text:
Resizing Android partition from dual-boot Windows OS
I have a Chuwi Hi8 Pro and I don't use the Windows side, so I deleted the Windows partitions to get more space following this tutorial - Chuwi Forums - [Other] How to Delete Windows Partitions with GParted. But when I went to resize the Android data partition, it won't let me. It goes
/dev/mmcblk09 android_data
/dev/mmcblk10 android_persistent
/dev/mmcblk11 android_config
/dev/mmcblk12 android_efi_system partition
unallocated  17.78gb

I'd post a screenshot but I can't figure out how to save one to USB while in GParted.
How to give the data partition the rest of the unallocated space?

Since it once ran Windows it must be based on Intel x86. Get a Windows again, preferrably a Windows To Go. Get AOMEI Partition Assistant Windows PE Edition. Move other partitions one by one so that the android-userdata partition (not android_data) is adjacent to the unallocated space. Turn to gparted and merge the partition with free space.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.


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Phone will randomly crash, then only loads to boot loader
I rooted my Samsung-sm-g930a (Galaxy s7 AT&T)
And after I did, the VOLTE showed up... I thought nothing of it because it is Voice Over LTE but a week after I did that when i tried to open an app it closed the app 2 seconds later (almost immediately) and if I restart my phone it gets stuck at the AT&T logo I can boot it into recovery and reset the device, this fixes it temporarily then 3 days later it does it Agian. Any idea how to fix this?

What's the said app that's force closing? Is your phone doing an update or something? Specifics! What your experiencing is called a boot loop where the phone is stuck at the boot animation. I don't know why it would do that after three days but an app or mod you installed can be causing it.

give it the stock rom

@JCTechie The only root app I had installed was Super SU and I did not "mod" the phone or Anything... The only thing I did was go into /data/data/com.505Games.TerrariaPaid and I replaced a few of the worlds. Corrupted things in a game wouldn't screw up the whole phone would it? And, it's all apps doing it, besides settings and chrome

@Donovan_D I think the easiest solution for you is to factory reset your phone, and re-do the root process. It sounds to me that something got messed up when rooting, and you need to start over. You can backup your contacts and game saves with google or get an app that does that for you (titanium backup can restore your app data)

@JCTechie I did a factory data reset, it still does it 3-7 days later

@Donovan_D does the factory reset have root? Is it unrooted and crashing? That's probably a bigger problem, try downloading a stock rom for your phone from xda-developers and flash it through recovery.

@JCTechie when I do the factory reset cpu-z says I still have root, but I can't use it. Another root checker said that root was not properly gained. My system status is now "Custom" And on startup it shows "Custom" with a unlocked padlock that's not my phone but it's similar

@Donovan_D that's very strange, I recommend that you download this stock rom from XDA-Developers. Follow the instructions (i'm not sure what "type" of S7 you have, if that's really a thing, but check that that's the correct phone before installing the stock rom :)

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/6-0-1-s7-stock-rom-v1-bloat-script-mods-t3423409

@Donovan_D that rom includes root BTW

It appears that something wrong has happened with your rom. Since factory resetting has not fixed the issue, the next step is to restore the stock rom. Here's a link to the stock rom for the Samsung Galaxy S7:
Edit: New link (from OP): https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/firmware-stock-sm-g930a-pb5-odin-files-t3411468
(Includes Root)

-1: you offered a "stock" ROM for the wrong model (G930F uses Exynos, G930A uses Snapdragon) that would wreak havoc if actually flashed, and it's a stock-based ROM flashed from a custom recovery, not a real stock ROM flashed via Odin, so it's of little use for fault recovering.

@andy yan woops sorry I don't own a Samsung so... What's the link to the correct stock rom?

I just looked it up - weird that both SamMobile and Samsung-Updates don't offer firmware for this particular model. Some over at XDA does seem to have one, so editing this in is at least better than not. I'll retract the -1 after your edit.

@JCTechie I think I found it here:  https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/firmware-stock-sm-g930a-pb5-odin-files-t3411468

I ever faced a situation like this where my phone load until the Samsung logo and that's it. What I did was installing a stock rom in to my Samsung and it did fix my phone. You can visit the web of cyanogen to see if your phone model is listed there.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Acceptable Signal Strength Ranges for 2G/3G and 4G
I have been logging signal strengths on my phone and am trying to understand what ranges can be considered "Good" and "Bad".

RSSI is a measure of signal strength for GSM (2G/3G): -50dBm to
-113dBm
RSRP is a measure of signal strength for LTE: -44dBm to -140dBm

I understand that signal is stronger as signal strength value approaches 0. However, at what range is signal quality considered strong, moderate, weak, and poor and what these ranges mean in the real world.
E.g. At what range will calls not be possible?, At what range would calls start dropping? etc.
Is there an official resource that I can look at?

this page in German gives you useful info. Call dropping, calls out of range are not dependent only on signal strength - many other factors come into play. See this wiki

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


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How to limit a specific apps maximum memory usage
I have an app that I'm using (basic dreams) for a lock screen background, and it appears to have a memory leak. It has reached a peak of almost 800mb in ram, and I only have two GB. Is there a way to limit it's maximum ram usage without actually killing it/force closing it, because it has to always be on. I can upload a screen shot if necessary. O can't find any apps related besides "ram boosters" which I know are unnecessary. Any advice? Thanks,
(This is on android marshmallow/6.0, cyanogenmod 13 rooted)
-J

You can use tasker and set it up such that the app is closed every one minute and then restarted again.

@adeen-s Well I guess that would work for a normal app, but I want to know if there's a way to actually limit its ram and let it run forever in the background, because its my lock screen.

there isn't anything that you can do as user. The developer of the application needs to fix it. Look at this answer, or rather get the developer to look at it. http://stackoverflow.com/a/9428660/1369016

Thank you, I wish I could ask the developer but its no longer supported (basic dreams). I guess I'll have to learn to build my own app ;)


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Wget using Termux download directory
I just installed Wget using Termux on my Android. But, when I download a file, I cannot find it's location. Can anyone please tell me where it's located? And how can I change that location to my desired directory?

wget usually downloads to where you called it from – unless told otherwise using the -O parameter. So you either first cd to the desired directory – or try something like wget -O /sdcard/downloads/foo.zip http://example.com/foo.zip.

@DeathMaskSalesman I'm not rooted. So, is there any way that would allow me to delete the file or at least copy or move it?

To quote Izzy,

wget usually downloads to where you called it from – unless told
  otherwise using the -O parameter. So you either first cd to the
  desired directory – or try something like wget -O
  /sdcard/downloads/foo.zip http://example.com/foo.zip.

In your case, this directory is /data/data/com.termux/files/home and, as it's inside /data, only root and the files' owner can alter things here.
Since Termux is the owner, though, you can move, copy and delete files and folders inside the abovementioned directory.

Before moving or copying to the internal storage
If you run Android Marshmallow (6.x) or above, run termux-setup-storage and grant the requested permission to be able to interact with anything inside /storage/emulated/0.

To move files
To move files to e.g. the standard download directory, use the command mv source destination, replacing source with the file you wish to move, and destination with /storage/emulated/0/Download, which is the default download directory located in your internal storage.

To copy files
To copy files to e.g. the standard download directory, use the command cp source destination, replacing source with the file you wish to move, and destination with /storage/emulated/0/Download.

To delete files
To delete any file, use rm file, replacing file with the file you wish to delete.

To delete directories
To delete an empty directory, use rmdir directory.
To delete a non-empty directory, use rm -r directory. This method will delete anything inside the chosen directory.
In both cases, replace directory with the directory you wish to delete.

Type echo $HOME in Termux. That is the current wget location.

The HOME variable does not reflect the current location. If OP cded somewhere else, echo $HOME would've shown /data/data/com.termux/files/home nonetheless, thus giving a correct result to a wrong question. To know the current directory, use either pwd or echo $PWD.

Yap wget works at working directory. However the screenshot is valid :D

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


text:
Can S Health data be accessed online?
Is it possible to access S Health data online through a Samsung or other account?  If I log in at account.samsung.com, I see an S Health section. However, it is not clickable. This made me suspect that I somehow need to enable syncing before the data becomes available online.  But I cannot find any such setting within the app.  I am logged in within the app.  I use a Samsung S7.

You cannot access S Health data online, only via the S Health app.


text:
Apple Notes alternative for Samsung device
I am looking for an free and ad-free solution which is comparable to Apple Notes, which I used some years ago on an iPad.
I want to be able to take simple plain-text notes, and access them both on a computer (on OS X) and on a Samsung S7. I don't need fancy features (Evernote-like), in fact I much prefer simplicity.
The Memo app that comes with the phone is perfectly sufficient for my needs, and looks like just what I want. Except there's one big problem: I can't figure out how to access the notes on a computer.  Syncing with "Samsung Cloud" is turned on for Memo in the settings.
I don't expect to be able to find a third-party app that provides such functionality for free, as whoever provides the service will need to pay for server costs.  But I did expect Samsung to provide such functionality, given that Apple has had it for a long time ...

It's not really clear what you're asking. You want a free solution, but you don't expect to be able to find one. You have an app that doesn't have the feature you need, and you find that Evernote does have the feature you need, but you don't want to use Evernote because it has too many features. What is your actual question?

@DanHulme I am looking for a solution that fulfils my criteria. I am not sure if the Memo app can do what I want. It seems it cannot, but I am not sure. If an answer shows how I can use it, I will accept that.  I found some articles suggesting that older versions could synchronize, but I can't get the one in my phone to do that.  I prefer simple solutions, but if only complex programs are available, I will accept that too. To my knowledge, Evernote is not free (or the free version doesn't fit my criteria), so I did not consider it.

I'd say 'Google Keep' is one of the best ones to use:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.keep

I'd suggest you the gratis app DejaOffice, besides the Notes/memos app, there is task and calendar included in the suite.
http://dejaoffice.com/
As there are android and iOS version you can move the data in the future to the other platform
As standalone app (data stored in phone) it is free/gratis.However it also has paid functions such as sync with their own cloud or sync with different desktop PIM apps as Outlook.


text:
Why has Google started asking questions when reviewing apps in Play Store?
I went to review an app today after receiving help from the dev and after selecting the star rating I was then asked three questions about the app. "Does the app have whiteboards?", "Does the app allow you to make checklists?", "Does the app have online storage?", with options, "No", "Don't know" and "Yes" for each. After that I was able to write the review. The app was just a fun app that measures vibration, comparing it to earthquake intensity, so none of the questions are relevant.
I checked a couple of other apps. One didn't ask any questions, the other did but the questions were different and more relevant to the app.
I have not been able to find info on this. Does anyone know why Google are doing this and how they decide the questions? Would also be interested in knowing when they started doing this.
Thanks.

Since Aug 2016, Google has been testing a new feature called "Top Features" of an app.
Android Police reported,

[...] it seems that Google has begun testing another change in the same arena - Top Features, a new element that aims to make determining what functionality an app has easier. [...] Top Features is situated above Review Highlights and contains user feedback about certain abilities of the reviewed app.

How Google gets this data is by crowdsourcing it to reviewers (similar to how Google Maps crowdsourced maps improvements)

In addition, the reviewing process has been tweaked. [...] The new process asks reviewers (up to) three questions about the app. Basically, Google will ask if x function is available in the app; if it is, you give a thumbs up; if it isn't, you give a thumbs down; and if you're unsure, you click "Not Sure". The process itself is pretty straightforward, but it is unclear how exactly Google comes up with these questions; all we know is that they eventually contribute to Top Features.
(Emphasis mine)

As reported, it's unclear how Google comes up with the questions. It could be from app's manifest (e.g requires internet connection or not), or from app's category (e.g. social network, etc), ...


text:
Rooted or not, I can not figure out
I don't know if someone already rooted my Samsung Sm-t530.
Can somebody help me?
I just find some files like
Knox emulated
Emulated
Extsdcard
Sdcard
Mnt
Storage/emulated
Dev/emulated

And i cannot find Imei.

Install ES file explorer from play store, and open app and tap on settings ( top-left), going down you can see 'Root Explorer', activate it, if rooted it shows which type permission required('R'-Read only, 'R/W'-'Read/Write), else not rooted(shows, test failed)

Also, if just tap on internal memory , tap on storage, then / symbol. if it displays file contents, device ROOTED.

Download a root check app or look at your settings and see if you have anything like supersu installed. There is many root check apps on the play store which you can use. You can check your imei number in the phone near the battery (or under the battery if it's a removal battery).

either you use a app to check if you gained root:
i would advise Root Verifier, it is free (as in beer and speech), ad-free, uses no further permissions and also checks for busybox and a superuser-app.
or on the other side, you can simply check it by terminal with the su-command:
but i would only recommend this method if there is a terminal-emulator already installed, you need just a quick check once and you know what are you doing with a terminal...!

if you need additional identifiers (like the IMEI) i can advise Get ID; it displays

Device ID
SIM serial number
WiFi mac address
IMEI
IMSI
Google Service key

and in the help-menu a little explanation for every entry can be shown.

Download Root Verifier app from google play store and it will tell you whether or not your device is rooted or not?


text:
What is NON-HLOS.bin? For what purpose it is been made?
In new builds I have notice that file but i don't know for what it is used while installing an OS.
Someone answer please!
Thanks

It's the modem/baseband firmware (or to be precise, often a part of it). Not every build would update it, but major builds often do contain tweaks to it.

So non-high-level operating system, I guess?


text:
is there a way to automatize the setup/configuration of an android device?
i'm used to setup computers with linux-distributions pretty often, so i partly automatized it with a shell script...
now also the amount of android-devices i have to setup/configure starts to increase and i'm wondering if there is a applicable way to automatize it.
is there a android-app, a desktop software (linux preferred) or some other way (maybe adb and a script) to set several system-settings, uninstall/deactivate pre-installed apps, install apps and maybe also set their settings.
the devices are completely mixed but all used without google-account! - phones and tablets are from different manufactures with no particular android version; also some devices run with custom roms but not all will be rooted.
i know the demands are pretty high, so i'm afraid there won't be an exact answer which accomplishes everything and therefore also answers with partial successes (e.g. restricted to special android-versions, rooted devices, etc.) or also ideas/hints in a good direction will be welcome!
this question was inspired by @gyuriscs question on Software Recommendations: https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/38977/configuring-android-phones-from-pc

If you prepare one "master device" manually, my little tool Adebar might prove helpful. It would create scripts to backup/restore apps incl. their data and settings (adb backup/restore) via single files (one backup per app), and also scripts to disable apps you've had disabled, and some more. Not the complete thing, but quite a bit.

There are a few things you can do.
As far as system settings go, you're not going to automate that part without root unless you're rolling your own images from source (I doubt that you're doing that and don't recommend you try). The vast majority of settings are merely entries in a SQLite Database somewhere, so if you can find the required SQLite files, you can manipulate them directly if you are rooted. This can be scripted.
ADB can install the software you need. Use the following command:
adb install path/to/your/Android/executable.apk

Alternatively, to remove software, use:
adb uninstall package.name

(Note that I said package name, and not user-friendly name. The package name is the one that looks like com.company.product)

the adb-part is pretty clear to me; just one open question: will adb uninstall [package name] also deactivate pre-installed apps which can't be uninstalled? or must the device also be rooted for adb install|uninstall ...? - and have the apps to be locally available or is it possible to link to an alternative app-store (like F-Droid) or use a simple URL?

thank you! the part with the SQLite Database sounds interesting. can you be more concrete about it? (not how to manipulate a SQLite database but) where it can be found? maybe a scheme of the database? or some other detailed resources you have?

DJCrashDummy: 'adb uninstall' wont affect any applications that are installed in /system (the uninstallable ones). 'adb install|uninstall' does not require root, but you do need the apps locally. You might be able to use wget to pull them in from remote sources in a script.
As for where the SQLite files can be found, Android kinda scatters them about. Application-specific ones can be found in /data/data/ and you can find some of the more system-oriented ones in /data/system


text:
Smartphone not booting up even after firmware reset, but after sales service says “defect not found”
My Sony Xperia M5 is not booting up. The screen is off, no LEDs are lit, it doesn't react to any buttons. It already happened several times. I wasn't doing anything specific, just was using it normally, and then suddenly it would hang up. This last time it happened while it was charging.

After about 9 months of usage, it went into a boot loop, which I was able to resolve by switching it off/on (with a hidden power button). It took several attempts, though.
About 2 or 3 weeks later, it went into a boot loop again. This time switching it off didn't help, so I tried resetting the firmware using the official tool from Sony. It didn't help either, so I brought it to the after sales service. They updated the firmware, and it was enough to fix it. They wrote that "the defect was not found" in their report.
After 2 or 3 weeks, the phone stopped working at all: the screen is off, not responding to any buttons, including hidden power button and combos like power+volume up/down. Again, brought it to the service, with the same result: resetting firmware helped, but "the defect was not found". This time they did some "WRT test" (no one has any idea what it is exactly), which was fine too.
Now, again, after 2 or 3 weeks, same happened - not working at all.

Phone condition is fine and I used it properly:

It hasn't fallen once, didn't contact any water, was not affected by extreme temperatures, (electro-)magnetic fields, radiation, etc.
Viruses are pretty much excluded: it had an antivirus installed, I only used apps from Google Play, and only the ones I trusted. I don't use any Wi-Fi spots outside of my home and office.
The battery is fine.

Now, I just want my money back, but the only two documents I have on hand say that the device is perfectly fine, so the shop will refuse it. I want something to prove the defect is actually there. My questions are:

What kind of problem can it be? If it's a hardware problem, why would firmware reset fix it? If it's a software problem, why would it even occur? My only idea is that it's a memory failure, but there was no indication of that when I did the firmware reset (I assume it should do at least basic tests).
Is there a way to perform any conclusive tests by myself? I talked to managers in the service center, and they pretty much don't care. I have to chance to talk to engineers directly. I won't open the case or anything like that, and also now it's doesn't load at all, so the only options is to use some software on PC, with a USB cable. Is there any software for that?

The problem is probably hardware related. The eMMC chip might be defective causing data damage. You can use Androxyde Flashtool with a firmware in .ftf. Boot in flashmode (Plug USB cable while holding volume down button).

@esQmo As I understand, with that tool I will be able to restore the firmware, but that is not what I want. Instead, I need some kind of proof that the device is actually defective, so that I could convince the guys from the service (or the store's warranty department) to at least perform a proper expertise. Otherwise, they will just reply with "the defect not found" again. At  this point I just want my money back.

There is  no tool at my knowledge that can perform some  checking and give  proof of a defective  hardware. And if the issue was a result of your behaviour, the manner  you use the device?

I was very careful, as I explained in my question. Well, as I expected, there may be no solution to this problem. Thank you anyway.


text:
Reverting from custom rom to stock rom
I am currently on custom rom lineage 14.1 nougat 7.1 and my device is asus ZenFone 2 Z00AD.but i want to come back to stock rom but my stock rom is in lollipop version so, do i need to first downgrade to marshmallow version of stock rom and then to lollipop version ?

I don't get it - if there is a Marshmallow stock ROM, why do you have to go Lollipop? Anything you don't like about MM?

You should be able to just go down to the lollipop version. Going to marshmallow then lollipop won't really do anything other than waste time. Just make sure you flash the stock recovery before going back to the stock rom. You should be able to get everything you need from Asus' site.


text:
How do I delete application sync data permanently?
Is there a way I can completely remove sync data for an app and thus prevent it from syncing with my google account? For example, I had Google Fit on my other mobile, I wasn't using it at all, but it is still listed in my account to sync on this new phone, even when I dont have Google Fit. Is there a way I could completely remove its association with my devices?

You can just go to google settings, delete all your Google Fit history and other App-data, remove google fit, and not worry about it showing up under your account sync settings.


text:
How does the android graphics stack work?
I know that Android is based on Linux. On a desktop machine, you have an X server which coordinates all the screen activity. Some Linux distributions are working on switching to something other than X (Wayland, or Mir.)
Android doesn't appear to be using X. What does it use instead, and how can I find out more about it?

https://source.android.com/devices/graphics/

Android doesn't use X,
although there is a Java implimentation of X made for Android android-xserver.
Instead of X, Android relies on the SurfaceFlinger and HWC(Hardware Composer),
working with the BufferQueue.


text:
WhatsApp can't be installed
I seem to be encountering problems installing WhatsApp on my Huawei Y511-U10 model.
I factory resetted my phone yesterday, and downloaded apps a fresh. But whatsapp seems to be the only app that won't get installed successfully. When I try to install it it keeps on showing me "Whatsapp Messenger can't be installed. (Error code -24).
 I contacted Google Play Store and Whatsapp support for help but haven't yet gotten any solution for my problem. If there is some genious mind out there kindly assist me and I'll be greatful

What android  version your device is running?

Reading all the questions associated with this type error, you get the impression it will require root to enable you to delete the app from the /system partition if it remains.
Previous to doing that, I would suggest trying this, just to be sure it is not a file or folder remnant getting in the way:

Some apps leave remainders during uninstalls that aid in the
  restoration of state or level information upon re-installing a later
  version. Usually these remains are unimportant to a user who does not
  intend to re-install or to any other user where consistent state or
  level data is unimportant. These remains have a particular name in an
  app that can clean them up: "corpse files".
SDMaid
  is a disk cleaner that can locate, and delete, files related to
  corpses. Install the app, and select CorpseFinder from the menu to
  locate, and, optionally delete them.

DISCLAIMER: I am not the developer, just a satisfied user.
If this is not the solution, see the answers for more intensive actions through other questions here.


text:
Onboard ethernet drivers for Android-x86?
I have recently installed Android-x86 6.0 RC1 on a USB Flash drive, so I can test compatibility in various PCs and notebooks. One thing I noticed is that the Ethernet card is never detected (probably no driver) and the only option is to use the Wi-Fi card (for notebooks) or a Wi-Fi USB dongle (for PCs). This is not very convenient, at least for PCs. Is there any way to make the build-in Ethernet card work? I know there is a USB Ethernet adapter that works in Android, but this is pointless. If I have to use a USB adapter, I would use a USB Wi-Fi dongle. The point is to use the build-in Ethernet so I won't need to add anything extra to the PC. Is there any driver for the most common LAN cards such as Realtek RTL8111F and its variants found on many modern motherboards? How do I install it? Any app that can enable Ethernet?
Thank you in advance
UPDATE: No drivers needed, LAN works out of the box. I didn't realize it because I expected to see something relevant to Ethernet in Settings and was nothing there. When connecting the LAN cable it shows a <-> icon top right at the bar. As long as you see that you are online, that's it. Actually I am not sending this update from an old notebook that the WiFi is not detected by Android but the LAN works! Thank you all!

My built-in ethernet and dongle are both detected and working. I don't know about the chips they use though. Also it'd be nigh impossible to add drivers to Android unless you're building it.


text:
What does rebooting bootloader do?
I recently got a OnePlus 3T, then I updated it and now it's bricked. I cannot access recovery mode. I figured out how to get to a screen where I can reboot the bootloader. What does it do? Will it fix my problem


text:
How can I make my android device think I am somewhere else in the world
I want my android device to think my phone is in The U.K so I can buy stuff in U.K pounds cheaper.
I have set up my google wallet for the U.K. And sure enough the prices display in U.K pounds,  I've installed Amazon underground and the prices in Amazon underground display in pounds, but when I download apps and open them the prices are still in U.S dollars.
Or I have a "you are not eligible to purchase this app due to geographical restrictions".
I have all gps location sharing off, using wifi, and my google wallet is set up to the U.K
Any help out there?

Go to settings> About Phone.
Click on build number seven times to activate developer options.
Go to Settings>Developer Options.
Enable Mock Location.
Download any mock location app such as "Fake GPS" from the play store.
Go to the developer options again.
Select Mock location app and choose the app you downloaded.
turn off GPS. Open the app and select your new location.

If it does not work, probably the content provider is using your IP address to check your location. In that case, use a VPN service to spoof your location.

Sadly, this doesn't seem to make Location Sharing fake your location (it doesn't give out your real location, but still doesn't update status with the fake one).

@Ruslan have you found a solution for this yet?

@wild_nothing unfortunately, no.

I use the TunnelBear VPN software for my Android 4.4 phone and Android 5.0 tablet.
I first used it when the Beeb showed that Edward Snowden interview that could not be viewed outside the UK.  It worked just fine.  Interesting interview; I have not yet seen it on American television.
You can find it at http://www.tunnelbear.com
They allow you to use up to 500 MB per month for free to try it out.
It supports many countries around the world.  Speed is fast enough to watch Netflx with it.
I use http://www.grc.com Shields-Up to verify the IP address it uses in various places around the world.  I'm sure https://panopticlick.eff.org would work for this, too.
Once you know your VPN address you can do a traceroute (or Visual Trace) to see where you "are".
The best part is that on an Android it encrypts and tunnels ALL traffic.  So as my Androids grabs onto the open WiFi at church it is all encrypted just like at home.  It looks to the world like I am in another time zone.
On a PC it operates in Chrome and Opera by way of browser extensions, but all other traffic goes native.
I like it so much I paid their fee for unlimited data and never have turned it off.  Being in the USA I find it prudent to only use the US connection so I am not crossing foreign borders.  It can be switched very quickly and easily if I needed it for some special task.  Even then I would stay within the USAUK countries only.  But so far I have not had any reason to utilize anything outside the USA.
Bottom line is that it provides full-time encryption and tunneling for my Androids, and my virtual IP never reveals my actual state as far as I can tell.

You can download a "fake GPS" app there are plenty on the Google play store. I recommend the one entitled "fake GPS" by Lexa apps. The icon is a yellow ball emoticon. You will also need to enter developer mode. Find your menu containigthe device vital information, tap on the section mentioning the Kernel approximately a half dozen or so times. You've activated developer mode!! Here's a gold star ...
Next under Dev menu, find the mock location  setting and set the app as your default.
You can also use a VPN. some of them don't really work, but VPNTUNNEL.Com is affordable, reliable and actually works in changing your geoip.


text:
Android tablet bootup very slow
Earlier today, I was using my tablet. It ran out of battery so I charged it.
Then my tablet got stuck at the logo screen. I booted into recovery and cleared the /cache partition.
Finally, I realized that the tablet was not stuck, it was taking a very long time to boot!
I wait at the boot screen for about 3 minutes, then it changes to the loading image (which for me is a lot of moving tiles).
Why does it take so long all of a sudden?
Specs:

Tablet: Kobo Arc original White 32GB version
Processor: TI OMAP4470
RAM: 1GB
Graphics card: PowerVR

Did you install any system tweaks like Xposed? I am finding them slowing down Android booting. Even more different versions of Xposed cause significantly variable slowdown effect.

@iBug To avoid bricking it (like my previous 2 tablets), I haven't customized anything.

That's over-cautious. I often modify /system and /data after a backup. It's safe if you only touch the ext4 partitions after backing up. As long as you don't touch anything else there's nothing to worry about.


text:
Where can I find the Xposed Framework and installer for Nougat?
I am currently on CyanogenMod 14.1. I have been trying to find the Xposed SDK 25 for Android 7.1 but couldn't locate it. So I wanted to know:
If it is even out yet?
If yes then where can I find it?
Please help...

If you need it badly, go back to CM13.

@iBug so courteous of you to summon me like that...

Sorry for being rude for that time. I'm now moving on to another thread.

Updates / Corrections regarding
Xposed Framework for Nougat / Oreo
Though, Xposed Framework for Nougat/Oreo still has not been released yet, here's an update/correction to the answers provided.
A) Rovo89, Original Creator & Developer for the Xposed Framework & Installer, continues his development for the Xposed Framework for Nougat/Oreo as of 13 July 2017.
B) Rovo89's last status update was made on 28 Jan 2017 here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=70773752&postcount=41
C) The following link is the official location (on XDA Developers) that Rovo89 uses for all status updates (please disregard the thread title as it also pertains to the Nougat/Oreo as well):
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
D) Many individuals have been seeing my XDA Developers member name (also Ibuprophen) being used/referred to in a number of websites as either an additional or lone developer for the Xposed Framework for the Nougat/Oreo and wanted to set it straight that this is FALSE and has never been true (the PMs I received on XDA Developers are regarding this as a real pain in the rear-end). Rovo89 is the one and only Developer.
E) Any website that states otherwise is false and any files for the Xposed Framework for Nougat/Oreo are bogus ones that are either changed from the Marshmallow version to fake it in Nougat/Oreo or can just be dangerous. Get them from the source and not a third party.

So the other answer claiming it got a working Xposed for N is also a bogus? Glad I didn't actually try. +1

+1. Thanks for clarifying. Corrected my answer accordingly

Status Update: Adding link to iBug's answer , which gives details on availability of Xposed for Nougat .
Details below pertain to the state of things at the point of time of answering the question

Xposed for Nougat is not yet developed

Rovo89, credited with Xposed framework development updated status here in mid Nov 16
Another developer apparently is also working on it and is yet to be finalised, see 15th Dec update

( See this answer for reasons )

You can follow Google Plus Xposed to monitor

Thanks for the this confirmation. I was just wondering that it has been two months now, it should have been out by now.

That's why added the last point to monitor progress. If the answer helps you, you can accept the answer by pressing the green tick arrow left of answer

This answer is discontinued. Please move to here
Xposed for Oreo is unavailable by far because O is ... too new
An unofficial build of Xposed Framework is available from XDA. I have tested it with my OnePlus 5 and it worked perfectly.
The XDA newsfeed article is here and the thread is above.

Important Notice
  If you are using your stock ROM, make sure your /data partition is decrypted. If it's encrypted, you may have to format it. Be sure to back up your data carefully before proceeding. Also you should flash a "DM Verify and Forced Encryption Disabler" package.

Xposed for Nougat is still under development. However, I found a working Xposed for Android Nougat but it only works on ARM devices. I tried it on Lineage OS but it didn't work so I used an old CM14.1 based ROM and it worked for me. You can try it yourself.
Xposed Framework For Nougat


text:
How to play 3gpp file?
I was call recording , my battery died, the phone shut off while I was recording.
The file is on my phone. It is the correct size. It shows as an 3gpp extension. It's 2 MB so it's there. It will not play in window Media Player or with VLC player. It doesn't show up on the phone itself in the gallery, but it's there in file manager.

required more details in question (phone manufacturer, android version, root etc)

Till where I know that Gallary doest shows the Music Files.
You can try to plah by using external file manager, like ES File, ZArchiver. etc

You can try using inbuilt sound recorder which plays usually what it records, there should be option of call recordings in it. Also you easily search on Google play store about any 3gpp player.


text:
How to prevent download from being stopped if network got disconnected?
I use WiFi on home and on CyanogenMod 12.1 so I use chrome browser latest update on it. So when I am downloading file but for some reason I have to go outside , as the moment I disconnects from network download stops. Any solution to prevent this thing?
I tried That part download thing in download folder but its not working either.

Well, you need some kind of internet connection to download files. From what you said, the download stops when you disconnect from your network.
If you meant that the download doesn't work over mobile data, check the list of apps with restricted background data access for Download Manager or, of course, Chrome. If one of those apps have restricted background data, disable that option. If it still doesn't work, try a different browser and tell me whether that worked.

Nope it works on data but I usually not use any data pack(once in month) . There is no issue with restricted background data. Trying different browser now

So what exactly is the problem if it works both on WiFi and mobile data?

I don't want it to abruptly stop download instead of that it should be started where it was left.

Tell me whether I understood it correctly. You have an issue and downloads don't resume from where they stopped, right?

Yep that's the problem


text:
Link2SD: Mount script cannot be created
After making a 1744MB ext2 partition on my 4GB MicroSD with the Aparted app (since my Windows SD slot is broken) and trying to select ext2 when I start Link2SD I always get the error:

Mount script cannot be created
mount: Invalid argument

I tried to delete busybox from system/xbin to install a newer version, but /system won't mount as Read-Write. How do I fix this?
EDIT: I'm using KingRoot
EDIT 2: So I made an ext4 partition instead, and now it says

Mount script cannot be created
mount: Read-only file system

and I tried running e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 in terminal emulator (seen here as a solution)
and I got the output:
<5> e2fsck:
Internal SD card is not found, now mount manually
<3>e2fsck: save_log_to_file error
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2: |==
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2: |=============================
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2: |=============================
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2: 12/116400 files (0.0% non-conti
guous) 16193/465096 blocks

Try using ext3 or ext4 filesystem

It shows up as ext2 in Aparted, and it didn't work in Link2SD when selecting either ext2, 3, or 4.

EDIT: It's showing up as ext3 now.


text:
cannot find uninstalled Android application at Google Play Store
I've installed and uninstalled the freedompop messaging application a few times.  The last time I installed it, it worked fine.  But I needed to start the application from fresh so I uninstalled it.  I also clicked "x" to remove it from uninstalled application list (It happened before and that time I did not remove it from the uninstalled list.  So when I could not find this application, I removed it from the uninstalled application list.  Then I could find this application to install).  But this time, after removing it from the uninstalled application list, I still could not find this application.  The only one available is "freedompop messaging tips".   But that was not the one I needed.
I also used browser to access Google Play Store directly and this application was not on MY ADROID APPS list.  So Google Play Store was synched with my device.  I even did "FORCED STOP", "CLEAR DATA" and "CLEAR CACHE" for Google Play Store before searching for this application.  But I still could not find it.
This application is offered by my mobile carrier so it would not be removed from Google Play Store.  Anyone knows how to resolve this problem?

I checked the Play Store and I can't see the app either. It must have been hidden or removed. Don't worry, though. You can get the .APK file here.

Trying installing it from the playstore website:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freedompop.phone&hl=en_GB
If it does not show then it might be that it is incompatible with your phone which would mean you would need to find the APK elsewhere.


text:
Bootanimation command not recognized without root
I am thoroughly confused. In a terminal, without root, when I run bootanimation, it says /system/bin/sh: bootanimation: not found. But when I am root, and run it, it works. Why is this? I attached a screenshot.

It's because SELinux is enabled at the time.
Take a look at this. Let's pick sh as a comparison.
Note if you installed busybox then specify toolbox ls explicitly because SELinux-related functions in busybox is totally failing.
root@android:/system/bin # toolbox ls -Z bootanimation sh
-rwxr-xr-x root shell u:object_r:bootanim_exec:s0 bootanimation
-rwxr-xr-x root shell u:object_r:system_file:s0 sh
and...
u0_a0@android:/system/bin $ toolbox ls -Z bootanimation sh
ls: bootanimation: Permission denied
-rwxr-xr-x root shell u:object_r:system_file:s0 sh


text:
How can I rename an app on my phone, and what are the consequences?
Both Facebook and Google have apps called 'Messenger'. So, of course, when I use Google Now to open it, a la

"Okay Google, open App Messenger"

it seems like it's usually not the one I want.
1) How can I rename an app on my phone (so that I could call "open App FacebookMessenger", for instance, and disambiguate them)?
2) Would that break App Store updates or the connection between the Facebook app and it's Messenger app?
3) Is there another alternative I'm not thinking of? Like a Tasker-based voice solution or something? Google Now is the only problem I'm having with this namespace collision; a workaround for that would solve my problem.

It seems Google has solved the namespace collision issue by slightly re-naming their version. So this issue is solved in the particular case I asked about, but I'd still like the solution should this issue ever pop up again.

If you are willing to install an app , you can try Commandr for Google, which let's you

Integrate Tasker
Launch an app under different name ( custom app name)

Not tried by me

As it turns out I already have that app installed, so this sounds like it'll be a solution. And it also avoids any unpleasant possible side-effects that might come from renaming an app.


text:
How to minimize the app window (freeform mode/pop-up view)?
I sometimes accidentally minimize the window for the app Quick Edit Pro, whilst working with it. I get the smaller variable size and position window that I can intentionally create for some apps by long press of the return button (Android 5, Samsung GN3).
But Quick Edit Pro does not appear in the list I get when long pressing the return button.
What kind of swiping movement do I sometimes perform unintentionally in the upper part of the screen, that minimizes the app to this useful window. (Going back to the full window is done by a simple button press.)
I have tried many times but can not repeat it intentionally.
I now find that it is called "freeform mode". I have not installed any special apps to enable it.

The phone in the question uses Android 5. I was now also using another phone with Android 6. In this version I stumbled over the answer by accident. This also works in my Android 5 phone.
You swipe diagonally from one upper corner. (If you don't hit a clean diagonal swipe, you will naturally risk getting a "settings"-screen or what the app in question does for horizontal swipe.

Click image for larger variant
Here it is called the gesture for "pop-up view".
(If I make the diagonal swipe for this app (SE), I get a red frame. It probably indicates that minimization of this app has been disabled.)


text:
Blank screen when accessing Kali Linux
I'm trying to access Linux Deploy, Kali Linux via a VNC Client on my Android phone. I could access it, but I get a blank screen.
How to fix it?

Here is what to do:

Use Mobile SSH or Termux to get to a virtual terminal

While in the terminal, install xrdp
sudo apt-get install xrdp

Use JuiceSSH on your Android to get graphical screen access

When I use sudo I get "No command 'sudo' found, did you mean: Command 'sum' from package 'coreutils' ..."
But when I enter, apt-get install xrdp I get "E: Unable to locate package xrdp"

Something is wrong with the setup.  sudo is built-in like whoami, and if you get an error when you put in  apt-get install xrdp  then there is likely something wrong with your repository files.  btw, If you can run apt-get install xrdp then you don't need the sudo command.  You're logged in as root.  No problem there.  But it should be able to find xrdp.  I have done this a dozen times and it always works.  Can you consider a clean install?  If you do, then you will still want to install xrdp and use Juice to access the GUI from Android.

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


text:
Changing custom ROM to another one or to stock rom
Can jump from any custom rim to any other by just having twrp recovery installed ? Or do I need to first come back to stock ROM and again install another custom ROM ?

If you want to switch to other custom ROM just go to TWRP/CWM and perform the wipes and flash it, no need to install stock ROM. If you want to go to stock ROM than you'll need pc with software to flash firmware or via download mode on phone.

Or if someone has packaged stock ROM in flashable format, that'll also do. It doesn't fix partitions and other errors like a "fully" stock ROM does, so don't use it for emergency.

Can I flash stock firmware again by just twrp recovary

@Digu0000 no you can't

thanks http://android.stackexchange.com/users/132363/%d0%88%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%bd%d0%be%d1%80%d1%83%d0%ba%d0%b8-%d0%9a%d1%80%d1%81%d1%82%d0%b8%d0%b2%d0%be%d1%98%d0%b5

To install a custom rom you need a custom recovery for your phone .Then you can switch from a stock rom to a custom rom or from a custom rom to another custom rom . You do not need to install the stock rom for installing new custom rom. But if you flash your stock rom and it vanishes your custom recovery and install the stock recovery again then you have to install the custom recovery twrp or touchwiz recovery again to switch a custom rom ,you also have to room your phone again .

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Moto G4 still on security level July 2016
I have bought an Moto G4 smartphone about half a year ago. At first system updates where available but now no more. The security level is still at July 2016 with Android version 6.0.1
The Motorola Upgrade News site does not even list the G4 model.
How to get security updates for my phone?

Come and dive into the world of tinkering and flashing. Official OTAs and firmwares get you newer versions that might not void your warranty; custom ROMs guarantee that you're always on the bleeding edge.

@AndyYan I know about custom roms but I hoped to avoid flashing my mobile phone

Then see if there's a stock ROM that fits your particular SKU, prefereably in OTA format, so that you can update without even losing your data.


text:
How can I limit WiFi data usage to activities I explicitly allow?
I'm about to go on a cruise, and the ship has its own WiFi.  If things are the same as before, they allow a very small amount of data a day for free (beyond that requires purchasing data).  To use this free data, I go to a certain web page and sign in.  At this point, I have full internet access until I sign out.
So the question is, can I limit the WiFi data (or overall internet data) usage to only the things I specifically allow?
I know there are plenty of options for restricting data usage to WiFi only, but this is about restricting access while connected to WiFi.
I need to restrict 2 phones - a Galaxy S5 and S6 Edge.
Thanks!

Just be sure to shut off WiFi when you want it to be disconnected.  That will solve your problem and extend your battery life.

That certainly will save battery and guarantee that data isn't used, but I was looking for something that would work while I was connected to WiFi.

If you don't have root access on the device, then you can use mobiwol to control the access various apps have to the Internet. Mobiwol creates a 'virtual' VPN connection on the device which allows control of the individual app connections. However, although the app starts when the device starts it is possible that there may be a brief period prior to Mobiwol executing in which apps could get Internet access despite the Mobiwol configuration.
Also there is NetGuard which can generally forbid an app access to WiFi or mobile data, permit an app access to WiFi or mobile data only when screen is on, regardless of above settings, keep it from accessing mobile data when roaming.
It's by far the best rated app in this section – and though I haven't tried it myself, I'd say it's the one to recommend if your device is not rooted.
If you have root access, there are more alternatives:
Remove the 'internet' permission using an app like Permissions Denied
If your kernel supports IPTables, you can use an app such as AFWall+ to control which apps have access to the internet.

Sounds good.  I'll take a look at those and see how they do.

This worked perfectly.  I just denied access to everything by default, and then I enabled apps as needed.


text:
Opening CMD app on Android
I have got a software that I use on my pc, it is some kind of console that runs on CMD. Can I port or open the software in my phone? The file extension in the software is .exe but once I open it it opens Command Prompt, so I believe its a CMD app. Can Terminal Emulator open it? If so how do I do it?

You can't run exe files on Android.  They're Windows executables, just like the command prompt.

exe files are Windows executable files. They can be executed only on Windows OS. You can't run exe even on a Windows phone.
Only apk (Android Package) files can be installed in Android phones.
If you want to run a terminal (Command Prompt) on Android, install Terminal Emulator for Android
Even then, only Linux commands can be executed on the Terminal Emulator. You can't execute Windows Commands.


text:
Is there a way to access the phone filesystem from computer, wireless?
Known solutions:

USB Mass Storage (sadly, mostly deprecated on Android 4, 5, etc.).

MTP, and I know its benefits (a lot) and its weaknesses (browsing on a MTP drive with Windows Explorer has poor integration of usual features: try to right click on a file on a MTP drive, you don't have the usual UI things like Open with etc.)

Samba

FTP server solutions (good solution, but 1) how to use this if I'm on the road, with no Wifi router like at home? then I cannot link computer <---> phone?  2) it seems that such an app doesn't offer access to external sd card)

AirDroid, etc.

But with all these methods, you don't really have access on your computer to the phone's filesystem like if it was a local folder.
Question:
Is there a solution that makes it possible to browse the phone's filesystem as if it was a computer local folder, easily?

ADB can be used to access the file system very easily, just transferring files will be more difficult because of adb push and adb pull but AFAIK there are GUI applications for this. Wireless only works via WiFi anyways and most modern laptops feature a built-in mobile hotspot.

No, adb does not help to provide an interface for Windows Explorer. Try to reboot the phone (this might kick-off the media scanner) or complain to the manufacturer. Android's MTP daemon does not allow you to transparently view files, it act's as a proxy and only scans for files so often.

A remote partition/drive can never be accessed like a local folder - at least not on Windows. The best (most local folder-like) you can get on Windows is a SMB/CIFS share. On Linux there are ways to mount a network drive so that it looks like a local drive, however the network drive at some points will still behave slightly differently depending on the used protocol.

This solution works even over a hotspot. Simply enable Portable Hotspot on your mobile device, then connect your laptop to the Hotspot WiFi network.
Tip: If you want to prevent the laptop from using your mobile data, simply switch mobile data off while your hotspot is on. The solution will work even without internet access.

Install Cx File Explorer on your Android phone (it's completely free, and has no ads!).
If your phone and laptop are not on the same WiFi network, enable Portable Hotspot on your phone and connect your laptop to the hotspot.
Open Cx File Explorer (give permission), go to the Network tab and open "Access from PC".
Tap on "Start Service". You'll see the full FTP address displayed on your phone.
On Windows 10, open File Explorer and enter the full FTP address into the address bar.
Press Enter, and you'll see a "device" folder. Open it, and you'll see all the file in your phone. If you have an external SD card, you may see it as another folder besides "device".

The following is optional. If you wish to see this FTP server as a location under "This PC":

Open "This PC", right-click a blank space and click on "Add a network location".
Click Next, then Choose a custom network location, then Next again.
Type in the full FTP address that you see on your phone. Click Next.
Leave the option "Log on anonymously" enabled. Click Next.
Give your location a name. You can leave it as the IP address or maybe name it after your device.
Click Next, then Finish.

The FTP server should open in File Explorer like a normal file system. You can drag and drop files, copy and paste, etc.
For more details and other ways to access the FTP server, see this How-To Geek article.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any products mentioned.

Thanks @ADTC. Is it possible to have read+write access on the external microSD card? If I remember correctly some apps can't write on microSD.

@Basj sorry at the moment, I don't have an external storage card in my phone. It works fine for the internal storage though. Try testing on both external and internal on your phone.

How do I see the folders for the apps? Some apps are not showing

@West what are you trying to achieve? You can't copy the installed Android apps to your PC this way. This is only for accessing the files from user storage.

I gave some permission, but I opened the ftp address , but still I do not see any file. After some time the folder appeared.

According to the mentioned requirements, more powerful tool to use is Sambadroid. SambaDroid is a native port for Android of the popular Samba for Linux. This application allows you to share/manage files on your device easily from any device of your network.
Update: With the Windows Creators Update you may (or not) need to first enable SMB Server/Client functionality.
Pros

No need to use router even a mobile hotpot works fine
You can easily set a share from your android device (e.g sd card)
Ability to set shared folder with read/write permissions

Limitations

Due to limitations in later editions of Windows trying to explicitly map the network drive can result in a "network not found" error. Ignore it and use Windows explorer method.

Requires root (needed for CIFS implementation on android). Alternatively if not root, then its better to create a shared folder on windows then access it from android with a suitable file explorer, you can still perform file operations.

Setup involves setting the desired share from the device. See screenshot:

Note: NO affiliation with the above aplication
Switch on your mobile hotspot and allow your PC to connect to the network.
Once done just type [Win]+[R] in your computer, write \\SAMBADROID
or go to PC >> Network and you will see a new share, see below:

The samba share will look like this:

You can perform various functions like delete, copy etc. See below:

Hope this helps.

@ADTC Do you think there's a way to use Samba (it's often faster than FTP, especially when lots of small files) without root?

Do you know @xavier_fakerat if there is a solution with Samba without root?

Yes, Lan drive. See: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/206337/209414

Good news @xavier_fakerat! Can you include your answer here to include a a short note about this + this link? I'll try this port forwarding trick.

Ps : I see someone commented that it only works for internal storage. Have you been able to use LAN drive with external sd card, in read/write ?

Summary of attempts, thanks to the other answers and my own tests:

Using a Samba server on phone (with app Sambadroid for example) looks great, but sadly it requires root for reasons explained in
Using SMB server without root access, so it's not an option for me.

Using a FTP server (for example with cx File Explorer app) works great, but it's a bit slow if you have lots of files (even just getting the list of thousands of remote files via FTP is slow), and any FTP client on computer.

Use a SFTP server (with SSH/SFTP Server app), and then connect it from any SFTP client on computer (such as WinSCP), or rclone for synchronization (rsync won't work since it requires a rsync binary running on remote if I remember correctly).

Yes, there is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSHFS
You need an SSH server on your smartphone and an SSHFS client on your PC
It also works on Windows:
https://igikorn.com/sshfs-windows-10/

I don't think it fits the to browse the phone's filesystem as if it was a computer local folder. Or, if possible, can you give an example of configuration (what kind of client on Windows, etc., what SSH server, etc.)

which SSH server would you recommend for Android? Is there a solution that does not require root? (my phone is unrooted)


text:
fastboot works, adb doesn't
I picked up a second-hand Motorola Moto G (2nd gen) device. The model is technically XT1064 (Titan).
On my Windows machine, I'm sometimes able to see an error message when I power down the phone stating that the USB device was unrecognized (Device Descriptor Request Failed).
After days of trying, I've yet to have it show up in adb. But it works just fine if I boot into the bootloader and run fastboot commands!
I've tried all of the "easy" things people recommend:

enabling USB debugging under Developer Options
different USB cables (although since fastboot works fine, that implies the cable is also fine)
different computers (tried a Mac, a Windows 10 machine, and a Windows Vista laptop)
adb kill-server followed by adb devices
various adb versions (Android SDK platform tools and Universal ADB driver)
manually uninstalling Windows drivers
force installing drivers (doesn't work, since the device doesn't make it past the device descriptor request so Windows won't allow drivers to be installed)
installing the Universal ADB driver
re-flashing the device (tried stock Marshmallow, stock KitKat, and Lineage OS)

I'm frustrated by the process because fastboot works just fine. That's how I've flashed the separate ROMs on there.
If this were a hardware issue with USB, why would it be that fastboot operates correctly but adb does not?
Also, if it's a hardware issue, what physical part would be the problem? It seems unlikely to be the USB port itself (again, because fastboot works just fine). Is there some kind of USB controller in the phone that could be the issue? Since the device is pretty useless to me unless adb works, I'd entertain the idea of trying to solder in a new part to fix the problem if I could!

If your device is rooted, you may set up adb over network as a workaround for all USB driver problems.

Make sure both PC and Android device are in same network
On Android, install Terminal Emulator
Open Terminal Emulator and type the following:

su
setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555
stop adbd
start adbd

On a PC side, enter:

adb connect 192.168.1.2
(replace 192.168.1.2 with the IP address of your device)

Proceed with adb as if it was connected over USB

Alternatively, you may create a script with GScript instead of using Terminal Emulator.
Also, you can add these lines to your Android boot scripts, in which case you don't have to do it manually every time.

This is actually exactly what I ended up doing! I didn't need to root the device -- I just installed LineageOS and it supported it right out of the box. I just use adb connect and everything works fine. Although this is a great workaround, I'm not sure it's a solution to the problem. But it's definitely what I did, so I upvoted you. Thanks for the great suggestion!

You may need to enable USB Debugging enabled
To enable follow these steps:

Open settings
Open Info
Find the Build Number and tap on it alot until it says You are now a developer!
Exit Info
Open Developer options
Tap on USB debugging
Tap on OK

Notes:

In 4.1.x and before skip steps 2-4
In 2.2.x and before goto Settings->Applications->Development->USB debugging

Sorry, I should have added that to the list of things I've tried :). Doesn't work!

@aardvarkk it's OK, I would have commented asking if you had, just to make sure, but I can't comment yet so... I made an answer about it

@aardvarkk, have you tried the device's default windows drivers?

Yeah, I installed the drivers from the original manufacturer. But I think it's a deeper issue since the device doesn't even get to the point of trying to use drivers -- it fails on the Device Descriptor Request.

I'm not meaning ones you download, ones that Windows installs by itself

Oh, yeah, those definitely don't work. Windows doesn't even attempt a driver install. Doesn't even bring up a message, really, when I plug it in. I'm guessing because it's failing so early in the device identification.

@aardvarkk, Even in Vista?

fastboot works, adb doesn't?
my ans: you can use image loader which is compatible with that device,erase all the previous data and freshly build new Meta data by including the partitioning,after success u might get expected output like flatten success(related to build of that device).then adb will work fine with usb port detection.
hopes this works!


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Changed device lock code after encryption, and now it says data is damaged. Is this a bug?
I encrypted my Moto G4 Play using an alphanumeric password as the lock screen code because i thought that would increase the encryption key strength. After this, i changed it to a numeric lock code for convenience. Everything worked well until i power it off. Now it says the password used is correct, but the data is damaged and i must factory reset it. As far as i know, android encryption is implemented using luks and cryptfs, so i might be able to download dthe partition and decrypt it. Unfortunately, I also deactivated ADB and unrooted the phone, so i just erased everything. Is this a bug, or i did break the keys when i changed my password protection?


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How do I solve the "Unfortunately, System UI has stopped." on Gionee S6 Pro?
I seem to be getting the error "Unfortunately, System UI has stopped." on my Gionee S6 Pro. I have tried wiping cache partition via recovery with no progress. The OS is Marshmallow and UI is Amigo. The touch screen is unresponsive, but I can press the close button after error pops up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advanced!

Seems issue is with all Gionee S6 models

the issue is with all gionee S6 model. The best way out of this is to do a factory reset. But u may loose ur files on ur storage.

The stock  launcher for this model seems  buggy, and apparently there is no fix at the moment.
To solve your problem, try  installing a third-party launcher such as Nova Launcher, Google Now launcher or any other launcher...


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Is emptying Bluetooth share folder safe?
I need space, so I have emptied some cache and data from different sites.
What would I lose if I emptied my Bluetooth share?

There is absolutely no problem in emptying the Bluetooth share folder. It doesn't contain any file that could make an application force close or any other trouble!
You do lose the files inside, though. Those might be files you wanted to keep.


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Properly migrate to larger SD card on Android 6.0?
I've got a Samsung S5 (T-Mobile SM-G900T)that's rooted on Android 6.0.1 and I want to upgrade my 64GB card to a 128GB one.
There are a few reasons I don't think a simple copy and paste will work:
The SD card itself has a unique name now (6CAB-391A). Any new SD card I put in will have a different name.
I've used the built-in feature of moving apps to external storage in Android. I have quite a few apps that have been moved off of "Internal Storage" and into "UsbStorage" using Application Manager > [app name] > Storage.
My SD card has not been adopted as internal storage. It's still labeled as an "external SD card" and has not been encrypted. There is also no option to migrate.
I suspect that a simple copy and paste will break a LOT of links and my apps will no longer work.
So what's the proper procedure on Android Marshmallow to migrate to a larger card?

Possible duplicate of How can I move data from an adopted SD card to a new SD card?

Move App to External Storage is a feature of [tag:adoptable-storage], hence marked it as duplicate.

My SD card has not been adopted. It's still an "external SD card" and has not been encrypted. There is also no option to migrate.

Ok. Retracted close vote but you mentioned in your Q that you moved app to external storage using inbuilt feature- strange, since that is not a Marshmallow feature AFAIK except for adoptable-storage. Anyway, you can follow the steps in that answer or if your internal storage didn't have space, use Titanium Backup and restore data of those apps on external SD

I did. I have quite a few apps that have been moved off of "Internal Storage" and into "UsbStorage" using Application Manager > [app name] > Storage. I'm using Marshmallow 6.0.1. But my microUSB has definitely not been adopted as local storage.

Well, I am also on same version (Moto X Play) and pretty sure that option disappeared from Lollipop. Please mention your device also in question and hope you get an answer soon

Looks like it is Samsung specific- see this http://android.stackexchange.com/q/138356/131553


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Android 4.4.2 on Sumsung S4 has 100MB free from 5.18GB , what is using all the space
I cannot install disk-usage as i have no space.
Ive tried deleting stuff, removing apps...etc
but am only ambe to get back small amount.
Something is using up an enormous amount of disk-space.
What is it?
how do list hidden files etc.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Have you already consulted our internal-storage tag-wiki? It e.g. points to Something is secretly eating up my tablet memory and I need help finding it which sounds quite similar. And there are more of the kind in that tag's most frequent questions.

If you have access via adb, you can navigate to the sdcard and run "du -sh *" or from the computer ' adb shell "du -sh *" ' and see the output of how large the folders are.  Likely Android is going to be big. You need to be selective about what you delete from the Android folder if that's the route you need to take.
If you can't look at things using adb:
Try clearing cache of apps that build up a lot of space such as youtube and google translate. Also, and if this doesn't free things up enough to install disk usage, look inside the Android folder of the sdcard.  There are two subfolders here to look at, on is data and the other is obb.  Games that take up a lot of space are often in obb; deleting here will screw up your game and you may have to reinstall entirely in order to get this data back, but it one way of clearing a big files in your scenario.  Cached data that really builds up goes in the data folder; look for youtube in case it wasn't cleared when you went to settings.  In fact a lot of Google apps keep ridiculous amounts of history which can eat up space.  Its best to try to clean it in settings>apps opposed to manually deleting it unless you feel you know your way around the files you're looking at.  Clearing files in Data, or clearing data via settings, will reset apps as if they were just installed which isn't convenient.
There is also sometimes a "clear cache" function in the menu to format the sdcards which can free up space without screwing things too bad however I haven't tried it on that device and only used it once on a different device.  You want to be careful you don't format a card in the process while in this menu.


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How do I add repository to Android and what repositories do I add to get xrdp?
I'm using Termux. What do I type in my Terminal on Android to add a new repository in order to install more applications into my terminal?
I'm using Android 5, ZTE Blade S7 if that helps.

Unless you tell me what terminal program comes with repositories, I cannot help you much. The only one I'm aware of is Termux – but I never heard there are multiple repositories behind it. Don't forget, you're not on Linux here, though Android uses a (modified) Linux kernel :)

I'm using Termux.  I guess I can't add repositories.  :(

That's at least a detail :) I never heard there were additional repositories to Termux except for the one maintained by its dev. Its help page on package management doesn't mention anything alike. You could, however, check the project site, especially the issues, if there was already a notion and, if not, open an issue to ask.


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Why does Thunar suddenly see SD card as empty?
For several days, I have been able to access the SD card of my phone from Thunar having installed libmtp via MTP. Now, when I go to Thunar to mount my phone, it does not show the files inside the SD card.

Thunar correctly reports that the SD card has several GB of used and free space, so it knows there are files on the SD card.
Thunar shows no files on the SD card.
If I connect with adb, I can browse to the SD card and see the data is still there.
I can use Thunar to still browse the internal storage of the phone.
I am not aware of changing any settings to have caused this to occur.
The phone and SD card are brand new.

What might have caused this change in behavior?

It's just MTP being MTP. Probably the media scanner forgot about the contents of the SD card or is just re-indexing it and the database is inaccessible to the MTP application.

@GiantTree MTP is horrendous in this aspect.

Is there some way to fix it?


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google play services has stopped msg
i have an LG Tribute and the google play services has stopped  keeps popping up i have done all the steps recommended to clear this annoying pop up, is there something else i can do that might work?

If you've really tried everything, there's nothing else you can do. But if you tell us what you've tried, somebody might be able to suggest something you haven't tried.

You can fix it very easily.

Clear Phone Data and Cache:
Stop Automatic Updates on your Device:

Reset your Android Device Phone's App

Hope it will work for you, If you need more then follow complete tutorial, It will fix other Process Com.Android.Phone errors.

Go to settings, force-stop Google Play Services, and restart your phone

If your using a phone that supports multiple users.
setup a second user on the phone and update the system files that way...


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What signature does TWRP look for?
The stock recovery will look for a valid signature from its manufacturer.
What signature does TWRP look for?
Does it have a built in keychain of known developers? Does it just check for any signature and accepts it regardless of the signer to check for integrity only? Does it check whether the signature is from the same signer as the currently installed ROM?
(I'm asking because LineagOS recently started releasing signed builds but TWRP failed to verify it. Probably you'll want to use the LineagOS OS recovery but those haven't been released yet)

Weird, TWRP defaults to not checking signature. Look for that toggle. I build CM/LineageOS personally and did not get any problems flashing one.

@AndyYan Maybe he's talking about the LineageOS team's decision to sign each build with a private key.

@DeathMaskSalesman I know, I'm just wondering how that differs from a homemade build.

It will for an md5 checksum of what you're flashing if its present.
If TWRP won't let you flash a file, likely the checksum is turned on and can turned off in settings at the TWRP gui and possibly at an extended menu when selecting the file to flash.
If the file you're trying to flash doesn't work with TWRP, for example its contents isn't in a format that TWRP handels, then it won't work. Files from phone manufactures often have their own signing signatures that are only going to work with the recovery that is also from the manufacturer, and some manufactures are going to use an encrypted image that the stock recovery and bootloader are going to work with.  The rule of thumb, here, is not to flash OEM files with TWRP unless you know its okay with your device.


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ADB is not detecting the device
I am running an Ubuntu 14 host machine on my PC and recently I got an Eragon 820 Development kit which is running on Android Marshmallow, everything was working fine until I click the factory reset option in the Android settings.
After that the adb / fastboot neither working and In the Dmesg am getting like this
[  308.326141] usb 2-1.3: new high-speed USB device number 18 using ehci-pci
[  308.420065] usb 2-1.3: New USB device found, idVendor=18d1, idProduct=d001
[  308.420072] usb 2-1.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  308.420076] usb 2-1.3: Product: MSM8996 for arm64
[  308.420079] usb 2-1.3: Manufacturer: unknown
[  308.420083] usb 2-1.3: SerialNumber: 77a941ec
[  310.055562] usb 2-1.3: usbfs: USBDEVFS_CONTROL failed cmd adb rqt 128 rq 6 len 256 ret -110
[  311.971228] usb 2-1.3: USB disconnect, device number 18

these same 8 lines keep on repeating (i.e. the device connects, is recognized, some adb rqt… fails, device is disconnected again).
Anyone know how to fix this issue?

Have you setup the proper udev rules? See my answer here for details. You probably could take the udev rule I've posted there, adjusting ATTRS{idProduct}=="4e22" to ATTRS{idProduct}=="d001".

@lzzy Thank you for your quick replay, yes i already added the the idproduct and vendor id in the 51-android.rules file, but it's not showing the device at adb devices commad

Looks like the device is having some issues then. Reading the log again with that in mind, it seems Linux tries to apply some ADB command, fails, and disconnects the device (the last 2 lines). You could try another factory-reset, this time from recovery (wipe cache & data) and see if that helps, maybe something was incomplete on the previous run. Not sure if that helps, but worth a try.

@lzzy Even i loaded a fresh image into it through fastboot mode, but still the device is not booting. Is this due to bootloader is correpted?

No idea. But if it where corrupted, you couldn't have used fastboot. Btw, the device not booting up is not what your question is about – or at least you didn't mention that. If it's not booted up, the ADB daemon on it might not be started properly, which would explain the issue.

@lzzy if i manually load the boot image using fastboot boot boot.img, the device is starting properly.but if we restart the device again the same issue, the device is booting up

That sounds as if there's some "corruption" on the boot image (not the boot loader, that's something else). Did you consider flashing a fresh ROM? That might fix it.

@lzzy , Yes, I flashed a fresh image which is given by the vendor, for that also the same problem. I talk with the vendor directly and they also facing the same issue with the bsp version I used.

In that case I'd ask the vendor to provide a solution. And as for here: As "not booting up" and "not detected by ADB" are two separate issues, better keep them separate. It's irritating if the question asks for one, and you're primarily looking for the other ;)

Did you enable the developer options again after doing a factory reset?If not follow the below steps to enable it.
Go to Settings, About phone and tap on build number 7 times to unlock/enable Developer options again (factory reset would've put it back to the default of locked/disabled).
Enable USB debugging from the developer options after the above step for adb/fastboot to work.

Thank you for prompt replay, After i click the factory reset option on android the device is not booting up. if the device detected i can load new image


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What is the difference between the official and unofficial version of a ROM?
The title pretty much says it all. What is the difference between the official and unofficial version of a ROM? From what I've seen, unofficial comes before official, for ROMs like cyanogenmod.

Rahul Gopi describes the basic concept of official and unofficial, but I'd like to add some important additions.

Unofficial is not necessarily different from official in sense of code and result. One can build purely from codes supplied by the ROM team without additions, and the result will be exactly the same as Nightlies, minus some fingerprints here and there that shows who built it.
Official is not necessarily better than unofficial. For many popular devices, both exists, and the developer for unofficial versions will add tweaks to differentiate, e.g. a custom kernel, slimmed down build (i.e. removed some preinstalled apps), themed to the developer's liking. This is what I'm doing monthly as a home compiler, by the way.
Official is not always perfect. Sometimes developers have unreleased patches that aren't pushed to upstream yet, or haven't been approved in code review for various reasons, leaving long overdue bugs in official builds. Devs can push out unofficial builds with those baked in when building locally, thus fixing the bugs.
When a new Android version releases, unofficial builds almost always come first. This is due to the strict requirements (e.g. what basic features should at least work) the ROM team choose to enforce on official releases. Contrarily, devs for unofficial builds are mostly concerned about bringing the version to the mass as early as possible as a proof-of-concept.

For those reasons above, you should not assume that "who builds it doesn't matter" - look carefully at the intro of the unofficial ones (because official ones rarely offers such intro), and decide if it has an edge you need.


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Disable Encryption after Factory reset on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
Is there any method to disable encryption after A factory reset on Android 6.0?
Regards

Switching to a custom kernel which doesn't start encryption at first boot post a factory reset can work.

I've modified the "boot.img" and r"ecovery.img" (its an MTK device), but the ported TWRP still doesn't work, am I missing something?

For me (Lenovo P2, Android 8.1/LineageOS 15.1) the TWRP procedure below worked although with one side effect. It may also work on Android 6.
Please note that it requires an unlocked bootloader, a custom recovery image (standard for custom ROMs), blanks the /data and internal /sdcard partitions and involves rooting - note that this may result in problems with some security-sensitive programs, such as banking/payment apps.
It is essentially this one for a different device, apart from the steps to mount storage and using a different zip (important); the screenshots are instructive. It is worth being familiar with the recovery program.

Backup /data partition, including the USB mounted internal storage (which I think is /sdcard on my phone). I would also recommend syncing contacts, backing up WhatsApp to cloud ..etc. Back up the entire phone flash memory if you are not using a custom ROM/recovery.

I would advise studying/reading up a bit on this - I somehow failed to do /data properly, so had to reinstall and reconfigure all apps.

Download the Magisk zip on this page or a newer one if you can find it (it may be possible to update it with newer Magisk files; or you can flash a newer Magisk version after rebooting the system and confirming the /data partition is unencrypted).
Reboot into recovery (TWRP).
Format the /data partition (for TWRP use the specific Format Data button under Wipe - see screenshot on first linked page).
For TWRP reboot into recovery again so it definitely understands the /data partition is now no longer encrypted.
Mount /data & /sdcard and move the Magisk zip to the sdcard area.
Install the Magisk zip.
Reboot System.
Open Magisk Manager under the apps and configure Magisk Hide for any relevant apps. Magisk Hide settings may not survive a reboot on some filesystem implementations - worth checking as if you are blanking /data, that is also a good time to change filesystem on it if you want those settings persisted!

Side effect on Lenovo P2 is that the fingerprint sensor and settings do not work. (If I encrypt the data partition later from within the Android settings, then it works again.)


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Allow sending premium SMS on Samsung Galaxy J7
On Samsung Galaxy J7, I accidentally set "never allow" in sending premium messages. Now I can't activate some services directly.
I searched and found that Samsung Galaxy S phones have a setting called "Premium SMS", but there isn't anything like that in J7, either on:

Settings - Applications - Application manager - Messages - Permissions, or
... Permissions - More - All permissions

How to change the setting for premium SMS on Samsung Galaxy J7?

Search for premium SMS access in Settings. Keep your search string minimum. You should find it.

There is no word as premium sms in settings. That is the problem.

On one case, it is showing under Apps - Special Access - Use Premium text message service, and it can be set to "Always Allow".
However, there is also a case where the messaging service does not show.

Just go to Settings > Application > Application Manager > More (from top-right hand corner) > Show System App (Android icons need to appear) > Message Service (Android icon) > Send Premium SMS > Allow Always.

There is no such option on the J7. When you go to more and click on each option, it only describes those options, no way to add any more. Also premium messages is not listed under more.

Settings > Apps > Special Access > Use Premium SMS services > Switch to ‘Always Allow’

I found it in Settings > Apps > (triple dots on the right corner) > Special access.


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Dangers of modifying a manufacturer firmware
I have a device that uses UBIFS instead of YAFFS, and the system partition is truly read-only. As a result, I can only modify the system partition by completely reflashing it. My device is also not fastboot-friendly, so the only way I can flash it is to modify the manufacturer firmware.
Naturally, I would like to root it this way.
If I modify the manufacturer firmware, test it in an avd, and it WORKS, and then flash it to my device using stock recovery, what are the risks/chances that something will go wrong?

Possible signature or checksum verification -> won't boot. This is something that immediately comes to mind.

Won't boot or won't flash?

And would I be able to recover with recovery?

It's just my speculation, I don't know for sure...

@AndyYan If I'm not mistaking, stock recovery doesn't accept flashing anything that's not signed by the manufacturer.

@DeathMaskSalesman Right. I want to spoof it.

If you can then you basically just got the key to every custom ROM's first problem - having to use a custom recovery to flash it. It ain't gonna be as easy as you think...

@AndyYan I didn't say it would be easy. I can definitely spoof their checksum, but I might have to ask them nicely for their signing key. Unfortunately, they don't speak much English and always send me back the exact same "fix" no matter what I say in the email. ;-)

@NonnyMoose they won't ever hand out their signing key. If they did, and it gets known, noone will buy from them anymore. Too risky.

@Izzy I was joking. ;-)

OK then :) I was not, just for the benefit of other users :)

The risks involved by reflashing a firmware are :
In case something went wrong during the flashing process (You should have to be very careful while it is flashing tho), The phone will be PERMANENTLY RENDERED unbootable, or you might PREMANENTLY brick your phone.
I strongly suggest you to not to try to do anything above if your device has a warranty from it's manufacturer, otherwise, You may confirm trying to attempt that.

yeah that should be common sense, but worth mention as many people do stupid things without actually knowing these days ;) anyway, consider answering more recent questions

Wow, I completely forgot that this existed. Good answer to a bad question.

Why would it be so? If he only flashes the system partition, he still could use the recovery to unbrick.


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Changing device configuration to display non-circular launcher icons
According to this article, an Android device's "system framework decides whether or not to return either the regular icon or the round icon to the launcher."  "When a launcher requests an app icon, the framework returns either android:icon or android:roundIcon, depending on the device build configuration."
Is it possible to alter the device build configuration to change the default icon display to non-circular?
I'm on a stock, non-rooted Nexus 5X.

For a non-rooted device, it's not possible as far as I've seen, as it's totally under control of OEM as implied in this Android developers documentation. But otherwise, it's possible if one can edit config with the value of config_useRoundIcon to false.
Just for experimenting, you can decompile the framework-res.apk and change the above-mentioned value in bools.txt and recompile the apk and push the apk into the device.


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Developer options only show USB debugging on QMobile devices
I have QMobile with Android 5.1 (rooted). I have enabled Developers option by tapping 7 times the option which enables it, and there are supposed to be a few options in the Developer options. However, there is only a single USB debugging setting.

I want to enable mock locations. The settings which are supposed to be there can be searched but cannot be enabled.
I have tried all the solutions: factory reset, upgraded the OS, tweaked, but nothing worked.

Even after Factory Reset the problem remains? Oh, and your storage is almost full, sometimes this can prevent a device from working normally

No , Its Not a problem I have cleared Storage . is there is any third party app or tweak?

Seems like a bug. If factory resetting didn't help, you should consider flashing the phone. Also, you should expect that  the constructors may have expressly removed the missing options.

i searched thru internet  for this problem all are , incomplete topics ,

Manufacturers can customize Android ROM and disable some developer options, so one of the solutions is to flash custom ROM (if possible).


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Removing a deleted account that's still on Galaxy S4
I had a Google account I wanted to get rid of linked to my phone and ended up going to: Settings>Accounts>Google>Account Preferences and selected my account so I could get rid of it.

Click to enlarge image
I selected  "Delete your Google account" and I don't remember but it probably prompted me asking if I was sure or what the password is or something like that. Anyways I deleted it and ever since I've had this error message

Click to enlarge image
And when I tap it, it opens up Google and asks me to sign in again and says it can't find the account. All this is just an inconvenience but what's really making this a problem is I can't update any apps in the play store until I get rid of this account somehow. I've tried looking in the android file explorer for some sort of accounts system file or even a google accounts system file to delete and can't find anything of the sort on the S4. I don't want to have to factory reset and get all my stuff back over this. Oh yeah, this is what shows up for the accounts settings now.

Click to enlarge image
Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Just remove the account from the device.
Go to Settings > Accounts > Google, then click on the account, click on 3-dots ⋮ > Remove account. You'll get rid of the notification.

That's not an option on the phone. That screen is the only way to remove the account off the phone. I think I made the mistake of not doing the "Delete Google Services" first because the account is deleted and doesn't exist but is linked to the phone and making it so I can't update apps and use them properly etc. I need a more creative soloution. What you're suggesting can't be done on my phone.

Did you try it? This is the only way to remove an account from a device. This applies also for Samsung

Wow... Thankyou so much. Lol I feel a little dumb but I could've sworn I had already tried that a few times. I hit the account and it took me to the sync settings. Hit the menu key (3 lines) and there it is. My mistake, thanks for the help.

@Evan Glad I've helped. Please mark this answer  as Accepted, It will help others too


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Persistent Loading in Chrome
I've noticed that on the desktop version of Chrome, sites that employ Disqus will constantly load user comments and even post a "someone is typing..." message when appropriate. I was wondering if this feature is available as a setting or developer flag in the mobile version.

Fixed it myself! Turns out the symptom was far from the problem. At the time of posting this question, I was using a hosts file generated by AdAway. Before that, I was using the MoAAB hosts file. Neither allowed persistent loading in chrome.
I have since moved to Dan Pollock's hosts file and have been wonderfully happy. While it similarly blocks most if not all ads, it fixed problems with broken non-invasive redirects through ad networks, and, pertinent to this question, allows mobile chrome to once again persistently load data from an embedded app such as Disqus!
I hope this helps even one other person out there with a similar problem. Best of luck! :)


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Cannot format userdata, Fastboot refuses to detect
I have an OpenSUSE Leap 42.2, with adb, fastboot, and heimdall all present. My Android tablet is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (model: SM-T713). I am attempting to flash Lineage OS onto it.
I have already flashed TWRP onto the tablet via heimdall, but TWRP fails to mount /data. It continuously spits out errors along the lines of E: Can't mount /data (invalid argument) and Couldn't mount /data, and cannot find crypto folder.
After some research, I discovered a solution is to run fastboot format userdata to erase the /data partition.
However, fastboot format userdata hangs:
$ fastboot format userdata
< waiting for device>

My tablet is in download mode, and is plugged in to the computer via USB. lsusb detects it, but adb devices and fastboot devices cannot detect it.
Is there any way to allow Fastboot to format my tablet?

I was using an unofficial release of TWRP, as at the time there was no official release. However, the official release for my device added an "Erase Data" button, which allowed me to succesfully flash Lineage.


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Textra notifications disappearing from tray after upgrading OnePlus to Android Nougat
So I LOVE the Textra app, but after I just upgraded to Nougat on my OnePlus 3T - I noticed that my text message notifications disappear from the notification tray on my main screen after a while. It used to be that they would stay in the notification bar until I accessed/dismissed them and then they'd disappear.
Now I get a message and it temporarily shows the Textra notification icon in the tray at the top of the main screen, but if I lock the phone without answering and then unlock it again the notification disappears.
This is inconvenient because after a few hours away from my phone, I have no indication that I got any texts unless I remember to open up the Textra app and see what's new. I liked it better before.
I couldn't figure out where to ask Textra directly - so I came here.

Is it immediate after you lock the screen and unlock again, or is there some time in between?  If the latter, it sounds to me like the app is getting killed by the system to free up memory.  One possible fix might be (if you are rooted) to use Titanium Backup or another similar app to turn Textra into a system app, so that keeping it running will be a priority for the system.

It seems to be pretty delayed, actually. And if I don't pickup the message right away or soon after I get it then the notifications disappear from my my notification tray. For example, I just had my wife send me a test one and it stayed there for a few minutes, but when I opened the Textra app I noticed I had text messages two other threads that did have notifications showing up in the bar. They must've come in during the last 15 minutes or so and the notification icons in the tray had disappeared without my ever seeing them. I'm not rooted - just normal OS.

I had the same problem. The Textra app includes a support section (Settings > Support) and this is one of the top topics. Here is the text.
OnePlus running Android 7 - Notification disappears / goes away

To fix, do Android Settings > Battery > Aggressive doze and app hibernation (dotdotdot top right) > set Textra to 'Not optimized'.


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Galaxy Tab S2 is psuedo-bricked; will not get past activation process
I have a Galaxy Tab S2, 8.0", Wi-Fi (SM-T713). I have flashed it with stock firmware (flashed SYSTEM, CACHE, HIDDEN, BOOT, and RECOVERY), and wiped /data ("Factory reset" in recovery). However, it is stuck in a "psuedo-brick".
I call it this because while it may not be "bricked", it can't get past the initial setup process, and therefore can't be used for anything useful.
The specific issue is after the "Welcome!" screen. I select "English (United States)", and then it asks to set up Wi-Fi. It is off, so I turn it on. I wait a few seconds, and it turns itself off, without detecting any networks.
It seems to make me select a Wi-Fi network to proceed, which of course I can't do.
The FRP lock is enabled, so I cannot boot into anything custom.
How can I get my device to stop turning its Wi-Fi off?

The issue seems to be an incomplete flashing. The method I did used heimdall to flash the system.img.ext4, cache.img.ext4, hidden.img.ext4, recovery.img, and boot.img files. While this allowed for a bootable system, it did not have Wi-Fi capabilities.
The solution was to get the device's PIT file via heimdall download-pit --output pit.file, then view the PIT via heimdall print-pit --file pit.file | less. You'd then have to go through each entry (my tablet had 42), and flash the file specified to the partition specified. (If the entry has no file name or the file doesn't exist, skip it.)
I do not recall which partition did the trick (I rebooted only after flashing all of them), but Wi-Fi capabilities were brought back.


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Change Google Account in Jelly Beam 4.1.2
My bro had a phone and he doesn't remember the password, I need to change the account of that phone, it has Android 4.1.2, with a factory reset and data wipe would be enough to remove the current account? If not, what are the steps to follow?

@beeshyams the duplicate you suggested is about gmail app, what I want is to change the phones account, kinda different right?

@beeshyams Then what do I need to do? My bro's account is there and he doesn't remember the passoword.

See under settings, accounts, and remove Google account. I am not sure of the exact place this setting is available

It asks for the password @beeshyams

Since that is not available, looks like no option but to try factory reset

Side-note: As it's Android < 5.x, a factory-reset should be sufficient. Careful with Android 5 and up, as "factory reset protection" (FRP) might kick in. Worth a look in this context: our locked-out tag-wiki.


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How can i Bypass the owners Google account verification on Android v10
My friend bought a used LG Android v10 T-Mobile phone and she factory reset it immediately because she didn't know the screen lock password. Unaware of the new security lock option for Google account. It says connect to Wi-Fi. Then press next. It says 'checking connection' and  'verifying Google account'. Then it directs me to the sign in requirement page for the phone set up and asks for my e-mail address.
When I put my e-mail and password in, Google security account verification calls phone to give code. I then have to type in the 6 digit code provided. It checks information and accepts my account info but before next step it redirects me to "please sign in using the owners account that was previously synced to device" and I don't have any way of knowing a name or e-mail of original owner.
Is there a way for me to bypass this Google security verification so I can use this phone?

i hope this helps. check 2nd answer

Try contacting the previous owner of the phone and see if you can have them set a temporary password to get through it.