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Lock screen removal protection
Is there any way to protect my phone from removing screen lock using lock screen removal and USB connection? If I lost my phone, I wouldn't like someone to get into it without factory reset to see my data. I've changed default USB configuration in Developers options to "Charging", but I am not sure if it is enough.

Sorry but what is a "lock screen removal"? If the phone has been booted the lock screen can't be bypassed because it is necessary to enter the password that is used to unlock the user data encryption key (without key the user data files remain encrypted except for the few files that are not bound to the user key but to the device key because the app needs them before first login).

@Robert lock screen removals are such apps: https://geekflare.com/android-lock-screen-removal/ they can be installed on computer and remove lock screen when you connect your phone via USB to computer

If I got it correctly the only tool that claims to remove a lock screen on recent phones without erasing all data is Dr. Fone. If you want to protect yourself against this tool buy a phone that is not supported by this tool. Other counter measures against such lock removal tools can only be done by the device manufacturer (-> firmware update).

@Robert I think that Dr. Fone also erases all data https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HIduBZ6WTc so in conclusion - these apps suck

According to the article you have linked it is the only tool that can do it without erasing data but may be only for a few devices.

@Robert yes that is true. Fortunately I didn't find my phone on a list of devices for this app. It is dedicated for some models of LG and Samsung

Dr. Fone is scam. just try any tool you find, you will notice your device is secure, even against bruteforcing


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Can IMEI number be changed?
I wonder if IMEI number of phone can really be changed. I've been searching in the Internet for a while, but did not find a satisfying answer, because all of them differ from each other. I am going to summarize what I've found by now:

IMEI cannot be changed because it is stored in ROM memory,
IMEI can be changed using certain apps that are able to do this,
Such apps only change IMEI number that is displayed on the screen, but the real one stay
untouched (supposed that it is true - how can I check if displayed IMEI is real or fake
and how to check then the real one ?)
You can change IMEI via Service/Engineer Mode that can be accessed by typing secret code
(I tried this and I couldn't change there anything - there were only infos)

So as you can see, these answers are completely different. Could anyone refer to it?

In my opinion all 4 statements can be true but may be not for the same phone. How and where an IMEI is stored is not standardized which means your statements can have different answers for each phone.

Related: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/248057/how-do-hackers-change-mask-imei-numbers#comment333234_248057

@Irfan Latif am I right that all the apps that are supposed to change IMEI are fakes and factory reset causes that original IMEI will be displayed again?

Sorry I never investigated what these apps do. So can't comment. But most of them certainly make false claims. There's a possibility that an app (like XPrivacy Lua) spoofs the IMEI within Android framework to protect privacy. Or some app may crack the binary partition where the IMEI is stored, so can change the IMEI. Or some app may decode the radio communication protocol and hence send some AT command to change the IMEI (as is common with MTK devices). But this is very hardware specific thing. And above all, I don't think one would do it free for you. It's a big illegal underground business.

My friend's device's imei got erased after flashing fastboot rom. Then I searched for a solution to how to add imei number to the device and found a way to do that but, I can be able to change the imei number of sim 1 but I cant change or add imei number to sim 2. I find that they installed engineer rom or something like that then connect the device to PC an then changed the imei number of sim 1 can be changed but if you do this, You should forgot about your sim 2 imei number. Thats a long time ago. I dont remember what device model or what tool I used for it. Thats a xioami device. Thats all

This is ridiculous, I know IMEI's can be changed or at least spoofed, there's only an answer saying it can be changed, no it can't. I am not asking to change my serial number. If IMEI's can't be changed then can they at least be shielded/spoofed from apps like META, Snapchat and Twitter?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Guaranteed storage locations
I'm writing a debugging tool that needs to create a temporary file somewhere.  Normally, I would use /tmp but there's no such directory on the phone I'm using.  mount | grep tmpfs shows several locations.  Are any of them (e.g., /storage) guaranteed to be on every Android phone?
To be clear, I don't specifically need to use tmpfs.

Have root? Mount your own tmpfs. Or use /dev. If you have only ADB, /data/local/tmp is an option. But it's persistent storage, not RAM.

For my use case, I don't care about persistence either way.  Are /dev and /data/local/tmp guaranteed to be there?

Persistence matters because excessive I/O kills flash storage. It's one of the main reasons to use in-RAM filesystems. // I can't say it's guaranteed. But both locations are there in AOSP since years. Anything can change in the next release. OEMs can also modify their version of AOSP.

@IrfanLatif, I'll accept that as the answer.

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


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My phone is receiving ~1700mA but it's slow at charging
I have 2 Xiaomi phones that both have 18W fast-charging and receive around 1700mA while charging, but one of them takes a long time to charge (even if i change the USB cable).
How does that make any sense?

Hello. What does Ampere app report? Make sure to observe current in it for at least a minute.

How do you know the phones receive 1700mA?

@Firelord I already measured it using Ampere for at least 2.5min

@Robert Using the Ampere APP :D

1700mA is AFAIR not a very high charging current (less than 8 Watt). You should check out what high charging modes your phones support: proprietary or USB PD with what voltage power levels or the new USB PD where the phone can define any voltage level. And then do the same for the charger. Both parts have to match e.g. the charget may provide 9.0V max. 2.0A=18W but then the phone also have to support charging with 9V using the same standard.


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Can someone please confirm expected output from logcat on volume button hardkey press and release?
I have a stock OnePlus 8T+ 5G TMO that has been displaying very strange behavior.  It would ask if I want to boot into safe-mode every time I try to power down or restart, and sometimes it would continuously flash on then go dark again after going to lock screen, as if the power key were being continuously spammed.
Eventually, I realized it was behaving as if the volume up key were "stuck".  This is strange, because the hard key itself is very clearly giving mechanical feedback on both actuation and then release.  Nonetheless, I thoroughly cleaned the whole phone with a liberal amount of 99% isopropyl (after powering down from the recovery menu), and then was successfully able to power back on and have normal operation again.  However, I did notice the volume keys were still behaving a bit strangely; to begin with, I only confirmed it was stuck in a "down" state at all because after booting into the recovery menu, it immediately began to rapidly cycle through the menu choices as if the button were held down.  Pressing down on any key (including itself) would pause the cycling, but letting go would immediately resume it.  After the cleaning, it would have practically no delay on input nor repeat delay, almost like it had "Turbo Mode" turned on like on the old-school modded controllers.
Since it's at least in a usable state now, I enable ADB and hop on my Chromebook to take a look at logcat.  So what I'm seeing is that each individual key press is getting logged as four lines:

# adb -d shell logcat
--------- beginning of main
08-18 21:46:14.770  1176  2717 D APM_AudioPolicyManager: setVolumeCurveIndex device 00000002, index 1
08-18 21:46:14.774  1176  1780 D APM_AudioPolicyManager: setVolumeCurveIndex device 00000002, index 1
08-18 21:46:14.775  1176  1780 D APM_AudioPolicyManager: setVolumeCurveIndex device 00000002, index 1
08-18 21:46:14.775  1176  1780 D APM_AudioPolicyManager: setVolumeCurveIndex device 00000002, index 1

Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with troubleshooting hardkeys, so I'm actually not too sure whether this behavior is expected or not?

Note that the hardware buttons are device specific, that means they can be different o every device including how the buttons are connected to Android on software level. Therefore the adb logcat output may be different on every device. So what you are actually searching is another user with the same phone (and preferred the same patch level/Android version installed).

Well, I'm more referring to the key press generating four lines rather than the specific line contents

@Robert (forgot to tag)


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What are all those different localhost domains that apps connect to?
I'm using the Blokada adblocker on my phone, which acts as a vpn and can show me all the domains that apps request to connect to and let me switch them between an accept list and a deny list. Whenever I install an app with known trackers, I try to block as many of those domains as possible while keeping the base functionality of the app.
I noticed that my log has about a hundred of domains with localhost in the name, many of them not even looking like a url. For example, among some that my phone tried to contact hundreds on times:
localhost_name
localhost0#3}
localhostfo
localhostz\012({
localhostsys
localhost_code
localhostdn.com
localhostgs
localhostsysu
localhostms
localhostal.org
localhostp.net
localhostde
localhostt.com
localhost.com
localhostx.com
localhostahn.de
localhoste.com
localhost=tun0

Some look like actual domain urls accessible on the internet, some not. Some have those weird special characters in them. What are they? Actual domains? Or are they pointing to a webserver running on my phone like normal localhost would? Why are there so many of them?
My instinct was to block them on sight because I don't want apps to keep track of my phone connecting to their servers from different IPs, effectively mapping out everywhere I'm going. And I have a hard time trusting a domain name looking like "localhostz\012({". Is there a reason I shouldn't block them?

Looks like a bad log. As the developer of the app.

I saw this behaviour on startup by many apps - com.driveby.app, de.hafas.android.db etc. You see the lookups within IP packets to google endpoints, my guess it's either Google CrashLytics or Firebase Analytics


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Think im being hacked
Firstly I'm a technophobe,totally useless and accept that hence why I need advice and answers before I lose my mind...
I believe my old friend and of recent girlfriend could be hacking me. I dont check often but happen to browse my activity abd noticed sight or applications I've never heard of let alone used further more they were all similar and close together so I'm sure I would know if searched. So in looking up some of these sites / apps they are legitimate but also could all be used to munipilate me.  The sites were....
..Com.android systemui
..com.samsung accessibility
..com.android settings
..google play store device connected,...I read your article and can confirm I don't or have ever connected or used another device, this activity was at the very same time that I was on my phone looking at a site about claiming company petrol spend,so naturally worries me
..com.samsung.android.messenging
..Com.OSP app sing in
Com.samsung.android.vision intelligence
..com.sec.android app camera
..com.samsung.android dialer
..com.android server telecom
Com.samsung.android incallui
These were in order of searches which started a 13:42 and ended at 17:39 there was a few searches repeated a couple of times like settings and accessibility.
Like I said I don't ir gave I ever used another device, no tablet, second phone nothing, all I gave done in the past is used smartphone on th TV but nit for some time.  Please please help me and help turn thus language into a course of intended actions I can understand...thank u
FOZ

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! First, you mostly can calm down: none of those indicate "hacking". You'd wonder what apps come pre-installed you never heard of – especially on a Samsung device (see an example listing here). All the ones you've mentioned belong into that category, and many of them you even actively use without maybe noticing (SystemUI for example). So just because you see those names in a listing of recent activities doesn't mean you're hacked – it simply means your phone works as expected ;)

Thank you izzy very kind and I do understand my concern is that I don't think she's hacking in a keyboard wizard way she has all my personal details and I know she knows main passwords so I think it's more using an alternative device and signing in as me and looking at apps that can assist in staying unnoticed, perhaps getting carried away a but naybe but there was many many more on my activity some as simple as looking up Google and Samsung Internet browser on Google play !! Not been together long but something feels wrong, could what shes searching cause me harm

All of these applications are normal for a Samsung phone, as indicated by com.samsung accessibility. None of these are hacking applications. It's improbable that access to your settings or accessibility settings alone could give enough access.
As mentioned in the comments on your post, mental health issues are not relavent here. Paranoia can be a sign of psychosis, this will be for your care provider and another stack exchange though. I do not know any, so feel free to comment down if you know!
If she had another account on your phone, taking a quick look into your settings would reveal another account.  If you are seriously concerned about your account being hijacked, change all your passwords. There should be good enough guides for each email and account provider (Google, Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft, etc)


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How to give `adb run-as` external storage permission?
So far I've been using adb run-as and cat to extract files from apps private storage /data/user/0/com.myapp.android. Simply catting the file and piping it to a local file on my pc worked a treat.
Now i'm trying to do the opposite, send a file from my PC to apps private storage.
I thought of using adb push to send the file to a shared storage location and then using run-as to copy the file internally to the private storage.
I have given my app READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE and WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission, and linux permission knowledge seems to suggest I should be able to access the shared storage, but I won't, as seen in the example:
# Running as default user works fine
OnePlus9Pro:/ $ ls -l /sdcard/Android/data/com.myapp.android
total 3
drwxrws--- 2 u0_a347 ext_data_rw 3452 2022-08-19 12:03 files

# Running as the application won't work
OnePlus9Pro:/ $ run-as com.myapp.android ls -l /sdcard/Android/data/com.myapp.android
ls: /sdcard/Android/data/com.myapp.android: Permission denied

# But the application user is the owner of the directory?!
OnePlus9Pro:/ $ run-as com.myapp.android id
uid=10347(u0_a347) gid=10347(u0_a347) groups=10347(u0_a347),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),1078(ext_data_rw),1079(ext_obb_rw),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc),3011(uhid),3012,50347(all_a347) context=u:r:runas_app:s0:c91,c257,c512,c768

From here you can see the shared storage (/sdcard/Android/data/com.myapp.android ) is owned by user u0_a347 with full permissions.
run-as com.myapp.android is executing under u0_a347 and in addition it has ext_data_rw group as well.
How can I access both shared storage and application private storage at the same time?

Apparently adb command worksfine with stdin, so I was able to copy the using cat data/storage.sqlite | adb shell com.myapp.android dd of=databases/RKStorage.
Still curious about the permissions though.

Android permissions are for apps which run-as is not. All ADB commands run with the privileges of "Shell" (com.android.shell) app which already has Storage permission granted for primary user (but not for secondary users / profiles: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/221534/218526).

cat data/storage.sqlite | adb exec-in 'run-as com.myapp.android cat > databases/RKStorage'

@IrfanLatif If i understand this correctly, then the matching unix user and group id-s don't matter since android implements it's own layer on top of that?


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Factory reset when enabling and disabling OEM Unlock in one session?
I accidentally enabled "OEM Unlock" on my old Pixel 3a. I instantly disabled "OEM Unlock" again. Will the phone forcefully factory reset when I reboot?

OEM Unlock is not the same as bootloader unlocking procedure - it is prerequisite

No your phone will not perform a factory reset. Enabling that option is just the first step for bootloader unlocking it simply say "I allow bootloader unlocking" but the actual unlocking procedure has to be performed on a different point in system.

@Robert that's good news. You should write an answer so I can mark it once I verified your statement.

I've finally decided to restart my phone. Robert was right, no factory reset has happened.


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How to ensure a device will allow me to OEM unlock it, so that I can install a custom ROM to it when I have the IMEI?
I'm about to buy an Android phone from someone in my area. He already told me the IMEI. How can I ensure that I can unlock the bootloader ("OEM Unlock") prior buying the phone?
I've heard that I might have to wait 7 days until I can unlock the OEM, so I need to know the phone will be unlocked eventually, to avoid wasting my money. I have no use for the phone if the bootloader stays locked.

Only a handful of phones can be bootloader unlocked these days... What specific model of phone? The IMEI really doesn't tell you anything in this case.

@acejavelin Pixel 6a. I've seen it locked with grayed out OEM unlock option right after purchase, but I think it has just a 7 day lock. I'm not sure.

Kind of related: Bootloader wont unlock on Google Pixel 2 (G011A) where the answer mentioned refurbished Google Pixel 2 are intentionally bootloader locked. So, in the end, I guess there's no way to ensure until you get the device and try to unlock it.

if it is Samsung or Google phone, don't buy it

The 6a had a bug when launched that OEM unlock was grayed out. The OTA update fixed it, or the Android 13 update. Mine was grayed out as well, but as soon as I got the first OTA it was fine.

@acejavelin we tested the June 2022 update without success. That's all the phone wanted to receive.

This wouldn't by chance be a Verizon model? In the Verizon model the bootloader is never unlockable. What is the model of the device is Settings - About Phone - Android Version, what is the full build number?

@acejavelin It was a device from a warehouse in Germany, no carrier was involved. I'm aware of the critical lock nature of Verizon devices, shouldn't be the case here, however the device we had was locked and thus promptly returned. Later, I figured out that there might be just a 7 day lock, as some people on XDA asked about the 7 day OEM lock period and how to circumvent it. There are tricks you can pull off (like disabling NTP sync, changing the date to 8 days into the future and rebooting), but I'm not aware Google addressed such bypasses in recent history.

@acejavelin Maybe it's indeed the Android 13 update or the 7 day wait period that would fix it, but both solutions aren't appealing as of now. We will wait for used devices to ensure the OEM unlock is not grayed out before purchase.

@alecxs What else gives 5y+ software updates (incl. firmware updates) and the opportunity to install a privacy focused ROM such as GrapheneOS? Other good devices have 2-3y software updates. DivestOS would be a fine choice to bypass this with successful bootloader re-lock for good security, but that won't lengthen firmware update support time. Sustainability phones offer up to 5y as well (FairPhone, PinePhone), but the hardware is just bulky and weak. Ultimately, only bloated stock ROMs or GrapheneOS offer a verified bootloader, afaik. I rather choose the latter if I pick a new phone.

(to me) it's pointless if bootloader isn't unlockable - which was the question here


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TPM (Trusted Platform Module) vs. TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) - can credentials be *stored* on both?
TPM is physically isolated from the rest of the system (i.e. it is a standalone chip on the mainboard), while TEE is a secure area of the main CPU.
The key function of both TPM and TEE is to do cryptographic calculations, but can they also store credentials/keys used in these calculations?
I know SE (Secure Element - also a standalone chip) is used exactly for storage purposes, but only 30% of modern smartphones have SE integrated (and mostly expensive models). So how is the credential storage task solved in TPM/TEE scenarios?
Thank you!

Android phones have as far as I know no TPM.

TEE doesn't have its own storage. Even its firmware is loaded from the /vendor partition. Its storage is separately provisioned by the manufacturer.

@defalt Thank you for this comment! Do I understand right, that TEE uses storage within CPU itself (secure part of which TEE is), or is it rather that TEE utilizes external built-in memory modules, which every mobile has (e.g., 32/64/128Gb)?

Yes, an on-die secure element is provisioned. E.g. Qualcomm SPU.

Also, see this diagram. It shows secure element as storage for ARM TrustZone based integrated TEEs.

@defalt Well, the diagram doesn't clearly show that TEE is an integral part of Cortex, while it is, but it's OK - I know that. :) Secure Element (aka SE) is a standalone thing which serves as a key storage (mainly). Do I understand you right that the storage capacity we see in mobile phone specs (32/64/128Gb) is an SE element, not just a regular memory chip? In other words - all mobile phones have SE on board. I strongly doubt that...

@defalt And coming back to my previous question: I didn't clearly understand which memory does TEE finally utilize in its work? AFAIK, it either doesn't have its own memory allocated within trusted SPU area, or this memory capacity is very limited. I know that there are TEE + SE conjunctions, but what if there's no SE on board: does TEE use only those limited memory capacities within secure area (= itself) or does it use external resources, like those huge 54/128Gb memory storages?

ARM Trustzone uses system memory and CPU. The storage for the TEE is integrated by the manufacturer. They don't need to embed a whole SE just for the storage. The underlying storage that SE uses can be manufactured & integratred with TEE independently.

@defalt Sure, SE is more than just a storage, so embedding it to store keys only is probably not the best idea, specifically if TEE is already on board. By the way, are you familiar with how access to SE is organized on the software level? AFAIK, Android StrongBox is used (AFAIK - as a part of Keystore functionality) to access basic SE functions, while Open Mobile API (OMAPI) is used for direct (hence - more sofisticated) communication with SE. Is that so?

SE is connected with SPI bus channel. Android has Keystore API that communicates with the Hardware Abstraction Layer in android vendor layer that communicates with the driver that communicates with the SE.

... which means OMAPI link has no advantages over Keystore in capabilities to access SE and manage its functions?

This is recently added in android 13 userspace ABI to make use of OMAPI.

Got it: OMAPI is now integral part of Android (same as Keystore already was). Thank you! Will appreciate if you can share a link to read more about this, I mean if you have it at hand of course. Many thanks for your patience and invaluable help!


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Cannot uninstall apps that are not system apps, but downloaded from the play store
I am unable to uninstall apps like Amazon Shopping and Call Guardian from my Android phone although they are non-essential and were downloaded from the Google Play Store. I can only disable them as with system apps.
Does anyone know why this is or how they can be uninstalled?

Check for Device Administrator rights associated with the apps in question. On a Samsung device, see 'Other Security settings'. Other brands, similar naming.

If there's nothing on Device Administrator, then some 3rd-party apps might have been installed as system apps by the vendor (i.e. bloatware). If that's the case, then you can try this answer.

If you can disable them then they are pre-installed apps you can't delete. Deinstalling is them is everything you need to do. You don't get any advantage for really uninstalling such an app (which would require root permissions).

I was gonna suggest a factory reset, but don't forget to backup anything important


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Smartphone signal blocking
I have a Faraday bag which stores credit cards as well as my smartphone. After 2 layers of Faraday fabric, phone calls and emails will be blocked, but not text messages, they get through. I would like to block ALL incoming messages/calls from my phone when stored inside the closed bag. Why do the text messages get through when at times the phone calls and emails do not?

Get a better Faraday bag

Reposted from Electronics.SE: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/q/631096/57290 (closed). In case it's deleted, some of the comments from there may be relevant:

mkeith commented, "I don't know exactly but the basic idea is that it is easy to send texts (especially SMS as opposed to MMS) over a noisy, laggy, low-bandwidth channel because the information density is low, and it doesn't matter if the data transmission rate is slow. If it takes 60 seconds to transmit 1024 bytes, texts can get through. Internet connection, not so much."

StarCat commented, "Phone messages will be stored by the provider until your phone contacts the cellular network. Regular calls are only registered when your phone is actually connected at the time of the call. It seems your Faraday bag is not completely impenetrable for radio signals."

SMS is a GSM (you could call it 2G) the oldest part of cellular phone communication and thus the lowest and most robust regarding how the data is encoded on the wireless interface. Also the maximum sending power is AFIK the highest among all GSM standards which makes it the most difficult to block. Also the amount of data needed for an SMS is extreme small so if your faraday bag has a minor defect this might be enough to allow communication for a very short time and thus the SMS comes through.


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How to mount network drive so it's accessible by other apps file picker?
I have a handful of apps that have file pickers, but they only show me what is in /storage/emulated/0 (also shown on my phone as "Internal Storage") and below. I want to mount a NAS so that i can access the files through these other apps but I can't figure out how.
Mounting the network drive with Cx File Explorer or SolidExplorer does not seem to make the drive accessible to other apps.
Is there a way to mount the NAS as a subdirectory of the internal storage? Or create a symbolic link to the mounted network drive?
EDIT: From searching more it seems that SolidExplorer/CxFileManager do not mount the network drive as a "system wide" drive. Nor does it seem that stock Pixel 6/6 Pro kernels support CIFS.
Not sure what to do as i'm not looking to flash a new kernel or rom.

How to mount NFS / CIFS on Android with correct permissions?

How to mount rclone on Android?

How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions?

None of the above is possible without root.

Apps that have no root access like Cx File Explorer can not mount anything or modify the system in a way that other apps would notice, that is prohibited by Android. So if such an app "mounts" a NAS drive it simply connects to it and allows you to browser the remote files and upload/download/delete files or folders.

As Irfan pointed out, providing a system-wide mount will most certainly require root permissions. You can find some helpful candidates here then: My app-listing Mount Remote Drives has the few (currently only 5) apps known for this purpose (if an unknown candidate exists, I'll gladly add it).


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Android device for birds
I would like to know if there exist any Android devices for birds. I've seen my little bird born from his or her egg in an incubator approach my companion's touch screen to peck on it after she showed him or her how to eat food by pointing in a pecking motion with the finger on the food, after which the bird ate.
Alas, my Android device did not respond to the bird's beak, pecking on the touch phone's screen.
I wonder whether there are any screens designed for beaks.
And, what would be possible, for a bird's interacting system, on an Android device?
Anyone know?
Thanks.
Note: This post asks about the possibility of bird to smartphone interfaces, as I know of none, and I'm not sure of Who would know. I was not sure if this was more appropriate on Android stack exchange or in biology stack exchange or in hardware recommendations stack exchange, or even on software engineering stack exchange. Or even obmn user experience (UX) stack exchange.
Please, if not appropriate here, migrate my post as appropriate.

Mobile device touch screens have been made with resistive or capacitive technology.
Resistive required pressure to indicate location so normally used a pen/stylus. Capacitive uses the fact that the skin conducts and by interacting alters the screen's electric field marking position.
Birds tapping on a screen with a beak made of keratin isn't what the device was tuned for. The interaction by the bird is similar to a person with long fingernails using the tip on the screen. Personally I'm not even sure if pecking can activate a resistive screen as the pressure isn't similar to handwriting/human interaction and a certain amount of threshold is required to avoid false positive. However you can still get resistive screen Android devices which are targeted for industrial/construction environments.
Other than a resistive screen, my guess is that any interaction with birds and a screen would required a speciality device like a infrared grid or other similar setup which could detect the intrusion but to my knowledge is usually for large TV-ish screen sizes, i.e. digital chalkboards and kiosk signage.


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How to turn back to the old one-handed mode?
I have Xiaomi 11 note Pro 5g , and yesterday it was updated from android 11 to android 12.
I was surprised that the One-Handed mode feature was updated as well but the new update is so annoying and can't be helpful for anything, its totally useless.
I just get half screen and I cannot scroll up nor down, it does not resize the screen width which is annoying as well.
Can I get back to the old version of the feature without downgrade the android version ?


text:
How does Precise and Approximate Location work on Android 12?
I was seeing how the approximate location of a device is determined from WI-FI/Mobile Networks and Precise location by mainly using GPS 1. From this one can infer that using WI-FI/Mobile & BT network to determine location is somewhat inaccurate than using a GPS.
Yet, to get a more accurate location data the location services recommend that you enable the WI-FI/mobile & BT scanning. Doesn't this conflict with the first notion? Because location data from GPS are more accurate(precise) than those of WI-FI/Mobile networks?
So my question is when you give an app your approximate location does it just give the coordinates from using WIFI/Mobile networks because it is somewhat "inaccurate" or does the Location SDK somewhat widens the coordinate data from your actual location?

Location Accuracy you are referring to is a Google's proprietary service, not part of Android project. Scanning Wi-Fi / Cellular / BT networks may improve your location accuracy in case your GPS signals are weak. What make it possible is that Google (and others) collect users' location data and build a database of all location identifiers. // When you give an app the permission to only access your approximate location, it does not have access to GPS.

Okay. So Does Location service directly shares the location data from WI-FI/Cellular & BT when an app is given approximate location access? What if this location data is so precise? Doesn't the location services alter the location data to distance the coordinates from the actual location?

I'm not quite sure what you are asking. But pure Android provides only GPS location (provided that the hardware is available). In order to get location based on Wi-Fi / Cellular / BT networks, you need a third party service which is usually provided by Google (or the OEM). "Google Play services" functions as a location-provider in this case. The same app is responsible for sharing your device's location data with Google servers. How Google Play services work exactly is not documented and cannot be answered because it's a closed-source proprietary app / service.

Documentation: Android, Google.


text:
Why does Magisk not run my script on boot?
I have Android 10, Samsung a7. I have root by custom firmware + Magisk.
I tried to put script in:
/data/adb/service.d/myscript
/data/adb/post-fs-data.d/myscript
/system/etc/init.d/myscript

But it doesn't run.
Where I can put my script to execute after boot system?
Script to execute:
#!/system/bin/sh

sleep 100

is_charging()
{
    [ $(cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/status) = Charging ] || [ $(cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/status) = Full ] || return 1
}

# keep waiting
while is_charging; do sleep 1; done

# charger is disconnected, countdown
sleep 300

# again start waiting if charger is connected
is_charging && exec $(realpath $0)

# else, shutdown
/system/bin/reboot -p charger_disconnected ||
/system/bin/setprop sys.powerctl shutdown,charger_disconnected

What was exactly in the script? Are you sure it didn't have errors? Did you make the file executable? Did you check Magisk log or logcat? Did you try to redirect script's stdout/stderr to logcat or a file?

Thank you for interested my problem. I edited post, added script.
I'm programmer javascript, node, python, but android I'm noob.
I have second phone (older, android 5.0) and the same script did works, I put it to init.d file.
So if this script did works correctly to another device I think so, i didn't have errors in the script.
As you can see, my script turn off/turn on phone, when is charging battery or isn't.
Did you make the file executable?
How I can do it? I just created file and I changed chmod 0755.
Now I checked logs in magisk, I have log: service.d exec [myfilescrip]

Did you try to redirect script's stdout/stderr to logcat or a file? No, I haven't tried, I don't know what it is, how can I do it and why.

the script was executed but magisk kills blocking scripts after 10 seconds

I tried in adb shell on the root  execute /system/bin/reboot -p charger_disconnected || /system/bin/setprop sys.powerctl shutdown,charger_disconnected and my system has shut down.
I do understand correctly - my script executed, but my "sleep(100)" (over 10 second) kill everythink what is later execute? I have to have sleep, how I can check it, maybe magisk setup I can change?


text:
Auto lock if Smart Stay can't see my eyes open
Sometimes, while in bed, I will watch a movie or YouTube on my Samsung Galaxy S20 ultra. Sometimes I fall asleep and the movie will continue to play as I sleep. I don't want my son wandering in the room and see King Leonidas stab well... everyone.
Is there a way I can have my device turn off my screen and lock my phone if the front camera sees my eyes close? Smart Stay app doesn't seem to do anything.


text:
How to root OnePlus 9 Pro without flashing a boot image
I remember how I rooted Samsung Galaxy S3: I got a SuperSU ZIP file, placed it in a sd card root folder then after powering the device off entered the stock built-in recovery and added this ZIP file using it. That was all.
Now for OnePlus 9 Pro I see that the manufacturer supports bootloader unlocking, but then the support ends. I have to get somewhere the boot image and flash it using Magisk. Is there some no-flash version that just adds su and keeps the stock ROM, whatever is currently installed?

The common way is to download a firmware update for your phone model and extract the boot image from the update.

I would first ask in a community that is dedicated to that phone model. Rooting on theoretical and practical level are some time to totally different topics. For rooting best site is xda-dev: https://forum.xda-developers.com/f/oneplus-9-pro.12153/

one can't flash from Magisk, this step is done from fastboot


text:
Phone app: How to dial a name with non-US characters?
I have a friend called Kåre Østergård. I can search him in contacts using the å and the Ø characters, but I am not able to find "Kåre" using the Phone by Google's dial pad, that looks something similar to the image below.
On previous OnePlus phones using previous android versions, I believe "Kare" would also find "Kåre", but not on my Google Pixel 6.
So how do I dial Kåre Østergård using the stock Android phone dial?

By " stock Android phone dial (on Google Pixel 6)", I'd assume this Phone by Google app, not another dialer app? Note that vendors can (and some usually) customize their system app, including the dialer app, and thus may behave differently.

Yes, I can confirm that it is the Phone by Google app


text:
Phone battery rapidly discharges after reboot
So, what happens is this:
I turn my phone off for the night. The next morning I start it up again, and it's still the at the same percentage. But then, within minutes, it will suddenly start discharging rapidly all the way to 1%. I've tried various amounts of charge: it seems that if my phone is in the 50s or lower when I turn it off at night, this happens. If I turn it off at a higher charge, it's fine.
Does anyone know why this is happening?

How old is your phone and the battery? Rapid discharge (without the phone going hot because of high CPU/GPU usage) may indicate that the battery has lost a lot of capacity but the battery estimation by Android has not adapted to the new situation.

It doesn't go hot, so that fits. I don't know how old it is. The store said it was new, but then when I opened it, someone else was logged into Instagram and Google. So if it really was new, it's a few months old. But I doubt it (I didn't get a new phone at the time cause I live in a country where that is a huge hassle)

What phone model, manufacturer and Android version is it?

Version: Android 6.0   Model number: LG-F600L  Manufacturer: LGE

I used an app to check my battery's health, and it says the battery health is fine.

LG-F600L was released in 2015, so your phone is at minimum 5-6 years old. Battery problems are very common at that age. No matter what the "battery health" indicator says. Usually the battery drop rate will increase in a way that your phone immediately goes off (which can cause data loss or even make the phone unbootable).

Thank you! I'll see if I can get a new battery then :-)


text:
Does a Droid 3 support wireless charging?
I tried using wireless charging with my Droid 3 phone, and the LED for charge indication started blinking. I wanted to know if this means that it supports wireless charging.

Are you talking about the Motorola DROID 3 from 2011?

Yes, it is the 2011 version

To my knowledge the first wireless charging phone was presented in 2012 by Nokia.


text:
How do I block an app from ever installing in Android 12?
There is one notorious app. That gets installed every now and then. How do I stop it from happening in Android 12. Is there a way to block it from ever installing from google play store?

If an app that uses the same packageName but a different signature app installation should be blocked. You can try to build a simple "hello world app" using the same packageName as the app you want to block or you could try to edit an existing app of small size you decompile with apktool, change the packageName in AndroidManifest.xml recompile it, sign it using a generated custom signature key and the install it on your phone.

Turn automatic update off in settings

This may stop updating existing app, but doesn't prevent installing the app if it's not yet installed (e.g. after uninstallation).


text:
How to run device into repeater mode with shell script?
Currently my device on LineageOS 18.1 (Android 11) with root access and supported managed mode and AP mode at the same time.
root@localhost:~# uname -a
Linux localhost 4.9.326-Mi8937 #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Sep 12 02:37:27 UTC 2022 aarch64 GNU/Linux

root@localhost:~# zcat /proc/config.gz | grep CONFIG_CFG80211
CONFIG_CFG80211=y
# CONFIG_CFG80211_DEVELOPER_WARNINGS is not set
# CONFIG_CFG80211_CERTIFICATION_ONUS is not set
CONFIG_CFG80211_DEFAULT_PS=y
# CONFIG_CFG80211_DEBUGFS is not set
CONFIG_CFG80211_INTERNAL_REGDB=y
# CONFIG_CFG80211_CRDA_SUPPORT is not set
# CONFIG_CFG80211_WEXT is not set

root@localhost:~# lshw | grep wireless=
       configuration: broadcast=yes driver=wcnss_wlan multicast=yes wireless=Qcom:802.11n

root@localhost:~# iw phy | grep -iA2 'valid interface combinations'
        valid interface combinations:
                 * #{ managed } <= 3, #{ IBSS, AP } <= 1, #{ P2P-client, P2P-GO } <= 1,
                   total <= 3, #channels <= 2

I did search over internet and found this WI-FI REPEATER MODE ON ANDROID by Irfan Latif and this android_wifi_repeater by mrbox24 but seems those script doesn't support android 11 because when I check /system/bin and /system/xbin, no hostapd there.

My goal is to be able to run my device into repeater mode using wifi-direct that can be run with shell script command and no need to set Client Wifi proxy port.

Thanks.
Edit (Sept 28, 2022)
Referring to this,
I found that hostapd exist under /vendor/bin/hw path. Thanks Irfan.
And now I got another problem, I can run the mnet script, Client able to connect to the Host but without Internet Connection.
Tried ping 192.168.49.1 from Client to Host device got 100% loss, but works when ping from Host device to Client device.

"when I check /system/bin and /system/xbin, no hostapd there". See this comment.

@IrfanLatif, you're right. I found that under /vendor/bin/hw path.

@IrfanLatif,  Now I got another problem, the script run and I can connected client device to the host device but without internet access. From client device, ping 192.168.49.1 (host IP) it doesn't work / ping 100% loss. But when ping from host to client device, it works. How to fix that problem? Thanks.


text:
ADB root shell always waits for background job before exit
I want to run a process in background and close the terminal, so the process remains active.
I need to run the process as root. Since adb root doesn't work for me, I use adb shell; $ su to gain root privileges.
I expect this to work: command &; exit or nohup command &; exit. It actually runs the process, but exit just waits for the process to terminate. I also tried to run sleep 10 &; exit, and exactly, the shell exits after 10 seconds (when all jobs are done).
This happens only when su shell is used. It means that when I run adb shell; $ sleep 50 &; exit it exits immediately as expected. The problem also happens when I use su from termux (android package terminal). And also on my other device as well.
I can just kill the terminal, it does the job (process remains active as I wanted), but what is the proper way to exit the root shell when there are active jobs?
Thank you in advance!

On common Linux I would use screen or tmux to create a terminal you can disconnect at any time.

It's a known issue I explained here years back. Related questions: this and this. Also beware of this.


text:
Bypass ADB Unauthorized
I have hero2ltechn or Samsung s7 edge with broken screen, already rooted and with custom twrp, i able to do root command.
i only have access to adb recovery mode....
so i want enable adb from twrp with
echo "persist.service.adb.enable=1" >>/system/build.prop
echo "persist.service.debuggable=1" >>/system/build.prop
echo "persist.sys.usb.config=mass_storage,adb" >>/system/build.prop"

now my adb is works on the device , but unauthorized.
from here https://android.stackexchange.com/a/219320 says, need to push adb_keys to /data/misc/adb/adb_keys or /adb_keys
i've already do that. still unauthorized... help me
this is what i try :
C:\Users\Administrator>adb -s ec525f2c shell
~ # id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats) context=u:r:su:s0

~ # setprop
usage: setprop <key> <value>
~ # getprop
[dalvik.vm.dex2oat-Xms]: [64m]
[dalvik.vm.dex2oat-Xmx]: [512m]
[dalvik.vm.dex2oat-filter]: [verify-at-runtime]
[dalvik.vm.image-dex2oat-Xms]: [64m]
[dalvik.vm.image-dex2oat-Xmx]: [64m]
[dalvik.vm.image-dex2oat-filter]: [verify-at-runtime]
[dalvik.vm.isa.arm.features]: [default]
[dalvik.vm.isa.arm.variant]: [cortex-a53]
[dalvik.vm.isa.arm64.features]: [default]
[dalvik.vm.isa.arm64.variant]: [kryo]
[dalvik.vm.lockprof.threshold]: [500]
[dalvik.vm.stack-trace-file]: [/data/anr/traces.txt]
[dalvik.vm.usejit]: [true]
[debug.atrace.tags.enableflags]: [0]
[fbe.data.wrappedkey]: [true]
[init.svc.adbd]: [stopping]
[init.svc.recovery]: [running]
[init.svc.set_permissive]: [stopped]
[init.svc.ueventd]: [running]
[keyguard.no_require_sim]: [true]
[mtp.crash_check]: [0]
[net.bt.name]: [Android]
[net.change]: [net.bt.name]
[persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib.2]: [libart]
[persist.sys.root_access]: [1]
[persist.sys.usb.config]: [mtp,adb]
[ro.allow.mock.location]: [1]
[ro.arch]: [msm8996]
[ro.baseband]: [msm]
[ro.board.platform]: [msm8996]
[ro.boot.ap_serial]: [0xc2bb0abc]
[ro.boot.baseband]: [msm]
[ro.boot.boot_recovery]: [1]
[ro.boot.bootdevice]: [624000.ufshc]
[ro.boot.bootloader]: [SCV33KDU1CRH2]
[ro.boot.carrierid.param.offset]: [9438268]
[ro.boot.carrierid]: []
[ro.boot.cp_debug_level]: [0x55FF]
[ro.boot.cp_reserved_mem]: [off]
[ro.boot.debug_level]: [0x4f4c]
[ro.boot.emmc_checksum]: [3]
[ro.boot.hardware]: [qcom]
[ro.boot.hmac_mismatch]: [0]
[ro.boot.revision]: [15]
[ro.boot.sales.param.offset]: [9438272]
[ro.boot.sales_code]: [XSG]
[ro.boot.sec_atd.tty]: [/dev/ttyHSL0]
[ro.boot.security_mode]: [1526595585]
[ro.boot.selinux]: [permissive]
[ro.boot.serialno]: [ec525f2c]
[ro.boot.ucs_mode]: [0]
[ro.boot.warranty_bit]: [1]
[ro.bootimage.build.date.utc]: [1592918780]
[ro.bootimage.build.date]: [Tue Jun 23 13:26:20 UTC 2020]
[ro.bootimage.build.fingerprint]: [samsung/omni_hero2qltechn/hero2qltechn:6.0.1/MOB31K/17:eng/test-keys]
[ro.bootloader]: [SCV33KDU1CRH2]
[ro.bootmode]: [unknown]
[ro.build.characteristics]: [default]
[ro.build.date.utc]: [0]
[ro.build.date]: [Tue Jun 23 13:24:59 UTC 2020]
[ro.build.display.id]: [omni_hero2qltechn-eng 6.0.1 MOB31K 17 test-keys]
[ro.build.flavor]: [omni_hero2qltechn-eng]
[ro.build.host]: [f13e74e204de]
[ro.build.id]: [MOB31K]
[ro.build.tags]: [test-keys]
[ro.build.type]: [eng]
[ro.build.user]: [jenkins]
[ro.build.version.all_codenames]: [REL]
[ro.build.version.base_os]: []
[ro.build.version.codename]: [REL]
[ro.build.version.incremental]: [17]
[ro.build.version.preview_sdk]: []
[ro.build.version.release]: [6.0.1]
[ro.build.version.sdk]: [23]
[ro.build.version.security_patch]: [2016-11-05]
[ro.carrier]: [unknown]
[ro.chipname]: [MSM8996]
[ro.com.android.dataroaming]: [true]
[ro.com.android.wifi-watchlist]: [GoogleGuest]
[ro.com.google.clientidbase]: [android-google]
[ro.config.alarm_alert]: [Argon.ogg]
[ro.config.notification_sound]: [pixiedust.ogg]
[ro.config.ringtone]: [Ring_Synth_04.ogg]
[ro.dalvik.vm.native.bridge]: [0]
[ro.debuggable]: [1]
[ro.hardware.keystore]: [msm8996]
[ro.hardware]: [qcom]
[ro.kernel.android.checkjni]: [1]
[ro.lcd_brightness]: [162]
[ro.lcd_min_brightness]: [0]
[ro.modversion]: [OmniROM-6.0.1-20200623-hero2qltechn-HOMEMADE]
[ro.omni.device]: [hero2qltechn]
[ro.omni.version]: [6.0.1-20200623-hero2qltechn-HOMEMADE]
[ro.product.board]: [msm8996]
[ro.product.brand]: [samsung]
[ro.product.cpu.abi]: [arm64-v8a]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist32]: [armeabi-v7a,armeabi]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist64]: []
[ro.product.cpu.abilist]: [armeabi-v7a,armeabi]
[ro.product.device]: [hero2qltechn]
[ro.product.locale]: [en-US]
[ro.product.manufacturer]: [samsung]
[ro.product.model]: [SM-G9350]
[ro.product.name]: [hero2qltezc]
[ro.revision]: [15]
[ro.secure]: [0]
[ro.serialno]: [ec525f2c]
[ro.setupwizard.enterprise_mode]: [1]
[ro.sf.lcd_density]: [640]
[ro.twrp.boot]: [1]
[ro.twrp.sar]: [false]
[ro.twrp.version]: [3.4.0-0]
[ro.url.legal]: [http://www.google.com/intl/%s/mobile/android/basic/phone-legal.html]
[ro.wifi.channels]: []
[ro.zygote]: [zygote32]
[service.adb.root]: [1]
[sys.usb.config]: [mtp,adb]
[sys.usb.ffs.ready]: [1]
[sys.usb.state]: [mtp,adb]
[twrp.action_complete]: [0]
[twrp.crash_counter]: [0]
~ # getprop|grep adb
[init.svc.adbd]: [stopping]
[persist.sys.usb.config]: [mtp,adb]
[service.adb.root]: [1]
[sys.usb.config]: [mtp,adb]
[sys.usb.state]: [mtp,adb]
~ # getprop|grep gebug
~ # setprop ro.adb.secure 0
~ # getprop|grep debug
[debug.atrace.tags.enableflags]: [0]
[ro.boot.cp_debug_level]: [0x55FF]
[ro.boot.debug_level]: [0x4f4c]
[ro.debuggable]: [1]
~ # reboot

C:\Users\Administrator>adb devices
List of devices attached
42008e67aaad4400        device

C:\Users\Administrator>adb kill-server

C:\Users\Administrator>adb devices
List of devices attached
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
42008e67aaad4400        device
ec525f2c        unauthorized

C:\Users\Administrator>

'adb devices' says unauthorized in TWRP

still unauthorized


text:
How to pair Android Tablet with Samsung Watch 4
It seems that Samsung Watch 4 cannot be paired to tablet for some reason even tough you can install Samsung Wear app on the tablet and pair the watch via Bluetooth (so the tablet can see the watch). Just the Samsung Wear app does not see the watch.
Tried googling for a long time but outside of "it is not officially supported" nothing helpful. How to make this work? Ideally without rooting anything.


text:
How to create shortcut to 2nd YouTube account
How can I make a shortcut to a 2nd YouTube account on my Android phone. I have a Samsung s21+ with one ui 4.1 and Android 12
There is a dual messenger function which allows multiple versions of the same app to be installed. Can this be done with YouTube?
If not can I make two shortcuts, one that automatically loads a second YouTube profile and the other a default profile?
If this is not possible can I a make a chrome shortcut that opens the specific YouTube account in Chrome (or any other browser)
Ultimate goal is to have two icons, one for each profile so I don't have to keep switching profiles manually via the app (slow and requires 10+ seconds on slow internet).
What is the easiest way to achieve this?

You can use apps* available on google play and log in with the desired google account in the cloned app and then create a shortcut on the home screen.
*third-party cloner app as an alternative to Dual Messenger if it is not possible to duplicate youtube through it.

How exactly do I do this? Open YouTube then where do I go? Or do I open the play store and do something?

I will write an example using a third-party app (2Accounts), step by step:
1 - go to google play store and download an AppCloner (2Accounts suggested)
2 - open AppCloner and select YouTube to be cloned
3 - open cloned YouTube (maybe open by itself when cloned), go to library and login with your google account you want for the 2nd YT App
4 - open Appcloner again, press and hold the YT icon and press create shortcut/icon on home screen
5 - enjoy

Fantastic using 2Accounts worked perfectly. Thank you.


text:
How to make android 10 phone only use certain BSSID devices with the same SSID or at least ignore a specific BSSID?
I live in a hotel where all WiFi AccessPoints have the same SSID,
but the AP next to my room is not configured properly and no one bothers to call a technician. Since this faulty AP is closest, my Android phone keeps connecting to it as it has the strongest signal. Mind that I cannot physically disconnect/turn off the device as it belongs to the hotel.
On my Linux laptop I easily managed to connect to the next AP by setting the prefered BSSID.
Now I am trying to do the same with my Android 10 phone, but there aren't any similar settings.
I tried solving the issue by installing various Network utility apps, most of which were only logging all nearby AP hotspots and showing some specs like signal strength, some were showing the BSSIDs but couldn't make the phone connect to them.
Afterwards I thought if this approach is not possible maybe I could try to block the faulty AP's BSSID thus making sure I get connected to any other AP nearby. Alas I couldn't find any appropriate info for this as well.
I am sure there is a way. Maybe someone with the know-how could enlighten me.
Thank you!

If you can not disconnect the AP yourself go to the reception desk and demand that they disable the non-working AP.

Thank you @Robert for your comment. I know I tried, that's why I started to look for an alternative programmable way to do it. I begin to think that the good guys that develop Android OS don't want their users to be able to choose their connection that precisely.

did you ever find a way to do this on Android? i'm able to connect using BSSID on Windows & Linux, but not Android.

@Ridalgo no i didn't find any solution for Android. On Linux this is done very easy from the build in WiFi features, on Windows there are some free programs to download as well. For Android I tried many apps and settings with zero luck.


text:
View Android Chrome Cache files on device?
Is there any way to view the chrome app cache files on android without ADB or root just on the device itself?
Edit: or from a file manager on a computer?
Edit 2: does chrome use or cache different resources than the desktop version, such as loading google services?
Thank you!

For first part, No. For second part, what are you trying to do with that information? What problem is it that you want to solve?

Meaning no from neither the device nor plugged into a computer? Would root wipe this cache? I wanted to see if I could get any cached google keep web cache data from my android device.

My ultimate question is if I went to google.com on android, no matter the browser, would it have prefetched any of my keep notes without me having actually gone to the website recently with no keep app installed.


text:
Android 12 reset password different from lockscreen
A few days ago, I locked my vivo S1 Pro running Android 12 with Google's Find My Device. At that time, it didn't have any screen lock, so I locked it with the password "pri8890". When I went to open the lock screen, I was able to unlock it with the password "pri8890", but when I wanted to reset the password from the Settings app (Settings > Fingerprint, face and password > Screen lock), it asks for a 4-digit number. That doesn't make sense. If the screen is opened by an alphanumeric password, why does it want a 4-digit number to reset the screen lock?
BTW, in the Settings app, while entering the password, it only gives me a numerical keyboard, so I am not able to enter "pri8890". To confirm that there isn't something wrong with the password settings of my phone, I switched the "use lock screen password" option in the "PhonePe" app and when it asked for a lock screen password for authentication, entering "pri8890" worked. Still, in the Settings app, it isn't working and only provides a numeric keyboard so I can't enter the "pri" part of "pri8890". Also, I have tried all possible probable combinations like "8890", "0000", "9999", etc.


text:
Are android kernel versions are same for identical device models?
I have a question: if I have two Samsung A52 devices are these both got the same kernel versions?

Do they have the same OS versions?

You can check in Settings -> About. Or use command uname -rv on adb shell or any terminal emulator app.

@gronostaj yes in case they both have the same android version?

If they are running the same OS version, then they are also running the same kernel version.
Note that by "OS version" I don't exactly mean the same Android version. Phone manufacturers can - and should - release newer OS versions with newer security patches and bugfixes. The Android version doesn't necessarily change with each such update, but OS build version does. Kernel version can change too.
If you're interested in running custom ROMs, then it's also possible that two ROMs based on the same Android version would be running different kernel versions.
Finally, with an unlocked bootloader it's possible to flash a custom kernel to any ROM, custom or not.

thanks for the information let me make this clear,
Suppose I buy two new Samsung A52s from the factory they both contain the same Kernel versions right?

@Sultan It's guaranteed only if they come with the same firmware version. But they don't necessarily do. Why are you asking?


text:
Green Android camera notification
Since this morning, the green camera icon on the top right of the status bar appears. When I open this notification, it says "In use by Google". The problem is that I don't have any app opened.
Why would Google need to open my camera in the background?
Anyone got into this situation?

Have you enabled facial recognition? The camera is in use for this then.

@wbogacz, That's the first thing I thought about but no it is not enabled. Thanks. That's why I was a bit worried. I reboot the phone and since, no camera icon anymore. It is pretty weird that it was on. Just wanted to know if someone esle met the same situation.


text:
How does Android generate FBE Keys
I am trying to understand how FBE and metadata encryption works.
I read a lot of pages on FBE that it encrypts each file with different keys, and that those keys are encrypted and hashed with the Lock Screen Pin entered by the user.
My question is What if the user does not set the pin. How are the keys generated and how secure they are ?
How are the keys decrypted when there is no Pin set on a bootup of a device?
What is the role of Metadata Encryption from Android 11 to FBE Keys.

Lock screen PIN is never directly used. It is only used to authenticate against gatekeeper service.

how are those keys generated and how much secure they are?
Does anyone know the AOSP code for reference which does this key generation

For a detailed diagram on Android keys please see https://security.stackexchange.com/a/247954/1204

I have already gone through the diagram and its a wonderful explanation, I am just concerned what if a User has not set any password at lockscreen, will the device be secure?

No pin on Android means it uses the default PIN.

Thanks Robert, What happens to the encrypted key how is this created when there is default pin

As you can see the Device Unique Key is always involved additionally to the PIN. To my understanding this is a random generated key that is erased on factory reset. So even with default PIN the actual encryption master key is random.

A lot of details on Andorid´s File based Encryption ans how the different keys are related to each other can be found in the answer to the question Connection between PIN/password and encryption keys in Android on our sister site Security Stackexchange.
The only part that is not explained in detail is how the encryption meta data is stored in e.g. ext4 file-system. These details are presented in this presentation from 2021: One Key to Rule Them All: Recovering the Master Key from RAM to break Android's File-Based Encryption (presentation) - see see page 7 and 8:

See also the full scientific paper: One Key to Rule Them All: Recovering the Master Key from RAM to break Android's File-Based Encryption


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Are malware apps that were removed from Google Play Store also automatically removed from devices?
I have this question. I have read in the news "these 80 malware apps have been removed from Google Play Store".
Should I check my phone if I have one of them installed?
Or do they get removed automatically?

If it is malware then it is also removed from the connected devices, but I would assume that removing from PlayStore and removing from devices are two independent tasks but usually they are executed together.

Of course this would be the best. Did that happen to you or is this just your guess?

I don't install many apps, so chance to hit malware is pretty low. If an app is malicious removing it from store and devices is the only way it makes sense. Otherwise it would be careless by Google.

Related: When Google removes malicious apps from their Play Store, are users notified?, What happens when Google decides an app is "bad"?


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Play YouTube videos faster than 2x on Android
I know that it is possible to play YouTube videos faster than 2x on laptop and desktop using extensions available on Google Chrome. However, these can't be downloaded on Android device.
I have already searched for this on Google and YouTube and some videos suggested using another app which plays those videos faster. But all the apps I have downloaded so far either only allow up to 2x speed or can speed up only those video files which are already downloaded on device, and I can't find downloaded YouTube videos on device (it only opens in YouTube).
Is there any way of playing YouTube videos faster on Android?

NewPipe can fast forward up to 3x times. You can also try Kiwi Browser on Android. It is Chromium based, and supports web extensions. So your Chrome extensions might work on Kiwi Browser. Let us know how it turns out for you.

@Firelord thanks, newpipe can successfully play youtube videos upto 3x speed. I wish i could go faster

@Firelord extensions can be downloaded on kiwi browser and they also are also seen while playing YouTube videos, but the problem is that the extension which had been using before operated on keys pressed by keyboard and i am unable to do that in android. Please suggest another usable extension

On Google Play, there is an app called Video Speed Control Browser. It lets you go up to 10x speed.


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can't adb into phone with broken screen and lock pattern
i accidentally dropped my Pixel 6a on the counter a little hard. it landed flat on it's back. no physical damage. but the screen froze up. i pressed the power button to try and lock the screen (which it did), but when i pressed the power button again to unlock it, the screen stayed black. figured maybe the phone just froze up. held down the power button for about 15 seconds to see if force rebooting it would work. nope. guessing the screen or something got damaged. replacement is on it's way, but is there any way to recover stuff from it that wasn't cloud-synced or backed up? i tried adb, but it's not showing up when adb devices is ran. when i plug the phone in, it vibrates, so i know it's working and on. but i'm guessing since i can't authorize abd on the phone (if i remember right, a popup happens) i can't interact. usb debugging was turned on a long time ago, as i used adb on it several times recently. phone has a pattern lock and fingerprint lock. i tried a usb-c to hdmi cable, but nothing shows up on the monitor (nor when i plug it into my Pixel 4a 5G, but it does work on an android tablet i have, so i'm guessing the phone doesn't natively support it)

Using pattern lock was a bad choice as it can't be solved without display. PIN and password can be entered using an USB keyboard. For that reason you should never use pattern lock.

@robert Not necessarily true, I had a RainMeter script that would unlock-on-click with my phone plugged in, and it can also be done through Voice Access as well.  Unfortunately, both of these require some setup prior to losing screen visual.


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How can I search for a place amongst my visited places in the Google Maps Android app?
How can I search for a place amongst my visited places in the Google Maps Android app?

I'm not aware of any method to manually search your visited places in the native Google Maps application; the best I've been able to find is by opening Timeline and navigating by date, which isn't very helpful if you don't already know the date of your visit in advanced.  Instead, I would use a browser and navigate to your Google account's activity controls page, and filter by Maps; this will allow you to directly search your maps visited places.


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Viber displays numbers instead of name of senders, how can I restore the old setting on my Viber?
My Viber shows numbers instead of names. Before, it shows sender names, now it show senders number unless I edit it.
How to restore to the previous setting?

I downloaded a previous version (v18.5.1.0) and it resolves my issue.


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IP configuration failure / Check password and try again on wi-fi networks after changing mac address
 Device in question Redmi Note 4, Android 9.0, Xiaomi EU ROM, rooted with lsposed
I enabled MAC randomisation feature in developer options, and yes the mac appears to have changed but I can longer connect to wi-fi networks. Open networks return "IP configuration error" while encrypted networks give "Check password and try again". I tried mac changing xposed based apps and these don't give any better results.
 Related question: Can't connect to WiFi after spoofed MAC address (slightly different still no solution)
How can I fix this issue?

What errors do you see in logcat -b all when "IP configuration error" comes?

Let me me check that I will get back to you...

I ended up editing the WCNSS_qcom_cfg.ini file and this time it did not give that error


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How to change the brightness of the Galaxy A10s flashlight
I saw how this application (Cardiograph) uses a bright flashlight, and then it switches to a dim one. The phone itself (Samsung Galaxy A10s) does not have a built-in flash brightness control, and there is no root either. So, how can you adjust the power of a flashlight, what applications are there for this (maybe even somehow through Termux)? Samsung Galaxy A10s phone, Android 11, all updates installed.
Video

I assume the app is simulating dimming by letting the LED flicker in a high frequency.

@Robert No, the LED does not blink in any way, it is a static light.

You will see blinking only if the frequency is low. If it is higher than 100 Hz humans will not recognize it as blinking. But I am not sure if you can switch the led so many times a second.

Adjusting flashlight brightness is a new feature in Android 13. On Android 12 and older there is no universally working solution. Some app developers tried to "misuse" flash modes and preview mode, while others tried to write directly to /sys/class/leds/. None is guaranteed to work on all devices. Except that the OEM or custom ROM developer has already added the option in Settings.

And I just checked. The app you've mentioned uses the both APIs: flash mode and preview mode. The latter seems to do the trick on Samsung devices.

From googling, I found How to adjust the flashlight brightness on your Samsung Galaxy phone;

Tap the word “Flashlight“ below the icon to open the brightness slider.
Alternatively, you can long-press the Flashlight icon itself to access it.
Adjust the slider from Level 1 to Level 5 as you desire.
After choosing a brightness level, tap Done to leave the setting.

Samsung Galaxy A10s doesn't have this option.

I found that too, but I wonder if instead or torch he means flash for taking pictures


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Why is "transfer files" an optional mode for USB?
When I connect my android device to a PC, it has several options for the "mode" of connection. Does anyone know the reason for this? Why would anyone want file transfer to be unavailable on a USB connection? Is there anything gained by disabling file transfer? If not, then why is it not always enabled? I know there is a workaround with developer mode, but I would like to understand why this problem even exists.

My guess for this behavior are security and privacy concerns.
If you connect the phone to an USB port mounted somewhere where you can't control if it is connected to a charger or a PC it makes a difference if it is a PC that automatically gets full access to all you photos, videos,...
Micro PCs can be placed even in cases of charger size so considering that any USB device you connect your phone to could directly steal a large number of your private data - would you really want this?

That makes sense and I'll take it as the answer, but in my opinion, security is a lost cause on any Android device because the OS producer is effectively a malicious party. During my internship at Google, the policy sessions on privacy focused exclusively on how to avoid getting caught when blatantly violating local and international law. In example "disaster scenarios", Google engineers had used private email content for testing and it showed up in public search results. The lesson was not to respect user privacy, but rather focused on technical advice for minimizing public leaks.


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How do I adjust the sensitivity of my Bluetooth wireless mouse on Android 11 or Samsung DeX?
I have an ergonomic wireless Bluetooth mouse from Microsoft that I use when using my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in Dex mode. The speed of the mouse cursor is very high by default and I want to make it move slower.
How do I do this in Android and preferably in Dex?

I've found out how to configure the mouse cursor sensitivity. In Settings go to Dex Settings > Mouse and Trackpad. Click on More Settings and then adjust the mouse sensitivity with the pointer speed adjustment bar.


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How to automatically turn on WiFi hotspot when the airplane mode is disabled?
How can I configure my wifi hotspot so that it is automatically turned on when the airplane mode is disabled?
I use a Google Pixel 6 with Android 12.

Have you tried using an automation app for this, such as Macrodroid, Tasker, Automate, etc?

One can use MacroDroid:

Potential problem:


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What is this S-outline with 2-dot eyes icon on Samsung lock screen?
Sometimes the touch screen on my Samsung Galaxy A72 stops working and when I reset it via the buttons, this icon that looks like S-outline with 2-dot eyes pops up on the lock screen.

What is this?

Its either from some app or a logo for the ISP.  What do you see when you press it ?

Possible similar issue: What does this "gear with a ladybug" icon mean on Samsung devices?

This icon bothered me for a few days but finally got the answer.
It's the icon for System UI. In my case it came on because the phone was recently restarted. It would stay on screen for a few seconds then disappear.
Go to settings -> notifications -> advanced settings -> notification history, you should be able to find it when you click on system UI.
Hope this helps.
P.S: My phone is a Samsung A03s but should apply across the board to other Samsung phones
This is how it looks on mine:


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"Always allow" option missing from Google Family Link
I have my four kids set up on Google Family Link, which is a parental-control tool. I like to be able to use the option of Always Allow. This works for three of the kids.
For one of the kids, the only two options are No limit and Blocked? Where are the other two options?


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Greyed out Wi-fi calling - LG Wing unlocked TMobile phone on Smart network
My Wi-Fi calling is greyed out and I can't enable it.

I already tried hard by restarting the phone, updating the phone, and resetting the network settings, but it's still grey.

Please let me know how to enable Wi-Fi calling.

Are you sure your mobile network provider supports Wifi calling?

@Robert they do according to this https://smart.com.ph/help/article/smart-help/2022/03/03/how-to-check-if-your-smartphone-has-volte-or-vowifi


text:
How to clean app caches in Android 11 and why is it not possible to delete all app caches in Android settings?
In the phone's stock file browser's cleaner it shows me that apps like Soundcloud take up lots of storage space but it only offers me the option to remove the app entirely instead of deleting just the cache.
When I go to Android settings -> manage apps -> Soundcloud (App-Info) it shows me that it takes up 0.00B of disk space and the button Delete data at the bottom is disabled.
I already ran the "Junk Cleaner" of "Phone Cleaner" by "Super Cleaner Studio" to remove all apps caches but it looks like it didn't work (from the browser cleaner and from the available storage space).

How to clean app caches in Android 11 in a way that actually works (including for the Soundcloud app and for all apps at once)?
Why is it not a built-in feature of Android to clean all (or multi-selected) app caches at once and one needs to install apps like "Phone Cleaner" to do so?

Edit: I could clean the cache now. I could do so after turning off night mode / reading mode (it reduces blue light) and using the cache cleaning of Playstore when it displays that you lack disk space.
Edit 2: it works without turning off reading mode but only with the data management by PlayStore now, I think at that specific point in time after running off reading mode Phone Cleaner removed the caches too but not anymore. The problem is I don't know how to open the PlayStore data management, it only sometimes shows when the disk space is full in PlayStore.
I'll try if it still works with other ways to clean the cache such as Phone Cleaner and/or without turning off reading mode.

See trim-caches command of pm though it may remove other caches before and / or after removing the app caches. // 2. Because Android and good apps do this on their own and users usually don't need to.

How to do it without any console? Apparently Android doesn't do this on its own, neither do many large apps (and this shouldn't be necessary anyway).

Please make a screen shot of the screen you describe in your first sentence and include it in your post.

Go to Recovery, then wipe cache.

Don't have that and I would have found that option before posting if I had.

App cache and dalvik cache are two different things.


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fastboot devices fails adb devices doesn't
Devices is a Fairphone 4.
I am following this guide. I managed to do the "OEM unlock" and then rebooted into the bootloader using adb reboot bootloader. At this point however, no fastboot commands work. fastboot devices gives no output. Other commands hang with the message < waiting for any device >
The android device is plugged in to a NixOS device using these settings.


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How to disable MTP mode in an Android phone with a broken screen (USB debugging enabled)
The screen of my phone broke some months ago, but luckily I had already enabled USB debugging and I trusted my PC, so I could use the phone with a USB with Vysor (a free open-source app) and I've been using it like that for months.
I was casually using the phone and I just changed it to MTP mode (I clicked the just once button so I could use the phone again, it's not the first time I do it and it went back to normal before) but now every single time I plug it in, it goes straight to MTP instead of charge only as it should be.
I tried resetting the phone by taking the battery off and putting it in again, no success.
Things that may be useful to know:

The volume button doesn't work at all
It's an LG K10 M250 without root, Android 7
I tried 3 different USBs and it's the same story
It's hopeless to touch the screen, saying it again just in case
ADB Drivers are installed, Dr.Fone and EaseUS recovery apps tell me that debug is disabled even though I know that it's enabled.
I won't fix the screen of this phone, the fix's worth another phone, which would be silly.

I googled a bunch and the results only show people with debugging disabled and/or MTP disabled, I have the exact opposite case, and I do need the phone to use banking apps and things like that, I would appreciate it if people want to suggest stuff I could do, my brain thinks that there should be a trick since the phone is connected after all.
I found the drivers on the device manager, it straight up says that it isn't connected. I disabled MTP Automount on Linux udev configuration and now a pop-up says "Unable to open MTP device "001,009""

Default USB mode can be set on a lot of devices in devoper menu.

@Robert "broken screen" and, according to the description, device not detected by ADB – so how to reach the developer menu?

@Izzy as mentioned in the question Vysor allows UI access. MTP and adb access can be active at the same time so this should still be possible.

well, that's the problem, i cant access to my phone UI with vysor to disable mtp, and adb access seems to not work with MTP on, i'll try my luck installing a custom adb driver with a modified .inf that allows both to be active at the same time

update, i'm trying to use vysor on linux but it doesn't find the device and it still straight up goes to MTP, tho i may be able to do stuff in linux that i cant on windows, but idk what those things are

@Robert the question also said that ADB cannot find the device ;) // ReddaZ: Check if lsusb sees the device (i.e. the USB connection is working). If that's the case, next check wether adb can see it with root powers (sudo adb devices). Further hints are in my answer on How do I get my device detected by ADB on Linux?

If adb does not work when MTP is active then the drivers are incorrectly installed. The phone should show up as three devices, one adb composite device, MTP device and ADB interface device. Change device manager to devices by connection view and check that. If it is not the case delete the existing entry and reconnect the phone.

@Izzy i did that whole guide, even the adb_usb.ini and still when i do sudo adb devices it says "List of devices attached" and nothing below, moreover, if i do sudo adb usb it says "error: no devices/emulators found", lsusb still shows my phone but it's the same as the attached screenshot

I tested ADB permissions on a secondary phone i have, which is a samsung grand prime, i was able to find it with ADB and use vysor in it, i also tested scrpy. My dad does have at home another phone of the same exact model as mine (m250ar), is it possible to do any shenanigans with it? and also, if i got a very lame usb that doesn't support MTP would it do the trick?

Then I'm out of ideas – apart from the usual "try a different cable, a different USB port, a different computer" (a different phone you already tried, so it's not the computer per-se).

yeah the LG k10 is a very silly phone tbh, i do remember the phone not being able to use mtp at all in windows 7, but it was able to use thetering, and i do have another pc with that, but it's unplugged and stuff, i'll try that someday

each mode has it's own device id, so adb was enabled for charge mode but not for mtp mode (otherwise adb would work on linux). charge mode is maybe active during start-up, poll adb devices and figure out

nothing ever shows up on adb devices and i followed a couple of guides to make it appear (using vendor id and that stuff), i do have another device and debug works well and apps that use it do aswell, so i really dont know the problem, the device shows up in find my phone with google, maybe i can remotely install an app with google play but whether or not will i be able to use it is another story too, so i kinda gave up


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How to set up L2TP connection on Android?
I and some of my friends are trying to connect to an L2TP connection. We set it directly through VPN options in Android's settings, but the problem is that sometimes 1 username and password gets set up in 1 phone but does not set up in another phone.
Thus I'm looking for an alternative way (e.g. 3rd-party VPN apps?) to set the L2TP connection up there.

App recommendations should better be asked on https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com

It is not clear what the issue is.
Are the L2TP settings stored in Google Cloud not syncing between devices?
Is one of the phones Android 12? Android 12 and later no longer let you add a L2TP VPN connection manually from the device settings. Android 12 will still keep your old L2TP settings working if your device upgrades from an earlier Android version.
There were some 3rd party L2TP frontend clients available for Android, but they still used the Android L2TP backend, so wouldn't have helped.

Perhaps related on Reddit: VPN Client for Android (Windows L2TP VPN)


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Transfer WhatsApp messages from iOS to Android
I want to move my WhatsApp messages from my iPhone 5c to my OnePlus Nord N200 5G running Android 12. I've been running WhatsApp in an iPhone 5c with iOS, which is the last iOS version for this iPhone. Recently WhatsApp forced users to upgrade to the latest iOS app, but the latest version is only supported for iOS 12+. I am now locked out of WhatsApp.
Before I was locked out, I followed the official steps here multiple times to perform this migration, but the messages are never transferred to Android. Under "How to migrate from iPhone to Android 12 and above", after substep 5, I am never prompted to scan a QR code and open WhatsApp iOS; I get no Whatsapp-related notification on Android. I don't get an error message. I tried the transfer both during the initial setup phase after the factory reset and after you get a notification asking you to finish setting up your phone.
There's an app called MobileTrans that claims to transfer WhatsApp messages between the two platforms, but it's not free, and I've heard your data is transferred to a third party.

What was the last step from the linked migration guide you were able to perform successfully?

I updated the question. Under "How to migrate from iPhone to Android 12 and above," substep 5.

Possible dupe: How to move WhatsApp chat history from iPhone to Android?

Does this answer your question? How to move WhatsApp chat history from iPhone to Android?

I'm mentioned in my question I don't want to use MobileTrans, etc., because I'm concerned whether they transfer your data to a third party. I've tried all those answers except this one, which I have doubts will work because its 9 years old and iOS is locked down. But I've moved on from this issue.


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Clone Android phone to VM (Virtual Machine)
I was thinking about copying my phone to a VM for exploring and learning.
Without rooting my device, can I somehow clone it?
By cloning I mean dd / copying disk files and not downloading the same apps or recreating a similar environment.
Once I have the raw.img file of the phone, can I boot it as a qemu guest VM?
I wonder if there are any hardware issues that would prevent me from booting this new android VM, i.e. in case the android phone is Samsung then perhaps the whole Knox feature will prevent booting?

Cloning a device without root will not work. Even with root certain elements like private keys in the AndroidKeystore can not be copied.

Once root access is achived , besides issues like AndroidKeystore, will tge guest vm be a close enough copy of the real phone in term of processes, files and the such?

Kind of curious about the compatibility with the ARM (almost all Android devices) -> x86 (most PC devices) processor.

@chegov Of course not. My comment was only about cloning user data. Because of other hardware drivers and service processes the emulator is totally different. Changing that would require a lot of changes to the emulator and the used emulator image (on source code level). Getting the emulator to pass the Google SafetyNet test will be challenging. And you are correct that Knox is a problem on it's own.


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System internal storage expected sizes on android smartphones
The storage numbers that appears in Android devices are hard to understand.
I have look at Android devices with internal storage of 64GB and with System occupying 24GB and Android devices with internal storage of 32GB whose System takes only 9GB.
What is the reason for this variability? When you install new App's it takes Application space and System space?
Is there some specification on how much System could take on an Android device by OS? LIke Android 11 (from 5GB - 10GB), Android 12 (10GB to 15GB)  etc...?
Or the Android OS familiy has nothing to do with System space and all it depends on the manufacturer, like Samsung could decide to take 40GB of space under System if he wish?
Regarding the space taken by System, how we expect the space would remain constant or we must expect it would increase linearly over time? At which rate?
Sorry if the questions have no sense. Feel free to

See my answer to How disk space is used on Android device?

System space is fixed, you have one main partition and may be several smaller partitions that usually don't change during the phone's life-time. This is the system space you can only read but not write apps or data to. Some vendors pack a lot of bloatware and third party apps into their system image. Additionally on certain devices the system partition exist twice for seamless update installation in background (A/B partition scheme).


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Can a user recover photos deleted from DCIM/Camera in Android files via USB-linked file move to Windows 10?
Yesterday, I connected my phone to my Windows 10 PC, and transferred all of my camera photos to a new Windows folder via Windows Explorer using the 'Move' function. I have since learned this was a bad move.
All of the files appeared to have moved to the new folder, and I was able to open them on my PC with no problem.
That is, until I unplugged my phone from the PC.
Each of the .jpg files are registering as being comically large ie.

Size: 8.7 GB
Size on Disk: 8.00 KB

Additionally, they all have the shortcut icons:

I have tried some of those scammy-looking recovery tools that scan for images, but they only pull things that are stored in app caches such as telegram, Facebook, text messages, etc. but not any of the approximately 1,200 photos transferred.  Some of those software packages appear to have additional functionality that could be used if my phone were rooted.
I have already checked cloud recovery and backup options such as android recovery tools in settings, google photos, clouds, trash bins in photos and file manager etc.
Windows appears to have, at the least, wiped the reference of the data from the phone completely when it moved, and the files stored on the PC now open as corrupted files.
1) Would this type of transfer have destroyed the binary data, or only have removed the reference?
2) Would rooting my phone now be the only plausible way to now partially recover this data?
3) Additionally, is it likely that anything about the data moved to my PC is useable or recoverable on the PC rather than attacking this issue via the phone?

Rooting your phone is not an option as it will erase all data in a way that makes all data  unrecoverable. MTP is known to be slow and unstable, especially the move operation. The size of the JPEG image in your screen shot is shown as 8.70 GB which reminds me on this question.

Try that (outdated) free tool directly on MicroSD Card with Card Reader on PC, it will recover files from FAT file system ZAR Zero Assumption Recovery


text:
adb fails to authenticate but still connects
I'm connecting to a phone on OpenSTF via adb.  Running
$ adb connect <url>:<port_no>

produces the message
failed to authenticate to <url>:<port_no>

However, adb devices shows the device and I can interact as expected with the phone.  What does the authentication failure mean and should it concern me?

If you're connected to the phone via USB, you may need to run
$ adb tcpip 5555

See https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb#wireless

I can connect to it without problem.

Could please write your environment?

Do you mean my environment variables or my OS info?

I want to know how your phone is connected to your pc.
Failed to authenticate message means that the phone doesn't provide permisstions to wifi debug - wifi adb

I'm on a VPN connecting to the phone via an OpenSTF web GUI.

I understand how the phone is connected to the network, but I also need to understand how the phone is connected to the host.
Can you show the output of adb devices command on the host?

some.url.lan:20973  device

So you don't have access to the pc to which the phone is connected?
So could you please describe your connection scheme like:
phone with adb wifi (or adb usb with tcpip open port) <--> host pc with OpenSTF <--->  VPN network <---> Client with web gui

That I don't know.  I don't have physical access to the phone.

So I suppose that this is the reason: I mean that initially adb debug access of the phone to pc wasn’t granted.
 While connecting the phone you should grant an access to pc.

After running adb tcpip 20973 and reconnecting, I get the same message.

This command should be executed on the pc where the phone is connected. It is needed to open the debugging port

Ah, I see.  I'll ask the person in charge of the phone to give it a try.

Looks like sometimes the adb tooling changes.
I doubt you have had an old adb running in background that was still connected but try adb kill-server.
A new connect failed but an old connection is still open.
As for me, the pubkey has to be renewed on STF sometimes so remove it from OpenSTF and add your adb pub key (~/.android/adbkey.pub) again (even or especially when it tells you the key already is registered!).

No, good.  Same message.


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Is there any way we can unlock an android phone or retrieve the lost pattern?
I forgot my screen lock pattern. As I restarted the phone the face lock is not being accepted.
Is there any way I can unlock it or retrieve the pattern without losing my data.
it is the new version of android so there is nothing like forgot password
Thanks

If you can't unlock your phone, you'll need to erase it. https://support.google.com/android/answer/7663172

what phone model? bootloader was unlocked previously?


text:
How do you set gboard as the default spell checker in Android v12
I have a Samsung S22 running Android v12 on it. I can't seem to set the default spell checker as GBoard. There does not seem to be an option to change this from Samsung Keyboard to GBoard. The moment I click on Samsung Keyboard, it seems to take me to the settings page for the Samsung Keyboard.

Based on this article from Android Police, it seems you may be able to set Gboard as the default during the installation of the app.
If you've already installed it though, Samsung specifies these steps to change your default keyboard (and therefore spell checking service):
Open the Settings app and select General Management.
From there, select Keyboard list and default, then tap Default keyboard.
There, you should see Gboard listed and be able to select it.


text:
Access Samsung S9 without providing Sim card pin code, no code otherwise to unlock it
My girlfriends mother recently passed away. She wants to gain access to her mother's phone but unluckily it was out of power when she got it. The phone does not normally need any kind of code to unlock it but since it was powered down we need to provide the Sim code which we have not found yet.
I am wondering what will happen if we simply remove the SIM-card? I am uneasy to try if that would lock it further or that we need to provide the puk code instead. She just wants to be able to access it.
Thankful for any answers that might help.

You can simply remove the SIM card then you don't need the PIN anymore. Removing it has no effect on the phone except from the telephony and cellular internet access.

Sadly upon removing the Sim card it asked for a code :( Any ideas what to do next? I will call the cell provider tomorrow and Samsung to see what their policies on this are, any tips in the mean time? Also, if the cell provider gives us the pin code for the Sim, will it still ask for still extra code?

Most likely that is the lock screen PIN which is always asked. If aSIM card is inserted it just asks for the SIM pin first.

They already said it's the SIM card pin, not the lock screen PIN.


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What does "Amplify transfer service is running" notification means?
I got a notification for an app saying "Amplify transfer service is running." What does this mean?

Hi, while the question has enough context to be answered, could you mention the device model, and Android version, add a screenshot, and possibly mention the app name to improve the question?

The app is using the AWS Amplify Android library and this notification appears when the app is transferring data from/to its backend AWS services.
Cross-referencing from Stack Overflow, Every upload & download getting notification "Amplify transfer service is running" which referenced to a GitHub issue, #1803 - A notification appears on user devices,

While the transfer is running, we intend to display the foreground service notification to ensure that the transfer continues if the app is backgrounded/killed. Ideally, this foreground notification should only show while transfer(s) are in progress.

According to the relevant pull request, this is due to the background execution limits imposed since API 26 (Android 8.0) that apps in the background cannot start background services.

While an app is in the foreground, it can create and run both foreground and background services freely. When an app goes into the background, it has a window of several minutes in which it is still allowed to create and use services. At the end of that window, the app is considered to be idle. At this time, the system stops the app's background services, just as if the app had called the services' Service.stopSelf() methods.

In normal cases, the notification should disappear after the transfer is completed. However, the library's maintainer also observed a possible bug:

However, I have observed that even after a transfer completes, the notification continues to display, even if the app itself is killed. This appears to be a bug that our TransferService is not being stopped upon all transfers completing.

In this case, the app's developers need to fix it.


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Gmail Android showing no email in primary folder
Since a few days ago, my Android Gmail shows no messages in the primary folder as you can see on the screenshot below.

All the other tabs (social, updates) are running fine.
I have another Google account configured on this phone and all tabs are showing fine also. I confirm (just in case) that I actually have a lot of emails in this tab and I can access them correctly when using the desktop web app.
Also, I still have a notification when a new email arrives, I can click on the notification and see the email, but as soon as I close it, I can't access it anymore since the app always show that I have no emails in the primary tab.
Of course, I have tried to reboot my phone with no success.
How can I fix it?

Try removing the Gmail update (uninstall). Then add the accounts.

I can't uninstall Gmail app from my phone. it's installed by default and can't be remove.

You can remove the updates that have been installed still you bought the phone. Remove the updates, then check if the problem persists.


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Need to move data from a specific app from LG Q7+ to Samsung
I have data on my LG Q7+ phone that I need to move to a Samsung Galaxy S22+. The app on the phone is called Note (notes.notebook.memo.pad.color.notepad.locker).
I can transfer the app, but the data does not go with it. I have tried Smart Switch, MyPhoneExplorer, and a couple of other backups. Google backup will not back it up because Google says it is a questionable app. The app is also no longer on the Play Store. Neither phone is rooted.
How to move the data?
Please help,
Thank you

What is the package name of the app (see this question how to get it) ? If the app disallows backup and has no export function and no own cloud sync then you can not access the data on an unrooted device.

Thank you for answering. The package name is: notes.notebook.memo.pad.color.notepad.locker
The app allowed backup to google but google has disallowed it because they say it is a security risk.


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Hide main ui/launcher/profile on specific password
I'd like to have an option to hide my usual apps list, photos, etc on specific pass unlock.
So if I unlock with my usual pass - it is my usual device, if someone requires to unlock my device - I use another pass, it unlocks device but with hidden sensitive data.
We assume there is no option to connect adb on that check (just on the street).
Is it possible? Maybe some launcher or even firmware. I'm ok to root device if needed.

Kind of related: How to switch user profile based on password / lockscreen pattern.

Thank you! I saw that topic. It is related but not exactly what needed.