text:
How can I download apps from Google Play to my Tab using my PC's Internet connection?
I don't have access to the internet on my Samsung Tab 3 and don't have wifi either. Only my PC has internet access through a landline and non wireless modem. How can I download apps from Google Play to my tab? I got the USB cable that connects my tab to the PC.

Sounds like what you need is "reverse tethering". How to set up reverse tethering over USB?

That would most likely require the device to be rooted, which is not always an option.

Reverse tethering sounds like too much work. I'd just buy a micro-usb to ethernet converter online if I were you. There should be no need to root your device either.

While one solution might be to setup reverse tethering, as eldarerathis already pointed out in his comment to the question (see: How to set up reverse tethering over USB?), this most likely requires your device to be rooted.
An alternative approach is described in an Article I've recently stumbled upon: How to extract direct APK links from Google Play Store. This basically uses a Java app on your PC, which is connected to your device via USB cable – and hence would perfectly match your needs.
You would need to download that Java application (Real APK Leecher), install it on your PC, configure it with your device ID (which you can find e.g. via the "dial code" *#*#8255#*#*), and then this Java app pretends to be your Android device, so you can use it to browse the PlayStore and download apps to your device.
Disclaimer: I didn't try this for myself, so I'm just sharing my find with you here.


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How to turn off/mute the USSD notification sound in Jelly Bean?
I recently got my Lava Iris 501's OS updated to 4.1.1 and now it even chimes whenever my operator sends me a 'Last Call/SMS/Data Cost' notification. This happens even on the Silent/Meeting modes also.
What can I do so that my phone doesn't bug me at my workplace?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Where are downloaded apps saved when installed on SD card?
Yesterday I had ~40 MB of free space on my android 2.2.1 Samsung GT-S5570. I wanted to install Facebook App, so I downloaded from Play Store and then it installed automatically. It's size was ~20 MB.
This app is installed on the SD card. However, after all the proccess, I got a warning message about low internal memory. I checked the free spacea and surprisingly now it's ~20 MB...
I assume the 20 MB are the downloaded app(something like the .exe in windows).
I searched through .temp and downloads to see if the ".exe" is there but I couldn't find it. I went through browser's settings(the default android browser) to see where do the downloads are saved, but I couldn't find any refference to the downloads.
Where do the ".exe" files downloaded, are saved?

Thanos, I've just added the insufficient-memory tag to your question. Please take a look at its tag-wiki for details, including babelmonk's suggestion (which is rather covered in the app2sd tag-wiki).

Android apps are not .exe files - they are .apk files, which are effectively Java .jar files with additional included information.
The packages are installed in one of a few locations:

/system/app - for system installed apps - you can't modify this folder.
/data/app - any apps installed from the market are installed into here, and you as a user can modify the folder.
/sdcard/.android_secure - apps that are moved to the SD card are stored here

Note that apps will also put data in a number of locations, and not all of these are on the SD card, even if the app itself is installed on the SD card; this is likely your problem with the app on your device, and unfortunately - without rooting the device and using something like a2sd which enables you to move other partitions onto the SD card.
For reference, also see this question on StackOverflow which has more info.

Thank you very much for your answer! I have indeed rooted my phone, but I don't really get what the a2sd will do. The link you provided-correct me if I am wrong-is guide to move the OS to the SD card... I believe that that's not the safest thing to do, right?

Correct, it carries quite some risk, and does require a significant amount of understanding of the Android system to make the most of it - I certainly wouldn't recommend it to the feint hearted :)
To answer your question w.r.t. moving the OS to the SD card that's broadly correct, but you can be quite selective as to what partitions are moved and how, so it's pretty powerful.

Powerful? That sounds yummy! Do you have in mind a tutorial or guide to help do this? Those memory warnings are really annoying, I can tell!

Izzy has linked to the app2sd tag-wiki which is a good place to start with this (thanks Izzy, I wasn't aware of that!)

To be honest I have already tried all those advices. I have rooted my phone, created a ~250 MB ext2 partition on the SD card, moved all movable apps with Link2SD, created symbolic links to unmovable apps(like maps, play store), deleted "system" apps like gmail and youtube but again I only have ~20 MB free space...

The actual location(or path) of external sd card(not internal,sometimes user-available internal storage is considered to be external storage(in android developing)) varies from one device to another. So, presumably, the path of installed applications on sd card also differs from device to device. If you really want to know the actual location of installed apps(on sd card), you have to do a little bit of programming.
But most of the cases(samsung devices running on lolipop), the application package sits inside /mnt/asec/[package_name] and the .apk file sits inside /mnt/asec/[package_name]/[app_name].apk . If you really want to know where it is,put the code bellow inside onCreate() method and run the app on the device you want. It will show you all the app's locations that are inside sd card....
Hope it will help...
PackageManager pm=getPackageManager();
    List<ApplicationInfo> infos=pm.getInstalledApplications(0);
    for(int i=0;i<infos.size();++i){
       String src_path=infos.get(i).sourceDir;
       if(!src_path.contains("/system") &&
               !src_path.contains("/data")){
           // showing path as toast message
           // you can even print it with System.out.println()
           Toast.makeText(this, src_path, Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
       }
    }

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

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


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Can't connect to Windows 7 "hostednetwork"
I have been trying and failing to connect my phone (Samsung GT-I8150, running CM10.2) to my Lenovo T420 laptop via Windows 7's "hostednetwork" facility.
The hostednetwork's SSID is visible in my phone, but after I fill in the password, it goes "Connecting" for several seconds, then back to "Saved". No error, no nothing.
I know hostednetwork works because I borrowed a colleague's phone, and his phone has no problem Connecting-Authenticating-Obtaining_IP.
Interestingly, I have no problems connecting my phone to a wifi router in a cafe, or in my home.
What could possibly be the problem between my phone and Windows 7's hostednetwork service?
.
Edit: To make things clear:

hostednetwork is Windows 7 facility to turn a laptop's wifi into an Access Point (Infrastructure mode)
My colleague's phone is an Alcatel D662 (running stock Android GB)

Please [edit] your question and clarify: is "hostednetwork" using infrastructure mode, or ad-hoc? What is "a colleague's phone" (I never heard of that brand ;) Hint: Android does not support ad-hoc natively.

Thanks, pepoluan! That rules out a) ad-hoc as possible source, and b) makes clear that Android as-such is not the issue here. One more thing you could check: What channel is that hostednetwork using? Depending on regulations, some channels are "out-of-band" by definition in certain regions, so your w7 might use a channel your Android device thinks is "illegal". If ch > 11, this becomes very likely, so make sure to use a channel <= 11.

Well, by default, activating hostednetwork on Windows 7 will give it Channel 11. Perhaps wpa_supplicant on CM10.2 is buggy? (I'm grasping at straws here... can't bear seeing my friend using my hotspot happily while I can't even connect)

Have you tried a different channel (one between 1 and 9)? If that doesn't solve the issue, we can at least rule out this as the culprit.

Well, after tearing my hair out and feeling my hair became lighter, I gave up. But then, the wifi of the laptop became even flakier: It can no longer connect to the Office WiFi.
So, I did some drastic measures:

Uninstall all ThinkPad utilities that manage the wifi
Uninstall the wifi drivers
Reboot
Reinstall just the wifi drivers

Afterwards, I can connect to the office wifi... and hostednetwork works! Go figure :-/

On my W540 running Windows 8.1, disabling the "Lenovo Settings Mobile Hotspot Service" fixes the issue.


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Access windows shared folder via bluetooth
I have a specific requirement of being able to access a shared folder present on a windows 8 laptop. However, rather than doing this over the wireless connection, I want to be able to do this over bluetooth. So for example, if I have a shared folder on windows called Share and i drop a file in the folder called test.txt, I want to be able to see this file automatically updated on a folder called Share present on the android device, something like what dropbox does but just not over the wi fi. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I know this is an old as hell question, but I thought I would answer anyway.
Simply put, this is impossible with the way you'd want to implement it.  Windows folder shares are SMB/CIFS, which is a NetBIOS/TCP/IP protocol.  Bluetooth is, well, the Bluetooth protocol.
Technically speaking, you could use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on your Windows machine and connect to the broadcasting WiFi.  You'd then be on your internal network, and you could access the share.  But that would involve using your device's WiFi, not your Bluetooth connection.

I'm pretty sure it can be done although it is irrelevant for larger files. You just need File Transfer Profile (FTP), which comes with most Bluetooth suites. If its an older Bluetooth driver then you can find the Bluetooth FTP here: Bluetooth File Transfer (BlueFTP)
The received files are used store in Documents\Bluetooth

To add on to a more practical solution, this is a possible and can be achieved using this simple workaround:
You need a good file explorer for android capable of supporting network location folders.
In this illustration, I used ES Explorer. Also note your PC needs to support bluetooth browsing.

First step, in the Bluetooth setting on PC allow bluetooth discoverability. See below:

Secondly in your Android device be sure to switch on Bluetooth (pairing the two devices is preferred), open ES explorer, and go to Network >> Bluetooth, see below:

Next tap on "Scan" and you should see your PC device like shown below.

You will prompted by the PC to grant access to browse folders on PC and click "Allow", after that you can  see the folders on your PC through your phone and file transfers are synced, and you just need to refresh to see the changes, (for example you can send a .txt to your Bluetooth exchange folder and see the changes in your phone)

Note: You can change your Bluetooth exchange folder in Bluetooth settings in your PC to any desired folder. I just used default

The post may be old but may assist those eho want to substitute ftp file transfers via bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi. Hope this helps


text:
Hidden sms message sent at every startup
My Samsung GT-I8150 is sending a text message after every reboot witch is not appearing at all in the sms area of the phone. The phone is rooted and has cyanogen mod 9 installed.
I think someone at work/at home got into my phone and installed some hidden tracker. How can I detect this and also prevent this?
Thanks

How do you know it's sending a text message?

@geffchang a small pop-up in the down-side of the screen appears saying "Your message has been sent". This is the normal behaviour of my phone when sending a regular wanted message.

Do you ever get any text/reply from the recipient after the message was sent?

No, and I cant even see the recipient.

Sounds more like a virus. The only guarenteed way is to flash a fresh ROM and start over. Malware is getting smarter and smarter and may be able to hide itself on the OS unless you start fresh.


text:
Auto restart on Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro
I've got a Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro.
When I was using it suddenly switched off after showing a blue screen. And when I tried to switch it ON. It was ON for sometime, but switched off again and kept doing that till the battery drained out. Please help me to solve it.

Text say "Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro", tag say "Samsung Galaxy S2"...

What phone do you actually have? Is it rooted? What firware is it running?


text:
Set different default browsers for 3G and Wifi
I use Opera Mini when on 3G, and Firefox when on WiFi. Is there a way to set them as default? I have a custom 4.3 ROM and Tasker, if it helps.

Actually, Tasker is the key here. You can find a tutorial here: Control which app is the default for an action.
In addition to Tasker, you will need the Secure Settings plug-in. The action involved which can be found there is called Package State, where you can select between disable, enable, and toggle. So basically it is a work-around: You disable Firefox when switching to 3G, so only Opera is available then and will be used. As soon as you switch to WiFi (Tasker condition: WIFI connected), you toggle both package states, so Firefox becomes the default browser as it's the only one available.

That's my second question you've answered with Tasker. I see you love yourself some Tasker hehe :)


text:
What are ways of contracting malware/viruses on your Android phone?
I'd like to know so I can prevent it from happening.

Any application you download outside the Google Play Store ?

Downloading and installing an app that contains malware.

That is all. If you don't want malware on your phone, just don't install malware on your phone. That means:-

When you click install on Google Play (or another app store), check the permissions. If the app asks for permissions you weren't expecting, don't install it. It's commonplace for malware authors to upload fake apps that appear to be popular or trendy games or apps, but are in fact imitations that install or contain malware. Google is pretty good at taking them down these days, but they still appear for a while. Genuine software vendors are happy to explain why they need each permission they ask for, so if you're not sure, check if the app description has a plausible explanation, and/or contact the vendor.
If you're visiting a website and it unexpectedly downloads an APK (an Android app package), don't install it. Just delete the file.
Don't install apps from warez sites. There used to be a lot of 'reputable' warez on Windows, that actually were the software they claimed to be, but on Android most of the warez sites are just viruses with different names.
If you're not expecting to install apps from APK files you got elsewhere, go into the settings, in the Security section, and turn off installing APK files from Unknown sources. You can always turn it on again when you need to.

Apart from that, on Android you still need to apply the usual security precautions you'd take with websites and emails to avoid phishing attacks and scams. Check who the sender is, check what domain you're looking at or what domain the link points to. Even if a message appears to be from someone you know or an organisation you trust, it could be malware posing as them, so think about whether you'd expect them to send this message.


text:
My Galaxy SIII Screen auto wake up
My Galaxy SIII display screens auto wake up (Lights Up) for no reason. I have tried with Factory Reset but does not work. Also Task Manager Pop up window auto displays and after that my power button does not respond. While after next auto screen off (mine is 15 Secs) power button works smoothly. One thing also Home button completely become unresponsive after 1-2 min of phone restart. Can anyone help me.

Some app might be triggering the phone to wake up.
Did you check if there any app holding screen wakelock with Wakelock Detector?
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uzumapps.wakelockdetector


text:
How to undo silent mode on Nexus 4
On the Nexus 4, I can silence the ringer by pushing the volume down button, however, when I push the volume up button, the ringer remains on silence until I go to settings and change the volume bar in ringtones. Shouldnt the volume up button work? Any suggestions?

There are any number of volume-control widgets in the Play Store. Will one of them not serve?

Does your volume up button work at all?

That's odd - mine behaves the way you want:  pressing volume down decreases the volume, and then goes into vibrate and finally silent mode; then pressing volume up reverses all of this.
My Nexus 4 has the current version of Android: 4.3 (JWR66Y) on it.

I have looked, but it seems there is nothing that will work with the volume up button to undo the silence.

Al, yes, my volume up button does work otherwise.

Tom, that is exactly what I want but my volume up button does not work to bring back the silence mode. I have to go into settings to do that. I am also on ver 4.3.


text:
How do I update the Sprint PRL from Cyanogenmod?
I just flashed my Galaxy S4 with Cyanogenmod. I'd like to now update the Sprint PRL. How do I go about doing this from Cyanogenmod? Do I have to download a new copy of the default Sprint firmware to update the PRL? And, if so, what is the easiest way to do this?
This is a list of Samsung S4 stock ROMs, but I am in the SPR or XAS zones? What does that even mean?
Is there a shortcut to backing the entire phone up and running the ROM? Is there a way I can boot into the room without flashing the phone, just to update the PRL? Is there an easy macro for all this stuff, or can it be simply done with an Cyanogenmod hack?
Currently, my Sprint phone is on PRL version 1.

Please check: How do I update the OS on my device?


text:
How to open multiple PDF files at once?
I would like to open two PDF files at the same time. However, it seems like "doing more than one thing at once" is a concept which has yet to be invented in the tablet world. Is there a way to do it?
Ideally I'd like some sort of MDI interface where I can view files side-by-side. The next best thing (option 2) is a tabbed interface where I can see the files one at a time but switch between them. The next after that (option 3) would simply be to have two files open but use the app switcher to jump back and forth between them.
At first I thought that I'd be able to use Firefox as a container and could make option 3 work - but Adobe don't seem to have released their NSAPI plug-in for Android. So files are opened in their standalone "Reader" app.
The next failed idea was to use Firefox and PDF.js. This actually works, but PDF.js is so ridiculously slow that this is not a viable option.
Then I heard about "Dolphin" which supposedly has a PDF plugin, but after trying the browser out, before even getting to the stage of downloading the plugin, it's clear that this app is buggy and useless.
Frankly, I'm not in love with the idea of using a web browser for this task anyway.
The other idea is to install several different reader apps, but this is a horrible, ugly solution, and I assume I'll have to either pay up or accept ads.
Are there any simple ideas that I've missed? Is there some way to get "Reader" to not close the current file when I want to open another PDF?

Modern tablets have this feature I'm pretty sure

To answer my own question: while I haven't found a completely satisfactory solution to this problem, I have discovered in Adobe's Reader app the "Recents" list - which shows recently read documents in the descending order of last-opened date. This, combined with the fact that the Reader app remembers the position of each document that you read, and the fact that the "Recents" menu is only a click of the back button away, gives a workable solution to reading multiple documents at a time, albeit slowly.
I wish that someone from 1998 could come back in time and give us proper multitasking. How great it would be!
For now, I hope this idea helps someone else.

Try Kingsoft Office...
It can open and edit all sorts of Office files, and view PDF. It allows you to have several documents open and switch between them in a tabbed interface.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng

The only app I know in Android that provides this functionality is iAnnotate.
PD. Right now (4/21/2015) seems to be a bit resource hungry, I'm not sure if it's leaking memory.

I had same problem, I searched forums, but couldn't find a nice solution. Than I switched to test some appps, and Kingsoft office and pdf is quite good. If you open a new pdf file, it will appeae as a new tab. And the same with docs, but all different file tipes are in a new window
link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng
I started to use it today, so a cant tell anything about bugs or stability of the app

The core of your answer is the said app which has already been covered in this answer here http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/54216/how-to-open-multiple-pdf-files-at-once/57237#57237 May I know the reasoning behind this redundancy?

Aside from WPS office & PDF, I used to open two applications instead. One Adobe reader, and another pdf reader.
 I then switch to between the two applications.

As of Android 7.x, multi-window is officially introduced. While that itself doesn't allow you to open multiple instances of the same app (not by default anyway), this app named Taskbar can greatly enhance its function.

By default it allows multiple windows to be arbitrarily placed and resized just like in any desktop OS, and - to answer your question - after some settings one can open multiple instances of the same app. Provided that your device can handle the workload well and your screen real estate is enough, what you're looking for can be achieved.

I use Xodo - it has a tabbed interface and works fine!

I know nothing better than EbookDroid to see pdfs. And it has tabs too!

Could you add a link to the app you're recommending?

Use Stick App in android hope it helps

Stick App? What is that? Do you have a link to Google Play?


text:
What would cause a sudden spike in the battery charge level?
Today I spotted something this on the battery chart :

graph of battery history showing a massive spike (click for larger variant)
What is the reason of such erection ? Hardware problem ? Or maybe a bug ? Should I report it or is it a common problem with battery charts ?
PS: It was spotted in Nexus 7 (2013)

Uhhhh.... I really do not know what to say to the title! xD Did you plug it in at the point prior to the spike? If not, I'd check the health of the battery, i.e. not lumpy, and that is discharging normally. If battery is ok, then check around with other users... admittedly never seen that before, chances are its a bug, somewhat! What Android is this - 4.3?

Right, it is not rooted original stock Android 4.3

Ok, This could be a glitch with Android 4.3, perhaps you should consider checking around first if you're certain that the battery is healthy, apparently googling android 4.3 battery spike yielded this linky quoting Signal loss, continuous reboot loops, application bugs and battery life issues are just a few of the myriad of problems reported hours after the update was released.


text:
How can I decode a mobile encoded file?
I am using filelock software in my Android phone. You can encode (encrypt) any file in this software by a password. I forgot my password and without password I cant decode my file. Is there any solution that I can decode my files without knowing the password?

In short: That's the idea behind encryption. You don't know the key, you don't see the content. There might be a possibility using "brute force", but that can take hours at best and years at worst for a single file only to be processed (of course, after the first file you'd know the password then). // Maybe you [edit] your question and add some more details, e.g. what encryption software you used (including a link to it). Then someone with more experience like me might be able to give a better answer.

It wouldn't be a good encryption software if you could decode without a password.


text:
New android user; switching between wifi and mobile data
When I leave the office my S4 doesn't seem to want to connect to mobile data. So, I end up with no connection at all. Turning mobile data off and on does nothing at all, I seem unable to establish a connection unless I restart the phone.
It happens occasionally in reverse also, if I go to work (or home, it is not exclusive to a single network) my phone maintains the mobile connection and wont join the wifi connection automatically (and sometimes I need to enter my password to connect to the wifi.)
Any ideas?
Note, my issue sounds the same as this one, though there is no solution there; Nexus One: 3G/WIFI Not Switching

To answer this question, it appears (at least in my case) that the app Skyvi was the problem. Almost all my Android issues (including random restarting) were sorted when I removed that app.


text:
How to adjust brightness alternatively?
What if system brightness control does not work ?
How to adjust brightness of android phone alternatively ?
I am on HTC One X. I just noticed my phone's system brightness control is not working as I recently got my phone repaired. My phone's display IC has been changed as display was not working as my phone got wet.
I doubt the one who repaired a phone changed display IC of other phone, that's why the brightness control is not working.
So, is there any alternative way to control the brightness in android phone ?
Whatever app so far I have installed regarding brightness control seems to do the same thing what system brightness control does. So, nothing worked for me.

You may want to use the Screen Filter app by haxor industry. I use it primarily for keeping my screen dark at night for reading, but it may be a suitable temporary solution in your situation.

It sounds like the brightness control in the hardware is broken. Perhaps when the mechanic installed it he didn't manage to connect the ribbon cable correctly. There's no way an app can work around such a hardware problem. You should return your phone to the mechanic and ask him to actually fix it this time.

At least a quick try couldn't hurt: There's Screen Dim Trial to do that.

he says my display was damaged, and he somehow fixed the display, he says the display needs to be changed...

@hsuk Then maybe you can post a new answer and say that you will have the LCD display replaced (in case a software solution doesn't work for you). Then, don't forget to mark it as an answer. :)

@geffchang : I am still waiting for other answers though that won't gonna solve my problem. Replacing display could not be the answer as display is working fine ... I won't replace just display to get brightness control. It costs NRs. 6500.

@hsuk The LEDs or EL strips illuminating the display are part of the display module. You can't replace one or the other separately. If this isn't working because the person who installed your display got it wrong or used a faulty component, you shouldn't have to pay again for him to fix it.

All he says is I need to change the display, I think I have to use my mobile like this till display works fine. I don't know how he fixed the display... May be he carelessly did sthg that damaged the brightness control...


text:
android 4.1.2 apps shortcut disapperead from home screen
I am using Huawei phone with android 4.1.2. Currently I'm losing the app shortcut on my home screen after a crash of the system recently. During the crash, I dragged the Whatsapp and Hoiio apps shortcut to the bottom menu (phone shortcut, browser and messaging by default). After a while, the phone turned off due to battery dry. But after I restarted the phone, the shortcut for the apps disappeared, although the apps are still installed (as shown in Google Play Store). After a few times of re-installation of the apps, the apps shortcut keep disappearing from the home scree. This android does not have applications page, only home page. How can I fix this and make sure that my apps shortcut can remain on the home screen?

I found fix for this, just visit xda-developers and dowload the file "fixdatatoggle.apk",   install it and enjoy. It will show your missing mobile data icon in quick setting panel notification bar.

Two ideas:

Resetting your current launcher:
Note that all your personalization concerning your homescreens will be deleted this way. I assume something got messed up in its configuration, so by resetting its cache/data we make it a "virgin" again for a fresh start.

Go to Settings→Apps
Select the "All" tab
Look for your Laucher (Homescreen) app
Open its entry, and push the buttons to "clear cache" and "delete data"

Install an alternative launcher:
If you're hesistant to "virginize" your pre-configured launcher, you might want to try an alternative launcher first. Simply pick any from the Playstore, good choices include Apex Launcher and Nova Launcher. See if your problem exists with them as well. If you don't like any of those, you can simply remove them and automatically have back your "old one".

My guess is, going with the second variant you will forget about your current launcher, while at the same time your problem has disappeared.

I had the same problem and I solve it by simply moving the application (that lost its icon) from the SD Card to the main memory.

Not sure why this was downvoted.  Many Android launchers load before the SD card is mounted and automatic throw away shortcuts that can't be "reached".

lenovo mobile phone ..tap settings-common-add-applications.
Make sure you have space on your main screen or move to other screen


text:
Galaxy Note is getting slower and less responsive
I've had my Galaxy Note about 18 months. It's progressively getting slower and slower to respond to user input. Any tap has an unpredictable delay, up to a few seconds. Even typing has a noticeable lag to it. I frequently accidentally tap things twice because there's no response to the first tap.
Is there anything I can do? I'd happily completely wipe and start over at this point. It's at the stage where I barely use it for things like quickly looking up stuff on the net - it's just too tedious.
It's the stock Samsung Android 4.1.2. 350 MB free on the internal storage out of 2GB, 830MB free out of 11GB on the USB storage, and 1.7/14.7GB free on the memory card.
Any suggestions gratefully received.

Such symptoms have often been attributed to the eMMC chip (which is in fact a small SSD that runs a flash translation layer (FTL) software). Android 4.3 added TRIM support to address this.
There exist solutions like LagFix (fstrim) that run on rooted devices and essentially do the same. Cyanogenmod's Wiki has more information on buggy eMMC chips.
However note:
You may want to check your eMMC type first with eMMC Brickbug Check first, to see if you have a known buggy type (where TRIM support is probably faulty).
Some background here, some Samsung eMMC chips are known to cause trouble (they're used in other brands too):
https://plus.google.com/101093310520661581786/posts/2eEd95oN1ZP

Ok, BrickBug reports "YES. Insane chip." So, is rooting the only way to fix this?

Also, LagFix (fstrim) is apparently incompatible with my device. Any alternatives? (Looks like there won't be an Android 4.3 for me...)

LagFix is incompatible because it does the same check as BrickBug and refuses to continue with yours. Brickbug's "YES. Insane chip." output means that your phone has a (faulty) eMMC chip with a buggy TRIM feature. You cannot use LagFix at all with it or very probably kill the eMMC chip. Safest would be to have it replaced by service. Is it still under warranty?

Here's LagFix' FAQ that includes the warning for faulty eMMC chips: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?s=1abb0476a305d582d6d036dd9be04428&p=37029420#post37029420

1 year warranty. 18 months old. Poop.

Here are the no. of you can take:-

Try restarting your device.
If restarting doesn't help, then install app cache cleaner from play store
and clear cache for all of your apps.
If above two doesn't work, try factory reset, it will not disappoint you.

Already done the first two. Are you sure about the third?

Fully sure, 100% in your sense

Factory reset creates an all nice and snappy device but once you reinstall the latest Facebook and all the apps you have learnt are indispensable you are back at the slow life. As with all gear new developments in software make use of the processing resources offered by later hardware and what was perfectly fine some years ago may now not be able to cope with all the activity of apps of today´s social media streams. For example going from a Galaxy Note 1 to a Note 3 makes all the difference in terms of snappiness on today´s software.


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Can 4.3 update notification be removed?
I just got a new 2012 Nexus 7 16 GB Wifi tablet today & setup it up. It is originally running 4.2.1. In a few minutes, I got the message that System update downloaded (4.3 Jelly Bean) & that I should touch to install it. Can I make the notification about the system update downloaded disappear? Unlike other notifications, this doesn't seem to go off when I try to slide it to the right.
Reason: There are various reports that screws up your Wifi - and my Nexus 7 is Wifi only (no 3G). I don't want to risk to install this by accident.
Update: I think another new update arrived and was downloaded (probably KitKat 4.4.3). And the notification showed up and didn't disappear even if Show Notifications was unchecked in Google Services Framework. Had to this uncheck 'Show Notifications' in 'Google Play Services' to make the notification disappear.

See if there are Wifi issues and you're waiting for them to be resolved, they would only be solved in a subsequent update and not the one you have waiting to be installed.

@JasjeevSingh Sure. But may be the next update will depend on the previous update being installed - i.e. it may be an incremental update rather than an absolute update.

Probably won't be. You would know by the download size.

@JasjeevSingh you are missing the point.

There was a fix for this AFAIK rolled out soon after the first 4.3 ROM for the Nexus devices. You should be fine, but read up on the LATEST ROM. You don't need to install if I you don't want. If a patch comes out, and not a full install you can get the stock ROM online and apply the patch, resolving the issues mentioned in the comments!

@RossC - is there a way to get rid of the notification the system update has been downloaded and touch to install.

You might want to edit the question title. Because as it stands the answer is yes, but the answer to the body of the question is no.

Not that I know of to be honest, it is a persistent, annoying notification and even force closing the updater only works until you reboot the device.

@ OP: I del'ed my post as it was a dupe of another post that got deleted by accident (now restored). I also edited your Q and added the reason for your request.

My recommendation: Wait for the update after that and check forums if it fixes that intermittent wifi bug. Try not to update by mistake until then, Google will eventually fix it...

Try disabling the notification then restart your tablet and see if it reappears:

Go to Settings > Application Manager > All > Google Services Framework and then uncheck "Show notifications".

Are you rooted? If so, and if disabling the notification doesn't work, try freezing or uninstalling the update apk:

Use Root Explorer or ES Explorer and go to phone memory system/app/ and delete or rename UpdateCenter.apk. Alternatively, you could freeze this application in Titanium backup application.

You could also try modifying your build.prop file to trick the tablet into thinking it's already updated (root required). This was also mentioned in an answer to a previous question.

To prevent the update notification, you will probably just have to
  change the build.prop values. So, change:
ro.build.description=voles-user 2.2.2 FRG83G 91102 release keys to
ro.build.description=voles-user 2.2.3 FRK76 185902 release keys
and
ro.build.fingerprint=verizon/voles/sholes/sholes:2.2.2/FRG83G/91102:user/release-keys to
ro.build.fingerprint=verizon/voles/sholes/sholes:2.2.3/FRK76/185902:user/release-keys

Note that this quote is referring to old software versions and that the ro.build.description and ro.build.fingerprint lines will need to look different for you than those quoted. Check out this answer for more information on making such a change.
For me and my 2012 N7 I just lived with the notification until I couldn't stand it any more, then I just upgraded anyway.

I am not rooted and I don't have a "Settings > Application Manager" item. Inside settings, there is Apps -> Running -> All -> Google Services Framework. I unchecked "Show Notifications" there. And the notification disappeared immediately. Didn't have to reboot.

Neither the answer nor user93353's comment were quite correct for me. I had to disable notifications for "Google Play services" rather than "Google Services Framework" (which didn't work). This immediately removed the notification, but it may have side effects that I'm not anticipating.

[EDIT]: This answer has been composed before the questioner stated that the fw update might break the wifi.
Why not just update it and be done if you want the notification to go away?

It's incremental (small download size)
It won't take long (installation is quick and needs only a reboot)
And gives you the benefit of bug fixes and enhancements.

Google has probably an intention that it's consumer base runs the latest firmware release. Hence the notification is not discardable and is there to remind you to update.

Google knows what's best for you... don't fight it, you're the one who's broken, let nice Google fix you...

These update notifications are a pain, and apparently they change the way they do them often, because lots of the information out there is no good. For example, the APK mentioned in one of the answers doesn't exist on my phone.
Disabling notifications for entire sets of services can be a nuisance - e.g. you lose all Gmail notifications, too.
I found various tips online:

Long-pressing on the notification will open up a submenu with "App info" on it. You can click on that and find out who is the notification's owner.
Then get DisableService and browse to that app. In my case, to get rid of the 4.4.2 update, I went to System Apps then Google Play Services (also hinted by the update on this question). You then will see a huge list which is not in alphabetical order, so look carefully. I found SystemUpdateService. Unchecked that, rebooted, and it's gone.

On reboot an app was automatically updated and I saw all the notifications for that. So this is a pretty clean solution (for this version, anyway).

I figured out how to fix the problem:
Phone:  Nexus 4 running 4.4.2 - Accidentally downloaded 4.3 - Rooted

Download System Tuner, Free from google play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ccc71.pmw&hl=en)
Open App
Click Startups
Navigate to Google Play Services - If you do not see this in the list, press add in the bottom right hand quarter and navigate to it
press and hold over Google Play Services
Press Open
Press Details
Press Activities
Navigate to update.SystemUpdateActivity and uncheck it
restart phone

This did the trick for me.  I am unsure whether this also removes other notifications from google, but it certainly got rid of the annoying "system update downloaded" notification.

A link to the app you're recommending would be useful.

I found a simpler solution.
When the notification poped, i held pressed down the system update notification, whichs opened a sub-menu. Went to "app info", which led me to app "Google Play services." Unchecked "Show notifications" and worked like a charm.

It seems odd that the OTA notification would be through Google Play ... surely this may prevent other, wanted notices to?


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Multi window is disabled after upgrading from 4.1.2 to 4.2.2
Multi-window icon is disabled after upgrading samsung galaxy tab from 4.1.2 to 4.2.2.

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)
Anybody fixed this problem ?
Any idea how to fix this without doing a factory reset ?

Have you tried turning it back on in the Settings?

It is disabled in the settings as well.

A factory reset seems to work for some people. You might want to back-up your files / data before doing this.
Source: Problems with Jelly Bean 4.2.2 update

Yes It works after a factory reset and updating again, Thanks.

Just hold the back key and it will come back. It's probably in hidden mode since the icon is highlighted and  showed as ON in the screenshot provided.

You can get back all the options by going to Settings > My device > Home screen mode > Standard mode. Now, all your missing options are there.
For multitasking, enable multitasking from notification tray then long press the 'back button' to have sidebar appears on screen. Now, you can enjoy multitasking back.


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adb shows devices as offline but system_profiler detects the devices fine
I have several devices (mix of tablets and phones) connected to my mac mini. Some of them are connected directly while some are connected by a good quality hub.
$  system_profiler SPUSBDataType | grep -i serial
   Serial Number: 015d2109ed4c0c18
     Serial Number: 4dfcbd091f3a5023
     Serial Number: 000ee30e7de4cf
     Serial Number: 4100018996d37000
     Serial Number: 0123456789ABCDEF
   Serial Number: FA35FW901634
   Serial Number: 2021bbaa

For sometime, adb detects all these devices fine.
$ adb devices
List of devices attached
4100018996d37000        device
0123456789ABCDEF        device
000ee30e7de4cf  device
4dfcbd091f3a5023        device
2021bbaa        device
FA35FW901634    device
015d2109ed4c0c18        device

But with time, these devices goes in offline state irrespective of the way they are connected (direct or via hub). Even when these are in offline state, as reported by adb, system_profiler still detects them fine. This means that Mac mini is still seeing these devices but adb is not.
I am using original cables that came with the phone. Why do they go in offline state? Only thing that get the devices back is physically re-connecting the devices. Can anyone help me with this?

That might be due to power-saving settings (may sound wierd as USB is a power supply, but the algorithm used might not take that into consideration). I know there's a setting in the developers section to keep the display on when power connected, so you could use that. Alternatively, you could set your WiFi policy to keep WiFi "always active" on power-connected. Or build something yourself with Tasker and the Secure Settings Plugin.

@Izzy I'll take a look at it for sure. Wifi is always on. I must add though that all the devices are fully charged (via usb).

I was aware of the latter, that's why I wrote the algorithm used might not take that into consideration (could be a generic powersave util). But I'd thought WiFi active should keep it in a "wake state". That leaves the display and Tasker tricks. Easiest approach might be a Tasker profile with the condition "Power (USB)", and a Task that loops over "ping -c 1 <whatever>" followed by a "Wait <30s>". Just thinking aloud :)

We've been looking for an answer to this for some several months. Unfortunately, the most hopeful response I've seen is this one, which suggests moving the Mac Mini to Linux, whose USB stack is described as 'more forgiving':
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15727314/resetting-android-device-when-it-goes-to-offline-mode-during-automation
We're going to try shifting to a spare (PC-based) Linux box for the time being; I'll try to remember to report back whether it's more reliable.

We stayed using PCs but forgot that we periodically killed adb because of the Mac usb stack - so our test run script still kills adb before running, even though we presumably don't need to! :D

Try enabling the "Stay awake" setting under Developer options to keep it "active" while connected to the USB.

In this scenario, usually what i do is , stop the adb server, use the adb kill-server command. You can then restart the server by sending any adb command. Please check if that works

I was having the same problem. The adb devices command was giving device offline response.
Then I stopped adb server by executing the following command.
adb server-kill
Then again started daemon by adb devices command.
Connection request was promted on my android phone and I gave it .
Then I could see my device online
This worked for me hope it would also resolve yours


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What is the benefit to disable "Quick Boot" in Android Phone?

Device : MMX A89 OS : ICS 4.0.4

What is the benefit to Disable "Quick Boot" in Android Smart Phones?
I am most concerned about MMX A89 first. And it would be great if could also know about general case. But first and foremost for MMX A89.

Are you talking about general or related to your device as per the [tag:micromax-a89]? Its not clear in what you're asking.

@t0mm13b, I have updated the question to answer your question :)

Ok, why would you want to disable quick boot? And by quick boot, you are referring to what? Or is that where you hold down the menu key upon boot to boot into safe-mode?

@t0mm13b, I was reading one of comment on Android Mobile where reviewer has just written that Disable Quick Boot to improve performance. So I am curious that How Quick Boot can improve performance?


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What is an alternate way to Switch Off mobile without use of Power Button?

Device : MMX A89 OS : ICS 4.0.4

What is an alternate way to Switch Off mobile without use of Power Button? Can we Switch Off from OS itself? Is there any setting available? Or Does it require to install any further app?

Related: What is the fastest way to shutdown unrooted Android phone?

There are some apps who have this feature, Like switch off, reboot and etc.
One of them is  Notification Toggler  , This app isnt particularly for switch off and reboot stuff, but you can do that also. :)
EDIT::
I think you have to root your device to use reboot and shutdown ,  You can't do it without Root unless applications are signed with the System Firmware Key. And playstore applications aren't that kind of applications that are signed with that.
EDIT 2:
To root your Device ,
Check out these links,
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

I found a - Shutdown & Reboot (requires root) in Available toggles & shortcuts:. So I didn't have Rooted device :(

see edited answer

I appreciate your answer. Now how to deal with rooting process?

Added links in the answer for you mmx device

There are few methods which you help you in restarting if your Android device power button is not working:
Have a luck trying this Option If your Android device is OFF
1) Connect your smartphone phone with charger and wait for few seconds.
2) Try Hard Resetting Using Home & Volume button.
If your smartphone is on then you just install "Power Button to Volume Button" or "Oneclick reboot" app from play store and have fun using your phone.
Source : http://www.indabaa.com/how-to-restart-android-phone-without-using-power-button/
Disclosure: I'm the author of the linked article.

BEST POWER OFF Android App = "Menu Button App" - NO ROOT - NO Physical Button needed, Complete Power off
As of now the "Menu Button App" is the only one that I have found on Google Play that will actually and completely power off your android without touching a physical button, NO ROOT needed. Most apps just turn off the screen, they don't power off the droid.

Open the app.
Tap "BUTTON tab"
Tick "POWER DIALOG"
Touch "DISPLAY"
The round "Power Button" will display on screen.
Touch the "Power Button", then select "Power off or Restart"

If you find another app that does it better please let us all know.
Thanks

An alternate way to switch off your mobile phone completely, would be to toss it in the ocean and don't look back. Just joking!
Actually turning the phone off or restarting it is done through the OS itself, just like every OS of today. So one way of doing this would be to access the terminal (only if your phone is rooted) and issue the linux shutdown command since android is based on linux.

I appreciate your answer. Now how to deal with rooting process?

@NullVoid that's a different question you should ask separately. Before doing so, take a look at How do I root my Android device?

YEah there is
Try Connecting the charger
And then Hit The reset Button
And Remove the charger
Worked FOr Xperia C

Most if not all modern phones don't have a reset hole like older Xperias do, mind you.

to power down Use "menu button" app from Google play.
No Root required


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Can other apps play music from my Google Music library?
I have uploaded my song collection to Google Play Music, and use my phone to listen to them.
Now, if I copy the original music files directly to my phone storage, I can then use any app I want to play them. But what about music synced via Google Play Music?
If I download the songs to my phone in offline mode, can any other app be used to play the same collection (just like with the files), or are they only accessible by Google Play Music app?

Gear music player accesses you google play music account

They're only accessible from Google Play Music. It stores them somewhere in the internal space of the app, not in the music library of the phone. There is no way to tell the app to move the file somewhere else at the moment, and no way that I'm aware off to point other app to that specific folder.
That's the main reason why I don't use Google Play Music. I want to be in control of my music folder.

However, it seems you can download the songs in mp3 format with a computer, and then then transfer to the phone. But that is rather cumbersome and silly.

Yes silly indeed. I don't want to have to do that, especially since my music collection is 12GB big... I suppose Google wants to move all of us "to the cloud" instead of using local storage. I'm not sure I like that. When WiFi is available for free everywhere on Earth, maybe :)

Not really a bandwidth problem for me (3G flows fast enough) but I just want control over which app I use for playing my music. Google Play Music app, for example, doesn't display the lyrics and doesn't have the organizing capabilities I want. But at least I can transfer the most relevant files manually to phone (not that hard using a file exporer like EZ from local NAS) so they are accessible by any music app, and then have Google Play Music app for the rest of my music library. Only, it's a bit cumbersome, and not possible on the go. :( Still, better than nothing...

It appears that this is possible in Lollipop using the API's Google Play Music has implemented for use with Android TV. We'll see how many music player apps support it.

Cloud streaming from Google Music is available through Tomahawk for Android.
Might have to join beta
https://www.tomahawk-player.org/#page-about

You can. Try doubleTwist Music Player. Just so you know, this feature requires ROOT.
p.s. I don't know if this feature is still available, I haven't used it for a while now.

You can with most other players too, as long as you are rooted - rooting is required to be able to see the pinned (downloaded files).


text:
My Samsung galaxy ace duos s6802 not getting detected in downloading mode.Drivers are fine Kies installed
I have tried My Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) is not being detected by my PC -- What should I do? But when I dial *#7284# there is no option to change mode from PDA to Modem or Modem to PDA. Is there any other code to get this working?


text:
Restoring stock Rom to HTC desire S
OK, I know there's stuff out there on this - but tbh I can't understand it.
I have a UK HTC Desire S on T-mobile. I used the official HTC download to upgrade to ICS last year (it was not OTA but on their website). However, when I came to unlock the phone recently (to allow my daughter to use it on another network) I cannot get it to prompt me for the unlock code.
I've performed a "factory reset" but that didn't help, and the best advice I can find online seems to indicate I should  restore the original OS. But I've not the faintest idea how to do this.
I'm not sure what other info to give - it is currently running 4.0.4 and Sense 3.6.
IF there's a dummies guide to this somewhere, I'm happy to be pointed - but I can't find it.

Isn't your question rather "how to sim-unlock the device"? If so, rather check the questions tagged sim-unlocking, and (if still needed) ask for that. And try avoiding the XY problem ;)

Thanks. I looked there. However, I seemed to understand the problem was that I needed to restore the original T-mobile related OS, and I don't have a clue how to do that. So that's what I'm asking about. First post here, so sorry if I've got the format wrong.

Our premise is: Don't ask how to achieve the "possible solution" you have in mind, but rather ask for a solution to your direct problem. There might be something else even working much better, and saving you a lot of headache.

Frankly, I only asked a question best way I could. Obviously didn't read up on house rules enough to do it properly. OK, I'll go ask somewhere else. But this is not a good way to encourage participation in your club

No offense meant, Alistair. I just tried to help the best way I can. If you are not interested in alternatives (which might prove the better approach or not), you do not need to heed my recommendation. Just leave the question as-is, and I even wish you the best answers to it. You might even end up with the original ROM successfully installed (keeping my fingers crossed for that), but still not be able to unlock – which is what I am afraid of.


text:
How to perform a full system dump/backup with a broken screen?
So, yesterday my phone took a serious tumble.  It is now essentially useless, as the screen either fails to turn on, or when it does, there is nothing useful to see (just lines of primary colors, mostly).
I believe (from the fact that it still chirps at me when emails come in, etc), that the phone is still functional, otherwise.
I would like to perform a full system dump, so that I can get off any files from the phone (a TMobile SGS2 (hercules) running slimrom 4.3 build 1).  The sdcard probably isn't important, as I can just pull it, but the phone's own internal storage I should like to get a copy of.
When I plug the phone into a usb port, it 'mounts' the usb via MTP, and I can see all the files.  Unfortunately, when I do a select all | copy | paste operation, the paste op dies before transferring all files.  I've tried a couple other ADB shell operations, in hope of flipping regular USB mounting on, but nothing has worked.
Any ideas how I can get a full dump of my poor phone's contents?
Edit
Currently running a adb pull /sdcard/ ... Its copying files presently, but its too early to tell if its going to get evertying I'm expecting.
Edit #2
looks like its going to work...its taking a rather long time, but it appears to be grabbing everything I was expecting it to.

Having tagged your question twrp: Do you have TWRP (or any other custom recovery) installed? Can you boot into it and see what you're doing (after all, that's text mode and might still work)? If so, a Nandroid backup can be done from there.

I've got no screen to speak of, I don't even get the boot loader animations, or anything.  Every once in a while I get a few random geometrics, but nothing that I can navigate with, and even that is getting more and more uncommon.  I'm afraid that whatever I do needs to be over ADB or similar commandline interface.  I referenced TWRP, just in case there was some special trick that it could do.

I see. As for adb pull: You're aware you're not getting a "real dump" this way which you could easily restore, I hope. Though not having a full strategy available, I'd say it would be a better approach to dump the file systems (e.g. using dd). There might even be a way to trigger the Nandroid Backup via ADB, AFAIK there's a corresponding script on the device.

Yes, thank you.  I'm not so much interested in the overall 'dump', as in just making sure any personal files that may have been stored off the SDCard.  The pull DID seem to get me exactly what I needed.

Indeed, when that's your goal that should work. You could even skip some file systems (such as /system, /boot, /recovery, and /cache) then. What you're looking for most likely resides on /data (app-stored date, which you also could get hold on using adb backup) or the internal SDCard (the external one, if there is such, you can simply attach to your computer using a card reader).

Not a full-fledged answer, as even an excerpt would make it a rather long post, but here are some things you could try:

An XDA article describes How To Backup and Restore using tar on adb shell. The article holds complete scripts for both. Still you should not execute them straight ahead as they are, but first use e.g. the mount command (without parameters) to make sure the mount points are correct, as they might differ between devices.
Use AndroidScreencast1 to "transfer the display to your PC". This way you see what you are doing, and might be able to backup using apps like Titanium Backup or Helium Backup
GadgetsDNA has a useful article with 15 Useful Android Terminal (ADB Shell) Commands2, including how to restore a Nandroid backup via fastboot. Unfortunately, nothing to create such.
A German Tutorial at Android-Hilfe.DE (GoogleTranslate Variant) describes a tool named ADBRecovery, including download links. This should enable you to do a Nandroid backup as well as restore.

I hope one of these hints proves helpful to you.

1: original code seems no longer maintained; yankee found this maintained fork working fine
2: links to Archive.ORG as the original page is gone; you can also find it at Slideshare

appreciate your answer.  Definitely helpful.

The linked version of AndroidScreenshot has not been maintained for a while and did not work with my Samsung Galaxy S3 (image distorted). However the fork here worked for me.

Thanks, @yankee – integrated that with my answer, credits given :)


text:
Chrome for Android: How to see network console information?
Is there any way to see networking information on mobile Chrome, ala the networking tab on fully fledged desktop Chrome, on the device itself? I'm attempting to try some remote debugging for a user but I can't really ask them to install the required software to test on a desktop. I need to see if any scripts / etc are failing to load.
Am I out of luck?

There are a lot of links showing in chrome://chrome-urls/, but I think what you want to do requires connecting the device locally in USB debugging mode and seeing the results on your desktop. (Remote debugging)

I have written an Xposed module that allows a user to use Developer tools on Chrome for Android. See my Xposed module ChromeXt.
Here are some screenshots of the Network tab:

Using the eruda console

Using the DevTools


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Removing item from download list
HTC One S, Android 4.1.1, HTC Sense 4+
I was messing around with a media server at home and started a download of a large file. This file is now gone from the source but the phone is still trying to download it, i.e. it's in the notification list that I drag down from the top of the screen. How do I remove an item from that list?

Do you have a "Downloads" app in your app drawer?

Have tried to kill the app you're using to download? Or just restart your device.

It's just the default manager for downloads.

Killing the Download app (i.e. Force Stop) and then rebooting cleared it.


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CyanogenMod 10.2 on Galaxy S3 charging problem
I have a Galaxy S3 with CM 10.2 build date 28-09-2013.
The problem I am facing is slow charging of my mobile. It takes around 6-7 hours to charge when connected to AC power source. Before CM with S3 stock rom, it used to take around 3-4 hours to charge 100%.
I tried searching on CyanogenMod forums, but couldn't get an answer on how to fix this issue. Does anybody know how to fix it?

try with a friends battery to see if your battery is broke

Do you keep wireless or any other communication networks on while charging? This can slow down the charging process.

my cell wifi is always on. I will try disabling that while charging

I've noticed that changing the charger works in a few cases. The standard charger sometimes doesn't play nice with custom Roms.

I've had this issue too from time to time, at one stage I had to turn my phone off to get a decent charge, I found that using a USB cable can slow down the charging time but as you mentioned your using a AC Power Source. How I resolved mine was buying a new battery, my battery was dated for 2012 and simply needed to go. New battery resolved my problem, and are fairly cheap!

I have the same issue. I solved it by installing boeffla kernel and turning on ignore unstable power.


text:
Wifi passwords were not restored on a new device
I got a new galaxy nexus phone running 4.2.2 and I noticed my WiFi passwords were not restored to this device.
I skipped the account login upon first start, but added it later on. Am I missing something? I'm pretty sure my passwords were automatically synced when I got a nexus 7 tablet last year.
Many thanks for helping with this.

Sorry to say so, but yes: You missed to backup them separately. While Google Cloud backup seems to work fine for some, it's reportedly flaky. You cannot tell it when or what to restore, and sometimes it restores all, while at other times parts or even nothing at all. Should be better with "newer" Android versions, but there are no guarantees.

Does that mean I can still back up passwords on my tablet and then run restore them on my new phone?

If you still have the first device, you could even try to factory-reset the second and accept the Google account straight away (not sure if that helps, though). Apart from that, there are a few apps for root users offering to backup/restore them. And if both devices are running Android 4.x, without root you might want to give Helium Backup a try. Koush might have implemented that part as well meanwhile.

Thanks, I'll give that a try, although I'm pretty disappointed with the flakiness of the restore feature

Agreed, and that's not something Google "proudly announces" (as with the new DeviceManager, which cannot locate any of my 4 Google-connected devices; many others having similar issues, but still it is announced as the killer-feature). Using e.g. Helium in parallel, you can even backup before you reset and selectively restore things after, so the factory reset won't cause too much harm. Thing is, I doubt it will work, see Dan's answer to Google Backup: Multiple devices using the same account - what happens on Restore?

Helium is just a wrapper around bmgr, with overburdened and confusing UI. Sometimes running adb shell bmgr restore _id_of_set_ com.android.providers.settings works for me, but it is unreliable.


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T-Coil mode in Android
As I am a user of wearing a hearing aid (profoundly deaf since birth) and was talking to someone in the support group for the deaf, and T-Coil mode functionality was mentioned in regards to talking on the phone.
This made me wonder if that is an add-on software support or actually built-into telephony. It is built-in to my hearing aid.
I have seen a similar question about it here but looks like its available on certain phones.
Admittedly have not tried it, but would love to know if there is a setting for it.

Well, just to keep this updated, I activated the T-Coil mode and just got a lot of buzzing from the device on the Zte Blade, which made it entirely unusable, funnily enough, when T-Coil is deactivated, I can hear it, but it means its a lot more awkward in distinguishing spoken words as I have to hold it in a certain way such that the earpiece of the phone aligns with the earpiece on the back of my hearing aid. Am just literally shocked at the accessibility of devices in general, meaning, paying way over the odds just for a facility like that.

T-coil is a function of the phone hardware.  It requires the speaker to be rigged in a specific manner to allow it to inductively couple with the coil in the hearing aid, though there exist telecoil adapters such as the Music Link for devices without such support.
You can often find listings of what devices offer what kind and level of support for hearing aid compatibility on carrier sites, such as these listings from AT&T and Verizon.  The CTIA also has a more general database (Though it seems to be experiencing issues at the moment) for finding devices with all types of accessibility features, including hearing aid compatibility, as well as information on accessibility services offered by carriers, and more.
The Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative operated by the Mobile Manufacurers Forum offers a similar service, though more global in scope, for finding devices with accessibility features
The M and T  indicates whether it supports Acoustic coupling (which tinkers with the sound to allow a hearing aid to pick it up more easily)  or Telecoil respectively and the number indicates how good the support is, on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the best (though ratings of 1 and 2 are pretty much never seen).  As a general rule, telecoil is just about always better than acoustic, regardless of the numbers for each.

+1 for your answer - interesting about the CTIA, even though it is US orientated in regards to the models used. Thanks for taking the time to answer. :)

Some more searching found me the Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative run by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, which appears to be more global in scope.  It lets you search by region at least.


text:
How do I export my Samsung Galaxy 551 contacts to my Samsung Galaxy S2?
How do I export my Samsung Galaxy 551 contacts to my Samsung Galaxy S2?

If you want to do it without going via Google, just follow these steps. To make it easier for others to follow, I refer to your Samsung Galaxy 551 as "old phone", and the Samsung Galaxy S2 as "new phone":

On the old phone:

Open the Contacts app
Tap the "menu" button to bring up its extra menu
Select "Export/Import", and chose to export your contacts to SDCard
Pick the created file (it's most likely named 0001.vcf, or at least similar – .vcf stands for "VCard File") and copy it to your PC

On the new phone:

Copy the 0001.vcf from your PC to the SDCard
Follow steps 1-3 from above, but in step 3 this time chose to import the VCard File
Select the VCard file from your SDCard, and have it imported

You're done – all contacts from your "old phone" should now be on the "new phone". Additionally, you've got a backup on your PC which you can easily import to other PC applications as well: most contact handling applications should understand this format.

If your Samsung Galaxy 551 is already synced to Google and you have enabled syncing for Google contacts, then all you need to do is use your Google account on the Samsung Galaxy S2. Once the S2 syncs, it will pick up the contacts that you synced using the Samsung Galaxy 551.


text:
Always-On VPN option does not list my PPTP VPN
I have successfully connected to a PPTP VPN on Android. It is configured simply with an IP address, and no MPPE encrpytion. However, it does not show up under the Always-On option.
I am running Android 4.3 on a Nexus 4.

I was having this issue too. Apparently Google doesn't deem PPTP secure enough, so they disable it from the "Always On" menu.

Setup DNS options for VPN connection. You may use any public-available DNS servers, for example 8.8.8.8
Note: Android 4.4+ have bug in the Always-On VPN feature: VPN stay connected, but all traffic is blocked because bug in system firewall. For fix this issue search AlwaysOnVpnFix application on Google Play.


text:
Diagnostic Codes Disabled In Dialer?
I have a Huawei Ascend Y300 running on Jelly Bean and I can't get any diagnostic code to work on the dialer... The only thing that works is the code for displaying the IMEI: *#06#
Every time I enter a diagnostic code like *#*#4636#*#* or anything else, it merely continues to display the dialer. :-/
I've tried looking for the stock Jelly Bean dialer but I haven't had any luck. How do I fix this?

Can you try this code *#*#2846579#*#*. Does it work on your phone?

@geffchang: Yes! I got a Testing menu with 2 options:
MMITest_II
ProjectMenu

Well then, it looks like there's nothing wrong with your phone or your dialer. Maybe your phone just doesn't support the *#*#4636#*#* code. Some diagnostic codes are for specific phones only.

Well... I thought it was odd that only one code was working. None of the other codes work from these lists, except for the one you mentioned: http://plusdroid.com/Blogandnews/we-spill-the-beans-of-jellybean-android-secret-dial-codes-list/ http://askvg.com/google-android-hidden-secret-codes/

Is this what you're looking for? *#*#6130#*#*

It's possible that your phone does not support the code. If you look at one of the comments in the askvg link you shared in the comment, one user says: LCD TEST Does not work for Galaxy S2. However, another user replied that it is supported, but with a different code.


text:
Brand new S4 randomly restarting
Is there any known reason why my 5 day old S4 would be randomly restarting? It doesn't appear to be a heat problem, its usually around 33 degrees (celcius) and more often than not, its idle. I only know its restarted because I hear the startup tone in my pocket.
I'm not sure how to even begin to troubleshoot this.
Thanks,
Christian

Depends on what you did to it within those 5 days: rooted? any apps installed? custom ROM flashed? Does that also happen after a factory-reset, without any additional apps installed?

Not a great deal done to it, no rooting, no custom roms. No big apps (or, many apps) installed. Nova, SwiftKey a bunch of social apps.. The biggest app is probably Real Racing 3 but the problem was occuring before that. I don't know how to factory reset, but I'm assuming it'll wipe everything?

As you didn't root or install any custom Rom, this leaves one the apps you've installed as a possible cause. If you contacted Samsung support, they probably would recommend a factory-reset to rule out software issues as well, so this is a working approach.
Yes, a factory-reset would delete all data and the apps you've installed. You might wish to take a look at our factory-reset tag-wiki and its most frequented questions for details. If a factory-reset indeed solves your issue, start re-installing your apps one-by-one with enough time to check in between.
See also our backuptag-wiki for hints on how to save your data. Helium - App Sync and Backup might come in handy here, as it allows you to backup apps and their data, and even restore them separately (one-by-one) in an easy way.
Of course, if you can live with the current state a little longer, you might want to wait for alternative answers first, so maybe a factory-reset is avoidable after all. If you want to use this approach, you find an appropriate item in your device's settings, as well as in the recovery menu. Again, you'll find more dtails via the mentioned tag-wiki.


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WhatsApp contact has wrong name associated with it in contacts (but correct name within WhatsApp itself) - How to fix?
In setting up my new Samsung S4 mini one contact (guy) got confused with another (girl). When the girl would phone me, I'd see the guy's picture (via google) and name. Somehow I changed the number and saved the girl as a separate new entry. Along the way, I must have done something wrong, cuz as a result I've now got the following entries in contacts:

guy: Phone, Google, WhatsApp
girl: Phone, Google
(same) guy's name: WhatsApp of the girl ( ! )

In contrast, within WhatsApp itself, the names of the guy & girl are correct.
How to fix?

PS: If I try to delete the guy's name girl's WhatsApp contact, I get the following message popup:

You cannot delete contacts from read-only accounts, but you can hide
  them in your contacts lists.

see also WhatsApp Help Center - How to delete a contact

I was facing the same problem.
I followed following steps which resolved the issue.

Removed the WhatsApp from Setting-->Account (no Impact on whatsApp).
Removed the Google account & added back.

This solved my problem.

For me, it was Settings > Accounts > Other Accounts > WhatsApp > WhatsApp > More >  > Remove account

Go to your contact list and select the girl's contact,
Hit Edit - the icon that looks like a pen
Then Settings - three dots on the top right corner
and choose "Join"
This will take you back to your contact list. From here choose the correct What's app id

The problem on an Android phone could be that you inappropriately merged two contacts for two different people into one.
The solution that worked for me was to delete both person's contacts on the Google contacts list and on the cell phone contacts list. Sometimes one person can be listed twice or more times in your contact list so all of their listings need to be removed. Then add the two people back to the google contact list making sure not to have any overlapping phone numbers. Overlapping phone numbers is what caused the inappropriate merging in the first place.
To delete and add to the Google contact list:

Open up Google Chrome.
Click on the 9-dots in the upper-right hand corner.
Scroll down in the pop-up box until you get to contacts
Click on contacts.
Type in person's phone number with area code.
Click on person's name.
Click on 3-vertical-dots in upper right hand corner.
Click delete.
Click delete in the new pop-up box.
Repeat for all contacts sharing same phone number used in the WhatsApp app. 10. Add back the contacts by clicking on the rainbow-colored cross in the upper left corner.


text:
Possible to use laptop's keyboard to type in Android?
Is it possible to use a laptop's keyboard to type in Android? If so, how?
Note my current setup:

Freshly unpacked Samsung S4 mini
Prefer solution which does not require rooting
Laptop running Ubuntu (Linux), with Bluetooth etc

Further: Any security concerns?

See http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/3452225/connect-bluetooth-keyboard-android/ and http://www.xda-developers.com/android/use-your-pc-as-your-android-keyboard-with-pcbtkeyboard/, for instance

Maybe WiFi Keyboard or Remote Keyboard Input Method might prove helpful?

See this answer on AskUbuntu (our Ubuntu sister site) which has a detailed answer how to let your Ubuntu box act as a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard.

I haven't used it in awhile, but something like AirDroid or the like could be helpful. I've heard of a handful of apps that work in the same fashion, exposing your Android device to a browser on the local network.
With AirDroid running you can connect to it on your laptop using the IP address of the phone and a port number. Something like this: http://XXX.27.21.11:3456
The browser window will let you control the phone. I used it a few times to write long texts/emails. It does a lot, you should be able to initiate calls, browse phone data like contacts, look at media, etc.
I just scanned a review of the new version, it sounds much better and doesn't require your phone and laptop be on the same network.

You could also use a standard usb keyboard and a USB OTG adapter. I've done this before. The adapters can be found for very cheap online, a few bucks. One end plugs into your phone's micro USB, the other can accept the standard USB plug on the keyboard. The adapter allows the phone to act as the USB host, the keyboard as the slave device. This doesn't exactly fit your request, I suspect you would rather use the laptop's keyboard instead of having another keyboard around just for your phone, but I thought it worth mentioning.
ICS or higher is required, no Gingerbread...

Samsung phones above the S4 use a very cool app called "Sidesync". You install it from the app store on your Samsung and onto your computer from their website www.samsung.com/us/sidesync. Then you can connect via a usb cable or having both devices on the same network. A view of your phone appears on the laptop software and you can use the laptop keyboard to type. But you can do a lot more like drag and drop files.


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my Nexus 7 device is formatted accidentally
My device is Google Nexus 7 wifi only version.
I rooted this device by using Team Win Recovery Project.
I wanted to upgrade to android version 4.3 so I am looked at this article and video
I follow their instructions and I selected following items

Dalvik Cache
System
Cache

and wiped them all.
But unfortunately, I found out that there is no file in my device with such name
AOSP-4.3-JWR66V-grouper-rooted_Androguide.zip

I need to get this file onto my device. But my device has no OS because I already wiped it.  Now I cannot access my device using my pc ( win 7 ).
Could anyone please give me suggestions on how can I solve it.

Yeah, the advantages of external SDCards clearly show here. As you don't have such: have you tried booting into recovery, and copying the file via ADB then?

Don't worry, you have a few options!
Option One: (I don't have an N7 anymore, so I don't remember if it supports adb push in TWRP. But I think it does) Boot into TWRP and use adb to push the file from your computer to your device. You can try to open a Windows CMD prompt or Linux Terminal Emulator, navigate to the local file, then do the following:
adb push AOSP-4.3-JWR66V-grouper-rooted_Androguide.zip /sdcard/
This will push the file to the /sdcard/ directory - which should exist already (Even on a Nexus device).
Option Two: Boot the device to Fastboot/Bootloader Mode and flash any of the Factory System Images via the fastboot tool. Because using fastboot can be intimidating. You could also use the Nexus 7 Toolkit to automate the process.
This will put stock Android back on your device, and will also remove TWRP. Fortunately, you can use the Toolkit or Fastboot to reinstall TWRP immediately afterward.


text:
WhatsApp Settings in Samsung S3 - Where do I find it?
I use WhatsApp on my Samsung S3. I have some questions:

I can't find any settings option. I reinstalled the app and still cannot find the settings option anywhere. Am I missing something?
Is there any setting for showing notifications on the icon (new messages received, etc.)?

Showing notifications on the icon? Like in iPhone? Android doesn't work like that. Notifications are displayed at the top (notification bar).

There is a really simple answer for this. The settings button isn't on the screen, but rather on the phone itself. People often forget that the phone has those 4 buttons : Settings, home, back, and search.

Apps on Android don't change their icon to show that there are new notifications, the notifications appear in the Notification Bar at the top of the screen instead, so that they're always available at a glance, even when you're running other apps.
In Android apps manage their own notifications, so to change WhatsApp's notification settings you need to open the WhatsApp app, and then press your device's Menu button (or press the ... ellipses icon in the top right of the screen)

Then select Settings

And then select Notifications, you can then see the various options that WhatsApp has for alerting you about different types of messages.

Hi geffchang, there is no ... button on my screen. Only 2 buttons appear- one for a new chat and another for search. I also tries pressing the Menu button...nothing happens. Is there some other way to access this?

The Samsung Galaxy SIII has three hardware buttons below the screen (from left to right: Menu key, Home Key, and Back Key). You can access the device settings by clicking the Menu key after swiping the screen to unlock it and then clicking on Settings on the menu that pops up on the screen. Once you click on the WhatsApp icon on the Home Screen or on one of the Apps Screen of the Android OS, you can also hit the Menu key to bring up the WhatsApp Options and click there. Android devices also have what is called a Notification Drawer. When you receive a WhatsApp message it will appear in the Notifications Drawer which you can slide out onto your screen by swiping your finger from the top of the screen downwards.


text:
How can I remove YouTube's uploader image overlay?
I have the latest version of the YouTube app for Android (v5.1.10). At some point, the app began overlaying the uploader's user image in the upper-right-hand corner of the video. I can't click on it (it acts as if I clicked anywhere else on the video) and I can't remove it.
It never moves (unless I switch to/from full screen) or goes away, and sometimes blocks important portions of the video. Is there any way to turn this annoying non-feature off?

What you are talking about is called InVideo Programming. As a viewer, I don't think there's any way to remove this through the YouTube app. The content creator has to disable this themselves.
Related topics:

How to remove InVideo Programming from a single video?


text:
How to add a custom keyboard layout?
Disclaimer: There seem to be a number of potential duplicates to this question on common android forums and SX sites (e.g.: How to install a custom keyboard in Android?), but many are a couple of years old and none seem to be what I'm hoping for. Thence:
Looking for a solution that

does not require rooting
does not require additional apps, ideally
does not require "serious" coding

Any ideas?

See also:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/295480-custom-keyboard-layout.html
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5091674/creating-custom-android-keyboard-layout
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13326072/android-custom-keyboard-xml-file
and How to install a custom keyboard in Android?

Not that it's of much relevance here, but I know of ways in both Linux and Windoze to "install" a custom keyboard layout... (without having to resort to 3rd-party software for it)

Which device are we talking about here?

Samsung S4 mini.

Did you ever find an answer to this?

I suggest you develop a new keyboard. You can find several code templates to start with.

Closest working solution I was able to get was to use JBak Keyboard which allows you to customise it's layout and skins using simple XML files.

Watch the permissions on that - jbak keyboard has full internet access! I don't know that it's doing anything wrong, but that seems inappropriate to me.

Maybe because it downloads dictionaries off the internet. And one can always use AppOps, if so inclined

AppOps only worked in a few versions of Android, none of which are on any of my current devices. So I don't really think that's a good solution for the average user right now.


text:
How can I make a message appears on my PC when my phone is ringing?
When I'm at work, I usually have a headset on my head and I am listening to music. My phone is always on vibrate to respect co-workers.  However, I don't keep the phone in my pocket because of its size, so I don't feel it vibrating.  I miss a lot of calls.
I was wondering if it's possible to forward "phone is ringing" notifications to the PC, ideally via a Bluetooth connection.  I would not mind installing a 3rd-party app on the phone or software on the PC.

Currently Android doesn't have such functionality built-in.
However, there are 3rd-party apps that can do what you ask. Desktop Notifications is one such app.  It requires installation of the app on the phone, as well as a browser plugin on your PC (Chrome and Firefox are currently supported.)  Once both pieces are installed and configured, any notifications (including incoming calls) will pop up on your desktop.  The only limitation is that this is done via data connection, not Bluetooth, so both your phone and your PC must be connected to the Internet.
On your desktop you may want to enable background apps to run when Chrome is closed to ensure you continue to receive notifications.  This option can be found in Chrome advanced settings -> "Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed."

Thank you, I just tried. While the test notification, SMS and even emails notification seem to work, an incoming phone call does not seem to trigger any notification. But I will look into that and see if there is a setting somewhere.

The incoming call functionality worked for me.  It did take close to 5 seconds for it to appear though.  From the app's reviews it seems that response time (between notification arriving on the phone and showing up on the computer) is something that developers are working on improving.

Press the Menu key while in the app and go to Settings.  The "Phone" app should be selected in the "Allowed" list in order to send notifications to the PC.  Also, there's a useful setting to send notifications while on WiFi only.

Weird, the phone app is checked and even say that there was 37 notifications. Clearly something is wrong. Maybe I should restart the phone.

@Pierre-AlainVigeant Did you ever get it to work with incoming calls? I have the same problem.

@nwaltham I am using Desktop Notification. Sadly, you only get the notification after the phone call.


text:
Root Galaxy S2 with Android 2.3.XX?
I need to Root Samsung Galaxy S 2, GT-I9100, with XXKI4
I need to Root it with Room Android 2.3.5 or any version within 2.3.X
while searching I just found Android versions above this version all with 4.XX??
Any suggestion for Android version 2.3.X ??

Did you see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125414 ? The guy at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1732783 says it worked for him on 2.3. But why don't you just upgrade to 4.X then root?

Have you seen Rooting Stock Firmware - GSII with NFC (Gingerbread + ICS), and Rooting GT-i9100G under linux (Gingerbread)?

@dotVezz
I need this version 2.3.XX necessary, but the link talk about Ice cream sandwich that is mean version 4.0 ??(I9100 Insecure and Original ICS Kernels)
I didn't see android 2.3.X , can you help me please to see these ?

@Izzy
this answer talk about ICS, it also talk about different kernel they use I9100PBVLP7 but my Kernel is I9100XXKI4 ?
this will not work!! right ?

@Hanaa The first link is a root method for 2.3. The second link is just discussion.

what difference between GT-I9100_JPKJ2_insecure and
GT-I9100_XXKI4_original
are same doable to root on android 2.3.X ?


text:
Unfortunately, Software Update has stopped
I have Android 4.1.2 installed on my phone, which is not rooted. It's stock Android (I'm not sure if 100.00% stock though). This is the first Software Update notification that I have ever received.

Whenever I click it, I get the "Unfortunately, Software Update has stopped" message and the app closes. I tried opening it from Settings, but the same behavior.
How do I apply the update, if it's actually available? Or if that's not possible, how do I remove this notification? Is the phone maker/vendor responsible for this error? This is my first Android phone. Any help please?

Which device do you have?

@Chahk I have Xolo Q800. Sorry but you might be unaware about this phone, since it's available only in my country. I just thought there would be a device-independent way of solving this. Is there?


text:
How do I enable birthday reminders or view birthdays as events in Calendar on Nexus 4
Simple problem: I forget the birthdays of my friends. I have the dates saved in my contacts (CardDAV-Sync address book) and can view them with the People app. I have not found a way to set up an alert or reminder, though. Alternatively I'd like to see them as events in Calendar. I would hope there is some option in the stock Android 4.3 of my Nexus 4 to configure this, but if it is not possible, do you know of a simple reminder app that does not ask for full internet access?
Thanks in advance.

Are you using Google Calendar?

Also, did you look in the Play Store? I see a number of apps which purport to send reminders or otherwise list your contacts birthdays.

@AlEverett: I'm using the stock Google Calendar app (version 201306302 if that is of any use) but only use my own CalDAV calendar datasets synced with my own Radicale server. I do not display or sync any of the Google calendar datasets (for the lack of a better word).

@AlEverett: Yes, I've seen those apps but they all suffer from feature creep and thus permission creep. I draw the line at full internet access, because I don't want them to be able to send my personal data to their servers. I've emphasized the passage asking for that in my question.

..., but if it is not possible, do you know of a simple reminder app that does not ask for full Internet access?
The topic is also discussed in the Google forum for the calender application and indeed there seem to be only workarounds.
There is also an app mentioned, which does provide the notifications for the birthdays and does not need Internet access: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.noyer.consulting.contactevents.pro
That is a paid app for a small amount, but there is also a free version with Internet access for advertisements: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.noyer.consulting.contactevents.free
If you just want to try the free version if it works for you, you could perform the following steps:

Download the free app in the Play Store
Turn your device into flight mode
Start the app
In Android 6 or higher: Grant access to adress book at first start
Check the app, widget etc. (Notifications are only raised at midnight)
Uninstall the app
Turn off flight mode
Decide if it worth to get the Pro version

The paid app costs hardly anything—so it makes perfect sense to buy it.

I couldn't find a native way either for that, and was wondering why it worked on one of my devices but not on the others. On the "working" device, I'm using aCalendar as a frontend to the Google Calendar, which also comes with a nice widget, and is really handy. aCalendar also sends birthday reminders, shows them on the widget itself and also puts a hint in the notification bar which is hard to miss. So until you find a solution you like more, this would be a possibility.

Thx. It also seems to have reasonable permissions. I'll look into it if there is no other answer.

Exactly those were my arguments when I chose it for my device: Handy, comfortable, light-weight, and "reasonable permissions" :) Good luck, further; I'll watch this question as I'm curious for "on-board alternatives" as well.

Kindly follow these steps :

How to Add Your Gmail Contacts' Birthdays to Google Calendar

Add Your Gmail Contacts' Birthdays to Google Calendar
To add a calendar showing and alerting you to birthdays of your Gmail contacts to Google Calendar:

Select Settings | Calendar settings in Google Calendar.
Go to the Calendars tab.
Follow the Browse interesting calendars » link under Other Calendars.
Open the More tab.
Click Subscribe for Contacts' birthdays and events.

Sarah Dee's Answer on Why it's not possible to add notifications at Birthday's Calendar?

Please follow these steps:

Go to google.com/calendar so you are just viewing the regular home screen
On the left hand side under Other calendars, find Friends' Birthdays, click the drop down arrow and select Reminders and notifications from the menu
Under the Event Reminders section, Click Add a reminder, set the desired reminder
Click Save

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

These guides only work for the Google calendar, unfortunately, and not for other calendar accounts, e.g. the caldav calendar I was referring to in my question. (I have no contact information stored in the Google account.)

There is not option to set event reminders fot the birthday calendar

In what reality is this answer even remotely correct?

This answer was probably correct at the time (2014), but now it is outdated (2018).


text:
JellyBlast ROM on Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360L
I have a Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360L, and I wanted to install a new ROM, JellyBlast. The only problem is the download link is broken. I searched all over google for the download, but all the links are broken. Where can I get the download? (Does it still exist? If not, what are some Jellybean themed ROMs I can get?)

Have you checked Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Cool. But I specifically want JellyBlast, and all the places I seached (including XDA Developers Forum) had a broken link (or on XDA Forums a link removed by a mod)

Well, I didn't check all sources referenced there – it was rather intended as a starting point for your search :)


text:
Is there a way to navigate back after an inter-page jump in a PDF reader?
Say I am reading a paper with a PDF reader on a tablet and I get to

... the second inequality follows from Lemma 3.2 ...

and I click on the text "Lemma 3.2" to jump to Lemma 3.2. Now that I reminded myself of what Lemma 3.2 was, I need to go back to the page I was reading before the jump.
In case of Adobe Reader which I am using on my phone, the physical back button (which I believe corresponds to the system back button) simply gets me to the recent files list.
Is there a way to navigate back after an inter-page jump in a PDF reader?

ezPDF Reader (free trial, pro) supports this.
Assuming you have a table of contents (TOC), clicking on a chapter link will take you to a page far from the TOC. If you click on the button with "a page and left arrow" icon (encircled below), it will take you back to the TOC.

From the (now deleted) OP's comment,

I found that Adobe Reader on Android actually has "go back" feature; after I jump to Lemma 3.2, the reader displays a new button which is for "go back". I guess I didn't try jump before because I was not expecting such a button to be created on the fly like that.

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


text:
Google+ id from Google+ App
I would like to get my id profile or my profile URL from the official Google+ app, in order to copy it to clipboard.

id  : {21-digit-number}
url : https://plus.google.com/u/0/{21-digit-number}

I would be also interested if there was a way to get it, from any official Google application on Android, different from a browser of course.


text:
Can a Samsung Galaxy 3 tablet be charged safely using a universal travel charger?
My daughter is in Thailand and she has been using a solar device to charge her Samsung Galaxy3 tablet (7 in.) This method is no longer charging the tablet sufficiently for use. She has a universal travel charger with a 5v output and short cirucuit protection so I was wondering if she could use that to charge her tablet safely? Samsung advised purchasing a Samsung travel charger over there but there are none available where she is.

Yes.  Any USB charger can be used for it.  It's all standard 5V USB.
The only thing you need to pay attention to is the current rating of the charger, especially with a tablet.  If the charger can't supply enough current, the device will charge slower than it should, if it will even be able to charge at all with the device on.
I'm not sure about the 7" tablets, but the 10" tablets will charge at up to 2.5 amps, whereas a typical smartphone charger will only put out 1 amp or so, meaning it will take at least 2.5x as long to charge on the latter.


text:
Is it possible to turn off tap-to-click on and Asus Transformer Pad Infinity?
I have an Asus Transformer Infinity and I'd like to turn off the tap-to-click feature on the keyboard dock's touchpad. Is this possible? I can't find a setting for it anywhere.


text:
Sound defaults to vibrate
Sound defaults to vibrate after any notification even though phone (Nexus) is on loud.
Tried power off and battery switch. Changed vibrate and ring tone settings.

Does it still vibrate even if you turn off vibration?

Could you add more info, such as if this happens even when you or in normal mode or if the phone switches to silent mode automatically?


text:
how to make Google cards always appear?
I really like the Google card thinghies but I don't like that they disappear.
Is there any way to force them to stay on the home screen as widgets? I want the weather and the currency exchange one to be always there

Google Now includes a widget. Just add it to your home screen.


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how do I disable my screen lock pin on my galaxy tab 3?
I added a screen lock pin number on my galaxy tab 3 but my children play the games and I am not always around to enter it.  How do I disable it?

If it's running standard firmware, you should go to Menu > Settings > Security > Lock Screen > Screen Lock > None. For the Galaxy Tab, I'd presume it'd be something similar to that.

I tried that before, but on the Galaxy tab 3 "Security" and "Lock Screen" are separate and in the same column. When I tap "Security", there is no option called "Screen Lock".  When I tap "Lock Screen", there is an option called "Screen Lock", but in smaller letters under this option it says "Secured with PIN". When I tap "Screen Lock" I only get the option "Confirm PIN".

The system needs your current password in order to allow you to change the security settings.  Otherwise it wouldn't be very secure :)  After confirming your PIN, the other options should appear.

I had the same issue and just figured it out.  Go to Settings -> Lock Screen, then un-check the box next to Lock instantly with Power key (5th from the top).
Disregard the other suggestions offered.  This is all you have to do to turn it off.

Welcome to the site! It's exciting to have new members around to ask questions, but let's not tell people to "disregard . . . other suggestions".