR photos look artificial. As Izzy pointed out in comments, pictures that don't have much contrast between dark and bright (low dynamic range) don't come out well. HDR can only enhance range not create . Try taking a picture indoor with subdued lighting with HDR to see how poorly it comes out.
If you or the object is moving, the lag may cause blurry photos (HDR takes 3 photos – normal exposure, under-exposure, over-exposure – and combines them. (In professional cameras it takes even 7 photos). If the object moves in this process , it becomes evident as blur. This is called ghosting (anti-ghosting algorithms may be able to compensate, but they have their limits). Same result if you move while taking the shot.
Also if your picture has bright colours already like close up of a bunch of flowers in a garden, it adds artificiality.

For a technical understanding see this from our sister site What is HDR
You may feel that HDR is not kicking in when it is required, but then it is the software which decides when it should, so better leave the judgement to it ! (Setting on Auto)

Good points as always :) To make the first bullet point a bit clearer: HDR works best if there's much light and much dark at the same time (i.e. a "big range of brightness", i.e. a "High (Dynamic) Range"). It cannot improve a photo if the range is small (i.e. all is "equally lit", i.e. either all dark, all bright or all "middle" – i.e. a "Low (dynamic) Range"). // For the second bullet point, maybe some background: HDR takes 3 photos and combines them (normal exposure, under-exposure, over-exposure). // 3rd bullet is interesting, never thought of that! +1

I've experienced that HDR can spoil human skin color very badly (it becomes yellow, green orblue depending on neighbor color near the body-background border). So if you happen to photograph people on sunny days a lot, AutoHDR may sometimes deliver  an unnatural outcome to you.

As a semi-pro photographer, I've used HDR mode near-exclusively across many phones over the last 10 years, and it's exceptionally rare that I won't have it always on. The quality benefits almost always outweigh the cons.
By far the #1 caveat of HDR mode is that it takes longer to take a photo:

First, it takes 2-3 times as long just to take the photos it'll need to blend together, which makes it nearly impossible to use when anything is moving. In low light especially that can be ages, though Moto has manual ISO/shutter speed to alleviate that. It'll either be a blurry mess or won't be able to HDR anything, or worse, both in different parts of the image. All of the major camera apps (Google's, Apple's, and Samsung's) are much better at detecting that than they used to be, and just throw away the HDR.
Second, it takes ages to process the HDR into the final image. That means you can only take 2-3 in quick succession, and then the camera will tell you to be patient while it does its thing. The faster the phone is, the faster it processes. Low-end phones usually don't even have HDR because they're just too slow and memory starved, but only the highest-end flagships will be fast enough that you won't notice. The Galaxy S8 was the only one I could only rarely get to pause. My Nexus 5X was infuriating because if I left the camera app or put the phone to sleep, it sometimes would kill the app for taking too long while it was HDRing, leaving a corrupted photo. Along the same lines, battery life suffers considerably vs taking straight photos, as well.

There are a few other negatives:

If you happen to get a sunbeam in just one tiny corner, app will consider the whole shot overexposed and significantly reduce the saturation and contrast of the rest of the photo to compensate. I've yet to encounter a camera app that offered a region of interest for its HDR analysis. You do need to pay attention to framing; these are the only times I wish it'd give me a raw mode.
If shots are slightly rotated, you can get some VERY strange artifacts.

The benefits are great, though:

You get detail everywhere instead of blown highlights and lowlights, without having to mess with raw mode or manual HDR blending.
You often get improved white balance.
You almost always get a significantly less noisy and more detailed image, simply due to the nature of blending 3 separate shots. The noise pattern will always be slightly offset, since it's never held perfectly still. High-ISO shots benefit enormously, no more need for extra-long exposures with high likelihood of blurring.
In contrast to the other answer, I've found that HDR mode also turns on a "magic fix" mode. Just like high contrast photos are compressed, low contrast is expanded somewhat. You can only do so much in an 8-bit format, but HDR definitely gives you either a better immediate shot or a much better base to start from than instant photos.


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If I'm connected to device A don't connect to device B
I often find myself in my car following my wife until our commutes separate.
When arriving at stop signs for instance, my audio regularly cuts out and transfers to the BT Audio in her vehicle.
I'd like to create a solution, in Tasker, which is when I'm connected to the BT in my vehicle, don't connect to the BT in hers.
I've created the profile and am struggling with the task to accomplish disconnect BT from her device, or just prevent further BT connections.  Can anyone help?
The profile is set up as:
State > Net > BT Connected
The address of my vehicle.
So now I need a task to disconnect from the BT in the other car.  But I can't figure it out.

I was taking about Tasker. I've updated the question and added the tag. If you have an alternate way to accomplish the goal without Tasker, i would love to hear about it.

I haven't tried this but with Macrodroid create a macro where trigger is Bluetooth connected to your device and action is disconnect Bluetooth audio (hers).  Your device needs to be paired and connected to test this. I don't use Tasker so can't help with that

@beeshyams with Tasker it would be the same. Haven't tried it, and todbanner didn't specify the profile set up – but basically it should be "condition: my car connected; task: disconnect hers".

@Izzy Agreed! perhaps you can give todbanner a sample task to achieve this, be sure to post as answer :)

@xavier_fakerat As I cannot verify it, I'd prefer todbanner to confirm that first. The question doesn't state how exactly the profile was set up, so it's hard to tell. From raw guessing, I'd say first try the "disconnect" beeshyams also recommended. If that doesn't work out, try "prevent" (didn't know there was such a thing).

Question updates with more info on profile setup.


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Wifi turning off automatically when turned on
My phone is lenovo vibe k5:
I am facing the issue when I turn WiFi on, its turning on-off continuously!
"Scanning Always Available" Is Also Turned Off and there is not any saved network...
Still I am facing this issue.

No, its Wi-Fi problem not hotspot problem


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Redmi 3s Prime stuck on logo (Not Rooted!)
Redmi 3s Prime is stuck on Mi Logo (My phone is not rooted I haven't tried flashing anything at all).
Another strange thing is When I am calling from other mobile call is getting placed.

I went to recovery mode by pressing Power + Volume up  then selected recovery mode. Pressed blue button (It was written in Chinese)  selected reboot to system it booted normally.


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How to pull files from almost bricked android device? (Common suggestions didn't work)
I'm new to super user, so please be nice.
My mom has an Odys Rise 10 android (lollipop) tablet, which now fails to boot. All it is doing now is to boot into recovery mode. Before I try to do a factory reset I want to pull all her photos from the device (Yes, I told her about regular backups, but... you know.).
I can use the ADB to connect via USB to the tablet, status is 'recovery'. I can send command to reboot, but I can neither start the shell nor pull files from the tablet. The error says no such file / file does not exist. I assume that the USB debugging is disabled. The device is not accessible via fastboot. Installing custom recovery (e.g. CWM) did not work since I couldn't find a build for the Odys tablet.
But: I can push files into the /system/ folder, so an option could be to push in an altered build.prop with debugging enabled. Unfortunately, I have no original build.prop as a template.
Is it possible to write a kind of minimum build.prop from scratch that could do the job? Or could I just use a build.prop from a arbitrary android device?
Any other ideas are also welcome.
Thanks for any suggestion.
Update 1:
I pulled a build.prop from another android 5 device (actually a Sony Xperia, since the Odys Rise is apparently a rare kind) to get an impression of the content. Much stuff in there. Has anybody an idea which settings are crucial during recovery mode and thus have to be correct for the bricked tablet? And which build.prop entries are not crucial and can be wrong as long as the recovery mode still works? Before  I start playing with the build-prop I want be be sure that I don not make things worse.
Update 2:
I learned that it might be a bad idea to simply replace the build.prop with a random variant, especially when the build number and model number is wrong. But with a lot of searching and begging I got a full update rom file, which should contain a propper build.prop. The problem now is that I cannot access the rom yet. The img-file is not a zip, and cannot be opened via ext4-unpacker or ext2-explorer. Any suggestions on this issue? Anyone?

So. The question was basically whether it is possible to write a new build.prop to enable usb debugging when no original template is available.
The answer is yes.
I found out that the stock recovery of the tablet is able to show the latest log files, and these logs contain all entries of the build.prop. Or perhaps the default.prop. After I was able to get a rom image of the stock firmware and was able to unpack this, I had a genuine build.prop to compare.
However, this (new) build.prop with enabled usb debugging was not solving my problem with accessing the photos of the bricked tablet. I was in fact able to push this build.prop into /system folder, but without any effect. But that is subject of another question / thread.


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Unlock bootloader on Dell Venue 10 5050
I have a bricked Dell tablet that doesn't boot and also a has locked bootloader (Secure Boot: Enable). I've made a full partition dd backup, but now I cannot flash it via fastboot supposedly because of the locked bootloader. I obtained root before making the backup and so this backup seems to be unsigned, as they said me here.
I tried to unlock via fastboot oem unlock but it throws

FAILED (remote: unknown OEM command)

Command fastboot flashing unlock doesn't work as well.
This tablet has BIOS but it doesn't have option for disabling Secure Boot.
I found this instruction how to disable Secure Boot, but I wasn't able to fulfill it, 'cause I got flash_cmds error while flashing osloader.
Is there any chance to unlock bootloader or fix it some other way?


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Bricked Note GT-8013, unable to boot from TWRP recovery (flashes logo for 1-2 secs), nor on normal mode, installed TWRP via both IMG and TAR
I'm running a Samsung Note GT-N8013. One day, my tablet fails to boot, saying that encryption had been unsuccessful; according to this answer, /data has failed to format. I can't reset the device, pressing the reset button on the screen does nothing. I also can't boot into TWRP recovery mode, it just flashes the logo screen for 1-2 seconds and switches back to the Samsung Note logo screen. I've tried to reinstall TWRP into the recovery partition using both twrp-2.8.7.0-gt-n8013.img and twrp-2.8.6.0-gt-n8013.tar with Heimdall.

Try flashing a full factory firmware. This does smell like a fried NAND chip so I doubt that would be any success.

@AndyYan I have the firmware downloaded as a ZIP archive. Where should I flash it to?

You see a .tar or .tar.md5 (or multiple) inside it? Use Odin/Heimdall to flash. Plenty of instructions around the web.

Yes, I've extracted the archive. The contents of the firmware are a bit different than those shown in guides, I have: boot.img*    PM_sharkl_arm7.bin*  sboot.bin*   SPRDGDSP.img*    system.img* cache.img*   recovery.img*        spl.img*     SPRDLTEDSP.img* hidden.img*  sboot2.bin*          SPRDCP.img*  SPRDWDSP.img*. Apparently, I'm missing critical files like zImage and a PIT file.

Sounds looks like the file is actually a .tar or .tar.md5 but renamed to .zip. Rename it back and flash. zImage is part of the kernel (boot.img); PIT is not always needed.

How do you mean? I can't flash a TAR archive, right? Every tutorial I've found requires the individual files to be flashed to their corresponding partition.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

I've flashed the correct firmware into the system, now it just gets stuck on the Android logo during boot.

Curiously though, when it returns the "Encryption unsuccessful" window, I still have control over the sound and I can take a screenshot. It also has the "back" button in the bottom bar.


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WhatsApp notification showing "Deleting all messages"
My father has a Samsung Galaxy On5, Android 6.0.1-Marshmallow.
Today, all of a sudden, the WhatsApp on his phone started showing this:

I quickly restarted the phone, but the notification again came back after some time. Moreover, although it's saying it's deleting messages, no message is actually being deleted from any chat or group.
Has anyone faced something like this before? Is it some malware that's causing this? I performed a check of the phone by Malwarebytes, but everything seems to be okay.

Never heard of this. But I'm wondering what happens when you press on the notification? Does it open any WhatsApp setting that would explain this? Is he using Whatsapp beta?

No not beta. And the interesting fact is that, nothing happens even if I press on the notification. Everything is working normally. It's been one hour, but the notification is still intact. Can't even swipe and remove it.

@beeshyams phone not charging, battery was about 60%, 87% used on device storage.

Ok. 87% used is a pointer. Here is my guess WhatsApp does local backup everyday supposedly at 2 am but the time is not confirmed. Users have reported at different times  and also observed by me//

Local backup was attempted by WhatsApp but failed since storage was low (87%) . Backup can fail for this reason as per WhatsApp FAQ. So what has probably happened is that backup attempted, failed and WhatsApp cleaning the leftovers from attempted backup. That's why no messages got actually deleted. To confirm this theory, see if it actually did a local backup in early hours. If it is not there then this guess hold weight

I'll check that when father returns, but I can provide this much information: in father's phone, the WhatsApp folder is of 200MB, while in mine, it's near about 300MB. My storage is 92% used. But WhatsApp still creates the local backup without trouble.

Did you ever find out what it was?

It kept on showing the same thing. I reported a bug at whatsapp through feedback. Just after the latest update, it's not happening any more.

To remove the blocking "deleting all messages" notification:

Go to Settings - Apps - WhatsApp
Press "Force stop"

Go to Setting - Apps - WhatsApp
Turn off the notification
Clear all the notification (interface or desktop)
Turn on the notification again

Fixes-

Open settings->App management (depends on ur system). Now find Whatsapp from the list. Then tap that and click Force stop.
If above step did not work, then try reinstalling Whatsapp from Play Store. Your data won't be lost.
Hope this helps


text:
How to install Messenger Lite on Samsung tablet
I'm want to install Facebook Messenger Lite on my non-rooted Samsung T-580 tablet with Nougat 7.0. There is a message saying:
"Your device isn't compatible with this version."
No more info is provided on why this happens. Why can't I install the application, and is there a way around it?

Try the solution of download from Amazon https://support.google.com/googleplay/forum/AAAA8CVOtD8nM5AhJBxAPA/?hl=en

You can install it from apkmirror choose your android version and it's done. If after installation app misbehave try to install a lower version of the app.
Remember: You may be asked to enable 'Unknown Sources' (to install apps that are downloaded outside of playstore).
To enable:
• Open Settings
• Security Settings
Under 'Security Settings' you will see this option.


text:
Phone reboots when I connect it to my PC via USB
I have a Medion P5015 and I've tried rooting it with Kingroot and Kingoroot together with the PC and Android versions but to no avail. Now when I try to connect my phone to my PC with the provided data cable, the screen freezes as soon as I plug it in. Soft buttons & hard buttons do nothing. After a few seconds, it reboots to the boot screen but goes to a black screen and goes back to the boot screen, and goes on.
When I unplug it during this stage, it cuts off then I have to manually power it on with the power button, quite absurd if you ask me.

I find that rooting and such causes unforeseen problems. I am trying to learn to keep everything stock and update when they are available. It is very hard sometimes to resist temptation. But usually, there are negative results down the road. I would reset my phone to the factory by going to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone. It will pop up confirmation. Click yes and the phone will then reboot and continue the Reset from recovery mode.

Thanks for the response, since I can't connect my phone to my pc to perform a backup on my applications along with there data is there something I can do?


text:
Chrome Refreshes On Orientation Change
I recently wiped my phone and reinstalled the same custom, rooted, stock ROM.
Since then, when I rotate the phone, Chrome rotates the display (as expected) but then refreshes the page.  The loading bar goes across, a YouTube video will stop playing, and depending on the page the scroll position is lost.
Before, the display would simply rotate in place without issue.
I have never seen this behavior before and I cannot find any relevant setting to change it, including in chrome://flags.
What is causing Chrome to refresh when I change the screen orientation?

Try clearing data of chrome (settings>apps>chrome>storage>manage storage>clear data)

I disabled the DPI override for Chrome in the App Settings app for Xposed, and the problem went away.
Now I'll search for a different way to adjust Chrome's DPI.
Notes:

This issue did not occur in Chrome 52, the stock version for this ROM
Clearing Chrome app data did not fix the issue

In the end, I set the DPI for the entire phone to match the desired DPI for Chrome, via the ro.sf.lcd_density setting in the file build.prop.  I then changed the DPI of other apps as necessary with Xposed: App Settings.

Have you found a workaround for this? It breaks my flow while browsing but at the same time, I need the upscaled Chrome UI

I did. See edited answer

Wow that's kind of a scorched earth approach I feel. I may have to weigh down the importance of things before committing to something like that as I have a shitton of apps that I don't need to change the scaling for


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adb.exe runs then disappears
I had ADB working just a few days ago, but now, whenever I try to run adb.exe, it will start the daemon successfully, and then after a couple of commands the adb.exe file itself will disappear. When I try to uninstall then reinstall platform-tools via Android Studio's SDK manager immediately afterward, the uninstaller hangs (though the window doesn't freeze) after the following output:
To install:
Preparing "Uninstall Android SDK Platform-Tools (revision: 27.0.1)".
Generating patch...
"Uninstall Android SDK Platform-Tools (revision: 27.0.1)" ready.
Finishing "Uninstall Android SDK Platform-Tools (revision: 27.0.1)"
Stopping ADB...

with the status:
Packing .installer/
However, I can't seem to find anything ADB-related in Task Manager. I tried killing it with adb kill-server, buy CMD's reply was of course that it couldn't find adb. After I restart Windows, the uninstallation/reinstallation runs perfectly well, but ADB just disappears all over again. What in the world is going on, and how do I get ABD up and running again?
Example CMD. When I reinstalled ADB after taking this screenshot and tried again, I didn't even get the * daemon started successfully message.

OS: Windows 10
Device: LG V30+ (United States/Sprint), Android 7.1.1, LGE USB driver

Sometimes Antivirus softwares block ADB, try disabling your AV software and try again. Or download Minimal ADB& Fastboot.

Facepalm. Yep, that was it. I checked my quarantine folder and it was full of adb.exe's. Thanks.

You're welcome. I never understood why ADB os blocked by AV softwares.

AV software often has more side-effects than good uses. Glad I don't need that snake-oil which only eats resources, throws false alerts, and makes things disappear :)

Unless you are on Linux systems, AV is mandatory for Windows computers, or at least essential, as they are mainly targeted by malwares and viruses

As esQmo_ guessed in the comments on my question, my antivirus (Avast) was blocking adb.exe, probably with some silly "heuristic protection" feature. I checked my quarantine folder and found it chock full of adb.exe's. I whitelisted adb.exe and did not run into any more problems.

That's all true. Disable Avast for Adv. exe but it seems to be a real threat because when trying to install the APK on a real device, the antivirus of the cell blocks it. If we unlock this option, we see strange behaviors in the Android system so I'm convinced that  "Adv. exe " comes with bad intentions from a download server in Android Studio.


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Moto G 2014 without OS or any connection, stuck with fastboot and TWRP
For a few days now, I've been trying to recover my phone. It's a XT1069 (a brazilian dual-SIM Moto G 2014 with 16 GB of storage and DTV). It had a Resurrection Remix ROM with Android 7.1. The battery died, and then whenever I tried to turn it on, it got stuck in Resurrection Remix's loading screen, for whatever reason. That wasn't really a big issue, in fact it was actually good, because it gave me motive to update my ROM, which I was planning to do.
Up until then, everything was working fine (although Resurrection Remix didn't boot). I downloaded Pixel Experience with Android 8.0, then I opened TWRP and transferred it to the phone through USB (TWRP supports it). I wiped the system partition (don't remember why - maybe I had tried to install it before and got an error, maybe out of space, I don't know) and tried to flash it. It gave an error, which basically meant I had to update TWRP.
But uh oh! I can't anymore. My PC won't detect the phone whatsoever! I tried using fastboot, ADB in TWRP, MTP in TWRP, but all I can do via USB is charge it (TWRP does display a "+" after the battery percentage, and it does charge). I was using Debian 9.0.0 when I did this, but I accidentally deleted all partitions in my HDD while trying to install Windows 10, managed to recover them, and finally actually installed Windows 10 (for dual boot - I couldn't dislike Windows more). In either Debian or Windows, it doesn't detect it anymore. Previously it would make a sound and display a notification. It doesn't anymore, in the same conditions (in TWRP, with MTP either enabled or disabled). ADB and Fastboot don't work at all, where they previously did. I already installed drivers in both OSes. Actually, before I even installed drivers, it worked. Even the SD card isn't being detected by the phone anymore. It doesn't mount in TWRP (no error, it seems it wasn't even inserted), and I can't access it in the Install menu (says it's 0 MB, and won't access it). It previously worked.
I've searched around a ton. Every solution is basically installing drivers, using MTP (can't do), disabling MTP to use ADB (can't do), using ADB Sideload from the Advanced menu in TWRP (can't do), restarting computer and/or phone, updating TWRP (can't do), SD card (can't do), USB OTG (I don't have an adapter, and buying one would require my parents' consent, which is a bad thing, and besides, considering the other options, it's not likely that it'll work).
I'm desperated. I don't know what to do anymore. Can somebody help me? What can I do to update TWRP, while my phone is in this state?
(Large question, eh. Well, I'm being as specific as I can. Please read it so you can understand the situation.)

Is your ADB for windows the latest version? I have heard on XDA that older versions can create a problem just a guess

It was an old version, and I updated, no dice though.

Seems it was a problem with my computer and my cable. I got lucky and had a chance to try with another computer and another cable, and the USB worked. Working fine now.

I have had this exact problem with an XT1039. As you've deleted the system partition you'll need to restore to a factory ROM for the phone, which is on XDA.
Boot to recovery (power + volume down), and plug the phone in to your PC and you should have access to a minimal adb. Flash the factory image and it should then boot.
These instructions should help: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542219

The biggest problem OP have right now is exactly the PC not detecting the device at all.

True, but they don't seem to have booted to recovery, which is probably the only thing that's going to work - the issue is probably that system folder was deleted.

Recovery ≠ bootloader - recovery at most provides partial ADB support; bootloader is what works with fastboot.

Corrected, you need a method of getting the factory ROM onto the phone. I've found an XDA post now, added to the answer.

Hmm, I don't see any reference to adb push in the thread you referred to... OP also mentioned ADB not working for him either though. For now I myself am out of ideas.

Fixed again :) Fairly certain that the XDA post was the one I followed a few months ago.

Yeah, it doesn't connect, via either fastboot or adb... This case is hopeless, isn't it?


text:
Using a link with a browser
I have a simple link from an email which I click.
I get the following error message:
"to view this content, install and set up a web browsing app."

I already set the default browser to once chrome and once firefox, but still I get this error.
What could be the problem ? and hints ?
The link is about testing an app:
https://play.google.com/apps/testing/solveraapps.chronicbrowser_wgd_maps It should derict you to a page for installing the app. You will not be able to install the app, (Because you should be member of an Google+ Group), but at least there should come a different message from a website content.

When I long press the link and choose the option to open in another tab it opens ! So that's something to do with how it is linked

Also if I paste the link in Firefox, it opens to Google account sign in. So surely something fishy with the link

kindly copy and paste the link into chrome and stay logged in to your account. Else link looks fine to me.


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Is it safe to grant WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS Setting to an app?
I'm trying to determine if it's safe to grant the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS permission to an app. Specifically, I would want to grant this permission to MacroDroid (an automation app similar to Tasker) so that the app can turn on location/GPS automatically (without my input) based on the automation rules that I set. It seems that no app can automatically turn on/off location/GPS without the user input, so Macrodroid recommended its users to grant their app this permission (see forum) if they want the app to set the following automatically:

Battery Saver
Location Mode
NFC Enable/Disable
Set Language

I've been exploring the ABD tool but a bit reluctant to do this since I couldn't find information about the safety of granting this permission to 3rd party app. I also don't know the full list of features that the app can do after WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS is granted, so I appreciate if you can give me some details about this secure settings permission.
After digging in a bit and it seems that the Android docs didn't say much. https://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html#WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
Appreciate the help!

How do you define safe? Next, these permissions are required to bypass  Android restrictions on stock devices. Android has evolved with changing restrictions for users. In KitKat, you could have apps turn off mobile data without root. Now you can't. If you are uncomfortable with this hack, them don't use it but I see no risk. For the same app, I have used this hack for my unrooted device that I am currently using

By safe, I mean what potential harm can the app do to your system if this permission is enable on the app. Part of the reasons I'm asking is that I don't know the full list of settings the app can change if this is enabled. Based on the forum, it seems the app can change the following: Battery Saver, Location Mode, NFC Enable/Disable, Set Language.
But is this the complete list? The Android docs don't tell you this.

I can't say about potential harm but the list is complete

I don't have any experience with Android's Secure Settings, but Settings.Secure (and probably also Settings.Global) might help.

@AndrewT. nice find! thanks for the info. Seems that has a complete list. So an app can use any of the available settings that are under the Settings.Secure group if the write secure settings are granted to it.


text:
WiFi works, but frequently disconnects with "authentication problem"
I have a DOOGEE S60 with Android 7.0 Nougat.
It can connect to my 2.4GHz WiFi network at home without problems. However, quite frequently, the phone disconnects, showing the message "authentication problem" below the SSID. Manually reconnecting then temporarily fixes the problem, until the next random disconnect.
I have an ASUS RT-AC66U with Merlin firmware. The WiFi network uses WPA2-PSK+TKIP/AES. The phone is not rooted, and I'd like to keep it that way.
Observations:

The phone maintains a stable WiFi connection on my company's network; this other network uses WPA2-PSK TKIP.
Switching the WiFi on the phone off and on again, rebooting the router, rebooting the phone, forgetting and re-logging into the network, etc., all have no effect
Same behavior occurs when using a 5GHz network (the ASUS router is dual-band)
I have 23 other devices; they all connect to the same network without any problems whatsoever.
The network does not employ MAC filtering or other such smoke-screen type security measures
There is nothing relevant in the router's logs
Disconnections occur completely randomly; sometimes I have difficulty maintaining a connection for longer than 2 minutes, sometimes it lasts the whole night.
It does seem to be related to which apps are used. Particularly ad-infested apps seem to cause more frequent disconnections.

...I have no idea how to even begin diagnosing this extremely annoying problem. Any ideas?

@beeshyams Thanks. In fact, I have a pretty good anti-intrusive-ad setup: I have a couple of scripts on the router that redirect connection attempts to known ad servers to an on-router installation of pixelserv. Together with an adblocker on the device itself, that works pretty well under most circumstances. However, things like the StumbleUpon app (which I rather like) directs all traffic through its servers, essentially bypassing my whole setup. So, it's not really the app that is ad-infested, but the naked, bare, uncensored internet. Yet, that is one app that seems to affect the problem.

@beeshyams but, even if I'm using NO APP AT ALL (e.g., after a fresh reboot), the problem persists...On a PC, I would consult a system log to try and identify the reason for the disconnection; what would be unrooted-Android equivalent? Is there one?

I am only aware of log cat which requires root. Let's wait for knowledgeable folks to suggest. Besides, if that app has permission to start on boot it needn't be activated to cause trouble ! If you can live without that app for ab day or two , uninstall that and see - if the problem is resolved, your problem statement is much simplified attacking that app. Also please add the ad blocker setup in your question, lest somebody suggest on similar lines (all don't read comments)


text:
Intent sent by Google app to WhatsApp
I have some very basic knowledge regarding the working of intents. I am a user of Tasker. Even after a lot of searching, I could not find any intent using which I could send a WhatsApp message.
But, as we all know, the Google app using some method to send WhatsApp messages when we say * Send a WhatsApp message to XYZ*. How does the Google app do this?

Are you asking as a developer trying to send an intent to WhatsApp? If so, questions about writing and publishing Android apps and other topics that are primarily of concern to developers are off-topic on Android Enthusiasts.

No @Charles Caldwell , I am not a developer. I myself am a techno-geek with some knowledge of Tasker

You can find answers on WhatsApp sento intent here: https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/28000012 or here: Send text to specific contact programmatically (whatsapp)

May I suggest you using our fine search engine with the terms whatsapp intent? How does Google app interact with WhatsApp? confirms your guess on intents, and WhatsApp Intent covers your Tasker question.


text:
Unknown apps - My Consumer Cellular and Prip
I've purchased MotoG4 Plus (Unlocked) around Summer 2016 at Amazon(India). I've been using the phone since then and have been extremely cautious about the apps I use on my phone.
Whilst playing through some settings on Pushbullet (under setting: Notification Mirroring > Choose which apps to enable), I've noticed an app named My Consumer Celluar who's logo looks similar to this playstore listing and two apps named Prip who's logo looks similar to this listing.

I've never installed these apps before and these apps are not listed under Android App Settings for me to simply uninstall.
Atleast, the android app id for Prip is com.motorola.ptt.prip which makes sense because I have a Motorola phone. But, I have no idea about Consumer Cellular.
My questions:

Why did Motorola install these apps even though it was sold in a different market ?
How are these apps not visible under general android app settings ?
Do these concealed apps work in the background thus invading my privacy? If so, How could one know that the apps are running in the background ?

It's probably your carrier added bloatware. Check with them first

Re: "How are these apps not visible under general android app settings", have you checked "show system" (or something similar, might be different from device to device) inside your general Android app settings menu?


text:
How do I run shell commands on the device I'm currently using for Android Terminal Emulator?
I don't have an available PC that I can install ADB on without getting in trouble, and my phone's screen density is killing me. Is there a way I can run adb shell wm density and adb reboot from my own device and not have another device available?

If your device is rooted just open terminal, and type su, then wm density <value>, e.g wm density 400 then reboot.

@xavier_fakerat My device does not have root. Is there any way to do this without root?

Not that I know of..

Run wm command in Terminal emulator as: /system/bin/wm. But it will show a permission issue WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS because that app has root permission.


text:
If someone puts my SIM card into their phone, will they see my text messages?
If someone takes my SIM card and puts it in their phone, will they be able to read my text messages?
What will they be able to access in terms of my personal information other than make outgoing calls using my SIM card and receive my text messages?

Text messages are stored on your phone, not on your Sim.
Therefore, if someone puts your Sim card into their phone, they will not see any text messages that you have received on your phone, unless you have manually moved your SMS's to your Sim.
As long as you haven't saved your contacts to your Sim card, they will not have any personal info at all.
Have in mind, that there are apps like WhatsApp, cashapp telegram, and many others that their only authentication system, is your phone number. Therefore if you had accounts with any of the above, chances are that anyone with your Sim card can now go ahead and set up a WhatsApp or other accounts with your number.
I therefore suggest that you contact your phone company and transfer/cancel your number as soon as possible.

Depends on where your text messages are stored. If there are any messages on your SIM card, then, of course, he can read them. The same is with your contacts.
Also, if you get an access to some of your accounts with the OTP sent to your phone number, this person will be able to get an access to these accounts.

Some SIMs also store some phone numbers you call in the SIM itself instead of the phone contacts storage. If you plan to change SIMs, be sure to use the phone copy utility to transfer any contact phone numbers that are stored in the SIM to your phone. This also protects you if you lose your phone because contacts transferred to the phone will be backed up to Google servers so you get them back when you set up your new phone.


text:
How to change the language of Google Chrome?
I traveled to Japan and bought a phone there. I changed the system language but websites keep showing in Japanese in Google Chrome, twitter.com for example.
Firefox is fine though so it seems like the issue is solely with Chrome. I tried completely removing and reinstalling Chrome but that did not fix the issue.

Chrome
Type Chrome://flags  and enable (instead of default) Translate language by ulp and use new language header . See if that helps

Tried both separately and together and it didn't help, sorry.

It was a guess anyway, better luck

Usually websites that you visit will be in the language that they were made in.
My guess is that Google results in your browser are showing in Japanese and you're looking to change that.
To do so, go to Google.com then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, press on "settings" -> "search settings" -> "language in Google products" -> English (or any desired language)
Also change "region for search results, to "current region" as shown in the screenshots below.

This is not about google search results. Websites just default to Japanese, for instance twitter.com.

@Asik try the same websites in incognito mode. Let me know if it's still in Japanese

Yes, in incognito mode websites default to Japanese. I think it's to do with the Accept-Language header sent by the browser.


text:
Huawei p8 lite wifi problem!
I have huawei P8 lite and there is a very funny problem here for my wifi!!!!
I am connected to my home wifi through password and my wifi shortcut key shows that I'm connected but my wifi list shows no connection! I just put the screen shots so you can understand me better..!!

Take a good look. I am connected to Huawei wifi but my wifi list shows no connection!!!
So funny, isn't it?,


text:
What is this cloud-with-sun icon meant to represent?
Can you tell me what this symbol is for?

Which one? There is more than one here

I'm assuming you mean the "clouds" emblem, with the "sunrays" front-and-center? Maybe the icon for whatever weather-reporting app is part of your OS?

Yes the one with the cloud..in the middle

I'm assuming the icon on the left is an email notification, which means these icons were placed on the left side (app notifications), not right side (system notifications)? Is there a related notification when you open the notification panel?

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
CMW and NANDroid backup
I found a CMW .img file another user used for same model, is that the right one or are there different CMW links?
If it is the right one, or you link a CMW download, the next step is
to write
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash recovery cmw.img
fastboot reboot
How do I get the Nandroid backup after that?
Thank you

clockworkmod-recovery, twrp and other image files are always specific to a device (brand+model). So if the image you found was for the very same brand and model, it should fit. But keep in mind that some manufacturers have slightly different models going by the same name (e.g. Samsung often does that), so make sure it matches. For TWRP, you can check on officially supported devices here (and also download the images from there)
The steps to install it are indeed to boot into fastboot and flash the image. But as pre-condition, the bootloader of the device must be unlocked (see: bootloader-lock tag-wiki)
with the custom recovery (CWM or TWRP) successfully installed, boot to recovery. You'll find the backup menu there – that's the nandroid backup.

Thank you. I tried it but the bootloader is locked. I didn't want to use the adb reboot oem-unlock command because it will include a factory reset and delete the data I want to backup. I unlocked it in the developer options and used the fastboot flashing unlock command but it said got key event 4
EV_POWER received
FAILED. <remote: couldn't change state!>. How do I unlock it?

Sorry, Rea – but usually the only way to unlock goes along with that implied factory-reset. In developer settings you only specify to permit unlocking, it doesn't unlock it automatically.


text:
Bricked my Infocus m320u
I am stuck with a logo and my phone doesn't boot. I can get its recovery mode but I couldn't find the suitable file for my phone to flash. Fastboot mode doesn't work.now how can I get fixed my mobile

But you didn't tell how you bricked it.

You can try resetting to the factory from the recovery menu. If it doesn't fix the issue, try flashing the ROM from recovery.
Download the  file from here, then boot to recovery select firmware update. (instructions also available from the download page).
If the above doesn't solve your issue, try flashing the phone using ba computer.

Go to this page and download the firmware file for your model.
Go here and download SP Flashtool.
You may also need USB drivers, grab it in the first link (scroll down the page).


text:
Phone Carrier change
I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 with Nougat.
I have just changed carrier. I'd like to know if I'll receive Nougat updates from the new carrier or I'll have problems.
This because the new carrier has released 10 updates, instead the previous just 2.

No, updates for your phone can only come from the people you got the phone from; i.e. your old carrier. If you got the phone from the phone manufacturer instead of through the carrier, the updates would come from the manufacturer directly, regardless of which carrier you used.
The reason for this is that updates are nothing to do with the phone network or internet gateway. Updates come from whoever built the ROM image on the phone. Normally, this is the manufacturer, but if you buy the phone from the carrier, they usually install their own customized ROM on the phone. They do their own tests on the ROM, and they include changes such as their logos or bloatware apps. Because the carrier builds the ROM, the carrier also has to builds the updates: nobody else can do this. If you change carrier, it changes whose phone network you connect to, but it doesn't change the fact that the old carrier built the ROM image on the phone, so it's still the old carrier who has to build the updates.
This means that if your carrier is slow to provide updates, switching carrier but keeping the same phone won't fix that for you. You either need to get a new phone (direct from the manufacturer, if you want better updates and long-term support), or flash a custom ROM on your phone.


text:
ADB Backup: Will it erase root?
This may sound like a stupid question, but I have a Honor 5x I'd like to root, and I want to use adb backup to backup all my phone's data so I can restore it after unlocking my bootloader (which erases the phone's data).
My question is:  If I backup with adb backup -all, when I'll restore my phone's data, will it erase root? Probably not, but I just don't want to risk it.

No. Backing up and restoring won't affect root.
Basically, adb backup backups a portion of /data partition, while rooting mostly affects /system partition and soemtimes / (boot ramdisk, for system-less root). You can safely back it up and proceed on rooting it before restoring the backup.

What happens when I choose both System Apps and User Apps in backup settings, does it work as you mentioned?


text:
Install Stock Rom on dead screen phone
I am using Iball Andi 4.5 K6 (Android 4.4). Well my phone doesn't have OTG support but has root access. While deleting some bloatware apps I deleted some apps which has made the screen disabled(touch is not working). Hence I decided to flash the ROM. I was able to open the recovery but the screen was not working so I was not able to flash the ROM.But then I left the phone for about an year.
Now I am not able to go to the recovery since my volume buttons seems to be not working. Hence I tried connecting my phone to laptop and tried to go to recovery or fastboot using adb commands but it didn't worked as my USB Debuging options is turned OFF. Hence,

I cannot go to recovery / fastboot manually.
I cannot make adb commands work until my USB Debugging is turned ON, and my phone doesn't support OTG so that's not an option.
My screen is disabled. Only power on button is working

So is there any way thorugh which I can completely format whole phone and install the Recovery and ROM without using screen.

Unlikely unless you get your buttons repaired. To install a (custom) recovery you'd either need to use an app like ROMManager (doesn't work as your touch screen is dead), or you need to flash it from fastboot/bootloader – which you cannot reach as neither USB debugging is available (for adb reboot bootloader) nor your volume keys are working (for manually boot into bootloader/recovery). Even if your device had a [tag:power-options] menu which lets you boot into recovery/bootloader, you again couldn't use that with a dead touch screen. Service center might have other options.

Spflash tool is supported for your device. Thus you won't need to turn on your phone. You'll first have to install the drivers for your device on PC. Then download the stock ROM for your device. Then remove the battery and flash via spflash tool.
This might help you: http://www.gogorapid.com/flash-stock-rom-iball-andi-4-5-k6/


text:
Huawei erecovery not working on Honor 7 lite(forgotten password lock)
Can anyone help with this ?
I can´t really get into settings to change usb debugging. Also huawei erecovery asks about update(Download latest version and recovery) -- which results in error getting package info failed.
Not sure how to proceed in this, because bootloader is also locked.
Any ideas ?


text:
Backup and restore Android app data with Terminal Emulator (rooted)
What is the right or the best way to backup and restore android app data by terminal emulator in a rooted phone?
su -c cp -r /data/data/the.app.id /sdcard/the/backup/directory can copy the app data, but copying them back will cause some problems. For example, the owner and group of them are not correct, permissions are not right, only root can access them.
I've searched for a while and got some solutions that I don't want. adb backup the.app.id needs a computer.
Some apps cannot access sdcard, so switching to it then copying is not possible. Also, to copy it, iterate through the whole directory and chmod with root takes a lot of time and may not work.
If the question needs more explanations, please tell me by comment. Thanks for reading or answering this.

adb backup doesn't necessarily need a computer if your device is rooted. Helium Backup uses this approach on-device. But to use it from a terminal, you'd need at least an adb executable. AFAIR that's not there anymore by default since Android 6. Also note that apps can opt-out of ADB's backup (devs can set ALLOW_BACKUP:FALSE in the Manifest). To work around that, there's an Xposed module (not sure about other approaches to it).

I'm using Android 5.1, and I have adb  in my system naturally. But adb connect doesn't work. adb connects phone to a computer with a usb cable, but how to use adb in the phone to connect into the same phone? I tried Titanium Backup, it doesn't work on my phone. Just found Helium backup and its adb approach, trying it now.

What about copying out the data with root when backup. When restore, install the app and add the user(u0_aXX) to sdcard_r group then copying back to /data/data?

adb backup the.app.id got adb: unable to connect for backup. Helium works fine!

I've never tried that on-device. But I assume what Helium does is starting the daemon via TCP/IP and connecting to that. Why TiBu should not be working on your device I cannot tell, as "doesn't work" doesn't give a clue on where it fails :)

Yeah, working on it. Thank you!! https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/142533/run-adb-command-inside-the-terminal-emulator-or-programmatically-without-root

Really sorry for bothering you, after searching a lot, I found you have answered this question before: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/139948/how-to-back-up-an-apps-data-manually

the tar command can do it, I've marked this question as "duplicated" to close it according to https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10841/how-should-duplicate-questions-be-handled

Careful with the restore then. If you try that on a new (or factory-reset) phone, you'll need to adjust ownership of each file and directory to match that of the app it belongs to – as on a new install, the app will get a new userID.

Yes, use chown -R to change the owner