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Is there anyway to backup current ROM without unlocking bootloader/ installing clockworkmod recovery?
I'm trying to use ROM Manager app to backup the current ROM of my Xperia Z but it seems that cannot be done without unlocking the bootloader/ installing ClockWorkMod Recovery.
Is there any alternative for me to backup current ROM and flash another ROM without having to mess with bootloader or ClockWordMod Recovery?
Note that my device is already rooted using this method.
According to Sony's website, messing with the bootloader is likely to void warranty which defeats my purpose and so all my attempts to backup the stock ROM here.

Flashing another ROM would most likely also void your warranty (as long as it's no stock ROM provided by the manufacturer/provider).

But if I could backup my current ROM, I would be able to flash it back so it looks like it has not been modified, I believe. Some people mention there are DRMs that come with the stock ROM but I don't know if the service centres are going to check them all the times.

It's a chicken-and-egg problem: In order to backup your ROM, you need to root first. Having rooted, it's no longer the "untouched" ROM, but (from the manufacturers/providers view) "tainted". No third way, to my knowledge.

I found another way to do it. This one uses Terminal Emulator or adb shell.
Open a shell as root. You first determine what device blocks /system and /boot are, with ls -al /dev/block/platform/dw_mmc/by-name. Note that the dw_mmc may vary between devices. You'll need to find it yourself. Then dd if=/dev/block/systemblock of=/storage/sdcard0/system.img and dd if=/dev/block/bootblock of=/storage/sdcard0/boot.img will backup all your Android system.
If you want to restore using this solution: boot into recovery, mount your SD Card, then in a adb shell, do
su
dd if=/storage/sdcard0/system.img of=/dev/block/systemblock
dd if=/storage/sdcard0/boot.img of=/dev/block/bootblock

Readers: you may find this helpful: How to list all major partitions with their labels?

Copying /system and /boot anywhere else should do the trick. You could then create a flash package for reinstalling it, or use TWRP to directly move the files.
If you are lucky enough, you can find the stock ROM or OTA flash packages for your phone online.
Edit: If you want to create your own flash package, this forum thread on XDA will introduce to the edify scripting language, while this wiki page helps to package your zip file. You can take update-binary from any flashable zip and put it into yours, while updater-script is where your edify code will live.

To improve your answer, edit your post to explain how to create your own flash package for the Xperia. You can link to other guides but make sure to include an excerpt. You'll have my upvote when you do.


text:
Error message in Words With Friends is preventing download? - "You already own this item."
I am trying to setup my replaced phone back up for Words With Friends as it was before, but
I am getting this error:

"You already own this item."

when trying to re-purchase the Ultimate Play Pack.
It may be related to the fact that Words With Friends was moved to my data originally. How do I get past this and/or re-purchase ultimate pack and other items?
I have a few apps that I want back on my phone. Will I have to re-purchase them or is there a way get re-installed with or without repurchasing?

Some apps have a restore purchases button, usually located in the settings. Have you tried looking at that?

You may have to contact the Words With Friends developers and request that they restore your purchases. They should restore automatically if you're logging into app with the same credentials however, some developers tend not to use this method so you have to buy the packs again. It's an easy way to make a few extra dollars.
The fact you're getting the message that you've already purchased the pack is a good sign. Get a hold of the developers and see if there is anything they can do.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How can I get Google Voice Actions to recognize monetary amounts?
I'm using a Nexus 4 running Android 4.3. I would like to be able to have Google Voice Actions recognize monetary amounts properly when adding a reminder, for example. Currently the best output I have been able to get is "$123 45 cents", rather than "$123.45". I have tried phrases such as "one hundred twenty-three dollars and 45 cents", "one hundred twenty-three point four five", "one hundred twenty-three period four five" (which became "123. 45"), and more. Is there some speech format I need to be observing to make this work, and if not, is there a way that I can train or otherwise force Google Voice Actions into recognizing these monetary amounts?

Note: I tried to use the tag 4.3-jelly-bean but I wasn't allowed so I used 4.2 instead.

Changed the tag to 4.3 :)

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


text:
Is it possible to isolate audio input/output devices?
Is it possible to make the 3.5mm audio jack port of an Android device into a purely audio INPUT device (something like a mic)? I would like to see if I can receive audio input via the jack and push out the said input to a bluetooth headset.
If this is not possible, why?
If it is, how would I go about implementing it?

This seems like a development question, which are off topic here. This SE website focuses on the Android operating system as a whole, not developing for it. Your question might get more attention, and better answers at Stack Overflow

@John - I'm not looking for code. Simply wondering if this is possible.

the how would I go about implementing it? sounds a bit like a development question. That said this question has already been asked: How do I use an external microphone with my Galaxy Nexus?

@John - I don't want an actual mic. If I connect it to the audio jack of my laptop, I want the laptop's output.

Oh alright, so you want to use your device as a mic over bluetooth?

This question seems perfectly on-topic to me.

@AlEverett This question is really confusing to me, it might be the wording but I thought he was trying to attach a mic to his Android device using the audio output jack, and then use the output of the mic over bluetooth to his computer. But now in a comment, he said he wants to connect his device to his laptop using the audio output? I am very confused by this question.

@John - Please give the question another read. I said "audio INPUT device" "something like a mic" not a mic but something like it.


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How to delete Skype history?
How to delete Skype history?
I saw two methods declared: (1) delete Skype application data and/or (2) reinstall Skype.
But both methods are compromised by an idea and saying, that Skype history is (maybe partially) stored on Skype server.
If so, then History will resurrect after both actions.
So, my question is: how to really delete history?
Also I need some explanations about the cases where history was resurrecting. For example, this can be because parallel client was holding history...

Go to Settings - Apps, find Skype in list of installed apps and click on clear data button and clear cache.

Also I need some explanations about the cases where history was resurrecting. For example, this can be because parallel client was holding history...

Skype archives your chats for you and stores them locally on your computer (or device), if you have enabled this option. Chat histories are not stored anywhere on the Skype network. source

This is not true. Try to login to Skype under one name from different computers simultaneously. You will get your history on both.

That's right. Because skype stores history locally on computer, if you receive for example skype message, any computer that is on will store the data locally. And if you was offline, then you will receive messages from users you had communicated on other computers if these users are online.

No-no, you will also see some messages, which came BEFORE computer was online. Ones, another computer received.

If you have an Android phone, you can follow the below steps for deleting Skype history,
Settings >> Applications >> Manage Applications >> Downloaded Apps/All >> Skype >> Clear Data
For your PC,
Open Skype >> Tools >> Options >> Privacy >> Clear History
Hope this helps!

The questioner doubts whether that really clears the history, because "Skype history is (maybe partially) stored on Skype server". Can you offer some justification for why that idea might be wrong?

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


text:
Android early boot console over usb
I'm trying to port newer kernel versions onto my Nexus S device.
Most newer kernels panic very early on in the boot process. I would like to debug this.
However, since the phone has been provided to me by my school, I cannot get a hold of a serial port (if it does exist..not sure)
Is there any way I can obtain the messages via usb onto my PC?

This sounds like a rather development-related issue. As we here are dealing with the end-user, Stack Overflow might be a better place to ask this (also better chances for developer-related answers ;)

@Izzy It could be from a user perspective too. What if he just wanted a way to see the logs as soon as he turned on the PC? Could it be done via adb?

Porting a kernel is close enough to development for it to be on topic at Stack Overflow, there are people at SO who would be able to give you a lot better answers than we could, we are just trying to make sure you get the best answer for your question.

This site describes how to get access to the serial console on the Nexus S, which is really the only way of debugging boot problems. It's not for the faint-hearted, though: you need a UART-to-USB module, with resistors connected across certain pins, all connected to your phone. If you screw it up you will blow up the phone.
The same information's also mirrored here, in case the first site should disappear.
BTW, if you'd tried asking this on Stack Overflow instead of here, you'd have found this duplicate question which has the same link I just found :-)


text:
Home screen filled with app icons
My ASUS Transformer tablets home screen is becoming filled with app icons, many being duplicates. Q: how do I get rid of the spare ones? How do I stop them getting there in the first place?

Hold on an icon and drag it over another icon should give you your the ability to create a folder. You can then drag other icons into this folder.
You could create various folders - one for games, one for apps, one for social, tools, etc.
If you've got duplicates, you should be able to hold the icon and drag it to an area of the screen that allows you to remove that particular icon. I'm not 100% sure where it is on a Transformer, but generally it's at the top of the screen.

Check Play Store > Settings > Auto-add widgets is checked, and uncheck it.


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how to install command line programs
How to i install binaries on my non-rooted tablet i have the terminal application called Terminal IDE and i followed the instructions, i put my compiled binary in the folder local/bin/. I comiled a C program using the appliaction called C4droid and then I exported the binary to the /local/bin/ folder but when i tried to run the program it said permission denied.
what am i doing wrong? How do install binaries?
This is the program that I am trying to install http://sourceforge.net/projects/base64/

So what 'Access Denied' in this case is you do not have the correct permissions to execute the file. This can be solved 2 different ways:

use the sudo command (super user can run any file)

sudo myprogram -options param1 param2 param...

use chmod o+x filename to let anyone execute the file

so basically you need a rooted device to be able to run that file, unless you change the permissions of the file before you transfer it to the device. You can use the chmod command to add the execute permission to the file before you hand it off to the device. This way anyone can execute the file. Be warned, adding the execute permission for everyone is a security hole if the program can be used to change the file system in any way. Rooting your tablet in this case might actually be safer.

There is no sudo command

you need to root your tablet to get permission to use the sudo command.

But when i changed the permission of the file it ran just fine, the program is for encoding/decoding binary files in base64 so that i can easily send them using email.

ok great, I'm glad you got it running!

@John There is no sudo command on Android (common mistake for us Linuxers), one simply calls su here. However, chmod is the correct way here, nothing to do with su. What you most likely wanted instead, was sh myprog param param – the trick used to execute shell scripts even if they're located on an SDCard mounted with noexec ;)


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Uninstalled original alarm by accident on samsung galaxy ace ii x (gt-s7560m)
I rooted my phone and uninstalled the alarm app thinking i could find a better one, which i couldn't. I was wondering if any one knows how to go back and reinstall it? Thanks

The usual answer: Restore the backup you've made before starting to manipulate your system. As everybody else, I'm sure you've made one (← Lessons to learn ;) Luckily, RainyTaxi found a "backup" on XDA you might install.

Since you've already rooted your phone, this should help.
Here!

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, in case the link dies, your answer becomes useless.


text:
Merging duplicate contact entries from multiple sources
I have multiple copies of the same contacts on my phone, from the Google account associated, and phone contacts etc.
Eg., for a single contact I might have:

2 copies on the phone
1 copy on my Google account (synced)
another copy in some other location

This happened on my HTC Wildfire a year ago and now I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S2.
Is there a way I can merge all related contacts and delete the other extra copies? It'd be helpful if I could do this from my PC.

Just for clarification: Are all copies sync'd to your GMail account? Or are some just stored differently (e.g. on SIM or phone storage)?

Remember: when creating a contact, you can decide where to store it. Usually, there are at least 3 choices: Google, SIM, phone.
If I read your question correctly, it looks like you have a copy in each of these places. In this case, Tirath's suggestion doesn't work, as GMail will only see what's sync'd there (and phone + SIM don't get sync'd). You then might want to take a look at apps like Contact Remover (to ease deletion of the duplicates), or Contact Remover Plus which also offers to merge or move them.

Merge + can link contacts from different accounts together.

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

Sorry @Community Bot. I had exactly the problem described above, I tried 6 applications and one of them was Merge +, was the only one able to link accounts together, the other 5 apps removed duplicate informations, but did not link them together.
I tried

Cleaner - Doppelte Kontakte zusammenfügen
Kontakte zusammenführen
Doppelte Kontaktverschmelzung
Duplicate Contacts Finder - Contact Optimizer Pro
Contacts Optimizer
Contacts Sync Fix
Doppelte Kontakte Remover


text:
How to install recovery and rom on blank Samsung i9000
I wanted to install CM on my Samsung Galaxy S, and while trying to enable ClockworkMod recovery, I somehow managed to partition it. Now the only thing that appears is the screen with the model number, and I can enter download mode (but not in recovery mode). I tried to install recovery with Odin (I found a tar file) but that failed. Is there any chance that I can get my phone working again?

You mean to say you CAN'T enter download mode, right?

No, that is the only thing I can do with my phone (edited the question)

if u can enter the download mode then your phone can be saved. Sites like XDA forum have a lot of tutorials on flashing a rom. here is one example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1922461

If anyone dealing with the same issue, I've found a solution on this link. It is for Froyo, but you can look on XDA-Developers for Gingerbread too, it is the same procedure.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S4 S Planner events have different timezones
Device: Samsung Galaxy S4
In the S Planner, the events have two time zones in their Detail view; e.g. GMT+3 and UTC.
I would only like to see only my local time zone. Is there a setting for that? Couldn't find anything on the web. The time zones are set to manual both in the phone and in the app.

The Lock time zone setting in the S Planner says:

Lock event times and dates to your selected time zone below. Times and
  dates will not change even if you move to another time zone.

This means that the event retains the same timezone it was originally created with. However, the display will be adjusted according to the locked timezone.
e.g. If you were originally in GMT+3, and you created an event using GMT+3 at 10:00, and then locked the timezone at GMT+4, then you will see that the time has changed to GMT+4 11:00 to reflect the selected timezone. Internally, this is still GMT+3 10:00.
New events that you create will be based on the locked timezone.


text:
Getting the activities of the user
Is it possible to get a list of user activities? I want to know when the phone was opened, when it was locked, etc. Just the basic things.

I can't think of any way to get this currently, short of making your own app that checks everything.


text:
Change Screen Dim TimeOut
When the phone is idle, the screen turns off after the configured time. For ex: if time is set to 30 sec, first the screen will dim after approximately 25 seconds and then after 5 seconds it will turn off the screen completely.
How can I increase that "5" seconds time to 30 seconds or any other value?

There's no built-in way to do this, because the dim is there to warn you that the screen is about to turn off.

Different phone has different pattern of turn off screen. So, can you please tell me the name of your phone you are currently using?

Mine is a Samsung S3. I am sure there must be a timer where this count happens.

If you are using a custom ROM (like CyanogenMod) or stock Android go to Settings>Display>Automatic backlight. Click on enable and select the window length option to change the time according to your needs.

Unfortunately this option is not available on my ROM.

you can use apps like screebl from the playstore to manipulate the screen dimness but i am not sure about the time option in that...

If you have source code of frameworks, you could modify dim duration in PowerManagerService:
private static final int SCREEN_DIM_DURATION = 7 * 1000;
private static final float MAXIMUM_SCREEN_DIM_RATIO = 0.2f;

private int getScreenDimDurationLocked(int screenOffTimeout) {
    return Math.min(SCREEN_DIM_DURATION,
            (int)(screenOffTimeout * MAXIMUM_SCREEN_DIM_RATIO));
}

The return value of getScreenDimDurationLocked() is what you want, you could modify it.
Below link is a post to solve this problem, I wrote in Chinese:
CSDN Blog: Modify Android dim duration in frameworks
I hope that would be useful for you.

Appreciate your efforts to provide a solution , but this is a end user site and programmatic questions and answers are not encouraged

Please see: Should we delete answers that are purely programming solutions? I agree with beeshyams here (though I didn't downvote nor take any action on this). Android.SE is a site for end-users, so purely programming solutions do not really fit and thus should be absolute exceptions.


text:
i have already root my nexus4,but why it shows “shell@mako:/ $ ”when i enter command“adb shell”
Should not shell@mako:/ $ be shell@mako:/ #?
Or I haven't root successfully yet?
How to check whether my nexus4 have root successfully?
Thanks!

Rooted or not: Logging in via adb shell first brings you to a user-prompt only (connected with the "shell" account). In order to work with root, you need to "escalate" your permissions by invoking su:
> adb shell
shell@mako:/ $ su
#

Apart from that, there are a few root checker apps available as well...

Alternatively, re-starting adb as root via adb root will  start the shell in escalated mode.  This will only work with custom ROMs though, not rooted stock.

No. This only works with ROMs signed for development (check the error message on stock ;). Or with adbd Insecure.

but why it shows root@android:/ #  in another phone (Philips) when i enter command adb shell?  What's the difference?

The other phone might be running a developer's ROM with the daemon (adbd) running in root mode by default. See my previous comment.


text:
Certain apps fail to update from Play, while others work
I have been having this issue between ROMs, as well as between connections. I am currently running ParanoidAndroid 3.94 (Android 4.3) with franco.kernel 3.0.89. Other apps consistently update fine. The error I get is

Update for "application-name" could not be downloaded due to an error. (403)

I have eliminated the following factors:

Network issues (issue persists with two separate Wi-Fi points, as well as mobile data)
Google Play cache issues (I have cleared cache and restarted the Play app)

If I "sacrifice" one of the apps that do not work and uninstall "TuneIn Radio Pro" from Play store — I am then also locked out of actually getting the app back on my phone. The button in the Play store says "Install" (note: not "Purchase", so my existing ownership is recognized), I click it and "Accept", and the app even starts downloading! However, after the installation starts, I get the following error message:

Error: Package file is invalid

Now, I am able to get all of these apps just fine on another device I have (Nexus 7), so I appreciate the fact that there is something up with my phone that causes this. However, I am not certain that it has to be something with the phone as it can also be something on Google's end not handling my dual accounts very well and therefore throwing the 403 (Forbidden) error when I try to download an app I actually own.

This was solved by going into /data/data/ and finding the appropriate folder belonging to the failing app. I found one with "swiftkey" in the name, deleted it, and following that the update worked just fine. Most likely, the app installation was failing in the background with INSTALL_FAILED_UID_CHANGED due to the app being restored with TitaniumBackup, as detailed in this answer.
So, in short, this seems to be an error caused by the UID changing between installs and Google Play throwing a fit, and it's solved by making sure app data is removed.

Delete the Application from your Device
You are installed the same application in your device, after that you are trying to install the same application from Android market

Please delete the pre-installed application from your device, then try to download from playstore, it will work 100%

Alternate scenario is: Please change the package name of the application, Your application will work fine.

Firstly, the app was not "pre-installed" (although I installed it with TB). Secondly, just removing (uninstalling) the app did not solve the issue, you need to use a file explorer to remove the corresponding folder in /data/data.


text:
How to use OTG cables for NEXUS4 without rooting
Is it possible to use OTG Cables for Nexus-4 without rooting the device? Can Nexus Media Importer work with OTG cables for Nexus4?

The Nexus 4 does not support USB-On-The-Go. From the Nexus Media Importer description on Google Play it states that:

Due to hardware limitations, the Nexus 4 is not supported.

The only way to get it to work is to root and install a custom ROM and/or kernel. You will also need a usb y cable as the Nexus 4 cannot provide the necessary 5 volts. Android Central has a page with more information

Will the same be supported with NEXUS 7.


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Asus Transformer Infinity Pad (TF700KL) how to cold boot (enter Recovery Mode)
I have a TF700KL bought from Vodafone. I am unable to go into Recovery mode. I've found some links telling me how to do this, such as the one on the XDA-Developers site:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30223822#post30223822
(look for the section titled "Factory Restore after a softbrick/Downgrade from Jelly Bean to ICS/Clean Factory Restore")
Here, as well as on many similar articles, it says to first "Enter recovery mode" by shutting down tablet, holding volume-down and power for 5 seconds, and when some message appears, press volume up.
Thing is, when I start my tablet up by holding volume-down and power I get the following:

if the usb cable is not connected to the computer, I get a message like "No USB Cable connected" under a logo of a usb cable connector and a big question mark sign:

if, at this point, I connect it to the computer via the USB cable, my Windows computer says it's installing some driver (which it succeeds in installing), and then the tablet goes on to display a "ready for download" message under a logo of an android guy wearing a yellow hard-hat (kindda looks like Kyle's brother from Southpark):

After this I can't do anything other than hold power button for a longtime to restart the tablet normally. I have no visible menu, option, etc. Also I've waiting here for like 10 minutes, nothing seems to actually get downloaded or get ready for anything.
In short, I never managed to get to the menus described in the tutorials I've found for this tablet. My hunch now is that I have the LTE version and most people have the non-LTE version and they behave differently on this.
So my question is:

does anyone know how to go into recovery mode on this tablet,

or

what's the deal with the menus I describe here (and show in the pictures)

or

how to go to recovery mode, do a cold boot, do a manual Android upgrade/downgrade from these menus I get?

Does the tablet work otherwise (what does turning it on normally do)? Can you push commands to the tablet through adb or fastboot? Did you try other button combinations? What are the devices that the drivers install? I believe that the download mode allows for flashing bootloaders.

No. Sometimes turning it on results in a full restart (as if it had been shut down prior to it, though it hasn't - very annoying) 2. Never tried, but it should work. Don't know how to cold boot it via adb tho... 3. Yes, starting it while holding volume up gives me a menu that allows for factory reset, SD card down mode. 4. It installs something like "ASUS Tablet Infinity bla bla" 5. Yes, I kindda think that too, but as I said, when displaying "Ready for download" there's nothing I can do to it other than restart it (atleast, nothing obvious).

Once you get to the USB logo,  press the volume up and down together once and it should bring you into recovery.

Doesn't work for me


text:
When I transfer files from computer using USB (MTP), I can't access them on device
Trying to set up my shiney new Nexus 7 (2013 edition) I used MTP to transfer files (music and ebooks) to the device from my Win7 PC. It seemed to work, but then when I ejected/disconnected the tablet, it registers that there is space being used in the folders, but doesn't show any of the files (when looking at Storage it says there's 600MB worth of stuff in the folder, but when I tab on it there's no files listed, and my music player and e-reader apps don't see anything either).
What gives?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Have you looked with a file manager? Which directories have you transferred the files to?

I have only looked using the 'storage' menu and Windows...I put the files in the 'Music' and 'Downloads' folders that are in there by default.

So maybe you can try with a file manager and let us know? Some file managers also contain a search feature, so you could have them look specifically for one of the files transferred.

I installed OI File Manager, and it could see everything. When I copy-pasted things around using that, they showed up in Kindle and Kingston. Weird, but I guess that solves this?

It's up to you to say whether the issue is solved :) Feel free to answer your own question, and later accept the answer to show it's a solution. Please include the steps taken so we are able to follow/reproduce what was going on :) Thanks!

At Izzy's suggestion, I installed a file manager (OI), and was able to see the files that my Android itself didn't recognize. I used OI to cut-paste them to a new dummy directory and then back to where they belonged, Android recognized them and I can use with the relevant apps (Kindle, Kingsoft Office).

For those of us who are frustrated in trying to alter the file system to MTP and cannot find how to change it. Do not despair.
If you've opened Samsung Kies and connected phone with a USB cable and got the error message, go to your phone and swipe top to bottom on the NOTIFICATIONS list you will see the USB symbol on the left hand side and the line stating - Connected as Camera. If it says - Connected Media Device - then your connected properly. To Change from Connected as Camera, tap/select the line - Connected as Camera and you will be shown another screen with the Camera option selected - Just select Media Device MTP and you will be able to connect to Samsung Kies, and all will be calm and peaceful, no more screaming at the PC or mobile phone.

Welcome to the site. In this case, the questioner already said he was connected with MTP, so your instructions for switching from PTP to MTP aren't relevant.


text:
Ways to remove android device encryption
Since I still encounter issues with modified boot images and recovery images I want to remove the device encryption from my Nexus 4 (running 4.3).
I known that there is no "official" way to to this but since this is an encryption it can be reverted. So please don't tell me that it is impossible (I already know that android don't want you to do this).
So I came up with two ideas but I could not find anyone who already did this and want to be sure before wiping my data partition. My device is not rooted but the bootloader is unlocked.

Making a backup with adb backup, format the data partition and restore the backup. But I could imagine that adb is unable to restore backups on non-encrypted devices if they were made on an encrypted on. (Can tell me for sure?)
Starting a modified boot image with fastboot that just decrypts the data partition (should be perfectly possbile but I havn't seen such a tool)
Any other idea?

Factory reset is the only way to remove the encryption from the device, you will lose all your data.

@RyanConrad It is not for sure. If android can decrypt /data than any other code that is running on the cpu can too. It is only a questions of whether of not someone already coded something like that. You can always revert an encryption. Only because android has no option for it does not mean you can't.

Decrypting data is not the same as removing the encryption. Your statement about "if android can decrypt /data, any other code running on the cpu can too" is not true. Android system level applications can have more permissions than non-system applications, they can also access things that non-system apps cannot. If you are asking, "Can this be done", Yes, in theory it is possible, but just about everything "is possible". That doesn't mean anyone has done it. How to do it would be outside the scope of this site. The only real way to do it is to do a factory reset.

I did manage to turn my device back to an unencrypted state. If you do a device backup via the adb backup command you get a nice .ab file. There exists at least DroidExplorer that can convert these backups into .tar files:
How do you extract an App's data from a full backup made through "adb backup"?
I'm not realy sure why there are some apps that did not get backed up but I think this migth have to do with the market license stuff. Only some bougth apps were not backed up. If you want to make sure that all your important apps got backet up use DroidExplorer to check it out.
Then you have to perform a factory reset in order to get it back in an unencrypted state. Now you can eigther use adb restore or Titanium Backup(which also allows to only restore some data) to restore the backup.
Even if this is an answer to my question i will not mark it as one for now since I'm still convinced that you could also load a custom software via fastboot to encrypt the data partition without a factory wipe.
I also found a tecnical description from google: http://source.android.com/devices/tech/encryption/android_crypto_implementation.html

I just removed my Android encryption.
I plugged my Android into my computer to back it up.
Then, I did a factory reset.
After that, I copied all of the files onto it WITHOUT DELETING ANY FILES ON THE PHONE, and I merged the folders + copied over files. If it doesn't let you copy a certain file, skip it.
I then unlocked my phone, it didn't change the lock or the main screen back, or keep my texts, but it did back up my apps with all of the app data. I put my main screen back how it was, and the encryption was removed.

How did you verify that the encryption was removed? I can't find any way to check

The data is encrypted when the device is not booted. So if you connect with the adb shell, then the device was on... Hence there was no encryption at that time.


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Locating stolen phone after factory reset
I assume any reasonable thief will wipe the phone as soon as possible, thus removing any tracking apps and user accounts.
I there a method to track the phone any way?
A possible method is to use a tracking app (and it's configuration) that's embedded in a custom ROM.

Is the phone already stolen or are you preparing just in case?

just preparing...

There are such solutions, if your device is rooted. In that case, some anti-theft apps such as Cerberus are able to integrate into the system part (ROM) of the device, so a factory-reset wouldn't help the thief.
However: As we are talking about the "clever thief", he will first grab the device, switch it off, take it into some Faraday cage before switching it on again, then boot into recovery/download mode, and flash a new ROM. Bummer. Protection gone.
So there is no 100% protection. Technically, it might be possible if it's integrated into the hardware itself – but I've never heard that such a thing was done for a consumer smartphone.


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Unable to use Network: "Not Registered On Network"
I am using Samsung Galaxy Chat B5330 (officially upgraded from 4.0.4 to 4.1.2). It used to work fine, but since a few days I am not able to call or send sms or use any network related services. It gives me error : "Not Registered On Network". I tried applying manual network settings. At first it gives a pop up : "Registered on Network". But as soon as I try to make a call, the same error : "Not Registered On Network".
I thought that factory reset would have been the solution to my problem, but unexpectedly , this too did not work for me. Please help.

I don't know your device, so forgive my stupid question: Does it work with a SIM card? If so, have you tried that SIM in a different phone – and a different SIM in yours? Maybe the SIM has trouble.

tried with the same sim card in different phone, it works fine there, and also tried inserting different sim card in my phone, still "Not Registered on Network".

Sounds like a case for support then (trouble with the SIM slot). Sometimes it's just the contacts: you could try making the SIM "thicker" by sticking something to its back, so it gets pressed harder to the contacts. If that also doesn't work: Service time.

some simcards work on my phone, i realise today that a roaming network sim card does not work on my phone, whereas that with home network works fine.

You need to check your SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) and if necessary get a new one from your service provider - If it is corrupted then you would not be allowed to sign on to the network. A factory Reset only wipes the device itself, not the SIM.

my sim card works fine on all other phones except mine, and other sim cards also don't work on my phone.

perhaps you have a flaky card slot - if the SIM is working in other phones and just not yours - I would check the card slot so you may need to service the device or try a new SIM card from the service provider..

some simcards work on my phone, i realise today that a roaming network sim card does not work on my phone, whereas that with home network works fine.

The problem is when you try to call anyone the error message says “NOT REGISTERED ON NETWORK“. I was fascinated this error in my samsung phone, so I was working on this issue and trying to solve this issue.
How To Fix NOT REGISTERED ON NETWORK In Samsung or Android Phones

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


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How do I make my Linux PC mount my Android 4.2.2 phone using MTP?
I have just purchased a new TCL (S950) Idol x phone and I'm figuring out some issue to make it visible on my system.
This phone uses Android 4.2.2 and I guess this is the cause of the issue: my previous phone with android 4.1 was correctly displayed in nautilus/dolphin ( using mtpfs )
Now I have tried to install mtp-tools but nothing has changed.
lsusb gives me that list (T & A Mobile Phones should be my phone )
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 1bbb:0168 T & A Mobile Phones
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 1bcf:2b80 Sunplus Innovation Technology Inc.
Bus 002 Device 003: ID 8086:0189 Intel Corp.

dmesg gives me this output:
[15780.855333] usb 3-2: new high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
[15780.874336] usb 3-2: New USB device found, idVendor=1bbb, idProduct=0168
[15780.874348] usb 3-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=2, Product=3, SerialNumber=4
[15780.874354] usb 3-2: Product: TCL S950
[15780.874359] usb 3-2: Manufacturer: TCT
[15780.874364] usb 3-2: SerialNumber: FESKMRSOYLW8RKSK

Any idea what could be wrong here ?
UPDATE:
I have added the following rules to udev (/etc/udev/rules.d/11-android.rules
) and now at least adb shell works fine:
## TLC
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1bbb", ATTRS{idProduct}==”0167″, MODE="0777", OWNER="fra"

( change OWNER user name with yours )

Your device seems to be recognized fine. I never played with MTP, but maybe you need to make the device known to the system in a similar way as for adb? Please first consult How do I mount a Kindle Fire 10.2.6 on my Linux computer? (though that's dealing with a Kindle, the MTP part should be the same ;)

actually mtpfs gives me this output: No raw devices found.

I have tried also https://github.com/hanwen/go-mtpfs but it is also complaning no MTP devices found

This may sound obvious, but have you enabled usb debugging on your phone?

As suggested by @Logos this works (take care of using sudo):
sudo mtpfs -o allow_other /media/MTPdevice

However mtpfs is very unstable on this phone so I tried go-mtpfs and I found out it works better.
You can install go-mtpfs using the info provided in their site
The command to mount the phone is very similar (change the bin path according to yours) :
sudo /usr/lib/go/bin/go-mtpfs /media/MTPdevice/

Automount
Once you are able to mount the device with the above command you can make the phone automount:
You only have to add a couple of rules to udev.
You will need those info:

ID_MODEL   (mine is TCL_S950 )
ID_MODEL_ID ( mine is 0167 )
Installation path of go-mtpfs ( mine is /usr/lib/go/bin/go-mtpfs )

You can find those info running this command in a terminaludevadm monitor --environment --udev and plug/unplug your phone.
Now you can create/edit an udev rules /etc/udev/rules.d/99-android.rules and add these lines (change ID_MODEL and ID_MODEL_ID with yours):
 # Mount
ENV{ID_MODEL}=="TCL_S950", ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="0167", ACTION=="add", RUN+="/usr/bin/sudo -b  /usr/lib/go/bin/go-mtpfs -allow-other=true /media/MTPdevice"
# Umount
ENV{ID_MODEL}=="TCL_S950", ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="0167", ACTION=="remove", RUN+="/bin/umount /media/MTPdevice"

At this point everything should work, check this thread for more details: source

Out of curiosity, what was the unstable behaviour?

Strange.  My machine (Linux Mint 15, MATE) auto mounts and unmounts without these additional rules.

I've written a tutorial on how to get MTP devices recognized under Ubuntu.  If you've already installed mtptools and added the udev rule, you still need to create a static mount point for your device and let mtp know that's where it lives.  Make sure you've restarted either your computer or the udev service since you added the udev rule (sudo service udev restart), and then

sudo mkdir /media/MTPdevice (call the directory whatever you like)
sudo chmod 775 /media/MTPdevice
sudo mtpfs -o allow_other /media/MTPdevice

Attach your phone (make sure it's unlocked, if you have a pin or swipe pattern).  You should then be able to see both the internal and external cards.  Note that you won't be able to open files directly from the cards, you'll need to copy them locally first.

this is working fine ... as I can see there are 2 issue : 1. the device is not int libmtfs list ( I have submitted  a bug ) 2. I neet to use sudo.
However I still can not see the device in natilus/dolphin and everything is quite not stable

I'm not sure I follow your comment - why is using sudo a problem?  You won't be able to do and admin work on a system without it.

mmm maybe you are right but with the other phone (sony experia j ) I just plug the phone and I can see it on nautilus/dolphin ( it is mtp too )

So you're not really looking for an answer then, you just want to complain about the fact that it doesn't work with one of your phones out of the box???

I just want to collect as much as possible precise info so other people with same issue can start from a good point ... I'm not "complaining" I wonder why it is not working in the expected way. I suspect that that is related to the fact that the device is not in the libmtpfs list ( on windows it works out of the box, so I really want this happening also on linux )

Assuming you're using a Ubuntu 12.04 or 12.10 based distro (v13 & up supports this natively) and that gvfs-mtp is already installed:

Add the backport repository for MTP support in GVFS:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:langdalepl/gvfs-mtp
sudo apt-get update

Upgrade the system, you should see many gvfs packages in the list:
sudo apt-get upgrade

Reboot.

Source: http://blog.sukria.net/2013/03/09/support-for-nexus-4-in-ubuntu-12-10/

Actually,the easiest way is to modify /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/69-libmtp.rules adding your product ID as it is likely that it already contains your vendor ID,so create a new line for your device with your VID and PID,restart udev and it works!


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Nexus 7 (2013) Won't Boot Normally or into Recovery After Attempted Root
So I thought it would be a great idea to try and root my brand new 2013 Nexus 7. After checking out a few tutorials online, I found one for mac, and downloaded the toolkit at:
http://www.androidrootz.com/2012/12/nexus-7-one-click-toolkit-for-mac.html
I opened up the bootloader by holding down Power + Volume Down and opened the included script on my computer, which unlocked the device. I then attempted to restart it into recovery mode. I pressed Power + Volume Down on startup and opened up the bootloader. I then scrolled to Recovery Mode using the volume keys and pressed Power to select it and boot into recovery.
This is where everything went downhill.
I could open up the bootloader, but when I attempted to boot into recovery to load SuperSU onto my device, it got stuck on the Google logo with an unlocked padlock icon at the bottom of the screen. So I tried to boot normally, and it got stuck on the same screen.
All the forum posts I have come across so far to fix a bootloop all require the ability to boot into recovery mode or normally. I cannot find a guide that tells me how to relock and return to factory settings if I cannot boot at all.
Basically I need to unbrick my 2013 Nexus 7.

"I then attempted to restart it into recovery mode." What exactly did you do? What buttons did you press, etc.? You won't see the Google logo while it's booting into recovery.

I pressed Power + Volume Down on startup and opened up the bootloader. I then scrolled to Recovery Mode using the volume keys and pressed Power to select it and boot into recovery.

Thanks for the update. I've taken the liberty of editing that information into your question. All the important information should be in the question itself: comments are for requesting clarification and other temporary purposes. I guess it doesn't matter so much now you've solved the problem, but bear it in mind for next time! Don't forget to come back and mark your question as answered, so other visitors can see you've solved it.

Thank god I figured out how to fix it.
The problem was that I was using software that was meant to root a first gen Nexus 7, and I had the second gen (2013) version. Whoops.
In order to fix it, I downloaded the Unroot/Stock Toolkit from
http://www.androidrootz.com/2013/08/nexus-7-one-click-toolkit-for-mac-2013.html
and then downloaded the factory images for the Nexus 7 2013 from Google's site,
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#razor
I then used the Unroot/Stock Toolkit to reload the bootloader and factory image. After this, my Nexus worked fine. I was still able to root, but this time I made sure to use the correct software to do so.


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Xperia U: Network state is shown as UNKNOWN, data connection not working
I'm using stock Sony Xperia U. Data connection was working well until yesterday. All of a sudden I can't access 2G/3G data, it shows network state "UNKNOWN" when checked with the code *#*#4636#*#*.
I've tried flashing custom firmware, stock etc, but in all it shows network state "UNKNOWN"

Just fix it, then it will work again. (Sorry, but your question does not give enough details for a more precise answer: Did it happen "out of the blue"? What did you do right before it broke? What did you already try to fix it? Which settings have you checked, and what are they set to? Are you sitting in an atomics bunker where the signal cannot reach into? Does another device have data connection when placed next to it? Do you have a SIM card inserted at all?).

I've tried everything, tried checking APN, flashing new firmware, etc and yeah, I've a working data plan when checked on other devices, btw @Izzy I'm not sitting in an atomic bunker :P


text:
Samsung Galaxy S4 play edition and exFat
Does the Play version of the Galaxy s4 include support for exFat in the sdcard reader? Or is exFat support one of the extras that Samsung adds to the device (presumably since they made the licencing agreement with MS)?
This question is specifically about the version available from Google's Play store that comes unlocked and without touchwiz.

I would assume YES.
From allaboutgalaxys4:

The device supports the FAT and the exFAT file systems for memory
  cards. When inserting a card formatted in a different file system, the
  device asks to reformat the memory card.

That link doesn't mention if the exfat feature is also available on the Play edition.


text:
How much damage could one do to an unrooted device?
I'm trying to determine if it's necessary to backup my non-rooted tablet. I plan on doing a lot of messing around but most back up utilities require root and the root exploit hasn't been found for my device yet. Is it worth it to do a quazi "full backup of non-rooted device"?
So let me clarify. Am I right in assuming that if the device in non-rooted then the system cannot be damaged by malware or misconfigured apps? If I'm installing just installing apps is there any chance that I could damage my non-rooted device beyond trivial repair (i.e. not having to take it into a shop)?

What actually are you asking? We can't tell if it's "worth it": that's highly subjective, and depends on what data you're thinking about and what it's worth to you.

Well, if you're a multi-billionaire, and have no important data on it: if it's messed up, just throw it away and buy a new one should do. You might consider throwing it to some school or the like, somebody might still find it useful.

From within the Android system itself, all you risk on the great majority of devices is losing data such as media, apps, logs and configurations. Anyhow, if one manages to damage it more than that, it is usually repairable through a factory reset.
Whether or not your device is rooted, you can always do it harm by flashing bad bootloaders, recoveries/recovery images, inadequate update.zip files and a few other things, so always watch out for that.
I strongly recommend that you do a backup anyway -- it's a fairly simple process and it's worth it just to stay on the safe side.


text:
Windows desktop screen sharing for Android via Wi-Fi
How do I share desktop screen on Android, and control my Desktop PC through Android?
UPDATE based on OP's comments (geffchang): How do I program this? Which libraries can I use for this? I want to make my own server for this.

You can use TeamViewer for Remote Control for this. Download the app for your phone from the link and download the software for your PC from http://www.teamviewer.com
On screen tips will show you how to proceed with remote sharing.
Both the devices must be connected to WiFi.

please tell me how i program it ? which library me use for this? i want to make my own server for this.

@unzila, You cannot program this software. All you can do is to use this as-is. If you are looking for a highly customizable software, you may not find a good one.

yes but i m beginner in android development and i want to make screen sharing app , for this i need help nd guide lines.

@unzila You can always try our sister site [so] for your development related questions.


text:
How do I reactivate Swype on a Motorola Atrix HD?
I disabled Swype on my Motorola Atrix HD. How can I get it to reactivate after turning it back on?
I went into 'Language & Input' and deselected it, but when I took the same path to turn it back on, it didn't work.

Did you set the Default keyboard?


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Tracking Android Phone via IMEI number
I have lost my Android Phone. How can I track it via IMEI number.
Can I install any application which can given me the number of SIM currently on given IMEI number.
Please help

TRACK IMEI (website)

TRACK IMEI is here to help you locate your lost mobile. If you have lost your mobile and remember the 14/15 digit IMEI number of your mobile which is a unique number for every mobile then you can register you mobile with us, if any of our dealers across the world will come across that mobile having that IMEI number we will contact you on the details provided by you while registering with us.
If you have already registered with us the details then you can search for your mobile by entering the IMEI number in the below search for IMEI number field.

Track IMEI (useful before you lost the device)

Have you ever had your phone lost or stolen, and then had it reset or had the battery die? Traditional tracking software will not be able to help you because it requires the phone to be on and your account attached. This is where Track IMEI comes in.
Track IMEI is a mobile phone tracking system that stores your phone’s past and current location in a secure database which you and only you have access to. This means that if a criminal resets your phone, you will be able to track it the entire way until it was reset. Most of the time this is at the persons house, and you are then able to let the police know.
Current features:
  Track past and current location of phone at a time interval set by you
  Change the time interval from our easy to use online interface located at www.trackimei.ca
  View your current and past location on a map in the application
How to Use:
  1. Install the app on any supported Android powered smart phone.
  2. Create an account directly on the phone.
  3. Once created, log into your newly created account right on your device.
  4. Go under settings and turn on background update and select the tracking interval you want
That is it! You can now log in at www.trackimie.ca with the same login info to view your device history.

Is giving imei number in these sites safe?

Does not seem to work!


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Restore the encrypted files contents from the Gallery Vault app
I have reset my device and forgot to open the Gallery Vault app, but I still have my encrypted files while unable to open them.
How can I restore the contents of the encrypted files?

Reading the FAQ available at ThinkYeah website, they state that the encrypted files are stored in the folder .thinkyeah/galleryvault located on the SD card.
Further more, they state that if you install the application again and use your previous password you are able to retrieve all of your secured files.
Relevant FAQ Entries:

Where are the encrypted files?

If Gallery Vault was uninstalled, can I find my photos and vedios back?

Since the encrypted files are located on the SDCard, and assuming that the encryption key/file is located on that location or within the vault file itself, you are able to recover your files installing the application and using your old password. Since you already mentioned that you still have the "vault" file, all appears to be in order, go ahead and try.

Gallery Vault uses encryption to hide media. If you have done a Factory Reset, then there is no way to recover your previous data, even if the file still "exists". To decrypt, you would need some sort of decryption key or file, and chances are you lost it when you did a Factory Reset.

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


text:
Paid app uninstalls after reboot of the device
I have one paid app, which is uninstalls after a reboot of the device. So, I have to re-install it from Google Play after every boot. All other apps are still installed.
Does anyone know what the problem could be?

What is the name of the paid app?

worldhistory. worldhistory trial is also needed and has no problems.


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Titanium Backup - sync via Windows File Sharing (SMB) after backing up?
I have Titanium Backup Pro with sync after backup option, but I don't want to sync to clouds, instead I want it sync backups to my PC via SMB.
I also have Foldersync which supports SMB syncing but it works with scheduling only, what I need is syncing right after the backup procedure is done.
Any suggestion ?
Thanks

Suggestion: FolderSync does support Tasker, and Tasker supports file events. Idea based on a post:

To detect the arival of a new file, use "File Modified" but long press the folder instead of selecting a file within it. now tasker will monitor changes to the folder.

So: Use Tasker to monitor TiBu's backup directory. If Tasker detects changes, give it a wait for 5 minutes (which should allow TiBu to finish the backup), then let it trigger FolderSync to synchronize with your Windows share:

Condition:

Time → Between X and Z (optionally, to minimize battery consumption. X should be at least a few minutes before the scheduled backup, Z a few minutes after. Make sure that Z = the scheduled backup time plus the wait in below task plus some margin for the sync to complete)
Event → File Event → File Modified (select directory as described above)

Task:

Tasker → Wait (5 min, or whatever you feel best)
Plugins → FolderSync → (whatever the action is called there)

Good idea, but I can just schedule foldersync a few minutes after titanium backup. This is close but not exactly what I want, I need it know when the backup's done and sync automatically :)

Sure it would be the simpler method to schedule it just a few minutes past the backup. But to know when the backup is done, that's a bit more tricky: you could use some variables, and a "multi-profile". One is watching that folder in 1-min-intervals, and increasing a variable whenever there's something changed. The other is watching that variable, triggers the backup when the var has not changed 3 times, and also resets that variable then. I'm just not sure if it's worth that trouble :)


text:
Is there any way to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1?
Is there any way to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1? I found some instructions on rooting the 7 inch version but I'm not sure if that matters. Also the instructions include flashing UK firmware. I'd prefer to do as little changes to my device as possible so I can get a backup as close to the way it came as possible.

Have you looked at How can I root the Galaxy Tab 10.1?

@Izzy that's not the tab 3 :-)

Well, it's a Tab 10.1 with Android 3 #D OK, already thought so, but was not 100% sure...

These instructions are pretty hard to follow but should work: root insntructions


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Link2SD - Lost first SD partition
I've been running Link2SD on a year or so with no issues. I use an 16GB SD card with a 1GB second partition. I have most of my stuff linked to SD, but a few apps I just left on the first SD card partition. Within the past week or so, it seems I've lost my first partition. When I go to Storage Info in Link2SD, it shows the same stats for /mnt/sdcard and /data/sdext2. All the apps that were on my first partition are missing, along with all my music, pictures, and application data. File explorers on the phone just show the stuff from the second partition, as well.
When I connect via usb to a pc I can see all the files and folders on the first partition, so it is there and I can get to them via the phone's usb connection.
Is this a link2sd isssue or a "funny" with mounting the SD's first partition?
Any help gratefully accepted.


text:
Problems rooting a Pandigital Planet 7 tablet
I have problems rooting a PanDigital Planet 7 tablet.
I've already tried some instructions (including this one: http://www.the-ebook-reader.com/pandigital-planet-root.html), but there is an error:
mount/media succeed!
--Install /sdcard...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installing update...
assert failed: getprop("ro.product.device")=="pandigitalplnt1" || getprop
("ro.build.product")=="pandigitalplnt1"
E: Error in /tnp/sideload/package.zip
(Status 7)
Instalation aborted.
Please, help.

The error message says that the update is for a device with the codename pandigitalplnt1, not the Planet 7. You need to find one for your exact device model.


text:
my samsung galaxy plus battery draining quickly some time it is showing 50% but immidiatly 0%
my samsung galaxy S plus battery draining quickly some time it is showing 50% but immidiatly 0% so please help me to solve this
ITS GINGERBOAT MODEL GT-i9001
yog

So it shows 50% and then literally the next second turns off..? What are the actual times? What apps does your battery manager say is using up the most battery?

Not a lot of information but to venture a guess -how old is the battery? Batteries don't last forever.  What radios (GPS, Bluetooth and so on) are running?


text:
Nexus 4 is not sharing internet connection (tethering), while WiFi or Bluetooth connection is successfully established
I'm trying to make my nexus 4 sharing its internet connection with other devices.
First I've tried with the portable hotspot: when it is ready I try to connect my nexus 7 2. It connects without problem to the WiFi Net but the WiFi indicators never gets blue and I'm not able to surf.
Then I've tried the bluetooth way: paired the devices and (on the tablet) checked the internet access option. This time the bluetooth indicator gets blue but whenever I try to load a page the browser loads forever.
The same happens with a macbook.
I think that for some unknown reason my phone is setting up a WiFi Net but it doesn't share its internet connection.
How can I make my Nexus 4 share its internet connection?
My Nexus 4 is running Android 4.3, as does the Nexus 7 2

Following @Shadow's suggestion I've googled a bit more...turns out that Android >= 4.1.2 prevents you from using tethering if you are served by a virtual operator (as I am).
This is a nice post http://albertomilone.com/wordpress/?p=581 explains pretty well the situation and propose a solution based on iptables.
EDIT
Looks like this problem is solved with Android 4.4.2 as stated here

I use foxfi on the phone, and you have to install pdanet on a tablet( I'm using galaxy s4 with galaxy tab2 ).
Works at about 1mbps.
No root needed.

Could you add some links, please? I've never heard of "foxfi" (and others might have the same problem). Sure we all can google or duck it; but there might be similar named projects to confuse us :)


text:
How do I hide "Show Sample Cards" in Google Now?
It's been months, I really don't need samples anymore.  Is there any way to completely hide the link?  I've checked all the settings and cannot find anything.

From Google:

To see some sample cards from the main Google Now screen, touch Menu > Settings > Sample cards. When you’re finished and want to get back to the main Google Now screen, touch Hide sample cards.

That's the part I want to go away.


text:
How to reach local computer via machine name instead of IP?
Developer here prototyping a mobile app, somewhat new to mobile:

I have a simple HTTP service running (currently) on my main laptop with machine name latitude.
Another laptop named vaio sharing the same WiFi network can access that service via http://latitude:8080 -- in other words, it can easily resolve the (current) IP 192.168.x.y (or whatever dynamic IP it has at that moment) of latitude somehow.
Now my HTC Android phones, connected to the same WiFi network, can reach the IP address of latitude so opening in its browser http://192.168.x.y:8080 works.
But I'd like to use the machine name here, too, like when I access the HTTP service from vaio, simply by typing http://latitude:8080 and have the phone resolve the current dynamic IP of latitude. This doesn't work, only get the standard browser error page: "Webpage not available".

Is there some DNS setting in Android I need to tweak? Haven't found anything from playing around with Settings, and a question like this is notoriously hard to google, too...
The One V has Android 4.0, and the One M7 has Android 4.2 in case that makes a difference.
(Note, this should work even when the Android is not USB-connected to my computers and is not acting as a WiFi Hotspot -- obviously, since it's consuming my main WiFi network anyway).

Related: How to ping a local network host by hostname?

Regardless whether you're connected to your local network via WiFi and DHCP is in use, Android always seems to override its DNS entries using Google's servers. It's somewhat hidden, but easy to change – provided you have your own DNS running (a lot of routers offer that already).
To do so, go to your list of WiFi networks in Settings, long-press your WiFi's entry, select to edit it. Activate Advanced Settings. Now you can edit the DNS entries. Simply replace the first entry with your own DNS server's IP, and leave the second entry (DNS 2) untouched for fall-back.
Now, if your own DNS can resolve your local network's machines, you should be able to use their hostnames to reach out to them. No root and no editing the hosts file necessary (thought that might be an alternative, if you've got no own DNS service running). Works excellent here with me and my network ;)

Thanks! Here's the weird thing, when I do this then my router (gateway) is already also entered as DNS1 (and Google's or 8.8.4.4 as DNS2). Well I'm going with these defaults and apply them, NetBIOS and SMB are enabled on the Windows machine, but still no name resolution...

I have no plans with Windows. In my case, it's a Linux based environment, and the router (AVM Fritz!Box) has a name server running. Works smoothly.

This should at most (if even) apply only to old versions of Android. My first dns is my local one while the fallback is google's 8.8.8.8. Looked it up with getprop | grep -i dns See also http://android.stackexchange.com/a/32278/15713

Firefox acts different and doesn't show this behaviour, I guess it's Chrome's omnibox ( combined search / URI input box) that does this

Firefox doesn't use its own DNS servers (at least I would wonder if). All software usually asks the system for that information, so the browser should not matter here. @ce4: Yes, that's how I configured it manually on my device: same fallback, but the primary I had to manually change from 4.4.4.4 to my local DNS server. I know that my DHCP server sends that information, but did not see a single Android device honoring that.

Update: See my comment here, it looks like I have to partially withdraw my statement as described behaviour might be specific to Android versions or manufacturers. Just cross-checked on my newer 4.1.1 devices, and my DNS is used correctly there; though I must admit I've lost track on which ones I might have configured that manually. But as both still were set to DHCP (and the change requires to use static), these are more liky not tampered with.

CM7.2 also honours the settings received via DHCP (only for the GSM radio interface (rmnet1) it sets Google's DNS servers (probably to overcome shitty provider DNS servers):
[net.dns1]: [192.168.x.x] \n
[net.dns2]: [8.8.4.4] \n
[net.rmnet0.dns1]: [8.8.8.8] \n
[net.rmnet0.dns2]: [8.8.4.4] \n
[dhcp.tiwlan0.dns1]: [192.168.x.x] \n
[dhcp.tiwlan0.dns2]: []

When I use a static IP address under Android 7.1, my LAN is suddenly unreachable (despite using identical network settings to what DHCP was providing)!

Izzy, thanks for your answer. Since it's 7 years old, I can't find those settings in Android anymore. I'm wondering if you know how to answer https://android.stackexchange.com/q/230644/22600 Thanks for your thoughts!

@Ryan they are still in the same place: Settings › Network › WiFi – and by tap-and-holding a name you can open a menu that allows you to change the AP's settings. It might look like, when opening "advanced" settings, the details are gone, but try to scroll there, they just hide :) Oh: and the "edit" button is only available for the network you're connected to it seems. Just checked and verified on Android 7+8.

@Izzy Thanks. On Android 11, if I long-press a wifi network name, I only see options "Disconnect" and "Forget". If I click the gear icon, I see Advanced, but none of the data / options in there seems helpful.

I cannot help with that, I don't have any Android-11 device here. But maybe one of the WiFi config apps or DNS Tools can help you out?

When I want a machine name instead of an IP I edit the HOSTS file.  Try adding the devices and their IP addresses there. A google search for the hosts file for your operating system should be easy.

Editing HOSTS is only useful if the IP address of the laptop always stays static / the same. This won't be the case as I'm working on the go, different WiFi networks, dynamic IP addresses. Also editing HOSTS requires a rooted Android but I need it to stay unrooted and largely untweaked to test under "normal consumer phone" conditions..

Add two lines at the end of your device's hosts file (/etc/hosts) file with ES Explorer (needs a rooted device).
Template:
your_host_machine's_IP_address  domain_name

Example of domain_name can be localhost.
Example:
::1  domain_name

It works fine when typing localhost in URL bar instead of IP address.

I corrected \etc\hosts to /etc/hosts and  made some changes in the formatting. I tried not to change the intent but make it look better. Let me know if I messed up somewhere.

In my case, on Windows 10, temporarily turning off windows firewall made surfing to http://latitude:8080 possible.
For the longer term I created a rule to let these sort of connections through the firewall ...

{Windows} >  Start > "Firewall" > Windows Defender Firewall with Advance Security. Inbound Rules > New Rule ...

General

Name: TCP web connections from LAN
Allow the connection if it is secure ...
Choose: "Allow the connection if it is authenticated and integrity-protected"

Protocols And Ports

Protocol Type: TCP
Local Port: 80, 880

Advanced

Specify profiles to whcih this rule applies: Private

{Android}. Test with Firefox or Chrome, not Dolphin


text:
SIM card contacts take time to load after turning phone on
Device: MMX A89
Android: 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
Whenever I switch off the phone, then switch it on, SIM card contacts takes a long time to load. They don't load properly. In the call list, only phone numbers are shown and not the names associated with them.
How can I fix this problem?

When you say "after switch on Android 4.0.4", do you mean you changed from a lower version to Android 4.0.4, or do you mean turning on your phone?

Turning ON (from switched off) my phone

OK, edited the title to make it clearer.

@geffchang, Any solution for that?

No idea. Did this happen only now? How about before? Are you using a 3rd pary app for contacts?

That's normal behaviour for the SIM card phone book, not just for Android, but on older dumbphones too. I remember my old Nokia 3310 took about a minute after booting before the phone book (and other SIM card functions) became available. The problem wasn't really noticeable on early Android phones because they took so long to boot anyway. While the phones are a lot quicker now, the SIM cards are still the same old technology.
If you want to get at them more quickly, either leave your phone turned on, or copy them to the device.

Is there any app exist which can load Sim Card contacts fast?

An app can't make your SIM card power up faster. It would be possible to make an app that caches the SIM card phone book on the device's storage, to allow faster access to it (even when the SIM card is removed), but I doubt one exists. It would just be a different way of storing your contacts on the phone instead of the SIM card.

It's basically like a desktop OS which would need to load all your programs and files and etc... It's not the world of DOS any more, where you'd just hit the switch to turn on and start working immediately and then turn it off just as fast.


text:
Changing Swype keyboard layout
Is there anyway to change Swype from QWERTY to something else, like AZERTY?

You might wish to check Is it possible to add a keyboard layout and dictionary to Swype?

Have you tried downloading a new language?
Go to Swype's settings in Language and input (or keyboard settings). Then, go to Languages > Download languages. You should see Francais (AZERTY).


text:
How to install a fresh Android 2.3 to my Spice Mi280?
I want to install fresh 2.3 Android OS on my Spice Mi280 over my previous installation. How can I do that?

If you simply want a fresh installation and no update, then a factory reset would be sufficient.

I want to update the ROM.

According to your screenshot, you already running Android 2.3

You're on 2.3.4, so 2.3 would be a downgrade.  Why do you want to "upgrade" your ROM?


text:
If I insert a Japanese SIM into my Nexus 4, can I have unlimited access to the Japanese Google Play Store?
I read this thread (How does Google Play determine the region on a tablet without SIM card) and it seems like the region is determined by IP, but if I insert a SIM purchased in Japan into my Nexus 4, will I be able to purchase Japanese apps, games, books, etc even if I don't have a Japanese credit card, or will I need that as well?

No, having a SIM card from a particular country does not get you that country's Play Store. See this answer on a related question for instructions from Google Play support about moving to a different country.


text:
Using OTG cables with Nexus 7 (2012) without rooting
Is it possible to use OTG Cables with Nexus 7 (2012) without rooting? Can Nexus Media Importer be useful here?

Yes, you can use Nexus Media Importer.
From its description:

This is the only non-root solution for devices that do not provide
  native support for external storage.

Other references:

Usb otg without root access for nexus 7 found!


text:
How can I configure a Galaxy S4 to allow me to touch Dashclock to open items?
How can I configure a Galaxy S4 to allow me to touch Dashclock to open items?
I want to be able to tap on the email icon to open email, etc.  Dashclock appears to support this (I may be incorrect here?) but the S4 insists on making me swipe to unlock whenever I try to tap the email icon.

Why do you say that DashClock appears to support it? Is it in their Description?

When I tap the icons they light up as if something is supposed to happen but instead the S4 lock screen shows "Slide to unlock".

I am interested in a solution too. In this Video you can see that it is possible to unlock the screen when anything is touched: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfYvt8oc94w&feature=player_detailpage#t=144
But maybe it's a feature of the Galaxy S3?!


text:
How to know which applications are using "Recorder"
I've recently installed Automatic Call Recorder by Global effect on my phone which has almost 5 star rating and is working well for many people (as per the reviews).
But for me, it gets activated while an incoming or outgoing call is in process but at the end of the call gives an error message that it's unable to record as the recorder is used by some other app.
Firstly I do not have any other call recording app installed and Secondly, I have tried closing most of the active apps that I could. But still no luck.
Is there any way by which I can know which all apps are using the recording service of my phone and hence raising a conflict?
Thanks in advance!

What is the name of this Call Recording app?

Automatic Call Recorder by Global effect.


text:
Location services not working after a few days
The funny thing is that when this happens, Google Maps and Google Earth can still find my location, but all other apps, such as Facebook, Chrome, and even the Samsung Weather Widget, can't find my location. Rebooting the phone again fixes the issue, but then it comes back after a few days. This leads me to think that it's a software problem instead of a hardware problem; why else would Google Maps and Earth be able to find my location but other apps can't, and that rebooting solves the problem for a few days?
Does anyone else have the same problem? I don't exactly know when it started happening, but it's a small bother.

Could you give a few more details on your device and Android version? If it's already 4.3, the Google apps could be using a "different source" (IMHO there was some "un-disable-able" background location service introduced)...

It's Happening from Android 2.2 and above versions(Samsung,Sony Ericsson,MicroMax....)

Similar: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/50819/not-getting-current-location-even-if-location-services-are-enabled

And this seems to be a known issue, I've experienced it when developing an app that used location services. Question on SO about it: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13594932/network-provider-not-providing-updated-locations

I already used google play services but its not working for me. If u have any sample code pls send me. Every device working for 4 or 5 days continously.


text:
Does the new Nexus 7 (2013) have a GLONASS sensor?
According to a colleague who has the new Nexus 7 (2013) model already, there is a GLONASS sensor in addition to the GPS one in the device. Is this true? I was unable to find any reference to this alleged fact in the official documentation and via a casual web search.
Please state your sources in your answer(s).

Seems to me it should be your colleague providing the proof for his allegation.

@AlEverett: he just did. We work in different time zones. He says there are 21 sats available (which the existing accepted answer shows means GLONASS) and the GLONASS sats are marked differently in the GPS diagnostic app he uses.

Would you mind sharing a screenshot of the GPS diagnostic app displaying glonass satellites?

@Flow: followed up on your request by putting up my own answer. But the accepted one will be kept the way it is, since it was very helpful in finding out the details I was looking for.

According to Ifixit's teardown, the Nexus 7 2013 uses the Qualcomm 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC.  Qualcomm's specs show that SoC uses their IZat Gen8A GNSS chipset, which according to their overview does include GLONASS support, though this doesn't necessarily mean GLONASS support is actually active and available in software.
A simple means to test whether you've got GLONASS is to use GPS Status and Toolbox and see how many satellites it shows for you.  If it shows more than 13 satellites, you're getting both GPS and GLONASS.

very useful answer. Shows 21 sats, and the GLONASS ones differently marked than the GPS ones according to my colleague. So together with your answer I conclude that GLONASS is available at least in the US models of the Nexus 7 (2013).

I'll add to the above that the Nexus 7 is very fast in geolocating the user, even though it has no cellphone support so must rely entirely on GPS + Glonass.

The definite answer is yes. I received my Nexus 7 (2013) a few weeks ago and today went outside to catch a few satellites. I'm using GPS Status & Toolbox whose user guide states:

The sky grid (G) shows the GPS satellites above you as the receiver in
  the phone detects them. GPS satellites (with IDs 1-32) are represented
  by small circles while GLONASS satellites (with IDs 65-92) are shown
  as rectangles. The size of the symbol depends on the signal strength
  received from that satellite. The color shows what data is available
  for that satellite and how it is currently used by the phone.

Emphasis mine.
Here's the left side of the screen shot I took:

The Nexus 7 model would be the European one, if there are any differences.


text:
What causes my Android phone to heat on low signal
I have noticed that 3 of my Android phones heat on low signal (Nexus4, Xperia U, and HTC One) 40~50C. My friend has an iPhone and it doesn't seem to heat as much (30C).
So, why does this happen? Why does low signal drain my battery, and why does it heat too much?
Could it be solved by software? or is it a hardware problem?

Why?
When the phone signals are weak, the android OS constantly scan the area thoroughly. This requires more battery power. That's the reason your phone gets so hot when you are in areas with poor reception.
Could it be solved?
That is the reason it is advised to turn flight mode on when you are is low-signal areas to preserve your battery life.
Is it a hardware problem?
Yes. and that problem is common to all the android devices. So nothing to worry.
Why not iPhone?
For the comparison with iPhone, the specs of android device of each manufacturer varies from one another whereas it doesn't in apple deceives (Not everybody get to produce a device which can run iOS, thanks to the Apple Inc. patents.) As the android specs vary from device to device, it is highly likely that the battery performance will differ from device to device as well.

Essentially, a lower signal strength will lead you device to use more power that in turn drains your battery faster and causes the device to heat.
The farther away you are from the closest cell tower, more your device needs to put out a higher power level in order to reach the tower. Transmitting at a higher power level requires more energy from the battery.
An elevated power level causes your device to heat in result of the extra effort being conducted.
If you are in a really weak signal area, try turning off Mobile Data. You can still receive calls and SMS (but not MMS).

Are you sure about that MMS part? Until not that long ago, I stuck to 2G. Still got MMS, if I remember correctly (I rarely use MMS, that's why I'm not sure here). Maybe you meant turning off mobile data?

@Izzy Yes, "Mobile Data" is the best expression. Thanks.

Ah! Good, so I didn't miss anything :) Always glad to help :)

I am also agree with the point mentioned by @Sid
When there is no signal or low signal then system continuously scan the network that require more power from battery and it leads to battery heat-up.
That's why it is suggested that keep Airplane Mode off when it is not necessary.

There can be multiple reasons for the phone to heat up.
Battery: If the battery is not working fine then the phone may get heated
Charging port: If the heat is at the charging port then there may be chances that the charger is at fault.
Too much of downloads: If you are used to continuously download something or the other then there are chances of the phone been heated due to excess load on processor
No rest even at the time of charging: love to stay connected and not letting the phone charged then you are harming the life of the battery.
Loads of apps and widgets that run round the clock- more pressure on phone: uninstall unnecessary load from the phone to avoid excess use of battery and processor
Low air flow: keeping the phone in pocket where the airflow is less can also be the reson for phone heat up
Phone exposed to moisture: long calls and continuous contact between hand and ear creates sweat on the screen and over exposure to moisture can also be the reason for hardware fault and thus heating up

You are supposed to address only: "What causes my Android phone to heat on low signal?"


text:
AnkiDroid: Change decks tts language
In my phone, Ankidroid ask me every time what language shall be used for each card side. Which is listed as a bug.
But with other phones (eg. Samsung S2 mini) opposite problem arises. Once you select TTS language for a particular deck there is no way to change it.
I reinstalled both, TTS engine and Ankidroid, but the TTS language setting is still there.
What should I do to force ankidroid to allow me to select another TTS language?
Phone: Samsung S6500 Galaxy Mini II
Ankidroid: 2.0.1

In AnkiDroid preferences, there is a "Reset Languages" item:

Reset language assignments (for text to speech and dictionaries) for all decks. Reset specific deck assignments on deck picker


text:
Is there any way to remove the timecode from an .srt file on my S3?
I want to remove the timecode  from an .srt file so I can just copy and paste the text into a document.  Is there a way to achieve this without manually deleting each line?
S3
4.1.1

You might wish to check for an editor app which supports Search-and-Replace by RegExps.

@Izzy:  But how would that work?  I don't want to replace but I'm looking for something that can strip a .srt file of it's timecodes just to be left with words.

Sure: Replacing the timecode with "nothing" would be the same as removing/stripping it, right? See geffchang's answer: His command removes lines consisting of nothing but digits. ^ is start of line, $ is end of line, and [0-9]+ means "one or more of the characters from 0 to 9". / is the delimiter, and d says to delete. For the curly braces and the N you need to ask geffchang, I never saw that notation.

I'm going to provide a suggestion, but it's not an Android app.
You can try subeditnet:

A simple tool to add or remove time to a SRT subtitle file. I
  developed this in my spare time, so don't expect it to be completely
  bug free. Please always BACKUP your .srt file ;)
You will need Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 to execute it on older
  Operating Systems.

Or via Linux command (not tested):

$ dos2unix subtitles.srt
  $ sed -r '/^[0-9]+$/{N;d}' subtitles.srt > outfile

Why is it not Android related?  I need to do this on my phone hence the question.

@verve In that case, it is Android-related, but so far I haven't found anything that will do what you want. Windows apps may be your best bet for now.

Assuming the linux command is correct, you just need to install busybox and a terminal emulator from the play store. It's also possible that dos2unix and sed are already available (without busybox) but you may need to do some extra work to find the right path to the tools. You'll also need to make sure you have write permission for the correct location.

As explained it the comments to the question, and indicated by geffchang's answer, what you need for that is an editor supporting regular expression search and replace. An example for such is Jota+ Text Editor, supporting that for Android 2.2 onwards.
To learn more about Regular Expressions, see this Wikipedia article, which also provides additional links. To teach them would go beyond the scope of this site, but the examples given might already work out for you.


text:
Root Nexus 7 with 4.2.2
I'm trying to root a Nexus 7 with Android 4.2.2 (1st generation). I am following instructions here:
http://honai-android.blogspot.com/2013/06/how-to-root-nexus-7-on-android-422.html?showComment=1377379346836#c8791363668077143555
I get to Step 4 in which it says to wait until windows has finished installing drivers. I am on OS X. The Nexus 7 is in fast boot mode. It has an image of the green Android lying on its back with a panel open, in the upper right is "Start > corresponding to the on/off button" and just below that up and down arrows corresponding to the up/down volume buttons. I plugged in the USB and nothing happens, ie no indication of drivers being installed.
I watched this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0MyTvgfO7s
Which was somewhat helpful. Following the instructions enable me to see that the Nexus 7 was connected to the Mac in fastboot mode.
So I continued on to step 5, Running root-mac.sh resulted in this error in the terminal window:
... FAILED (remote: (Nv3pBadReceiveLength))
downloading 'boot.img'... FAILED (unknown status code)
Then from here [GUIDE][MAC/PC/LINUX][4.2] Unlock, Root and Flash Recovery at Android Central (sorry it won't let me put 2 links), I did the commands:
./fastboot-mac oem unlock
./fastboot-mac oem reboot
It did a clean install and reboot, but it is not rooted. When it was rebooting, the padlock icon was showing that it was unlocked. I test for root by trying to run the app Z-ScreenRecorder, which required root access.
I got it. After the unlock and reboot commands, then I went back to the original instructions and ran CF-Auto-Root-grouper-nakasi-nexus7/root-mac.sh.
Now the Z-ScreenRecorder app starts.

If you want to unlock the bootloader, root and add a custom/stock ROM, then you want to use Wugs Toolkit for Nexus. (Try to borrow or use a Windows PC or laptop, its not for OS X)
Here is XDA forum link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766475
Here is the download link (this is for Windows, not OS X)
http://www.wugfresh.com/nrt/
Its pretty self explanatory, but try to read it all anyway.
As far as I know there isn't a version for OS X
I have used this method on my 2 Nexus 7s and my friends Nexus 4 & 5!!!
Happy rooting everyone!!!!

If I was wrong about OS X having a version,  my bad.

Try to install framaroot, it's support many devices :) :)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2130276

The Nexus 7 is not on the list of compatible devices, though.


text:
Can't see google drive docs on Nexus 7
I've installed Google Drive on my pc and Nexus 7 and placed a Google Spreadsheet doc into the drive on my pc. When I use my pc browser (Firefox) to view the googledrive.com website, the doc is there.
However, when I open Drive on my Nexus - nothing. And when I view the googledrive.com website on my Nexus browser (Dolphin) it's empty too. Not a doc in sight.
I'm getting nowhere with Google Help on this issue - they keep telling me to click on options that don't exist on the Nexus or telling me to do things on my android phone (Don't have one!)
Help? Thanks!
ETA: Okay, I've decided what I wanted to do just isn't worth the hassle of trying to figure out Google's accounts/apps systems. It seems designed to be as obstructive as possible. :P I've given up and deleted Drive.
Thanks for your attempts to help though - greatly appreciated!

Is Drive set to sync with your device? Settings | Accounts | Google | {your Google Account} | Drive checked? Have you done a sync?

Yup. Last sync 9.03 this evening.

Probably an unnecessary question, but you confirmed you're using the same account in both places?

Yeah, I thought of that one. Definitely same account.

Same problem here. With 2 Nexus 7s, one didn't sync and the other did.
The Google drive app seems to be the curlpit. After uninstalling and reinstalling Drive sync started working properly.


text:
Reversing the order of notifications in the notification bar of a given app
I have a Galaxy S1 (I9000) running SlimRom (Android 4.2.2).
The problem I have is the following:
Assume someone sends me 3 messages in whatsapp (this is case important to me, but the problem is in general): First he sends 'a', then 'b', then 'c'.
The way I see the notifications is, from top to button, is 'c','b','a'.
I realize this is caused by the stack like implementation of the notifications, but since I read top-down I would like to see it as 'a' at top, then 'b', and finally 'c' at the bottom.
I recall that with the latest CM10 I had (also Android 4.2.2) they actually fixed this problem, but I am happy with SlimRom and I don't want to change my Rom solely on the sake of this problem.
Is there anything I can do about it ?


text:
How do I remove text from my lock screen on my nextbook?
I downloaded the Lookout security app. The first time I installed it it asked for something to write when I report my device was stolen. After deleting the app numerous times it still will not remove the text. How do I remove it?

Assuming Lookout just used the standard "owner info" and your device uses the same...
Settings > Security > Owner info

Then uncheck "Show owner info on lock screen" or edit the text to be what you want.


text:
android tablet not waking up
I've got a cheap android tablet running Android 4.0.4 and it doesn't seem to be "waking" up when I want it to. So, when it shuts off after period of inactivity or when I put it to sleep (not powering it off, though), it won't "wake up" at a specified time via the built-in alarm clock or another app (like tune-in which has an alarm feature built into it). When I manually "wake it up" by pressing the power switch, the alarm that should have gone off before goes off after a few seconds.
Do I just have something disabled that is preventing it from waking up? Or is this possibly a hardware issue?

Which tablet do you have?  You seem to have posted a link to another question instead of the name of your tablet, which is rather odd.

sorry about that...I should have been more clear. The link was to a previous post I made where I was trying to find out what my tablet is and who the manufacturer is. To the best of my knowledge, it's a TWD_MID...I don't know much more about it than that.

Do I just have something disabled that is preventing it from waking up?

There's no user-visible setting in Android for disabling alarms. That would kind of defeat their purpose!  The only way you can have disabled alarms is if you've rooted the device and gone around uninstalling system apps or poking at the internals. If you have, we'd need to know a lot more detail on what you've done to know if that's the cause, and the fix would probably be to flash a new ROM.
This does sound like the kind of system integration error you might find on an incredibly cheap tablet. Not quite a hardware issue, but a bug in the device's software. If it is, the only way to fix it would be to try to get an update from the manufacturer, but if you don't even know who they are, you might be out of luck.

I believe the device was shipped with root access (I didn't root it myself but I opened up a terminal and did su with no problem). The only settings I've changed are the typical ones that are available to regular users in Android (I think)...so I wondered if one of those would cause my problem.
And you're right...I have no idea who the manufacturer is and certainly not their website...so there's no update coming for me. Although, there is a setting that asks me if I want to check for system updates...which I've done a few times and (surprise surprise) there are no updates. Any other ideas?


text:
How do I safely install an app not from the Play store?
I have always installed apps from the official store but today I wanted to install an app from SlideMe so I clicked "download" but it didn't install automatically.  It just downloaded an .apk file and then a window popped up with two options called "Google installer"  and "package installer"..how do I proceed?  I have an unrooted S3.
OS: 4.1.1

Choosing the Google installer option will verify the application with Google before installing. Choosing the Package installer option will install the application as is. Since I like to be safe, I installed AVG Antivirus from the Play Store. A third option will be to scan the package for viruses before installing.

Whst's the "choose unknown sources" on your phone people keep talking about?

this is a setting in options you need to enable to be able to install non-market apps (.apk)s.

If I choose the Google installer  it will not install if the Play store has banned it yes?

That I'm not sure about. I just scan for viruses and install.

Google Installer and Playstore are two different pairs of shoes. The installer is part of the GSF (Google Services Framework), Playstore is another (specific) app. Btw: Anti-what? Well, it cannot hurt to check with it, but I wouldn't rely on the results. There've been quite a lot reports lately on that topic, and I'm not a good friend of such AV-apps. But that's my opinion ;)

@izzy Yeah, never detected anything with the AV. Also, I think Play Store is part of GSF and installer is part of Android.

How do you know you can trust that the app you wish to install will not contain malicious code?

Source-

Consider where you are downloading the application from.
Take the Google Play Store for example:  Considering that GPS has been plagued with malware, (
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2020/07/09/ldangerous-android-malware-warning-google-play-store-security/?sh=736c8ba61f9e )
how do you know that an app installed from GPS is safe?
Here we can see the value is of using reputation as a metric:
Much like a lender uses an individual's credit score before assuming the risk of lending them money, end user reviews of an app too can help gauge many factors regarding an application, including assessing its inherent safety on your device (not to mention mited to if ads will be present snd if so, how many/frequent).
Google Play Store utilizes this by allowing end users to provide their feedback of facts and opinions of an application through a text based data entry which is then added  to an archive ( or 'database' so to speak) of user reviews that is not only accessible to other end users but uses a 5 Star scoring system to display a mefian score, ultimately reflecting the average opinion of the end user in regards to an application (available on a 'per application' basis.)
While reputation is helpful it does not rule out the possibility of harboringbmalicious code or preventing its execution.  This is exactly why applications hosting services such as F-Droid and professional developers as seen on XDA only trust applications that offer 100% transparency.  How do they do this?

SOURCE-

An application that offers its source code to be accessible publically, when found to be malicious, (whether to be built from and or for review etc,)isn't going to last very ling without being flagged by the FOSS community and thus shut down /stopped.  ..which is one of many benefits to supporting open source projects, and one of the reasons I continue to trust application repositories like F-Droid, The Gaurdian Project and Arora Store, (so much so that I have installed and continue to use the F-Droid app and the Aurora Store app.)
In conclusion, you can trust the indtallation of an application whose source code is publically available to be reviewed and has a positive reputation from the community that installs and utilizes it.

I'll have to disagree with the reputation section of this answer.  Many malware apps have millions of users and excellent reviews.