text:
HTC one X keeps restarting on Connecting to the Wifi
Hi I am using Htc One X - Android version 4.1.1 from atnt. However in the last few days my phone keeps rebooting as soon as I try and connect to the wifi. If at all it does connect I have to kill all my applications asap to make sure it works fine.
On opening any app like whatsapp or facebook it will show unforunately "the app name" has stopped working and it will again reboot.
Similarly while trying to uninstalling Facebook/Twitter it will do the same thing while if I uninstall any other apps like any launcher/ yelp etc it uninstalls perfectly. Please advise what is wrong ?

Have you rooted your device? Is it running stock firmware? Have you installed any pirated apps? Would you consider a factory reset? Do you have an SD card, could it be at the end of its life?

No device isnt rooted. Yes it is running stock firmware. No Pirated Apps have been installed. As in htc one x sd card is inbuilt how can I say if it is nearing the end ?

Sorry, thought the One X had a micro SD card also (it doesn't obviously). You could replace it or use it a different device. I'm reluctant to recommend a factory reset as you'll have to reinstall everything. Would you be able to install ADB or the Android SDK and pull a log of the errors? http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/36574/settings-hangs-when-scanning-for-wifi-since-jb-update-on-one-x?rq=1 you could try this, I know it's a different crashing, but maybe it's related? Worth a shot as it will only take 2 mins.

I am not aware of the process of pulling out error logs. I wouldnt mind a reset though. Is it a software issue for sure or could it be a hardware one ?

Try changing your WiFi settings to those in the link: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/36574/settings-hangs-when-scanning-for-wifi-since-jb-update-on-one-x?rq=1 and see if it helps, it can't hurt at all. There's no way for me to tell if it's hardware or software but my hunch is software since some apps are fine, but there could be 2 issues here: WiFi issue, Uninstalling apps issue. Factory reset is a bit of a Nuclear Option but if you know your passwords and everything you NEED is backed up you could do it. But I'll keep looking into it in the meantime before you do that.

Yes but I read somewhere that it could be a logic board issue and I was not sure. Could it be that? because most of the applications run fine when I am not connected like games etc as soon as I am on a wireless network the phone restarts. Facebook wont unistall wont update wont open just reboots the system . can i be a logic board issue ?

It could well be, as I said I don't know, but we can't do anything to fix hardware so I guess trying the software route is a good start. If it is hardware then you'll need it repaired.

alright. Ill wait for a while if there is nothing concrete I might as well go with a reset. Thanks

authors: Янко Ангелов


text:
Hide SMS message in notification bar
I am using Moto E powered by Android Kitkat.
When I receive an SMS, I get a notification displaying the sender name with the message. I don't want the message text to be displayed in the notification, just the sender name is enough.
How can I prevent the message text from being displayed?
NOTE: I don't want to stop the notification. I just want to hide the text message in the notification

GoSMS Pro has a "Notification bar privacy mode" option, which 'shows "New Message" instead of the message's content'.

I personally use Sliding SMS (which is a standalone app created for and taken from CyanogenMod 10). It has an option to enable "Privacy Mode", which hides the sender and message from the status bar notification. 8sms (which is also from CM10 M2) also has this option.

Third party sms app like Handcent SMS ,8sms and Go sms etc have option to hide the notification message from the status bar.
Just go to these sms app. In settings you will find option to hide the message content in notification bar.

Chomp SMS also works fine. We can choose what to display in the notification bar. In privacy mode, we can hide name, text and both.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Root Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 4.4.2 without tripping Knox
I have been searching and searching for a way to root my Verizon Samsung galaxy note 3 with 4.4.2 on it and with out tripping kknox, and am very unlucky. I have heard of Root_de_LA_Vega and it tripping Knox with 4.4.2. Then there is TowelRoot, this I feel might work, so if anyone has the same phone with the same update and has tried it. Tell me how it worked out. The last option I have found being cyangen mod installer. Once again if anyone has tried it on the same phone, tell me how it worked out.
Any feed back is great and thank you in advance.

No it doesn't I have an unlocked note 3. Did towelroot... And it failed said that device Aint supported yet...

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


text:
Candy Crush on HTC Desire?
Am I not able to install Candy Crush game on my HTC Desire.
The telephone is not rooted and just hard reset
How can I solve it?

Why are you not able to install it? What happens when you try?

Error: device not competible

The device does not support all of the features, candy crush requires, and therefor the play store will not allow you to install it.
You can attempt to download the APK from the interweb or try an alternative repository. Amazon app store perhaps?


text:
Installing APK via Terminal Emulator
I have installed Android 4.4 through VirtualBox on my PC. I want to know how to install an APK (e.g. FIFA 14) in it via a command in terminal.
How to do that?

$ su

# cd (location in which you have the apk file)

# pm install fifa14.apk (or whatever the apk name)

@agharehanabbas You need to put the actual name of the APK file you have instead of fifa1.apk.

@agharehanabbas You also need to put the correct path after cd, not just (location). For example, if you have put the .apk file in /sdcard/, use cd /sdcard/.

@agharehanabbas inorder to install the apk from terminal emulator you first need to download the apk file. In your case it is fifa14.apk. You need to move the apk file inside your phone sdcard. Then open the terminal and follow the instruction. In cd (location) it has to be cd /sdcard/(folder name in which you moved the apk).

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


text:
How to import photos from a digital camera using USB OTG?
I have some simple digital camera for my kids with only internal memory. I do have some windows software for it to import the photos. The windows software looks a bit outdated, but it works.
When I connected it on an Ubuntu machine to read the USB ID ("ID 0979:0227 Jeilin Technology Corp., Ltd JL2005B/C/D Toy Camera") it worked instantly. The memory was mounted as a drive, I could see the photos and copy them!
But when I go on holiday I will have neither a Windows PC nor an Ubuntu machine nearby. I will only have my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, which supports USB OTG.
When I connect the camera via the USB OTG connector, the camera gives a bleep and on my tablet I see a message "USB connector attached". But I don't see a mounted drive (which I do see when I connect a simple USB memory stick).
Is there some kind of app to import the photos from a digital camera?
Regards,

The camera may be connecting on PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) or MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) mode, not as a normal USB drive (which uses USB Mass Storage drivers). It shows up in Ubuntu similarly to a USB Mass Storage device, but Android has no support for this out of the box.
You could try an app that supports PTP, such as DslrDashboard, but I haven't tried these personally, so no guarantees.

Thanks for your answer. The camera is a very simply thing, produced probably during the Windows XP era. Do you think it will support PTP or MTP then?

Sorry, no luck. I cannot see the camera with DslrDashboard.

@onik: AFAIK, MTP and PTP are available when Android becomes slave and PC becomes host. In ffonz's question, Android is the host and camera is the slave, so I don't understand how come PTP and MTP would be available other than OTG USB Storage mount. Care to explain.

@Firelord If the camera itself supports only MTP or PTP slave mode, it needs a host that can act as a MTP/PTP master. I don't mean the USB connection mode in Android settings, but an app that emulates a MTP/PTP master.


text:
Enabling the accelerometer on android phones
are the accelerometers on Android always on? or is it possible to enable/disable them? Does by chance activating/deactivating the setting "Auto-rotate screen" by chance activates/deactivate the accelerometer?

The accelerometers are hardware, thus always ON. When you deactive the settings that need them (your example Auto-rotate screen is a good one), you merely deactivate the reading of that sensor to control the activity. A good proof of this is to use the game app "Drop", which uses these sensors. While you may turn off Auto-Rotate, the sensors are still live for the game.


text:
How can I connect two android devices to the same network over the internet?
Many phone functions (local WiFi-only games, networking, etc.) are only possible/are made much easier by having the two devices connected to the same network.
I'd like to do this, if possible, between two Android devices. I imagine a VPN would do the job, but I'm not sure. How can I connect two (separated by distance) Android devices to the same network?


text:
Lock screen of Nexus 5 during active call
How can I activate my PIN lock screen by default during an active call? If my proximity sensor turns the screen on during the call I frequently drop will accidentally disconnect by clicking the "end" key inadvertently.
Nexus 5, 4.4.3, Stock Android/Nexus 5

Go into Settings -> Accessibility -> Uncheck the checbox power button ends call. Now during call, when you press the power button, the screen locks; Pin/Pattern/Password screen appears.
I have tested on my device but not on nexus 5. Have to do in emulator.


text:
Convert Tablet into idiot-proof PC monitor
I'm working on a new classroom space at a small college. The goal is to have a fully wireless lecturn for the instructor. That includes power cables: everything must be battery powered. This means sticking all the powered A/V equipment (especially the PC) off to the side, where it can be plugged in, and only including what is effectively a terminal on the podium.
What does that have to do with Android? I'm glad you asked. I still need a display for the lecturn. I need a small-ish screen that can run on a battery for several hours at a time that I can connect over wireless to a PC. I'd prefer a dedicated monitor product, but since I can't find that anywhere, an Android tablet sounds perfect.
So here's the question: how can I set up an android tablet to do this?
I know there are a number of apps out there that support this at a basic level, but just the app alone is not enough. I need the result to be really idiot-proof. If at all possible, I want people to be fooled into thinking that the tablet is nothing more than a monitor: they wake up the tablet and the PC screen comes up with no additional touches, even if no one is logged into the PC yet. This also needs to function as (in some instances) the only monitor for the PC. Kiosk support of some type would be ideal, as well.
For what it's worth, I'm also exploring using a UPS (with the alarm disabled) with a traditional display and wireless dongle, but the android solution just seems much more elegant.

I am aware that this is partially a product recommendation, which would be off-topic, because a specific app or tablet make/model recommendation may come out of this question. However, I believe this question goes beyond the typical product recommendation, in that I'm also looking for instructions on how to set things up, and would accept and encourage answers that support several of the various screen apps and several tablet makes/models.

Raw idea: Kiosk-Mode (I've just added that tag to your question, so you can check related content) together with some remote-desktop app?

@Izzy I researched this some before posting, and all the Kiosk-mode instructions I've seen is that it's not built into android itself: you have make low-level changes to the OS, and even then you still need to include support for it in the App. If one of the existing apps has support for this, I'd love to hear more details about it. If there is better kiosk support in a newer version of android, then pointing me to a tablet that ships with that version and is closer to the $200 price point than $500 would be great, too.

While shopping reco's... you know that part. As for "Is there an app for X" (also off-topic), you could check with Software Recs. As for "how can I achieve this generally", your question is still fine here IMHO. I didn't dive into this topic, so all I can give are the hints I gave, sorry. Good luck, though!

@Izzy Thanks. Personally, I think the whole "shopping recommendation" ban is a mistake made by the community early... the ban might make sense on Stack Overflow itself, and maybe Super User (imagine all the PC builds). Aside from that, I think the SE engine and people would be great at this. The only real problem is one that's already addressed: duplicates. Aggressively close shopping dupes, and I think there's some value to be had in opening this up... especially in smaller sites that are looking to grow the audience.

Nope. The real problem with shopping recos is: a device fine and up-to-date today is completely outaged a year later, especially when it comes to tech (you wouldn't buy a 2012 Android device today, would you?). While solutions we try to give are usually valid for several years at least. But that has been discussed elsewhere, and we shouldn't discuss it here in the comments (feel free to drop into chat for that instead).


text:
ADB device list empty, needed to edit build.prop
adb devices in the command shell gives me an empty list. I know this question is usually solved by: adb kill-server, adb start-server. However it still doesn't work. I had it working before because I put Cyanongenmod 10.2 on my HTC One X+.
I don't know if this is related, but because some apps couldn't be installed on my device through Google Play I tried to edit the build.prop file on my phone. I changed ro.blabla = GB --> NL (because I thought maybe changing country works). However since then I can't do anything after booting because it keeps repeating "Trebuchet stopped working". (I can still boot to FASTBOOT) So my plan is to edit this file on my PC, but for this I need ADB to work. Any suggestions?
Edit: Would be nice to let you know that I use Windows 7, but I also can use Ubuntu 12.04 in a virtual machine.
Edit2: If I'm in FASTBOOT my phone shows up in Windows device manger as Android USB Devices --- My HTC
Edit3: I can enter the standard Terminal Emulator and open the file with "su file build.prop", however it stays in Read-Only mode. Using "mount -o rw,remount /system" gives permission denied.
Edit4: I got into the settings menu and indeed I didn't have root right and not USB debugging on. Now I got adb working from my pc.

Did you turn USB debugging on again after installing Cyanogenmod? Does the phone think USB debugging is connected (there's a notification if it does)?

As @DanHulme said, Is USB Debugging enabled? Is your screen unlocked when you are trying to use ADB?

When I plug the usb cable in after unlocking the device it says: "Connected as a media device". I can only get into the menu where I can select: Media device (MTP) (currently checked) and Camera (PTP) (currently unchecked).

If you can't access developers options, do this first: Go to Settings -> About Phone -> click “Build Number” six times in a row. Now turn on USB debugging and give root permission to ADB.
Now ADB is working I followed the following tutorial: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1236732 and I think I put my edited file on my pc back on the phone. The problem now is that it keeps stuck at HTC screen logo. Seems there is no other option left then to restore an older version...
Edit: Guess it was better to use the original build.prop file from the cyanogenmod.zip instead of editing it. Now I have the same problem of ADB not finding my device, however this time without a booting system.
Edit 2: Through TWRP I restored an old backup, but I selected only to restore System and Boot, so I still got most of my Data :) Lesson to be learned: Before you do some changes to a system, no matter how trivial, backup everything first.


text:
Why do I sometimes get requests for root access from unusual applications?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 running a rooted stock firmware, Occasionally I get a popup from my superuser application saying that an application that I did not specifically install or launch has requested root access. I always deny these requests, obviously, but I'm not sure why they happen in the first place.
The most recent was from "Google Backup Transport", which, being a preinstalled application, seems like it shouldn't be asking me for root. At least one other person appears to be having the same issue, but I can't seem to find much information about it. I don't remember the previous application names, as it only seems to happen every several weeks or so, but it is not the same application every time.
Could this be indicative of a malware infection? If not, why is it happening?
EDIT: It just happened again - this time it was SyncMLSvc requesting root access - it seems to be a Samsung service.

What su app are you using?

It is the free Superuser app by Koushik Dutta.


text:
Battery charging issue in Samsung Galaxy S3
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and it is charging very very slowly when plugged into my PC. I deleted all my images and some videos and some other stuff and the charging seemed to speed up.
Is battery charging is related to available memory? I didn't think it was.

Do you use your pc to charge?

@davidbaumann yup

It delivers only about 2.5 Watt which might be all used for standby, cell and wifi connection. You should use the charger.

Did you also delete applications?

@davidbaumann No. I deleted my Images and some videos... and then i show battery charging speed up little bit.

Why do you think the charging speed increased? Is it because it became full faster?

@geffchang i was not thinking. but it's true. when i deleted some images and some other stuff then charging speed little bit increase.

My guess would be that Media Scanner was scanning a lot of files. Hence, eating up CPU resources and battery. Now that you have lesser files, it's probably not working as hard. See if you have Media or android.process.media in System > Battery.
A rogue app or a corrupted file could be causing Media to work hard.
You could also try to clear the phone's cache to see if that helps. Boot into recovery mode, and clear cache partition.

i think you're right.

This is the due to the change in the supply current between the PC's USB port and the actual plugin charger you got with your device.
Current from USB port is less compared to that of the charger.
Hence time required to charge phone from PC usb port is more as that of charger

@Santoash ya got it. but when i deleted my images and some other stuff then charging speed little bit increase.

@MD the best way to compare the charging time is to put your phone in airplane mode and check.\n If results are same then there is some power hungry app that is killing your battery

I think it's the battery's problem, you should get a new battery. I bought one from RAVPower and problem solevd.


text:
How to record device audio output (record while listening songs online)
How to record songs while listening (from online source) on Android 4.4/Nexus 5.
I am not able to find any apps for this. All voice recorder apps seems to be supporting only background sound, and not the device sound output (in earphone).


text:
Refresh Downloads list
I have Android 4.4.3 on a Nexus 5.
I connected the phone to a laptop, and there I deleted most of the files in the Downloads directory of the phone.
Nevertheless, these files still show up on the phone when I open Downloads (of course, when I try to open them, I get an error).
Is there a way to refresh the Downloads list?

This is a correction for Akhil's answer. I have tried this on Android Lollipop and it works :
Settings > Apps > All > Download Manager (NOT Downloads) > Clear Data and Clear Cache.

Do as follows:
Go to
Settings->Apps->Downloads(in All Tab)->clear data and cache.

Thank you for this answer, that sounds like what I should do indeed. Unfortunately, for some reason I cannot clear data (the button is greyed out) nor the cache (the button isn't greyed out but clicking on it doesn't do anything). I also tried to clear all the cache on the phone (in Settings->Storage) but that didn't change anything either ):

try force close app and see whether data&cache clear button is enabled or not.

No, unfortunately it does not enable the button. Oh well, I guess I'll manually delete every "ghost" entry from the Downloads list as suggested by Dennis. I suppose my issue could be reported as a bug...

Long press on one of the entries to bring up the select menu. Click on each one of the files and press the trash icon in the upper right corner. The entries will be removed from the list but the files will remain in the Download folder. Too bad there is no 'select all' button.


text:
Can't get a Note 3 debugging
I'm trying to use my Note 3 to help me debug a website, but I just can't get it going. I've enabled developer mode and checked USB debugging in developer options, but that's as far as I can get.
I've installed Kies 3 and when I connect my phone using a USB 3 cable to a USB 3 port I can see my phone in Kies, I can transfer files to it and everything. I can do this using Windows Explorer or Kies.
However it cannot be seen by ADB or Chrome Inspect. Going through the instructions online they say I should be getting a popup asking me to authorise remote debugging, but I'm not getting that.
I've tried everything I can think of, I'm new to debugging mobiles and so my knowledge on how to get this is limited. Can someone help me get this working please?

If you unplug your device, reboot, does it still not ask you for permission? You're sure you have usb debugging on? Not trying to insult your intelligence, but I've had similar problems with android devices (particular the note and note 8), and sometimes I have dev mode on, but I forgot to scroll down and check "usb debugging". I don't recall of windows has the android transfer tool, but make sure that is turned off too if it's on. The other thing is on adb try to kill and restart the server. Can't think of anything else. Have you tried any of these?

Definitely have usb debugging checked and rebooting does nothing. I've killed and restarted the adb server multiple times, both removing the usb before and leaving it plugged in during the restart.

Interestingly, I've just tried this from my home PC and the prompt came up. I can view it in adb and chrome://inspect too. It must be something about my work PC but I wonder what.

it could be the ports are blocked. Maybe you could verify with network admin, perhaps to confirm? Other than that I would recommend bashing your work computer it until it works. lol j/p

Hehe, we're a small company and I wear many hats, including network admin. There's no reason why the USB ports should be blocked.

Many corporate boxes come with ports locked, but it could be Kies running and adb etc trying to run at the same time on the same USB drivers. Try killing ALL kies processes on the work PC. Make sure you run ADB as Administrator also.

I've tried it after rebooting (Kies doesn't autostart), I checked task manager and no sign of Kies, and had no joy. One thing I think it might be is the USB drivers on the computer. Whenever I plug the phone in it says it will perform faster in a USB 3 port, even though it is a USB 3 port. It's the same with every USB 3 port on the box. I've checked device manager and it says the drivers are installed properly with no updates available, but I think that is the issue.

Just to confirm, on your personal computer you don't have kies installed? There are a lot of problems that aries with kies. It plays nice by itself, but once you want to use other toys, it becomes a problem. I actually have kies installed on my work computer for firmware stuff, but on my personal computer I removed kies and all of the drivers it installed.

No, I have Kies installed on my PC as well. I specifically installed it to create the same situation as my work PC to try and figure this out. Today I uninstalled the USB hub drivers on my work PC, downloaded the latest drivers from Dell and installed everything again, still no dice. I'll try uninstalling Kies from my work PC though.


text:
Can I use OTG USB pendrive with Galaxy Nexus
I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It is said to fully support OTG devices. However, I'm only able to use a mouse or keyboard through OTG USB cable. When I'm trying to connect my newly bought USB pendrive, the  phone doesn't detect it.
I have an USB pendrive with dual plug: standard USB + microUSB. I tried connecting it both through built-in microUSB and through standard USB via USB OTG cable. No effect on any attempt.
What am I missing? Is the pendrive broken or doesn't the Samsung Galaxy Nexus support external pendrives and has only keyboard/mouse OTG support?

Yes, it works. You need to root and install the StickMount app. Source.

I forgot to add (to my question) that, I'm asking for an answer without need of root, but you were faster! :] Thank you...

One side question: Is there any way to determine, approximately how many devices with Android will require root to use USB OTG pendrive? I only need general answer. Is this something normal (70-90% devices requires this) or something unique (10-30% devices requires this or even Galaxy Nexus is a lonely exception).

Alternatively you can mount it in terminal:
mkdir /data/local/usbstick && mount - t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /data/local/usbstick

Then you can execute.

Again, I was rather looking for an everyday newbie user solution. Not the one, that requires rooting or playing with terminal. So, while I'm grateful for your answers, the real answer to my question is (at least for me): "You can't".


text:
How to set getExternalStorageState()
I have rooted a B&N Nook Glowlight running Android 2.1. The device does not come with an SD card, so I symlinked to another directory from /sdcard/. Now I need to set the Environment.getExternalStorageState() value so that apps will be able to find the "card". How does one set this value?
Note that other devices, such as the Nexus S, also do not have an SD Card, yet they do return a Environment.getExternalStorageState() value for applications that require it.
Note that I am not writing an Android application which uses this value. I need to set this value device-wide so that other applications (such as Anki and Opera will be able to find it.

The source for eclair's Environment.getExternalStorageState() is here.  It looks like getExternalStorageState() comes to this:
return SystemProperties.get("EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE", MEDIA_REMOVED)
I think you want to take a look at the /system/build.prop file and check for a line like:
EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE=removed
If it's there, try changing it to:
EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE=mounted
To do this, adb pull /system/build.prop, modify the file on your computer, then adb remount to make /system writable (or adb shell, su, mount -o rw,remount /system)... then exit back to your computer and adb push build.prop /system/build.prop to push the modified file to /system).  Then reboot.
You can try temporarily (from root shell):
setprop EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE mounted
...if that works, you might then programmatically try:
SystemProperties.set("EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE", Environment.MEDIA_MOUNTED);
Hope this works out for ya.

Thank you! I am able to temporarily set the external storage as mounted via setprop EXTERNAL_STORAGE_STATE mounted. I'm trying to get the ADB working to set it permanently. Thank you!

Glad it worked :)

Yes, thank you! I still haven't resolved the entire issue, as this is a rooted B&N nook running Android 2.1, but you've put me on the right track.


text:
How to track data consumed by assisted GPS?
My Moto E sometimes uses up mobile data even though I have turned it off. To fix this, I added a dummy APN with random values. But still occasional data charges are incurred. I found this and am pretty sure this is the reason for my data charges as I had location services turned on since the first day. Also, the data being used is in very low amounts as I'm being charged for bytes. My question is
How to be sure that it is assisted GPS that is using up my mobile data?

I have no idea how to monitor AGPS data consumption; it will probably be counted as Android System itself using up data.
But if you do have A-GPS enabled, it will use data. From Wikipedia:

A typical A-GPS-enabled receiver will use a data connection (Internet
  or other) to contact the assistance server for aGPS information. If it
  also has functioning autonomous GPS, it may use standalone GPS, which
  is sometimes slower on time to first fix, but does not depend on the
  network, and therefore can work beyond network range, and without
  incurring data usage fees. Some A-GPS devices do not have the
  option of falling back to standalone or autonomous GPS.

In Settings > Location > Location mode, you can set it to Device only for GPS-only. Battery saving and High accuracy will definitely use data.


text:
What is Android Systems on LG Motion?
I have KidLogger on my LG Motion. When I go to see what others have been doing on my phone, it says Android Systems. What is that, and where can I find it on my phone?

Keeping question open, since it can be answered.

That's just the Android "Operating" System, like Windows / Linux system. If you go to Settings > Battery, you will see that "Android System", if not the "Screen", eats up most of your battery.


text:
Help finding app history
i know there is a place i can go on my lg motion and see the history of all the apps ever downloaded to my phone, including the ones that have been removed. This same place will show the last date the app was installed but I can't remember where that is.

You can go to the Play Store and click My Apps and then All

What's is interesting is to find out how many times I have tried to give an app a chance. I install, test it, uninstall, come back months later, do it again. I seem to have installed Amazon Kindle at least 3 times, that I can see.


text:
High Speed Camera?
Since my phone (HTC One M7) can record in 720p at 60 fps, I'm curious if it's possible to record smaller video, like 320x240, at much higher speeds, like 180 fps.
Is the 60 fps a hard coded limit?

I believe the phones codec limits it to a speed that can be played on the phone. Even if you could film at 180 fps, where would you play it?

@BobbyAlexander On my desktop, I suspect?

This article might help: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2013/jan/10/camera-shooting-slow-motion-videos

A lot of devices are limited by the camera sensor used, even if the device is powerful enough, you may not be able to record at 180fps because the camera module cannot process data fast enough. The HTC One(M7) camera is limited to 96fps at best. The best on a mobile camera is at 120fps right now.

To my best knowledge, I have not seen such option in HTC One that you can use.
Now, if you are asking if TECHNICALLY that would be possible, I really doubt it to achieve 180 fps.
Though some serious(?) hacks can increase the fps, but I believe there is a physical ccd sensor limitation in place. Otherwise, DSLR camera owners would have been able to turn their Full HD cameras into low-res high speed camcorders.


text:
When rooting android device, what is changed in device?
Not a Duplicate Claim
If you are tempted to flag this as a duplicate of questions like "How to root my android phone?" or "What can I do with a rooted android device?", then please take the time to read my question carefully. My question is not about those topics.
Question
Out of couriosity, what is changed inside of an android device when it gets rooted? Is it saved somewhere, like in a config file with rooted=true or something like that?
I've extensively tried to google for this, but the information I'm looking for seems to be hidden behind all the results for how to root which phone and what fancy things you can do with a rooted phone, so I couldn't find it. Not even a clue.

Although this article is somewhat old (2011), it goes over the concept of rooting and how rooting is done. Rooting is basically exploiting a security flaw (in phones which do not have have it exposed to public unlike the Nexus line of devices) to get the phone to execute code not from the manufacturer.
http://seasonofcode.com/posts/how-rooting-works-a-technical-explanation-of-the-android-rooting-process.html

Why we need root and how:
Android is designed to not allow arbitrary code to be run as root because root can access any data on the device and monitor the user's interaction with the device, allowing the app to do anything. However Android has security flaws, so apps can exploit those flaws and get root access. Some devices allow users to 'unlock' it, but it will erase all the data on the device first, protecting the data. Other apps use this command to get root privilege and do anything they want: installing apps, interacting with the hardware, read the data on the device, etc.
Technically (from a root app's view):
Rooting adds a command named 'su' to /system/bin or /system/xbin that, when executed, provides a root shell (a shell starting with #).

mostly talking about things not addressing the question; and the relevant part of the answer is very superficial and does not add valuable information to the answer already given


text:
Default permissions for new files and default umask
I mounted a NFS share on my rooted Android device using busybox mount.
I can read and create files, but when I create a file in any app, the file's permissions are set to 0600 (because the umask inside the app is 077). This means that a file created by an app can only be accessed by that app.
How can I change this behavior, and have the new files created with more permissions?
Is there a way to have apps start with a different umask?
Also, how come all the files created on the sdcard are 0775 (thus ignoring the app's umask) ? I want my NFS mount to behave like the SD Card
I have a rooted Android box with version 4.4.2.

A quick Google search reveals a new API in Java 7 that allows permissions bits to be twiddled for individual files. This doesn't help with changing the umask, but it should allow you to override it after file creation. Check out:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/nio/file/Files.html#setPosixFilePermissions%28java.nio.file.Path,%20java.util.Set%29
If you really do need to change the umask, it doesn't seem to be a function currently exposed directly by the BCL. You'll have to resort to native calls, or use a library to do it on your behalf. I hear that such libraries do already exist -- you'd be looking for one that gives access to POSIX operating system functionality.
As for why files on the sdcard ignore the umask, sdcards are typically formatted using the vfat filesystem, which is basically backwards-compatible to MS-DOS/Windows 95 and doesn't recognize the concept of users. As such, it has no way to restrict access to a file; if you can't restrict access for particular users, then you'd only be restricting access for anyone, and why would you ever want to do that? :-)
What vfat has are file attributes -- read-only, hidden and system. There's no effective way to map the majority of UNIX file mode combinations to these. The driver, thus, simply always reports files as having a particular mode, set when the filesystem is mounted. Android mounts sdcards so that that mode is returned as 0755 (-rwxr-xr-x).


text:
How do I stop floating the number keypad on Galaxy Note 8.0?
My Galaxy Note 8 displays a floating numeric keyboard when the inputType is number. How do I make it stop floating? It doesn't happen for other inputTypes, just this one. There's no option to change it to "normal" like there is with the regular keyboard. The only buttons are 0-9, delete, next, and a gear button.
I'm using Android version 4.4.2.

Why is it a problem for you? If it accepts numeric values, then the numbers are sufficient, isn't it?

It blocks buttons in my application when it's not docked.


text:
Telegram: hide online status
Is there any way to hide the "Online" status on the Telegram application, and possible as well also the "Last seen" time stamp?
If this is not possible, is there a way to contact the developing team to ask them to include this feature? I haven't found like a forum or a place to put requests.
It seems weird that for an app that is supposed to be so privacy-centered, as opposed to Whatsapp, they have left in this really intrusive feature.

There is a 'contact the developer' link on every app in the Google Play store, just click on that and email them about it!

Yes, apart from the moment you send a message to someone.
You can set that from Settings --> Privacy and Security --> Last Seen --> Nobody
A more detailed explanation, from Telegram F.A.Q:

Can I hide my 'last seen' time?
You can choose who sees this info in Privacy and Security settings.
Remember that you won‘t see Last Seen timestamps for people with whom you don’t share your own. You will, however, see an approximate last seen value. This keeps stalkers away but makes it possible to understand whether a person is reachable over Telegram. There are four possible approximate values:

Last seen recently — covers anything between 1 second and 2-3 days
Last seen within a week — between 2-3 and seven days
Last seen within a month — between 6-7 days and a month
Last seen a long time ago — more than a month (this is also always shown to blocked users)

Who can see me 'online'?
The last seen rules apply to your online status as well. People can only see you online if you're sharing your last seen status with them. There is one exception to this: people will be able to see you online for a brief period when you send them a message in a one-on-one chat or in a group where you both are members.

App screenshot:

This is not hiding "online" when you get your app focused

Settings - Privacy and security - Last seen.

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


text:
Samsung Kies correct version
I need to find the right Kies version for Samsung S4 mini but the info provided by samsung is not clear:
Please check your mobile phone model before downloading:
Kies
Supported model : Feature phone, Smart Phone/Tablet before Galaxy Note III (including Galaxy S4, Note II, etc)
Kies3
Supported model : Smart Phone/Tablet from Galaxy Note III (Android OS 4.3 or over)
I suspect that it has to do with android version but it is not very clear

What Android version are you on? Check System Settings > About phone > Android version. Kies3 is for Android 4.3 and above. If your Android version is lower, use Kies.

it says 4.2.2. But I wonder, won't there be an update past the 4.3 for S4 mini? A samsung s3 (older smartphone) has a 4.3 version.. that's weird.

@YannisDran S4 Mini has 4.3 already, but that would depend on your network if they rolled it out already. Try to check via Settings > About > System Updates. If you're on a custom ROM, you usually wouldn't get an update notification. http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s4-mini-gets-treated-to-android-4-3-1202347

It is Settings > About Device > Software update. It says that the latest updates have already been installed. So I guess I install Kies and if new version later than 4.3 comes up I will install another kies accordingly, right?

@YannisDran Correct.


text:
Get rid of Google Play
I would like to freeze, or in any way disable Google Play on my Android 2.3.6.
I tried to prevent the autorun: it always finds its way.
I tried to freeze it with Gemini App Manager: even blocked it starts.
How can I definitely block or even uninstall this damned application ? Has someone succeeded in doing so ?
The reason: every time it starts, my whole phone becomes extremely slow, barely usable.

So, you don't ever want to install or update apps?

As Al said, if you do uninstall Google Play you can't download or update any apps at all. I guess you could occasionally install the store apk file and do it then uninstall. Google Play is a system app so you'd need Root and an application like Root Uninstaller (downloaded from Play Store ironically) and then uninstall system apps.

My phone is already rooted, and I already tried to block/freeze Google Play, but like I said, for Google Play it does not work, the apps unblocks itself one way or another.
I wanted to avoid uninstalling it completely to be able to sometimes use it, but maybe this is the only way. I suppose I can then use another store app to install and update my applications.

Do you have also unlocked phone? I mean unlocked bootloader, so you are able to make changes in system partition.

Not sure how well this works but if you have root you could try this F-Droid app.

The most straightforward method would be to just flash a custom ROM without GApps, so you would have a clean device. Just backup all your apps with TitaniumBackup or oandbackup before doing it.

If your phone is rooted, then you can rename Google Apps APK file extension to ._ap_k or something like that. You can also move it outside the system/app folder. This will definitely prevent it from starting.
You can also use startup manager and task killer apps to kill it.
If the disable option is available in Settings -> Apps - All, then it you can disable it. Otherwise, try to disable Google Framework or Google Account. Google Apps is dependent on them.

If your phone is rooted you can use the pm command in terminal.
Instructions:
1. Install https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jackpal.androidterm
2. In the terminal emulator type "su" (without the "") and hit enter in order to obtain root permissions.
3. Then you need to type
pm disable package_name

Replace the package_name with the package name of the app you need to disable. It should work.
To enable a package do the same but replace disable with enable.

The package name of the play store should be com.android.vending


text:
Nexus 4 problem with red light
I have a Nexus 4, and I keep having to return it because of its red light of death. I usually am able to get back on my other phones with the same problem, but the new one I received just doesn't turn on with the red light incident. I was holding the power button for 10 seconds and the red light appeared and it was blinking. I had the same problems with my other returned phones, but this phone's light would disappear when I released my finger from the power button.

Normally, that red blinking light on a Nexus 4 means it's not getting enough power (the battery isn't charging, or is undercharged).
Try charging your phone overnight with a 2A charger.


text:
How can I disable usb charging on Android phone (Nexus 5)
I use my Nexus 5 as development device, so I plug-in and plug-out into computer usb very often.
What makes me worried is that too many this way "li-on" battery charging cycles get wasted too fast.
My Nexus 5 is rooted.
I want it to charge only when connected to wall socket.
I saw there are similar questions but I haven't found any concrete solution yet.
Apart "sync only cable". but does it really exists?
Thanks in advance

It is possible in theory, but I've yet to use any app that actually works. How about leaving it plugged out altogether and use something like AirDroid to transfer things between your computer and the phone? For this to properly work you would need a customised Kernel that supports this feature. A custom kernel would be device specific so you would need a Nexus 5 kernel with no USB charging. I've yet to find one and I think you need a different solution to this. I will keep looking though! You could try https://github.com/t0mm13b/USBChargeCommander/blob/master/README but I haven't seen it work

Don't worry about battery. There is nothing like fixed cycle count counter. Plugging it very often is actually better than cycling it 10%->100%->10%->100%.

Could you point to some documentation to support this?


text:
If I set my phone to "vibrate mode" and I then receive phone calls, can the vibration damage my device?
Do you know if it's a good idea to set the vibration to be almost continuous on my phone when I receive calls?
I am asking this because I am worried about breaking the device.

I don't think continuous vibration while the phone is ringing can destroy a phone. It can drain battery though. I always set mine to vibrate, and it's still fine.
Some phones or custom ROMs let you adjust how strong the vibration is.

The only thing I can think of adding is that vibrate is a motor so if it is used more often it would burn out quicker. Realistically though I use it all the time myself and no issue at all.


text:
What could cause the camera to turn on automatically while the phone is in standby?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 (the blue one just to help set the scene) running Android version 4.4.2
My phone was sleeping beside me peacefully on my desk in standby mode (or whatever you call it when it's just a blank screen not being used).
Suddenly, the screen lights up and to my surprise the camera is active - with no human intervention whatsoever. There were also no notifications of any kind at this point that might have had a hand in it.
What could be the possible causes for this to happen? Are there any conditions is which this might be expected? Is it a bug? Or maybe worse, could it be a malicious application trying to "catch me in the act"?
Additional information that might be useful:

When the camera started it was the main camera that was active, rather than the front camera
Looking through the phone and camera settings, there is nothing enabled (or even available) that might explain this happening. For example, there is no quick start camera gesture or voice command

Maybe you have a broken camera button? Did your phone every have a bad fall?

@geffchang: Nope, I have been very careful with this one and I have only had it just over a month. There doesn't appear to be a hardware shortcut for the camera anyway. There is a lockscreen software shortcut that requires you to slide an icon, but there was no contact with the phone at the time to manage this (of course there may be a bug that thought is was activated)

When you say "the camera is active", do you mean the camera app is visible on screen? A malicious app wouldn't use the camera app, it would just take pictures with nothing on screen.

Could this be the photo unlock?

The NSA. Just had to poke that one :-) Seriously,  though, maybe the OS has a gesture that turns on the camera automatically, and the detection's off. May be worth a trip through the settings to confirm.

@DanHulme: Yeah good point. It was active on the screen

@ctt: Just been through the settings and can't find anything that actives anything, let alone the camera

@JCHulce: Not sure what you mean by "the photo unlock"...

@musefan the face unlock feature, which was introduced in Android 4.0, allows you to unlock a device using facial recognition with the front camera. Details here: http://www.android.com/about/ice-cream-sandwich/ (near the bottom)

@JCHulce: Oh face unlock. That is not enabled on my phone, and I wouldn't expect it to activate the phone automatically. It also was the main camera being viewed, rather than the front camera

@musefan great to clarify this. You might want to edit the question a bit to say the main camera was activated.

Not exactly a solution, but this seems to be part of the problem:

Launch Camera directly from lock screen
Time is often of the essence when trying to capture the perfect
  picture. The Galaxy S5 lets you bypass the lock screen to snap a
  picture. Simply swipe the camera icon up (in the lower right hand
  corner) and you’ll launch directly into the camera app! If this
  feature isn’t turned on you can do so by:
Go to Settings > Lock Screen Check “Camera Shortcut” You’re done! Even
  if you have a pattern or password lock set up this will let you take
  pictures without unlocking your phone.

How this is being enabled is anyones guess.

Yeah I did think this could be the most likely cause, somehow it thought that it had been triggered. If it is this, then it definitely a bug, I guess it's hard to know for sure what the cause was

Faulty touchscreen? Perhaps it is detecting phantom touches where the camera app icon is on the lockscreen?

No reason to suspects faulty touchscreen, I haven't noticed any issues with it. Also, the camera unlock doesn't work unless the lock screen is visible. If I try and to the unlock while the screen is black then it doesn't work, so even with physical screen interaction it doesn't unlock, which I believe rules out the phone thinking it's being touched. But still leaves the potential for the camera unlock widget to falsely assume it has been activated.

Well to activate the camera, the phone has to wake up, then the lock icon has to be tapped. Could these actions be the result of faulty hardware? It would require 2 coincidences - wake up action (either software (possible caused by an app) or hardware related) and then the camera app is activated too. Seems a long shot.

Since the phone is relatively new, perhaps its best to try a  hardware reset now (as opposed to 6 months later, when you have lots of data on it). Then try it for a few days without installing too many apps off the market. If it does this weird behaviour in its factory reset state, then send it back to samsung and get a replacement.

I have an s6 and my phone got sprayed with a little (just a little)  water and later the camera and google app were launching randomly on their own. Both the camera and the google app have shortcut launch options via the home button. It went on for about fifteen minutes before stopping. My guess is a drop or so went in and activated the button sensors. It's still popping up randomly as I type. Turning off the quick launch for the camera made sure that it's only the google app that's launching itself now.

Your home button still worked when you pressed it to go to the home-screen? You didn't specifically mention it.

It was a long time ago now, and the problem didn't stay around too long. At this point I am putting it down to a bug in the OS that was quickly patched

I've got the same happening after use in water. The camera randomly turns on both from lock screen with the phone on the table and when in use.

For me disabling the power button double click gesture didn't work, but in the camera settings there was another setting for the Sony Xperia camera button and disabling that resolved the issue.

could it be  an app that you downloaded and gave permission to use camera, along with other things on phone, we have to give up alot of privacy when we hit the accept button with out paying attention to what they want to have access to


text:
"Application not installed" on Android 2.3.5 based Videocon Mobile Devices-APK
I am trying to install non market applications on Videocon mobile, i am getting the "Application Not installed" Done . Even I enabled access for non-market apps in the settings. But rest of all the mobiles APK is installing and working fine. Please help me to get over this.

(1) Has the app been installed before? (2) Do you have enough storage space on your phone? Also, what phone?

If the application has been downloaded previously, and the certificates doesn't match, android will display the same error. Make sure you have uninstalled any previous versions of the application and then reinstall the application. If you can't find your application in the app drawer, you should go into setting->Application Manager and then uninstall the application.
Or the second reason may be that the app is not compatible with your android version.

Your mobile did not support the version of apk file installed. You can reduce the SDK version editing with APK Easy editior tool. Some files will work if you having luck. Package installer to be upgraded mainly. no one ready to implement of old andriod versions of mobile so you throw it and buy new android mobile which was supporting all apps


text:
Galaxy s2 stuck on samsung logo after installing an app
I installed a game on my Samsung galaxy s2 using an .apk file.
I was playing a while, and after a couple of minutes my phone rebooted and got bootlooped.
Now there is no boot-loop anymore, but it stucks on Samsung logo.

I can get into Recovery mode/Download mode.
My phone has a "PhilZ Touch 5" recovery.

How can I revive my phone?

Flash a nandroid backup? Install a new ROM?

Isn't there a simpler solution?

You could do a Factory Reset. Bootloops mean you will lose data. ALWAYS BACKUP everything! Nandroid backup and Titanium Backup!

The usual way of fixing bootloops is doing a Factory Reset (via Recovery mode). Of course, you will lose your data.
But seeing that you have a custom recovery, do you also have a custom ROM installed? If yes, try (dirty) flashing the custom ROM via custom recovery. Don't forget to wipe cache and Dalvik cache.

Can't I just uninstall the problematic app somehow?

@OmerEldan Are you on a custom ROM?

Yes, but I don't remember the exact ROM name and version. @geffchang

@OmerEldan To uninstall, you can probably delete it from the /data/app folder via recovery. You can try, but I'm not sure if it'll work. Can you check?

@OmerEldan The newly installed app and its data is not necessarily what got corrupted.  If you need the phone to be usable a.s.a.p., in recovery do a nandroid backup and wipe data/factory reset. You can worry about getting your data out of nandroid's .tar backups later.

@Chahk Unfortunatly I cannot get into recovry mode now. What should I do?

@OmerEldan Can you get into Download mode? If so, you'll need to flash Samsung's stock image via Odin.

@Chahk Yea, I can. Will I lose my data if I'll flash a stock ROM ?

@OmerEldan Yes, Odin wipes all user data. Unfortunately without a functioning recovery image there is no way to backup the data.  You may want to try flashing only the custom recovery first to see if that will allow you to boot into recovery. Galaxy S2 section of XDA-developers forums should have the recoveries in Odin format. Be sure to download for your exact phone model, as there were quite a few variants under the "Galaxy S II" branding.

@Chahk I tried to flash stock rom via odin and it failed: ID:0/008 SetupConnection..
ID:0/008 Initialzation..
ID:0/008 Get PIT for mapping..
ID:0/008 Firmware update start..
ID:0/008 zImage
ID:0/008 NAND Write Start!!
ID:0/008 Complete(Write) operation failed.
 All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

@OmerEldan Make sure the USB drivers are good. 99% of all Odin failures are because of bad drivers. Uninstall all current Galaxy S2 drivers (including Kies if you have it) then download and install the latest ones, and try flashing again.


text:
How can I save and protect sexy pictures sent by my girlfriend?
I'm traveling and my GF wants to send me some racy pictures.  Of course I will accept that offer, but I need to save them on my phone in a safe way.
My phone uses Activesync, so it's possible for my office to reset my pin code and so I need an extra layer of protection for more intimate pictures.
She has an iPhone so I think she will send them over SMS, but I can ask her to do it a different way.  What are my options?

To start with, you should have probably used an anonymous account to ask this question. :D

My personal opinion is any pictures sent via SMS should be considered public domain. Probably be easier to upload pics to something like tumblr and check it on a frequent basis. I hear twitter works well. goofy grin*

Let her send it to me I will protect it for you

You should try Audio Manager from Anuj Tenani. You can also save videos, images and audio which were send via any application from the gallery.
It's also available on iTunes.
--About the app --
The app is cleverly disguised as "Audio Manager" in the App Drawer.
Disguises itself as a Audio Manager app which can be used to turn the volumes up and down. but if you Long press on the Audio Manager title the actual Hide It Pro app will launch, which is basically your secret vault of pics/videos/messages/apps etc.
-- Features in Detail --
1.) App disguised behind a fully functional Audio Manager
2.) Categorize media into folders of your choice
3.) Batch(Multi-Select) support for hiding and unhiding pictures
4.) Delete/Share/Unhide/Move pictures between albums
5.) Sort files by date/size/name and sort folders by count/name
6.) Gallery features Pinch to Zoom , Double tap to zoom , One finger hold and move zoom
7.) Slideshow with Fade, Zoom, Swipe effects
8.) Send/Share pictures
9.) Special optimization for low end phones.
10.) Video player features play/pause/forward/rewind/next video/prev video support
11.) Disappears from recent apps list
12.) Two lock screen options viz Pin and Password
13.) Escape pin/password for times when you get caught
14.) Built in encryption tool(with military standard 256-bit AES encryption) to secure your most important files
15.) Plugins for features like Private Messaging / Calls , Private Browsing , Locking Apps.
etc.

If she's going to send them via SMS, you could lock your Messaging app with a 3rd-party app like SMS Lock.
Or if you want to hide/lock messages for specific contacts, try GO SMS Pro's Private feature. You set a contact as private, and you will be asked to input a code every time you go to your Private inbox. This is separate from your usual/public inbox. Not sure if there are other types of unlocking mechanism, but I used a code which can be different from your PIN.

If you want hide those pics then -
- use smart lite locker(app)[android]
If you're not saving them on your device then lock those apps on which your sexy GF is sending pics
- use APPLOCK(app)[android] or else you can lock with Smartlite locker also (both are apps)[android]
link to the APPLOCK app
link to the Smartlite locker app

You can use Telegram and make a secret chat to share the photos. The messages and files in secret chats are encrypted end-to-end and for more security you can enable an autodestruction timeout in the conversation that destroy completely (inclusive at the server side) all the messages and files shared until the established time-lapse.

Though it's a two-year old questions, but I'd like to recommend you an APP File Expert. You can use its safebox feature to save and protect your intimate photos. I love this feature, which keeps my secret files safe and private. It requires you to draw a only-you-know patter and confirmed with your own email address.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Ace Internet Connection Problems
My mother owns a Samsung Galaxy Ace(GT-S5830) mobile phone and we have a wireless modem from Airties with model number Air5343 broadcasting its SSID. The wireless works fine with all devices except Linux Mint 16 which has hard time connnecting automatically. The mobile phone recognized the broadcasted SSID but is unable to connect to it. The network uses WPA2 encryption with a password of 10 characters of length. The phone used to connect to the modem but the modem has been replaced two times. How can I make the phone connected to the home network?
Thanks in advance

Have you tried letting the phone forget the Wi-Fi password, and setting it again? [not sure if this will help though]

@geffchang Yes, I have tried it but it did not work.


text:
Android phone turns off when WiFi is on
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 that turns off when it sleeps or locks, but that only happens when it has internet access, not necessarily with WiFi on. So if I want to use the phone I have to disable the WiFi so that I can lock it, and if I want to use the internet I have to make sure it doesn't sleep, by touching the screen and stuff.
It does not turns off at random, only when WiFi is on and it sleeps. Sometimes it takes a bit of time for it to turn off even when the screen blacks out, and sometimes it instantly turns off when the screen goes black. Also, if I set WiFi to be disabled during sleep I can't receive email and stuff when the phone is locked, but it does not turn off.
So I prefer if there was another fix, I can't seem to find any problems as the phone worked fine before. I have not installed anything and I even did a factory reset from the backup menu in Settings.

I must say, that's the weirdest thing relating to Android hardware that I've heard.  But anyway!
I would say that your next step would be to do a ROM re-flash using ODIN.  However, there are not any images available for the Ace 3.
So, I'm assuming WiFi doesn't work at all?  Being as soon as you turn it on, it turns your phone off?  Because that sounds almost like your WiFi modem has a some sort of "short" (that's the best word I could think of - I'm not necessarily saying an electrical short) in it, and it's causing your phone to die.
Sounds like you may be due for a new phone, unfortunately.

no, i can use WiFi but if the phone sleeps it turns off so i have to keep the screen on. basically if the phone sleep or lock while there is internet connection from WiFi then it turns off instead of locking

Ah, yes, you did say that.  My bad.  Very interesting situation.  Does the phone turn off, or does the screen not just turn back on?  Meaning, when it "turns off" after sleeping, are you sure it's actually 100% off, and not just the screen stuck black?

it turns off i have to keep the lock button pressed to turn it back on after it goes black


text:
Can you restart data service with full strength & orange indicator?
With some regularity (6-7 times per month) my Android 4.4 phone gets into a data-wedged state where the connection is shown as full-strength LTE, but without connectivity (the icon is orange in the settings drawer). Toggling mobile data and toggling airplane mode do not help, but rebooting the phone does restore service. Sometimes simply leaving it alone will eventually result in data restoration (but that could be a case when it was a transient carrier issue).
Is there some way to kick (restart) the radio or data service to get going again without a reboot? I have root and a terminal, as well as SL4A experience if that would help—I just can't find anything that fits this description in the developer docs. I can't figure out what would be lower-level such that rebooting would cause the needed "kick" but airplane-mode toggle wouldn't.
Note that the apparent answer Restart data connection when stalled? doesn’t actually answer the question, it suggests diagnostics for verifying the connection really is stalled (I don't have any trouble with that part).
(In case it matters, this is a Nexus 5, Android 4.4.3 KTU84M, T-Mobile LTE.)

While I haven't seen that issue, you can restart the radio.
Dial *#*#INFO#*#*, choose Phone info and scroll down.  Click the Turn off radio button, then click its replacement, cunningly called Turn on radio.
A Nexus 5, being Google, should support the standard android_secret_code URIs, so INFO should be present. Other vendors may replace/remove/augment those, so bets are off on anything not directly from Google.

Of course I can't induce the issue to test your answer, but I'll definitely give it a try next time, thanks!

Of course after you gave me this answer, the problem didn't happen again for weeks. But it just did, and I gave it a try (luckily, I'd thought to copy your answer over to a note local on my phone, as a solution to restoring Internet isn't so useful without network access!). It worked!

I've had the same issue on AT&T, Carbon Rom, 4.4.3 KTU84M.   Flashing Android 4.4.4 as I post this.  It uses a new modem, KTU84P.  If you just want to try the modem, head on over to XDA here

I doubt this is the answer. I've had this issue on and off the entire time I've had the phone, not just since the last update.


text:
Open links in standalone dedicated application
Im not sure how to word the question exactly but I will try and describe what I mean.
If im on a website, email or any app and there is a link that can be opened in a certain app, For example, clicking a youtube link, instagram link, pintrest etc it "opens" that app. But when I hit the multitasking button to look back on the site/email/source of the link, I find that the app is actually "inside" the source. For example, even though its opened the youtube app, when you click on the multitasking button it actually shows up as chrome (im not talking about it loading the youtube website).
Can it be set so it physically opens that respective app rather than "virtualising it" inside the source app?
I know this may sound very confusing...if so let me know ill try again or maybe do a video of what I mean...

I think that this is probably a choice left up to the developer of the app.  I am not aware of a way for the user to change it.

@MrZander Just want to check if you understand / im clear enough as its a bit of a werid thing... :)

If I understand correctly, you want apps that are opened from within another app to open in a sort of "standalone" mode instead of inside of the originating app.
I don't think it is the users choice, unfortunately.

Yes that's exactly right. Any ideas why it is the way it is?

It allows the developer to have more control over the flow of the app.  Some developers may want you to return to their app once you are done.


text:
Download error, passing the 100% mark
I'm from India and tonight (friday 20 june 2014) at around 10:58pm a sight happened to my downloading notification bar. I was downloading ESPN FC FOOTBALL AND WORD CUP app and suddenly after reaching 100%.
And time 0 seconds left the download kept on going and as it passed the 100% mark the time started to go in negative and this continued for about 6-7 minutes.
Please let me know if there is a problem in my android device or it's an error from the play store.
After some time it ultimately installed the app but it kept on closing automatically. I uninstalled it and when I tried to install it again from play store it downloaded but after reaching 100% it said 'a fatal error occurred 961'.
I was using a MOTO G XT1033, non-rooted.
Here are the images:

Sounds like a bug with the app. Did you contact the developer?

Error code 961 appears when there is a misconfiguration of system files on the Google Play store. It is happening when downloading,
updating and upgrading mobile applications for
Android Operating System.
To fix this issue, follow these steps.

Go to settings
Apps
All and clear the cache
Clear data for google play store
Go to settings
Accounts and sync
Remove all the synced accounts
Open google play and register your id again

If this won`t work, you could do reset for Google
Play Store. Here how it do.

Go to Setting
Click Application or Apps
Click Manage Application
You will see downloaded, running, all, on SD
card.
Select All
Choose Google service frame
Choose force stop,
Clear data.
Restart.

This will reset the Google Play Store and you can
start downloading Apps as normal again.

Thanks Dhaval.s .Itbtotally worked for me but still one question. Why did my seconds went to negative and % over 100%??was this because of the error 961?

Actually due to the error, the android system thought that the download was not completed. Android calculates remaining time by using remaining MB to be downloaded and the current download speed. As the remaining MB was not decreasing(due to error), the time started to go in negative. Remaining time is just an integer for Android so it went in negative.


text:
Disabling SMS notifications except in the top bar
Whenever I receive an SMS I have 3 on-screen notifications. How can I disable them without disabling the notification in the top bar?

Text program/menu/settings/notifications/uncheck only disable the notification in the top bar, which I don't want:

I use Samsung Galaxy S3 with Android 4.1.2.

I haven't found any solution so far.

So I am still interested if someone has any idea.


text:
New icons do not display consistently
I just added Nova Launcher and an icon pack to my phone. The new icons appear for some of my apps, but not all; I can't spot a pattern that determines which is which. (See screenshot below.) I don't do a lot of phone customization, so I'm not sure how to troubleshoot. How should I fix this problem?

Click image for larger version

Thanks for shrinking my screenshot. How'd you do it?

This is probably because the icon pack you installed does not have an icon for those apps. Icon packs only include app icons for certain apps and clearly the one you've installed does not cover many common apps. If you download another icon pack you may find that includes more icons for the apps you have installed.
Another option would be to contact the developer of the icon pack you have installed and request that they include an icon for the extra apps.
If the icon pack does include an icon for the app but for whatever reason it doesn't change, you can do this manually.

Long press on the app icon
In the menu that appears, click on 'Edit'
Click on the icon in the popup
You should then be able to see all available icons, from which you can select the one you wish to use for that app.

This will change the icon everywhere within the launcher (i.e. app drawer and home screens).

I should have mentioned: that probably covers some of these, but, e.g., there are definitely Facebook and Evernote icons in the pack.
EDIT: Can I assign icons to apps arbitrarily?


text:
How can I create a key par for sgit?
I'm trying to use sgit to connect to a remote repository. It has a screen to "Manage Private Keys," but it doesn't seem to include a key generator. Instead, it lets you browse the file system, so presumably it's letting you pick a key generated by an external tool. I used JuiceSSH to generate a key pair, but can't find where it drops the key pair files.
So, how can I get sgit working? Should I be using a different tool to generate key pairs for sgit? Or is there a way to do it in sgit and I'm just missing it?

To export keys from JuiceSSH (either private or public):

Load up JuiceSSH and go to Connections
Swipe right to the identities list
Long press the identity you want to export the key for
Select either "Export public key" or "Export private key"

This will bring up a "Share" dialog that will let you save the key to clipboard/gmail/dropbox etc.
Thanks
Paul (JuiceSSH developer)

That I already did, so that I could add the public key to the remote repo. However, sgit needs the private key from the local file system, and that's the part I'm having trouble with.

@Don Branson, did you ever find them? I have the same problem now

@russwheeler, no, never did.

Yeah I just made mine on my laptop and copied them onto my phone

Will you be adding other encryption schemes like ECDSA or ECDH at some point?

How can one generate a password-less key using JuiceSSH?

When exporting the private key from JuiceSSH, you must share it to an application that you can write in like messenger or a note pad and it will input the key in text form.
Copy the entire text from "-----BEGIN RSA..." to "END RSA KEY-----". Save this as a file called "id_rsa" and use it as the private key for your client application(I used AndFTP). My notepad application saved the file as "id_rsa.txt" so I created a copy and removed the extension with this command:
cp id_rsa.txt id_rsa

Don't forget to add the public key to the server's authorized_keys file. This can be done by exporting the public key and copying it like before. I used the echo command to add the copied key the the authorized_keys file.
echo "ssh-rsa ... JuiceSSH" >> .ssh/authorized_keys

Paste the exported text in quotes so it looks similar to the above("JuiceSSH" is the name given to the key by the generator) and execute the command in the server's home directory(/home/user/) where the .ssh folder is located.


text:
How can I root a Samsung Galaxy Note Pro (4.4 Kitkat) using Mac OS X (10.9 Mavericks)?
I've looked around for instructions on rooting a Samsung Galaxy Note Pro, but I've only found instructions for Windows computers. It seems that the Samsung ODIN ROM flashing tool is only available for Windows, as far as I can tell. Can anyone help me do this on a Mac? I'm comfortable with mucking around a lot (I'm a software developer) so don't worry if your solution isn't a simple 1-click thing, as long as it works on Mac OS X and a Samsung Galaxy Note Pro running Android 4.4 Kitkat.

If all you need for the process is Odin (I'm not familiar with it), then you could look at the cross-platform implementation, Heimdall.


text:
How to check if your bootloader is unlocked
I'm about to flash a custom recovery, but I'm not sure if my bootloader is unlocked or not (phone is rooted, but I did it a while ago, so I can't remember the process I went with), and I don't want to do anything that might risk losing all my current data. Can I simply run fastboot flash recovery [recovery image], and if it doesn't work, take that to mean my bootloader is locked? Are there any negative consequences to attempting this with a locked bootloader?

You give this a whirl? : http://forum.xda-developers.com/studio-5/general/how-to-install-cwm-recovery-root-blu-5-t2873852

For some reason my dialer does not accept 15 characters :-(. When I enter the last asterisk it clears the whole field out.

That's not an input limitation but the result of having entered the full special code. If you didn't get a popup that means that method won't work on your hardware.

After scouring the net, I've learned this can be determined by entering your device's fastboot mode (from your device's boot menu selection, select AP Fastboot) and about four or five lines down from the top, you should see either Device is LOCKED or Device is UNLOCKED.
Unfortunately I only discovered this after attempting to flash the custom recovery while my bootloader was locked, which would subsequently put it into fastboot mode upon every boot attempt with the message "Fastboot reason: Flash failure". But I got around this by entering boot selection mode (holding vol down, up, and power simultaneously) and selecting "Normal Powerup" at the top. I unlocked my bootloader, flashed again, and am now happily running CyanogenMod 11. Hope this helps someone.

i tried to unlock bootloader in ASUS Zenphone 3.
``###############################################################################

Device Unlocked

###############################################################################
< waiting for device >
...
(bootloader)    Device tampered: false
(bootloader)    Device unlocked: false``
it fails to flash recovery rom

Assuming your device adheres to some Android standards, you'd want to run fastboot oem device-info.
Often you can also run fastboot reboot-bootloader to get into the bootloader which often says right there on screen whether it's locked or not.
Different devices can display the lock state differently.
fastboot is located in %ANDROID_SDK_DIR%\platform-tools, where the part inside the %...%is where you installed the Android SDK.
Typically though it's not the bootloaders lock state that will result in failed roots. That is usually (depending on your method) due to the /system partition still being locked to read-only mode which has nothing to do with the bootloader IIRC.

An alternative method that may have mixed results:

Open your device’s dialer
Dial *#*#7378423#*#* and it will automatically open a new window if it works
Now in that window go to Service Info > Configuration

You ought to see one of these:
Bootloader unlock allowed - Yes (Bootloader is Locked)
Bootloader Unlocked - Yes (Bootloader is unlocked)

You have my upvote if you can include Samsung's methods. I'm actually curious.

@AaronGillion I don't touch Samsung devices with a 10 foot stick but often times if it isn't obvious with some sort of unlock icon or an odd message displayed somewhere during boot, it's probably locked. Still I am curious as well about whether that info can be grabbed via command line so I will continue looking for a bit.

Does not work for LGp690

What if you have a tablet without the dial app?

i'm no expert, but if you go to the bootloader, by (on my nexus 4) holding volume down then power up, then it says


text:
App not installed error while sideloading and Install failed UID changed via adb [Not rooted]
I am having hard time getting an app installed since none sideloading nor adb install work...since I dont have root i cant delete the app's data folder from the data/data folder..
seems delete that folder will easily fix it but I am wondering is there any other way.
Error via adb install  is Install failed UID changed
I dont wanna root is there any fix for this.....
BTW my phone is Moto g

For rooted devices:
Run the below command
adb rm -rf /data/data/<your.package.name>

For non-rooted device:

Change the ApplicationId of the app. Refer this link to change
ApplicationId.
Build and install the app. App will install successfully because it is treated as new app.
Now uninstall this app. Which will clear the data.
Now change the ApplicationId to the previous one.
Build and install. Magic.. It will install.


text:
How to use Windows' internet on Android phone through USB cable
I'm using Android 4.4.2 (on Micromax Unite 2 - A106). I've a Windows PC at home which has highspeed broadband internet connection. I don't have wireless router or access point. I just want to use PC's internet connection on my phone. I've tried multiple methods but none seems to work.
Method 1: Using native Android 4.4.2 option
In my phone when I connect my phone, in Settings > Wireless & networks > USB Internet (sharing Windows PC internet via USB cable) checkbox, which I checked then it asked me to choose my Windows version (which is Windows 8.1 but since it didn't show that option) I chose Windows 8.  It gives me further instructions as showing in the following picture:

Here is the problem, there is no sharing tab (see the following screen shot)

Method 2: As described in How to setup reverse tethering over usb
I learned on this site that it is called Reverse tethering. I read and followed the procedure mentioned in How to setup reverse tethering over usb
I followed all the steps described in that answer, until executing the command.

Install USB drivers from Android SDK [DONE]
Connect USB cable and activate USB Tethering (You should see on a new network interface.) [DONE]
Bridge the 2 network interfaces [DONE]
On your computer execute adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp [PROBLEM]

When I execute adb shell netcfg usb0 dhcp it says: error: device not found. I tried the same thing with USB Debugging in Developer settings, ON & OFF. The error remains the same.
Method 3: Rooting the device and using an app
I read here and there that there is another method, in which we can directly use an app but it requires rooting the device. My phone is a new phone and warranty becomes void if I root it.
EDIT: I've tried the method suggested in answer, at the 4th step of method 2, I'm facing this problem:

For the first method, if you can't find a sharing tab in the network properties in Windows, then you could post a question to our sister-site http://superuser.com (they deal with problems with PCs and Windows) asking why you can't see that tab on your network properties in Win 8.1.

U can do it by reverse USB treating

For method 2, step 4, have you enabled USB debugging? adb won't work without enabling it

@shub: I tried the same thing with USB Debugging in Developer settings, ON & OFF. The error remains the same.

Check your SuperUser question for a comment I left on the Sharing tab problem - hope it helps!

Did you manage to get the Sharing tab? I added a comment on your Superuser question

I wasn't able to find  Settings > Wireless & networks
in my Galaxy S5 from T-Mobile. It is also Android 4.4.2 as yours. Ideas?

Same as @Rusian . Is this really a native option, never found anything about it.

The staring tab seems to appear only when a device is connected (ref: http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/159304-internet-connection-sharing.html) . And the "USB Internet" option is only available for certain vendors. For HTC it's called "Internet Pass Through" (ref: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/77150/why-is-there-no-visible-option-for-usb-internet-in-wireless-network-settings-o).

I also could not find the native option on my device. I did not want to root my device, so eventually, I developed my own solution, ReverseTethering NoRoot (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.floriandraschbacher.reversetethering.free)

@claws in your method 3 you state - "I read here and there that there is another method, in which we can directly use an app but it requires rooting the device."  Can you give the app link or provide some details about it.

The current answers didn't work with my Android phone 10. I used https://github.com/Genymobile/gnirehtet to easily use my PC's internet. Simply download the zip file, unzip it, run the program, and that's it.

I would use https://github.com/Genymobile/gnirehtet as described here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2298/how-to-set-up-reverse-tethering-over-usb

Actually, Method 1 is quite easy to do. As implied by this answer, you need more that one network connection for the sharing tab to appear.
Short Answer:
First, ignore the instruction of your android device and try to connect to the USB-Internet anyway.
This will create a new Network connection and allow the sharing-tab to appear on your PC Network Connection.
Detailed Answer
1. Prepare Windows 10

Rightclick the Windows-Start Button

In the opening Context-Menu, open "Network Connections"

The Network Connections will show up. As you can see, there's currently only one Network connection, so there will be no sharing Tab.

2. Prepare your Android device

Connect your Android device with a USB-Cable to your PC
In the Wireless & networks   section (you might need to click on "More..." on some android devices), Try to activate the USB Internet

Instructions will appear. Select Windows 8 and just click on Next and Done, ignoring the given instructions

Now, there should be a check-mark after USB Internet:

If this is the first time you are connecting your Android device to your PC with a USB-Network, Windows might ask you whether to grand the Network connection. That's normal.

3. Share the Internet Connection on Windows 10
As you can see, there are now two Network connections, so the sharing Tab will be now available:

Right-click the first Network Connection and open the Properties

Now, there's a Sharing Tab and you can Allow your Android device to use the Internet connection of your Windows 10 PC

I can't verify this (no windows here but those for light and fresh air) – but still upvoted: very thorough and visual explanation, thanks for sharing! // PS: Now you can answer even protected questions :)

Hmm, I don't see this "USB Internet" option on Android 6.0. Do I need to do something else before it shows up, or does it work differently in 6.0?

@ProgramFOX - Try to search USB tethering option

For your second method (which should work) it looks like you are just missing the correct drivers for your device. I found a page which claims to have the drivers (http://www.digitbrunch.com/android/how-to-root-micromax-unite-2-a106) although I cannot vouch for their authenticity so its up to you if you want to trust them.
Let me know if you run into any problems, because although I have never done something like this before I would be happy to help you through it if I can.

I've posted the edit after trying out what you suggested. Please check it out. I've tried the method suggested in answer, ar the 4th step of method 2, I'm facing this problem

Sorry for the long wait on the response (hell week at school right now), but the error seems to be that adb can't see your device. Now usually its a driver issue when this occurs, but there is also a chance that it could be a hardware problem (my nexus 7 for example can't connect to computers anymore). What is the output you get when you run "adb devices"?

Also this thread may prove useful: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/diagnosing-usb-driver-adb-issues-windows-t2514396 , its for the nexus but it might have some more information if your driver isn't the problem

There is a solution for unrooted devices
I know this is a late answer, but as all existing answers suggest that USB reverse tethering is only possible if either your device is rooted or has system support for reverse tethering, I though it'd be worth pointing out there's one more option:
A few months ago, I was looking for a solution that would allow me to use my laptop's Internet connection on an unrooted Android device, but I just couldn't find a solution. Eventually, I started to develop my own solution. The result is an app that works on devices running Android 4.0 or higher on client side, and all major desktop OSs on the host side.

The app is available on Google Play: ReverseTethering NoRoot

Perfect.
Important: Some apps do not recognize the reverse tethered Internet connection because they only check for Wifi or 3G connections <-- my banking app ;)

I tried to do the same thing and like you said "Here is the problem, there is no sharing tab"
But I found a section in Windows assistance saying that there is no "sharing tab" if you have only one LAN connection.
Here is the URL: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/set-internet-connection-sharing#1TC=windows-7

I am also using a Micromax Unite 2. What works for me is the first method.
It seems that you are not connecting your device (phone to PC). So it doesn't show you the sharing tab. You only have a LAN device but no device to share.
So, first you need to connect your device to the PC and, then, proceed with the remaining steps. I am really enjoying the Internet from my PC to phone!
Procedure

Connect your mobile to the PC via a USB cable.
On your mobile, go to Settings->more->USB Internet, select PC system version->next->"DONE"(IMPORTANT).
On the PC, go to control panel->Network and Internet->Network connection.
Here, one of the devices is your LAN Device and another one is your mobile phone.
Right click your LAN device go to Properties->choose the "sharing" tab->click on the first option->ok.
Now you are ready to enjoy Internet on your phone.

Please avoid txtspk. For some non-native English speakers, it's hard enough without :) I've fixed that up for you here.

I tested first method on ZTE V987 with android 4.2.1 and, after a little search for RNDIS Interface and another MTKandroidUSB device (ADB Interface) drivers (for windows Xp), it worked. I think you don't have the phone drivers installed in windows. Have you checked in Device Manager?
I have tested first method also in Windows 7 and I installed the following devices:

then I have shared the Internet connection, but without success. The phone did not want to see the connection.
Then I have changed the drivers with those from http://www.digitbrunch.com/android/how-to-root-micromax-unite-2-a106 (Driver_Auto_Installer_v1.1236.00) and I have tried to bridge the 2 network adaptors and I have obtained next configuration:

Then I have reverted to Internet Connection Sharing and I have tried the following commands (found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2287494) :

And the phone's USB connection began to operate:

Finally I have re-updated the usb drivers to the initial Alcatel version, deleted MAC Bridge Miniport, set same DNS for IPv4 RNDIS Local Area Connection and used a .cmd file with adb shell netcfg rndis0 dhcp command to start the connection.


text:
How to copy files from phone to cloud in ES File Explorer
I use ES File Explorer and I really like it. I added my Google Drive accounts to it and I can download files from them.
However, when I want to upload my images and I select them and press Copy to, it shows 2 tabs: Local and Net. On the Net tab, I see nothing. How could I select my cloud drives to upload files to them?

You can that following these steps:

Select the image(s) you want to upload
Click on "copy", it's in the lower bar, at left
In another tab, open the folder where you want to upload your image(s)
Click on the clipoard icon at left
Click on "paste all"

Yes, it works. I also have a solution, I share that, too.

Happy I could help :)

Instead of selecting the Pictures folder, you have to select the corresponding DCIM folder
Select the images
Instead of Copy, select the Other options menu in the right corner
Select Copy To from that menu
A different browser dialog will appear where you can select the cloud storages as well


text:
Computer doesn't recognize Android device after getting charge port replaced
I recently took my Samsung Galaxy 2 to a place that sells phones and services and also repairs them.  I took it there because my charge port was not charging anymore so he said he could replace it. However, now it will not even connect to the computer at all. Any computer, doesn't matter. I have tried everything.
Since it doesn't respond to my computer or any computer, can I still root my phone?  And also, is it even possible for the port he put on to not do data transfer, only charge?

As indicated by Dan's answer: Bring it back to that service point, explain your issue, and have the service tech check whether thy "forgot" to solder some connections. They should do so for free, as they caused the issue.

Most rooting techniques require you to connect the phone to a PC via USB in order to unlock the bootloader, so you won't be able to root the phone this way without a working USB port. Some phones have security vulnerabilities which allow you to root the phone from an app (such as Framaroot), but this only applies to specific phones and specific firmware versions which have such a bug.
It's certainly possible for a port to only charge and not transfer data. In a USB port, there are two data pins, a +5V power pin, and ground. If either of the two data pins are broken or not connected properly, you can still transfer power over the power connection, but no data can be transferred. Most likely these pins weren't soldered correctly when your new USB port was added.


text:
How do I paste my password on Google Signin?
I change the password of my Google account on a frequent basis. My password is always a quite long alphanumeric string generated by a password manager. Typing it is really annoying, specially on a touch interface, so usually I copy and paste it. It works in-browser, but I can't use long pressing to copy and paste on the "Google Signin" screen.

Let me be more clear. When I change it from the desktop web interface, a few moments later my phone complains about an "Account action required".

Clicking the notification shows me a (native, browserless) screen that says:

Couldn't sign in: you typed an incorrect password or your account has changed. Re-type your password. If you forgot your password and need to recover your account click here.

Then it shows me another non-browser screen where it expects me to type my password. On this screen, I can paste as usual, by long-pressing near the cursor and then waiting for a "paste" button to apper.

So far, so good. However, I have two-factor authentication turned on, and just typing my password isn't enough. I see a second screen that says:

Couldn't sign in: To access your account, you must sign in on the web. Touch Next to start Browser signin.

Then it opens what seems to be a browser-within-a-window, with my email address already typed and waiting for my password. The problem is, I can't paste on this screen. Long pressing does not show the "paste" button.

And if I trick it into showing me the button, then I can't submitting the password: I have followed this answer on a related question (writing a single characther and then long pressing), but then pressing the submit button produces no result at all.

The trick here is to use a keyboard app with pasting ability. I had success using both Hacker's Keyboard (It has a CTRL screen that you can combine with v to paste), and Swype (long pressing on the +!= key and then in the four arrows key provides a screen where you can paste).

and Swype (long pressing on the +!= key and then in the four arrows
  key provides a screen where you can paste).

New


text:
How can I make Windows remember my Galaxy S3
Whenever I tether my Galaxy S3 to my laptop, using the built-in functionality from the Network Settings, Windows considers it a completely new connection: It labels the network "Network X" (with X being an incrementing counter) and asks for information on the type of network.
Is there a way to let Windows treat all of my tethering as a single connection and make it stop asking for the connection type?

You either have to forget the network connection,by navigating to Settings >> Network and Internet >>  WiFi >> Manage known networks, and choose "forget" for the appropriate network, then reconnect and see if problem persists or unistall the device driver.
If its USB tethering try unistalling the Network adapter:
Go to device manager >> Network Adaptor>> Right click on your wireless adaptor and select uninstall. (Also enable "show hidden devices" and delete old instances of this network adapter, its usually RNDIS Device)
Reboot and reconnect your device. Sometimes its just occurs because of some corruption in registry.


text:
Format and fresh install
Is there any option for android phones to format like we do in computers and fresh install with a new OS?
I have searched a lot but all are going for custom ROM, and I am not interested in custom ROM, as they are basically a few tweaks. I want to install new OS in my phone like we do in our PC. Can anyone help?

What kind of "new OS" are you hoping to install, if not a custom ROM?

Then I'd suggest you take a look into our rom-flashing tag-wiki, where you find some basic explanations plus links to more details on the topic.

If you just want a fresh start with your phone, you don't need to reinstall the OS at all, because OS files and user apps and data are stored separately. In normal use, the OS partition is read-only. All you need to do is a factory reset. This wipes all user data and apps, but doesn't usually touch the SD card. The process to follow is slightly different for different phones, but there's usually two ways: either reboot into recovery mode, which has a "factory reset" menu item, or from Settings → Backup & Reset.

But if we reset only the data will be wiped out but the OS will be the same. suppose if I have ICS, even after factory reset it will be ICS. I want to fresh install either ICS or Jellybean or any other version.

To get a new Android version, you either have to apply an update from the manufacturer (if one is available), or install a custom ROM based on the newer version. Does the answer to this question help?

For Nexus devices, you can use the official Factory Images from Google:
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
This will even let you upgrade to a newer version using a "fresh install."
I used this when my Nexus 9 was giving an error trying to update. It worked like a new device.


text:
Any app play VBR MP3 files?
Does any Android app play Variable Bit Rate MP3 files,  while not demanding Internet access and access to my Contacts? I used soundconverter on my Xubuntu PC to convert MP4 files to MP3 and they play OK using Audigy on the laptop, but don't have any sound output using either Google Music or the default sound player on my ver. 4.4.2 Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3.

VBR is not the problem here. I've had no problems playing VBR MP3 files in any music app.


text:
Remove Gapps from cyanogenmod 11
people
I just installed Cyanogenmod from the installer on my Samsung galaxy s4 and it came with Google-apps Pre-installed.
Now i'm not a big fan of Google so i want to get rid of Google-apps how can i do this i know i can flash free-cyan this removes Google analysis and stuff but does not remove Google-apps can someone please tell me how i can remove them.
I got root so hopefully someone can help me.
Greetings,
Nick

The apk files for each are in /system/app (all your installed "system" apps and their odex files, if they're not deodexed, are there). You can rename them, move them, freeze them with the right software, or just delete them.
Also data/data probably has a matching directory with the trash files from those apks (xml, cache, etc) that you can toss.
Note: I've noticed more utilities "uninstall" system apps (does all of this for you if you're rooted): SD Maid, Titanium Backup are two I know of off the top of my head that have added the "uninstall" features since I bought them years ago. That might be your best bet: see if you already have a root tool that does this for you!