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How to watch a periodically shot image on other PC/Smartphone via Internet (no local WIFI)?
There are a lot of webcam apps for Android. Unfortunately most work only in a local WIFI network, real streaming of the android cam over internet seems rather tricky, but not impossible.
I'm just interested to see a periodic image of a lab device (updated every 30-60 sec). Options like Google Hangout video chat or Skype video chat with two accounts would work, but the video quality is quite poor for this realtime solution, some images with adjustable resolution made periodically would be better and save battery (this app might resolve this problem)
Teamviewer Quick Support looks nice, remote control & view via PC of your android device, so I would just need an app that makes periodically an image:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Nishant.Singh.DroidTimelapse
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm
But is there an app that does this all in a more easy manner? Without starting several apps and hacks? Just making an image every 30-60 seconds and send it to imageshare service and update the browser tab on PC every 30-60 seconds. But the URL therefore should not change. Or giving the the android phone a IP via dyndns and run somekind of FTP server on it, where the image gets replaced on and on.
I'm not sure what the easiest and most reliable option is, anybody has a tip?
Edit: I'm root and on 4.2.2 (Xperia Z)

are you root and have you already purchased Tasker? I might have found a way, but first I have to check several things.

@paolo I'm root on 4.2.2. Would be great to hear how you do it!

Another approach:
The free app IP webcam is a video streaming tool primarily, but there's also an option to fetch only a photo. It brings a webserver where /photo.png is a continuously updated resource. Since it gets refreshed each time you request it via a browser, you don't have to care about taking a picture every X minutes.
You then can use port forwarding on the router to access the phone's webserver from www.
Ip webcam also features authentication with username/password, but I don't know how secure it is.

Tasker is the way to go with this one. Or, I suppose Llama might do the trick for you as well --
As for the receiving end, automatically refreshing a browser window?
You'd need a bit of javascript for that --- you would have to be hosting the image share service, yourself - which I don't think you're going to do.. right?
You could, after all, have a simple webserver on the phone that is taking the pictures, and do it that way, as well.. but that requires a bit of knowledge on how to configure your firewall ---
Do you really want to take a picture every 30-60 seconds? and record each picture? or would you rather have something that takes a picture when you want to see it?
TeamViewer would be your best option in that case -- you could just use TeamViewer to get into your phone, and either leave the camera running or just use it to take a picture.
Or, the combination of those two things are probably going to be your path of least resistance ---
//EDIT
Based on your comments, it seems like this is the route you'll want to go.
1). Set up an HTTP server (Not FTP) - on your android. Connect your Android to WiFi so you can have a static IP, which will simplify the rest.
2). Tell your firewall/gateway (dependent on your ISP) that your Android device is an HTTP server.
3). Set up Llama to take a picture every x seconds, and put the picture in /path/to/http-server/latest-picture (if you want to save all the pictures, then you'll need it to mv /path/to/latest-picture /path/to/older-pictures_{timestamp} - which Llama has variables for, I'm sure...
4). Point FireFox to http://your.external.ip.addr/path/to/latest-picture
Voila - !
This can be a bit complicated, but if you have patience, I'll help.

What would be the purpose of Llama? Firefox has options to reload a tab every second, thats not the problem. What is the prob with the firewall, the bigger problem seems to make some FTP server on android and forward the dynamic IP. Picture should be every 60 sec. Teamvwiewer I testet already, but especially when camera screen is open it doesnt work very properly from my pov.

@Hauser Llama is just a free Tasker alternative.

Llama could take a picture every X seconds for you and upload it to whatever you wanted. The firewall thing relates to your FTP server from your android - however, if your android is connected to WiFi, you configure your firewall to let it though, most of the time, your ISP gives you a static IP, so instead of an FTP server, you could make it an HTTP server, point firefox at http://your.ip.addr.here/path/to/latest-picture - and voila - !

That's my solution:
Create a tasker profile that is triggered every X minutes. Its task has two actions:

take a picture and save it with a static name
upload the photo to a cloud storage

I found FolderSync, which has a Tasker integration and it lets you upload files to many kinds of cloud storage (as title and description suggest, at least - I didn't test it yet) including ftp, sftp, google drive and dropbox. To receive the images in a webbrowser, a simple js script should do it if you make your uploaded file public ('everybody who has the link...'). Otherwise, you may have to implement an authorization in your script.
So it should be possible to use these two apps for your purpose. Here are some pros and cons:
advantages

while you can use dropbox or something similar, you don't have to host anything
it's relatively simple

disadvantages

you searched for a solution with one app but need two (I think thats a minor...)
you will have to buy FolderSync (and Tasker, eventually)

Hope this helps (at least for getting new ideas)!


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Exchange ActiveSync device agent strings for Android OS version
I am creating reports based off of our Exchange ActiveSync logs. One of the fields in the EAS logs is "Device Agent" which tells me the device type and what version of Android the device is on. An example string from this field is:
SAMSUNG-GT-N7000/100.20306

where the first part before the "/" is the device and the second part is the Android version.
I am sure the version number maps to the Android version since these strings are different than the EAS client strings. An example of and EAS client string is "Android-EAS/2.0" where the number is the version of the ActiveSync client. Devices with those strings report the Android version in another column.
Here are some additional examples of the Android version numbers: 100.202, 100.20303, 100.20304, 100.20305, 100.20306, 100.40003, 100.40004
I was able to leverage this resource for the iOS devices: http://www.onesimplescript.com/2012/06/reporting-on-apple-ios-activesync.html
What I can't figure out is a mapping of the Android versions from these strings to their "friendly" names (KitKat, Ice Cream Sandwich, etc). Are there any resources available that map these numeric OS versions to the OS name?

Not sure if this question fits this Q&A site, but you might end up building your own hash list.

Are you sure that version number maps to the Android version, not the version number of the ActiveSync client?

According to the version numbers you've posted, they are the Android version numbers with zero padding. Therefore these can be directly mapped to "friendly" names, which can be found for example on Wikipedia under Android version history.
100.202   => 2.2   => Froyo
100.20303 => 2.3.3 => Gingerbread
100.20304 => 2.3.4 => Gingerbread
100.20305 => 2.3.5 => Gingerbread
100.20306 => 2.3.6 => Gingerbread
100.40003 => 4.0.3 => Ice Cream Sandwich
100.40004 => 4.0.4 => Ice Cream Sandwich

So the remaining should be:
100.105   => 1.5   => Cupcake
100.106   => 1.6   => Donut
100.2     => 2.0   => Eclair
100.20001 => 2.0.1 => Eclair
100.201   => 2.1   => Eclair
100.20201 => 2.2.1 => Froyo
100.20202 => 2.2.2 => Froyo
100.20203 => 2.2.3 => Froyo
100.203   => 2.3   => Gingerbread
100.20301 => 2.3.1 => Gingerbread
100.20302 => 2.3.2 => Gingerbread
100.20307 => 2.3.7 => Gingerbread
100.3     => 3.0   => Honeycomb
100.301   => 3.1   => Honeycomb
100.302   => 3.2   => Honeycomb
100.4     => 4.0   => Ice Cream Sandwich
100.40001 => 4.0.1 => Ice Cream Sandwich
100.40002 => 4.0.2 => Ice Cream Sandwich
100.401   => 4.1   => Jelly Bean
100.402   => 4.2   => Jelly Bean
100.403   => 4.3   => Jelly Bean
100.404   => 4.4   => Kit Kat

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Play Store 4.9.13 insufficient storage error and icon issues
I've been having issues with the Play Store's recent 4.9.13 update on my Blu Dash 4.5.  Every time I try to install or update any app that is more than 1 MB, I keep getting an "insufficient storage" error, even though I have about 120MB on the apps partition free.  Apps do install and update on an older version, however.  In addition, the icons on the Play Store have weird black borders.  I have searched all over the internet and I have yet to find a solution for either of these problems.  Apparently, most devices affected by these bugs are using MediaTek chipsets and have Android 4.2 on them.  My phone is using the stock ROM and is not rooted.

Have you tried clearing the data for the Play Store app?

You definitely got a more updated version of play store than what I have.. The version I have is 4.8.20.... How did you update the play store app??...
One suggestion to... Can you do a force uninstall updates which is located on Settings>Apps>ALL and select the Play Store. See if reverting back helps. And if so I'd say there is a pretty bad bug within that version.

@Al E. Unfortunately, clearing the data does not help.

@Rushnosh: I actually did uninstall the update a few times.  I can confirm that it is a issue with the Play Store. Unfortunately, the update will reinstall regardless of settings.

The correct answer to this problem, and I always see wrong explanations, is that you have a duplicate /data/app-lib folder for the app or apps that are giving you that error.
To fix: Using adb, terminal, or root explorer:
compare /data/app to /data/app-lib
you will see, for example:

/data/app/example-app-1.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1
/data/app-lib/example-app-2   <--EXTRA

OR

/data/app/example-app-2.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1   <--EXTRA
/data/app-lib/example-app-2

So for 1st example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-2
and for 2nd example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-1
Then your app will install just fine!
ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP THE SAME NUMBERS,
IF THE APK IS 1 REMOVE 2... IF THE APK IS 2 REMOVE 1!

Won't this require root?

Yes, that is the problem with this bug... I am just explaining what causes that insufficient space warning. For some reason, when apps update, sometimes Play Services does not remove the app-lib directory for that app. It happens to me quite a bit. And that is how to I fix it.

I don't think there is anyway to remove the folder without root. However until Google fixes the Bug, I would try to get the app's apk... asking for the app's apk online or if you already have it, I would suggest trying to install with adb, except use adb install -r application.apk the -r flag is reinstall. Check when Play Services was last updated and version, as it may be Play Services not Play Store causing the left behind app-lib folders. Then, I would get the apk for previous play services or play store and use it. That won't remove the app-lib folder but will prevent more.

@SudoSURoot
So in a normal case we are looking at this scenario (using the nexus5 - hammerhead):
root@hammerhead:/data/app # ls | grep -i vending com.android.vending-1.apk root@hammerhead:/data/app # ls ../app-lib | grep -i vending com.android.vending-1
@Crayon
Will try out our play store update and see if I can replicate the issue myself.

There is actually an app to fix this, which removes all extra /data/app-lib folders, but it needs root access. It is created by Jrummy apps, and the apk download is located at: http://jrummy-apps.com/faqs/ and click/look under section titled Google Play gives an 'Insufficient Storage Available' error

@Rushnosh just to be sure you understand, it is not Play Store having extra /data/app-lib folder, but the app giving the insufficient storage error. And yes that is a way to find the problem app-lib. On the second grep it would show com.application.name-1 and com.application.name-2. I just installed the app from my comment from above, as I usually just use adb shell rm -rf /data/app-lib/com.application.name-1 (whichever is extra, 1 or 2), and the app is simple, hit a button it removes all extras and tells which were removed. I had one currently and didn't even know it.

OK... So in the ctsao68 case the app which is referring to "File Manager". Yep got it...
So steps to replicate (I dont think I can since I have alot of space on my phone, but will try anyways)...

Install PlayStore Update (com.android.vending-4.9.13.apk)
Attempt to install anything above 1MB ... Or try File Manager
See results - adb shell commands

@SudoSURoot your solution did worked. How did you knew what to do? care to share?

I build system ROMs daily and saw the error quite a few times, and from browsing my system all of the time, I just noticed that the apps which were having this error had duplicate app-lib folders. Later I found the app I posted in comment above, by jrummy apps, that fixes it in one click. The problem has been fixed though I believe, in the newest play store app with KitKat, because I haven't seen the issue in a while and I was able to delete that app. I had filed a Bug Report, but haven't checked the status. But it seems to be fixed now. Anyway, thanks for the recognition.

@SudoSURoot Do you trust this app from jRummy? and which app is it? I can't find it.

Well it doesn't matter now anyway, I looked on the device and I don't have any files as you describe.

@Seth to answer your question anyway, I absolutely trust the app from JRummy. I reverse engineered the app back into java, and it does just what I explained. Second, JRummy is an excellent, well known, programmer. I've used the app myself, and he is the creator of ROM Toolbox Lite, ROM Toolbox Pro, Root Browser, ROM Installer, Build Prop Editor, and a lot more great apps that almost every root user uses... See Here: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=JRummy+Apps+Inc.) However, if you are running the newest Play Store (might have to be on KitKat or above) the issue has been fixed.

Provided that the device is not rooted - will a factory reset delete these folders?

I have this error on Android 4.0.4, where there is no app-lib folder in the first place. The jrummy app tells me I have no problems, but I do (can't update the app, and if I delete it, I can't install it back). I have plenty of phone storage and SD storage. The problematic apps are not even in /data/app.

You probably solved this, but for others, or if not: No /data/app-lib folder on 4.0.4? What about /data/app/com.example-app-name-1 or /data/data/example-app-name.com-1? I didn't start building Android until 4.2 so I do not know that much about the file structure of 4.0.4. Look for any folders with a 1 & 2 suffix with the same app name. If you have busybox, which includes find command you can do: find /data -type d -name *-1 Then look for duplicates. If you still cannot find the issue, let me know and I'll look back at the old code, to see the file structure.

First of all this is a bug somewhere on play store side so I think we can only get a work around not an actual solution, said that I solved freeing more space than it would be theoretically needed, using old version of play store works too.
As for how much space is needed I don't have a clear answer because my phone (also on android 4.2.1 and MTK based) is rooted and I symlinked some apps to a different partition to be able to use more than 1.5GB as internal storage (that's data size partition in my phone).
So I think this causes some problems on size estimation because Manage apps says I have 491MB free (correct)

but Settings->Storage says I have 195MB Available (not correct).

You can try removing some apps, I think 180MB free should do.
As for the black border I've had that problem since some months, I didn't dig much on the issue but I think they changed image format (new one is webp) and the transparency layer is not working well in our phones.
@Rushnosh
This version is out one month already but updates roll out not at the same time for everybody, if you want to try it you can update it manually downloading the apk from a trusted source like:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/07/22/google-play-store-update-4-9-13-adds-material-design-app-and-content-pages-apk-download/
For images problem look here:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/nexus/tw1FebzJQng
Looks like from Google the only answer is to ask manufacturer to update to KitKat.

@SudoSURoot I had that problem before, with something not being cleaned up, but it's not the current problem I am having with this play store version. I checked all possible duplicates that can be in: app-lib, app, dalvik-cache and I had none. The only two ways i was able to update was using an old version or freeing more space. The only key was app size and free space available. (can't comment in the other answer)

It works for me buddy. However, you have to uninstall more depending on your storage capacity. For example, my capacity is 2GB and the minimum allowance or free space left required to download is 160MB. If it's below 160MB (memory or no. of installed apps) you get an "insufficient storage error." Even if you download 1MB app and installed it onto the storage with 159MB of free space left and it will not install it until you have to either free memory cache or uninstall app at lest 1 MB.

Just uninstall google play store update to revert back to the factory settings. Then updating apps will be possible.

Solution for this issue is to move some apps to the phone storage or sd card and not in the internal storage; like you go to phone or mobile settings>apps>go through each app that you installed if there is a button that says "move to phone storage" or "move to sd card" click on it,in this way application will be moved out from internal storage because most of the times playstore identifies storage of apps are on internal storage not on the phone storage or sd card eventhough you have plenty of memory storage on your phone or card so that may be the reason why you have insufficient memory storage..

Download the apk for 4.8 from android police, decompile, change package name, compile, install. I don't think it would be able to update then. You'd have two play stores, keep the original and wait for an update that fixes it, but use the other one in the mean time.
I hope this helps.

Try uninstalling the updates to put Google Play Store back to factory version, disconnect your connection, then set "Do Not Update" in Play Store settings.
My problem is fixed but I have an old version of Google Play. But I can update my application.

I thought the "do not update" option only applied to any app on my phone that's not the Play Store?  So far, the old version of the Play Store does work on my phone.  The problem is that it will update itself to the newest version no matter what I do.

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


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Change Input Method without unlocking the phone?
I have Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini unrooted and I think the Android version is 4.4. Recently, I installed a WiFi Keyboard application on my Android phone. This way, since both the phone and my computer were connected to the same WiFi network, I could access the phone's keyboard from my computer. After that, the phone disconnected from the WiFi network and got locked (I had a password set on the lock screen). And now I cannot enter it, because I cannot enable any other keyboard than the WiFi one (which doesn't work because the phone has no WiFi).
What I've tried:

I can do nothing on the lock screen, everything's blocked. The swipe
doesn't work to change the keyboard. Also, there's no settings box.
And I cannot drag the notification bar.
I tried the adb shell ime command, but without luck. It doesn't seem to do anything.
me@myPC:/$ sudo adb shell ime list -s
me@myPC:/$

Additional Data:

Storage and SD card are encrypted. SD card has important data, so I can't simply wipe the phone.
I am able to enter my password in the Decryption screen as the normal keyboard shows up, but not in the lock screen.

Can I enable it via ADB or any similar way? Are there any solutions to this problem?

"SD card has important data, so I can't simply wipe the phone." You could take the SD card out and back up the important data. You should do that anyway!

Thanks for the suggestion Dan, but unfortunately the contents of the SD card are encrypted, and therefore even though I have backed them up, I still cannot read them. And I think that the only way to be able to read them again is opening the SD card from the phone.

Ah, that explains it. Even so, if there's anything important on your SD card, you should back it up now the phone's working. We get a lot of questions from people who only realise this after dropping and breaking, or losing their phone.

Haha, yeah, indeed, most of us realize what we should have done when it's already too late. Going to do the backup ASAP. Thank you for your help, by the way.

Try seeing if you can login when you are in safe mode. Boot into safe mode by holding down the power button to open the menu, then hold down the power-off button, and click "OK" when it asks you to reboot into safe mode. Then attempt to login once the phone restarts, and re-enable the virtual keyboard.
Hope this helps.

According to OP's 3rd revision,

This problem was solved by booting into safe mode, as proposed by ak11234.
I did so by holding the volume down key while powering on my device (pressed the power on button, waited for the phone logo to show ("Samsung" and the model number), released the power button and held the volume down key until the lock screen appeared).
However, these instructions vary from phone to phone. The ones described worked for Galaxy S3 mini.
You can find instructions for the most common phones that have Android on this webpage: http://www.droidviews.com/how-to-boot-android-devices-into-safe-mode/

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


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Why does Battery Doctor say my battery is 50% charged while Android says 23%?
Battery Doctor says my battery is 50% charged while Android says 23%:

Is there any reason why? I use a 4200mah Extended Battery on Samsung Galaxy SIII with Android 4.1.2.

I haven't found any solution so far.

So I am still interested if someone has any idea.

There are two sources for reading the battery capacity

From the battery files

From the ROM

I learnt this when I saw a similar but smaller discrepancy on my new phone using 3c Toolbox and the developer clarified this on mail. To quote from 3C Toolbox developer mail

In Android, one can get the stock hard-coded battery capacity from battery profiles, an hidden API in Android. That’s the one of the 2 sources the app uses.
The other source is in the kernel, usually under /sys/devices/power_supply/battery/charge_full_design

On my device path is different. To know the path on your device, from 3C Toolbox, tap request support from Help and support menu. An email will be generated to the developer having information about your device, including battery_info.txt. This file amongst other things specifies the path of second source
Since you are using an extended battery, I would guess that the app is reading from the ROM and  Android from the battery files (original battery is 2100 mAh and extended battery is 4200 mAh and the  battery percentage readings are nearly half).
This is the only explanation I can think of

Edit:  For more details , please see Where are the battery capacity files located


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Froyo freezes on bluetooth use
Whenever i connect any bluetooth device, be it to my pc for copying files, another droid or my headset (Ive tried 3 different headsets) it freezes the system.
By freezing i mean if i get a phone call it rings in and i can answer with the headset. If its copying files it finishes. But i cant get back to the home screen.
The hardware buttons work, as if i hit the side button or the home button the screen lights up and the buttons do also but the system doesnt show, the screen stays lighted black. This is indefinately.
The only way ive found to get it back is taking the battery out.
Ive tried a couple bluetooth fixing programs and still nothing.
This doesnt happen from pairing alone or connecting. This only happens during long processes, ie anything that takes longer than about 2 minutes.
For instances copying a file or talking on the headset. If the call is under 2 minutes it goes right back to the system fully responsive.
The only thing i havent tried is flashing, i dont want to have to do that though.
This is a Galaxy Ace that i am using.

I don't you're running out of available RAM. You should try using a memory booster like GO Task Manager to clear some up.

I don't personally see how this could cause the problem. I never once use my home key to exit an App, always, always use the back button to close it out properly. That and I check my phone 3 or 4 times a day for open/active apps.

Also Joe, you need to use better English when posting on StackExchange sites. The abbreviation 'ur' is reserved for text messages only please.


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8GB Nextbook8 only showing .98GB internal storage
Running 4.4.2 KitKat. Does the OS really take up 7GB? I've only got like 5 games downloaded and already running out of space for apps. :(

Is "Does the OS take up 7GB?" actually your question, or do you have a more substantial one?

and welcome to the Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange.
Android partitions are an odd subject, especially when you're used to Windows-esque devices.  Android runs on a version of Linux, and it's root directories are split up into partitions on your device.  When a manufacturer says their device is 8GB, they mean exactly that - in total, you have 8GB.
All the Linux partitions on your device each have their own allotment of storage space.  For example, /recovery may take 200MB, /cache may take 1GB, etc etc.  Long story short is this: with an 8GB tablet, yes, the OS will take up a substantial amount of storage space.  I'm guessing you have around 1GB free to install applications.


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Determine ASUS Transformer Serial Number
I'm trying to determine the model of an ASUS Transformer tablet.
In Settings -> About, I know its a TF-101 (I knew this one I bought it a few years ago). But that's all it provides under Android 4.0.3 (shown below).
However, I cannot determine if its an A20, B10, etc. According to How to identify hardware versions?, its encoded in the serial number, and its on a sticker attached to the tablet. Unfortunately, even with my glasses, I cannot seem to find it.
How does one determine the serial number for an ASUS TF-101 tablet?

It should be under "Status" in the "About tablet" menu.  Have you looked in there?

It should be under "Status", in the "About tablet" menu.


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Internet sharing - Ubuntu
I have a smartphone (from a local manufacturer). It has an option saying 'USB Internet' with description 'Sharing windows PC internet via USB cable'.
My first question is whether I can bridge my Ubuntu internet connection with this option?
When I connect my phone to my PC Network Manager show a new ethernet connection 'Wired Connection2' with name 'Ethernet Network (Qmobile A36)'. The problem is that network manager try to connect to this network but always fails to do so.
I tried to apply every solution available on internet but failed to gain any success.
Output for lsusb:
Bus 002 Device 015: ID 0bb4:0004 HTC (High Tech Computer Corp.)
...

Output for ip link show:
...
9: usb0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000
    link/ether a2:d4:38:5b:d8:72 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

Output for ifconfig usb0:
usb0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr a2:d4:38:5b:d8:72
          inet6 addr: fe80::a0d4:38ff:fe5b:d872/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:246 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:380 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:7104 (7.1 KB)  TX bytes:86559 (86.5 KB)

Any help appriciated.

Are you trying to use the phone's internet connection from the PC, or the PC's internet connection from the phone?

PC's internet connection to phone..!

possible duplicate of How do you set up internet pass-through (reverse-tether) on linux?

@DanHulme I have tried that solution too. But no gain.

Did you do the manual assignment of an IP to usb0? (Because your ifconfig output depicts otherwise.) This explains the process in a bit more detailed way: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/networking/guide-connect-android-to-linux-pc-t2825476 (I just tried it and got the PC to connect to the interface flawlessly; however, I had to use the Edit Connections option of Network Manager for assigning the IP, instead of the command line.)


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Why can I see '/' in a file manager when my device is not rooted?
My device is not rooted: I have rooted it before, but I did a full factory reset using the Nexus Factory Images. Root Checker tells me it's not rooted, and SuperSU tells me that it cannot find SU Binaries. However, when using multiple file managers, they can all see the '/' folder, and all the folders and files beneath it. I thought that root was required to do this. Is this correct, or am I imagining things? How can my device can see these? When actually going into Cheetah Mobile's File Manager Settings and checking the 'Root Explorer' option that apparently allows me to see the '/' folder, it says is cannot gain root access. How come multiple file managers let me see this folder? Thanks in advance.

You may want to be careful about using Cheetah apps based on a new report out about Cheetah, and Google Play actions against them. See this: https://www.xda-developers.com/google-bans-600-apps-play-store/.

I thought that root was required to do this.

That's not quite right. Any user can see that directory, but only root can write to it. Directories lower down the hierarchy such as /data/data are not world-readable, so while you'll be able to see that that directory exists, you won't be able to see its contents on an unrooted device.
Some file managers choose not to offer the option to display system directories like the root directory unless the device is rooted, simply because it's not very useful to do so when you can't see the contents of some of its subdirectories or change it.

Also, there are some r/w directories outside the sdcard path, as e.g. /data/local, which are useful to access is specific cases.

authors: Владислав Небеснюк


text:
Is it possible to display incoming calls groupped by caller?
In  "all calls" i have something like this:

 John Doe 14:32
 Peter 14:30
 John Doe 14:25
 Peter 14:10

On another android device with same version i would have:

John Doe (2) 14:32
Peter (2) 14:30

Which is much, much better. But i could't figure out how to change that.

Model number: Lenovo K910
Android version: 4.2.2

This greatly depends on the Dialer application you are using.  On stock "vanilla" Android that ships with Google/AOSP Dialer app, there is no such option, and you will have to find a 3rd-party dialer app that has such a feature (e.g. Dialer One or PP, for example.)
Some manufacturers like Samsung and HTC replace the default dialer app with their own that has many more features, and may already include the one you are looking for (grouping records by caller.)

You can organize your contacts by syncronizing all of them into your Google account. Once you do that you can organize them throught the Gmail page. Below of Google Logo there is a menu were you can choose Contacts There you can organize them in an easy way


text:
Galaxy fame wont work with otg
I am trying to operate an otg cabe with my Galaxy fame but am getting nowhere. When I run host diagnostic it doesnt recognise the phone Anyone help?

According to GSMArena, this phone doesn't support USB-on-the-go.


text:
Nexus 10 does not show stacktraces anymore
I have an Nexus 10 with Android 4.4.4 (Stock, no root).
Today I noticed a strange behaviour: When an App crashes, the device doesn't show the Stacktrace in Logcat.
I purposely implemented a Bug in an App (parseInt("A)") without any try/catch. If I execute this on Nexus 10 the App just freezes and shows the "App isn't responding" Dialog
In Logcat it shows only one line: threadid=1: thread exiting with uncaught exception.
Does anyone know how I can get my Stacktraces back?

How are you viewing the log output? Very likely you've forgotten you have a filter set on it which is hiding the exception output.

I already checked for filters. I tried viewing it on IDE and Console on different computers.

Did you recently switched to ART? Maybe this stuff is hiding StackTraces.

Hi, no, haven't tried ART on this device yet. Also did a factory reset that didn't help.

I am facing the same problem, my real device is not showing stacktrace but avd is showing. this happened when I installed a custom ROM in the device. I haven't found any solution yet.


text:
Exchange calendar syncs to Android, but not to Google
I feel as though I am missing a simple configuration change on my Android device.  I recently setup my work Exchange account on my Galaxy S4.  My calendar entries from Exchange show up on my Android calendar just fine.  However, I want those entries to actually get pushed to my Google calendar.
Is there an easy way to have my Android device push those events to my Google calendar instead of keeping them local to the phone calendar itself?

possible duplicate of Sync 'droid with Outlook

@Chahk I don't think that question is related. The person who asked that question wasn't using Exchange at all, and wanted Outlook on a PC synced with a Google calendar.

@DanHulme The solution is the same though. Unfortunately neither Google nor Microsoft provide a way to integrate their calendars with each other. In order to have a true sync (not just see both entries in Android's calendar app) you have to use a 3rd-party software running on your Windows machine. Related recent article on the subject

@Chahk The dupe suggestion is the reverse of what the user wants. I've shared a possible solution, but I can't test it because of security policies in our company.

Share the ICS URL of your Exchange to Google Calendar.
From an Oregon State University HOWTO:

Click on Calendar in the lower left corner
You should see all your calendars in front of you. On the left side of the window, you should see the list of calendars and their names. Under My Calendars, right click the one you wish to add to your Google account.
After right clicking your chosen calendar, right click, go Share > Publish This Calendar (Publish This Calendar to the Internet)
A new window will pop up. Select the options for which best suit you.
When complete, press Start Publishing in the lower right corner.
A couple of urls will show up for you to copy. Find the one that ends in .ics and copy that whole url.
Go to Google Calendar
When logged in to view your calendar, go find Other Calendars on the left side of the window
After finding Other Calendars, there should be a box with a triangle in it to the right of the text. Click that box and find Add by URL.
A popup will show up. In this popup, you want insert the .ics URL from your Outlook here.
Press Add Calendar below.


text:
Add repeating tasks using stock calendar
Is it possible to have repeating tasks using the stock calender program?
Sometimes I have a task I want to show up each day for a month or something, but I don't want to have to stick with a photocopy machine and handwriting a task list when I have a Galaxy Note 3, running android 4.4.2 kitkat. I don't want to have to root and use questionable programs, just stock android. However, I don't mind, but would really rather avoid, doing something on a computer such as a Perl script and then syncing with wifi or or pushing through usb. I would think that the calendar program would have this feature, but I can't find it anywhere.
The event-type in the calender program can handle repeating events, but not task-type. Events just fill up blocks of time, I want the ability to check off a task, so events wont work.

Well, I'd say that's what Todo Lists are for? Though often "joined" with calendars PIM-style, they are a bit different from calendar events – despite of them being possible to store within iCal format.

@Izzy Thanks for the list - I will go through it and see if any of those have features that solve the issue. Could I make one iCal file that adds all the repeats by specifying the duration?

I've never played with Tasks in iCal – but as they have a specific definition block in that format, it should be technically possible. After all, that's how some CalDAV Sync apps deal with ToDo-Apps ;)


text:
Show Notifications missing in app settings
I'm trying to disable app notification for a particular app. The usual method is to go to System > Apps > click on the app > uncheck the "show notifications" checkbox.
The problem is, this checkbox doesn't appear for this app, or for any of the random apps that I sampled which are installed on my phone (eg. GMail).
Am I missing something? I'm running a Samsung Galaxy (SGH-S730M) with Android 4.0.4. I found instructions (with screenshots) that look like they date back to Android OS 2.x or 1.6.

The feature isn't present in Android 4.0.4: it was added in 4.1.

Is there any work-around to achieve the same thing in versions older than 4.1?

I don't believe so, no. You have to disable notifications from within the app's settings.

Apart from "uninstalling the app", I'm not aware of any (never felt the need, to be honest). But you might check some apps to adjust notifications to figure yourself – and then let us know?

The app in question doesn't seem to have a setting. Thanks for your help.


text:
Galaxy Note 2 Locked
I was in 4.1.2 of Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which I unlocked using *#197328640# but today I updated to Kitkat Based DN3 ROM. It says "Emergency Calls Only"
Is there a solution out? How about unlocking? DO I have to buy a new IMEI or is it free?
Any help will be highly supportive. Thanks

Sounds to me like you just need to reactivate it.

Umm, How do I do that? I am really new to these things. Please help. @IAmTheSquidward

What carrier are you using?

Its from the UK. My brother got me.I am really not sure. Is there a way to check?

So you don't have it on a carrier yet?

I guess, the way I should phrase it is like this... You don't have service on it yet or you do?

Err..., I think No.

If you don't know, you don't have service... When it says "Emergency Calls Only," that just means it's not activated on a carrier.  To make calls, send texts, get data, etc, you need to subscribe to cell service through a carrier.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

If you want to have any cellular functions apart from placing emergency calls, you have to have an actual cellular plan through a carrier.
Picture it this way: If you buy a land line phone for your house, take it out of the box, program speed dials, and set it on your table without plugging it into a phone line, you won't be able to receive any phone calls. Your cell phone is simply a tablet until you activate a cellular plan through your carrier for it.
Also, the ability to place emergency calls is a feature on all cell phones that is not dependent on carriers.
Here is a list of UK Carriers.


text:
Backup ALL Android files to PC?
I've had this issue with both my GS3 and now my N5. I routinely wipe my phone and start over fresh, so using apps like TitaniumBackup and Helium does not help me since I don't plan on restoring any of my apps in the future.
My problem arises when I connect my phone to either my PC or my Mac laptop, and attempt to just backup ALL of the files ("Backup ALL the files!") to my computer or an external hard drive. The computer will start copying the files, but then the progress bar disappears after a few seconds (well before hitting 100%) with no errors or messages. Upon checking the copied files, some folders and files are completely backed up with a simple drag and drop, but other folders don't.
I have the phone set on MTP and debugging is enabled, and all of the files show up. I realize that some folders don't allow you to just drag and drop them (possibly the "Android" folder?), but others, like my "Downloads" folder, shouldn't have any restrictions, right?
How can I simply make a full backup of all of the files that are on the phone? I've done this successfully in the past, but cannot remember what method or program was used.

In addition to the answers below, take a look at the answers here. Should get you going.

MTP might not be reliable enough for that. Several approaches I can offer:
using on-board capabilities via ADB
This requires ADB tools being available on your computer (see e.g. Is there a minimal installation of ADB? for how to meet this). Now let's see how to get the files over.

open a command prompt, and (optionally) switch to the directory your adb executable is in
Make sure usb-debugging is activated on your device
connect your device via USB
assuming your SDCard is mounted/available as /sdcard on your device, let's copy it with its contents:
adb pull /sdcard /home/chris/android/sdcard

Just adjust the path to your needs ;)
using an app with a more user-friendly GUI
I use FolderSync to keep several directories backed-up. The big pro of this approach is: even if your device hard-crashes one day, you still have a quite up-to-date backup of all files on your computer.

FolderSync: Main screen, folder pairs (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)
FolderSync supports a lot of services and protocols – not only cloud storage. You can easily use it with Windows shares (aka Samba aka SMB), or via SCP on Linux, or FTP with any server, amongst others. Simply define folder pairs (which directory on your device shall be kept in sync with which remote directory), and setup a schedule (e.g. whenever connected to your home WiFi, at 3 am), and there you go. With the Pro version (which I use) you can even set it to "manual only", and trigger it via tasker.
Of course, you also can set it to "manual", and then initiate the transfer whenever you find it useful. Being a "Sync tool", it will always only copy those files needing to be copied – if the same file exists on both ends with the same content and timestamp, it doesn't need to be copied again ;)
Other options
Plenty of them. More sync tools. Or a remote manager like AirDroid. Or using a file manager with remote capabilities, like ES File Explorer. Just to give you some ideas ;)

There is a way to create one in all backup at once using ADB (will include your own data as well as apps data etc).

First setup ADB from above link (make sure you install proper drivers first).
Enable USB Debugging on your phone and connect it to pc. You dont need to go in recovery or fastboot mode. Connect it while its normally powered on.
Open CMD/Terminal and run the command adb devices. If it returns some output that means that phone is successfully recognized by ADB. Otherwise if there's no output then you will need to reinstall correct drivers.
Once the phone is recognized, we now begin real process. First, to tell you what we are going to do, we will use adb backup to backup entirely everything! Including internal memory, system, apps, data etc etc (you have options to choose what you want to backup).
The base command syntax for adb backup goes like this->
adb backup [-f ] [-apk|-noapk] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|nosystem] []

To explain parameters:
1) f: This switch determines your backup location. For instance, -f D:/Backup/mybackup.ab will save the backup file inside D:/ drive and then inside a folder called Backup and with file name mybackup.ab.
2) -apk|-noapk: This switch is responsible for including APKs (to include APKs, or not that is). By default if you do not specify any option, it uses -noapk. Personally, I suggest you turn it on so you dont have to download APK from market while restoring. If you decide not to include APKs, only app's respective data will be backuped without APK itself.
3) -shared|-noshared: This is used to enable/disable backup of /sdcard contents. Although I suggest that you manually backup your personal photos, music etc since sometimes it doesn't backup everything. Default is -noshared if not specified.
4) -all: This is used to backup ALL apps. Unless you are backing up some specific app, I would say just keep it on.
5) -system|-nosystem: This is to include system or pre-installed applications in your backup too. Default is -system
6) <packages...>: This allows you to backup specific apps/packages. Just mention the name here (for ex-> com.facebook.orca (just an imaginary name)).

Once you have chosen your command and swiitches and what you want to backup, run the commmand in cmd. For ex, for me, I used the command adb backup -apk -shared -system -all -f D:/DroidBackup.ab.
You will see a dialog box on your device asking a password for encryption. Enter the password (if desired) and RETAIN IT TO BE ABLE TO RESTORE DATA.
It may take quite a time depending on what you decide to backup.

NOTE: Depeding on what you backuped, you may need to root your device to restore. For ex, if you backup system apps, then you can do that without root. But you will need root while restoring the backup. Since we need root to write to /system partition.
How to Restore:
Connect to ADB the same way as above. Then use command adb restore PathToBackupAndFileName.ab.
You will get a prompt on your device, enter the password you chose in previous step and press Restore my Data button on phone.
NOTE:
This does NOT backup Messages, so use some external app to manually do that.
When I performed this about a 2 years ago, it didn't work unless I gave it a password. So try not to leave that password field blank (although that bug is likely to be fixed now. Just telling in case its still there...).


text:
how to re-enable first time setup at next boot?
tl;dr: What is the hidden setting that tells the first-time-user-wizard to run? i just want to re-enable that flag so next time the phone boots it shows the new user wizard and UI hints.
A friend gave me his new nexus to install CM11 and a few applications.
To install those applications i created a bogus Google account, downloaded them from the store, configured and then removed my account.
now i want to give the phone back in a way that when it is powered on, it shows the create new account/enable Wifi/etc wizard.
I already tried wiping out data from "one time setup" system application, but that did nothing. Any other ideas?

Are you looking to do a factory-reset? But that would also remove the apps you've installed. Apart from that: apps are always "bound" to the account you've installed them with (not speaking of multi-user here), especially payed ones. "wiping data" already removed what you configured anyway.

i want to keep the ones configured on the phone. i added a bogus account, installed the apps, removed the account.

There might be a "hidden setting" somewhere (to indicate whether the wizard has run), but I never read about an "official way" to trigger that. If you want "pre-configured apps installed", there's no easy way doing that. While it could be achieved using adb backup or the Helium Backup app, I doubt that makes it easier for the "target user", neither would any other way of "side-loading" the apps. If an easy way to point to the apps is sufficient: AppBrain offers a feature to share "lists", which can be used to "install all on list" to other devices.

Perhaps you could extract the APKs and put them inside a flashable ZIP, do a factory reset, then flash the ZIP?

@Izzy that is exactly what i want here :) that hidden setting.

@aureljared if they can't even bother downloading the apps and configuring, they can't bother doing that either! also, the end result will be exactly what i've already done. i.e. installed free apps from the market, deleted test account. I just want that when the phone turns on next time there is a wizard screen with the instructions, etc.

Have a look in build prop, see if there is something in there

I had the opposite problem. I deleted OneTimeInit and SetupWizard and after a hard-reset my system was acting like in first time init screen:

notification pull-down is unavailable
recent screen is unavailable
home button is unavailable
limited power menu

So I had to set all those first boot flags manually.
Then, I found three of them, which solved my problem:
settings put global setup_wizard_has_run 1
settings put global device_provisioned 1
settings put secure user_setup_complete 1

did not find the solution. but found the 'good enough workaround'

delete all wifi you have saved
charge battery to maximum
remove account used to install everything
clear recent app history
delete the home screen app data.
open the new account setting
lock phone.
ship it
hope it arrives in less than 3 days which is what it took here to drain the battery :D

now when the phone is taken out of the box, it will have (almost) the same as the welcome screens as the phone is factory reseted, but will keep the apps installed. It will prompt for new/existing account, pair with wifi, and show all the home screen apps hints.
and i was spared the work of adding a few extra apps to the cyanogemMOD image and ship the phone 'factory' reseted.  much easier that way :D

Be aware that many carriers/postal services won't let you ship charged batteries because of the fire risk. Be careful to check as it may be a criminal offence (if using a postal service or air freight).


text:
Backup to SD card in kit kat
Is there a backup program that will allow me to back up directly to my SD card in Kit Kat without an internet connection?
I currently am forced to back up to the internal storage {after clearing space} then copying to the SD card, then deleteing the copy on my internal storage.  this wastes much time and effort.  My phone storage is only 2.8GB free, but my SD card has 28.0GB free.

What exactly are you currently backing up, and how? Are you using some 3rd-party app or tool?

I purchased MyBackup Pro a while back. I have backups from that going back over a year.  I would be willing to pay for an ubgrade, but they refuse to fix the software.

There is a very good method of making backup even for non-rooted devices but it will make backup on a PC. See here

I'm not sure what you're wanting to back up, but most backup applications on the Play Store will do this for you.  Examples are MyBackup Root, Titanium Backup, and Helium.
EDIT:  Scratch that.  As mentioned by Izzy in the comments below, you must be rooted for these apps to work, as there is a..."feature"...in Android 4.4 KitKat that prevents "rouge" SD Card access: link

Not without root, sorry – not on Kitkat (except maybe on Huawei devices). You forgot about the mess Google created with the SDCard permissions on Kitkat, I'm afraid ;)

UGH I FORGOT ABOUT THAT UGH I HATE KITKAT (I fixed that as soon as it happened and haven't worried about it sense, so I completely forgot haha)

"If we cannot force manufacturers not to use SDCards – we can at least care for them being unusable". A Nexus has no such, thus the UX on it isn't affected. And no warning in advance, which is the biggest thing to blame.

Actually you do NOT need root.  Doggcatcher writes to the SD card on my unrooted phone.  You simply must use a space on the card that you (each app) owns.

These answers are incorrect.  Apps CAN WRITE TO THE SD CARD ON UNROOTED PHONES.  The only res G eiction is that they must write thier own locations.  Doggcatcher writes many GB to my SD card every week.

@RobertFarley that is correct, however, backup apps are considered to write arbitrarily when moving devices and ROMs. It's a known issue with many prominent apps, such as Titanium and MyBackup

@RobertFarley while apps may be able to write to the SD card without root access, apps cannot read the root folder of internal storage without root access, only the public folders. Thus, it will never be a complete backup.

KitKat all but broke any usefulness of SD cards. The solution is to export your backup to your PC. The sad thing is this is easier than using your SD card. Use a program like SnapPea or one of the many others like it.
To root most KitKat devices, you can download towelroot APK. Do a quick Google search for it. Go to settings, allow apps from other sources. I think it's in developer options, been a while since I needed it. Install with the Package installer. Open and click make it rain. Now you will either reboot and be rooted or nothing will happen. Install SuperSU. Update binaries, install BusyBox. Install your choice of backup apps.

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


text:
How do I put a new wallpaper on my Android 4.3 device?
I've got an image I would like to make the wallpaper on my tablet.
When I go into Settings:Device:Wallpaper:Home Screen I have to select from one of the following:

Gallery
Live wallpapers
Wallpapers

The image I want to use is in my Dropbox.  Gallery appears to have some capability to sync with Dropbox, but I don't see any way to sync just a single file.  I have gigs of stuff in my Dropbox and don't want to wait (or waste flash) trying to sync everything over to my tablet for just one file.
Gallery doesn't appear to have any other capability to import files?!
I've tried some things directly from Dropbox.  I try tapping on the image and it brings up some kind of image viewer which doesn't seem related to Gallery.  When I long tap, I am given the options: "Share", "Favorite", "Delete", "Rename", "Move" and "Export".  The only one that seems potentially useful is "Export", however it brings up a list of apps, none of which is Preview.  It does have "Save to SD card" but I also don't know how to use an image on an SD card as a wallpaper!
I tried exporting it to my scrapbook, and from there it says the location of the file is:
/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch/Camera Uploads/Galaxy.jpg

But this doesn't help me!  Strangely, from the Scrapbook there is also a "Link" button which says I can "Complete action using" and one choice is Gallery, but when I select that, even though I appear to be in the Gallery, the image still doesn't show up in the Gallery when I try to set the wallpaper.  Strangely, there is a menu option to "Set as" which says I can set it as my wallpaper, but when I select that it wants me to select what part of the image to use and shows me a portrait shaped rectangle to resize.  But I want to use the whole image!  Why can't I use a landscape image as a landscape wallpaper when my tablet is in landscape mode?
I tried going directly to the file system, but I can't find where wallpaper or gallery images are stored.  I tried doing a search by my file manager will only display the first 500 images, and these are all images from other apps.
This seems like it should be such a simple thing!

Dropbox is making it seem more complicated than it really is. Unlike on the PC version of Dropbox, the files you see in the Dropbox app aren't actually stored on your tablet. It's just a list of files you could download. When you view the file from Dropbox, it downloads it temporarily into Dropbox's private storage area, and then temporarily gives the app you choose access to the file.
Just click "Save to SD card". That actually downloads the file to your tablet, and  saves it permanently in a storage area that other apps have access to. After that, the image will show up in Gallery, probably in its own "Dropbox" album.

Wow that actually did it, even though the image was exported to the root directory of the SD card and not to some special sub-directory. Thanks!


text:
How come moving files on my phone when it's connected to my computer actually does a copy instead?
So, I copied a file from my desktop to the phone's microSD card. Then I realized that I'd like the file to be in a subdirectory on the card, so I initiated a move. Shouldn't take long at all, as it's just a file system entry update and not an full copy, right? Wrong! I had to wait the same amount of time as the initial copy! What's the reason for this? Is it some limitation of MTP?

Could you give more information so we can understand what you did? What OS is your PC using, and what software on the PC are you using to move/copy the files?

Keeping this open since Sudo SU Root's answer seems legit. He seems to have understood the scenario as well.

I would really need more info to give you a precise answer, but I think I know what you are speaking of. When you move a file through MTP with your mouse, on your computer, your computer is not just moving the file... it is a totally different type of filesystem, and therefore has to basically read the file and write the file in new location. It is not the same as if you were in adb or terminal issuing:

mv FILE NEWFOLDER/FILE

...or a root explorer long pressing to move, which issues the same as above.


text:
battery drain- Panasonic T 41
My battery drains every 2 min when I use else remains constant. Takes 3-5 minutes to step a point of charge. Battery usage states WiFi taking 32 and idle as 32 percentage whereas my WiFi Is off
Android KitKat 4.2.2

Your question is very confusing. Your battery drains when you use what? Wifi takes 32% when on and idle takes 32% when WiFi is off? What about the idle usage when WiFi is on?

Well, that may be happening because of bugs. I would say why don't you try testing your battery. You need to remove your battery and put it over the flat surface and then try spinning it, if the battery spins freely then the battery is swollen and needs replacement. I think you should first try checking your battery out.


text:
How to block a number in Sony Xperia J
I intend to block a number that is in my contact list.
Unfortunately I can't find any option to block it. I was told that I should add it to some Reject list.
When I open the contact and press Menu, I see only 4 options:

Modify
Send contact
Delete contact
Set as default

Where should I add it to the reject list?

Shockingly, you can't block calls with Xperia phones.

Unfortunately it's not possible to do this without installing any 3rd party software. I know that Truecaller has this function if you want to use a 3rd party app.

Source: official Sony forum
You need to download 3rd party softwares that are mentioned earlier:
TrueCaller
Calls Blacklist

I found the best way to do it:

Go to the contact you want to block.
Click the contact and then options.
Scroll to the bottom and click send calls to voice mail.

Other than that there is no way to block a contact on the Xperia J.

Well, let us try doing this again,

Pickup your Sony Xperia J,
Open the contact page
Select number from the list (i.e. the number you want to blacklist)
Press Menu key
Add to reject list.

All done I think you are going somewhere wrong, it has to be there ! Let me know if you find it out !

Should I see the contacts page or the contact's page? On the contacts page I see 6 options: Import contacts, Backup contacts, Display, Send contacts, Delete contacts, Settings. No Reject list.

Well, I would say if you keep encountering problem i.e in your  case you are not finding it, try installing and application which can do this for you, I am sure if your tried searching over the PlayStore you are going to find a number of them, or if you want it from my side then try using this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vladlee.easyblacklist&hl=en I will also works the same way.

There's an app called Truecaller I think to do this job. You can find it also by typing its name into the search field on the Google Play Store.

Thanks but I'd prefer the built-in solution. I wonder why it is not available.

Almost all the android devices doesn't have this feature built-in and I don't know why. Truecaller might help you if you give it a try.

Caller ID & Block Calls, Texts is one app that may work.  You can get it for free in playstore.

Please include links to the app in your answer.

It looks like you may have meant "Caller ID & Blocks Calls, Texts" by Phone Warrior.  Editing answer to include link.


text:
Play Store icons are no longer transparent
The past few days I have noticed that the Play Store icons have a black background. I've even done a Factory Reset. I am facing the problem with every icon in the play store. Is there any way to get rid of it?

This seems to be a known bug in the Play store app from v4.8.20. Try uninstalling the updates to the play store app. This could be a temporary fix until the bug if fixed in a future version of the app.


text:
How to re-enable the People application?
I am not able to add contacts on my Nexus 4. It keeps saying "Re-enable People's application to use this feature".

In settings->apps->disabled does people appear? (or do any apps appear for that matter)

Go to Settings > Apps > And select the last tab named All . On top right corner, tap the 3 dots button, and select Reset app preferences. This will enable all the disabled apps on your phone.

In settings > Apps > select top right three vertical dotts > click on Protected apps > uncehck the "People" item. Make sure this is ok with you to uncheck. You may have a reason to protect. Main is unchecked from protected apps.

One thing for sure that there is no "Protected apps" on Nexus 4, stock Android Lollipop, so you might consider to mention the Android version or whether you're using custom ROM.

CM provided protected apps option.

Go to Settings > Apps > and select the tab "deactivated". Then you can re-enable the app.

First,  ollie299792458 already mentioned the same in comments so yours is adding redundancy. Second, OP didn't make sure that about the running Android version, because "Disabled" and not "deactivated" can be seen only in versions > 4.2.2, unless "deactivated" is some option introduced by a custom ROM which you might be using or have used/seen but that too is irrelevant.


text:
Device with fake IMEI number that doesn't belong to me is shown under my Google Dashboard
I have sync my google account on my samsung galaxy note 2 but recently i have lost it.
After few days when i was checking google dash board to recover my contacts, i saw 2 devices listed under my Android.
One device GT-N7100 is my own device whereas N7000 with fake imei (231961768368404) does not belong to me.
How is it possible.
I have given my phone for tracking by the police but now i am confused whether my handset imei is changed or it is showing someone else device under my google account.

A very possible reason is probably you have used your Google Account in another mobile also for downloading apps from Google Play or for accessing Gmail or whatever. Don't panic about such things if you've logged out from that devices.

Theory #1
The device may represent an android emulator you used, where you installed an application on it through play store or simply logged into your google account.
Theory #2
Devices never get deleted from google's database (even if you can hide them). This device may represent an old android  phone you had.

The last argument is flawed, since IMEI doesn't/shouldn't change when the phone is reset. The IMEI can be changed after the phone is rooted, and this doesn't always require a reset.

The IMEI should NEVER change, eve if you're rooted, since changing the IMEI is illegal in some countries, and can/will cause carriers to blacklist your device.

Wooops, you're right. When I reset my phone I was told by Titanium backup that something had changed. I thought it was the IMEI, but I didn't realise that it can be numeric only, while the one shown by Titanium Backup was alphanumeric.
Sorry and thanks for you feedback.


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Retrica displays blue pixels instead of the captured image on Android 2.x
I installed Retrica on my Samsung Galaxy SL I9003, but when I opened it I could only see blue pixels instead of the image captured by my camera. I tried to change the parameters of the app, reboot my phone and reinstall it, but it's not working anyway.
How can I fix this?

I read on Retrica's website that they're aware of this problem for android 2.x devices and they're working to fix it.

It seems there is a known bug for devices running on Android 2.x. (Samsung Galaxy S1 and its siblings run on Android 2.x.)
From Retrica's FAQ #14,

I am using an Android device. Why can't I see the preview?
It often occurs if you are using devices that run Android OS 2.x version. Retrica team is aware of the issue and working on a fix. In the meantime, inquire your device manfacturer for any assistance to upgrade your Android OS to the latest version.

Probably, the only way is to unofficially update the Android OS version (to at least Android 4.0 ICS) by flashing custom ROM.


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samsung galaxy s gt-19000 is not starting
I tried to install an OS update by updating it manually. After the installation, my phone got stuck on the Samsung logo.
I visited a mobile repair shop. They told me that this repair may take 3 days. After three days, when I came back, they told me that they couldn't fix it.
Before they tried to repair it, ClockWorkMod started. After they tried the repair, it goes into Download mode by pressing keys.
What should I do?

Did they say anything besides "it can't work"? Any reason why?

I don't get 'clockword' & 'force upload'. Question is too confusing.

can you enter Download mode?

You said you can now enter Download mode? And I'm assuming you can no longer go into ClockWorkMod
If this is true I would suggest putting stock ROM onto your device via Odin. There are many instructions / manuals available so finding the correct one for your phone and model is down to you. Also its your responsibility when following these instructions, if anything goes wrong there will be no one to blame
I would suggest typing Samsung Galaxy S GT-19000 Stock Rom into a search engine as a starting point
Alternatively here is a link where you can get the stock rom and gives instructions on how to install the stock rom, this Link even has the different country versions of the stock rom however their link to further downloads was broken so if your country isn't on their list here is another option;
Just a note worth mentioning, after installing the stock rom if your phone freezes on the Samsung logo which is a familiar problem, try entering recovery mode - via holding - UP Volume Button + Home Button + Power Button and wiping the cache should resolve the problem
So I looked on XDA (personally I find it a reliable website, with plenty of users commenting on forums as to what works/doesn't work ext.) Here is a Link where developers have posted their custom ROMs for your phone
All the best

While this partly answers the question, why not provide further details? It IS on search engines, but an XDA link or 2 with some accompanying text would go a long way to  helping (and your rep!) @ritik Don't panic, if you have download mode; there is a good chance it CAN be fixed!

Thanks @RossC for your suggestion, I have updated the post


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My Moto 4G is caching everything. Is it a normal behavior?
I bought a Moto 4G few days ago and I feel like it has a strange behaviour.
My problem is that the phone is not handling multitasking as I would expect it to.
Some examples:

I use Chrome as web browser. Each time I switch between tabs, the tabs are refreshed.
So if I am writing something in a form and need to check something in a other tab, then when I'll come back to the form the text I typed is lost with the refresh.
I have the same problem with forms inside apps. I wanted to sell something using a classified ads app. And I experienced the same. I switched on chrome to check the spec.
When I switched back to my ad, the app completely restarted!
I don't play often but I tried to see what the phone is capable of. I tried with Plants VS Zombies. And it is the same. If I switched back and forth the game will restart.

To sum up, I feel like the multitasking on my Moto G is only remembering the list of apps in use and restart them when needed!
I read that this may be due to a lack of RAM (the Moto G has 1Go of RAM). But I never experienced that with an old Galaxy S with Cyanogen ICS (512Mo RAM), nor with a more recent Nexus 4 with KitKat or older releases (2Go of RAM).
So I just made few tests:

The classified ads app + chrome with with one tab + the task manager => no problem when switching (and the phone has ~300Mo of free RAM)
The classified ads app + chrome with with two tabs + the task manager => apps are cached and refreshed if needed (and the phone has ~300Mo of free RAM)
A game + the classified ads app + chrome with with two tabs + the task manager => apps are cached and refreshed if needed (and the phone still has ~300Mo of free RAM!!!)

I feel like the hardware of the Moto G is exactly what I need.
So do you think that this behaviour is due to a specific issue of my Moto 4G or it will be the same with any other one.
At the moment I think the problem comes from Android. But since the phone is praised everywhere on the internet I don't understand.
I feel like Google completely screwed up their last release of android (It is another problem but they probably destroyed the battery of my Nexus 4 with Kitkat).
I can't understand why a phone like this shouldn't be capable of real multitasking.
Depending on your answers I'll sent back my Moto 4G or not!
Thank you for your help.

It's certainly not normal Android behaviour. Even if an app gets evicted from RAM, it should save its state to storage so that it comes back in the same place. Many apps are buggy and don't do this properly, but it sounds like you've tested quite a few.

The more I use it the more I feel I don't want this phone anymore. And probably, that I don't want to pay for a high end android phone that will so soon be absolete, regard android evolution...

This is normal behavior, my brother has a moto e (same amount of ram), and it ends up unloading lots of recent apps, if this was a priority you maybe should have gone with a different phone (the moto g has a good processor, so can run plants vs zombies, but it can't multitask as well.

Do you know if it was the same with older releases of Android?

With kitkat android got much better at ram management, however in the past you wouldn't have had this problem with 1gb of ram, however that is due to the apps being lighter and more efficient, not the os.

In other words, from you point of view the apps use to much space? And the OS is doing handling the RAM properly? So I have to accept that I need to get a phone with 2Gb at least of RAM no matter what. Thanks!

Well, in theory the apps should properly save their state when killed, but most don't bother, as a result you notice when they have been killed more so (chrome does it properly, it reloads the webpages you had open), however when you bought your phone you made a compromise, you got a cheap phone, with a good processor, good screen, good modem, but relatively poor multitasking, you could have gone with some phone with 2gb of ram, but some bad mediatek processor, this would have multitasked well, but wouldn't have been able to run some apps (due to its inferior processor).

Ok! I thought there where high end phones for intensive users (let's say gamers), and cheap phone for users like me (mainly communication, ie mails and social networks). And  I though they would all handle multitask properly. Now I realize why it is not the case. Thanks for your help!


text:
Apps cannot be installed due to low memory, although plenty is there
A friend of mine has a Samsung Galaxy S2 with 16 GB of internal memory and a 8 GB SD card. I have installed Cyanogen Mode 10.1.3 (Android 4.2.2) a while ago with the Google Mobile Services.
It seems that the internal memory is fragmented into two parts:

I scrolled down here:

I do not see how this adds up to him having to more free memory to install new apps. How can this be fixed?

One of our most frequent questions. May I suggest you first check with our insufficient-memory tag-wiki for first-aid, and then return here either answering your (solved) question – or [edit] it with some details of what you've found out, tried, and where you're stuck? Thanks!

The issue seemed to be the accumulation of log files in /data/log. I deleted them all and it seems to work again. Thanks for having this helpful tag wiki!

You're welcome! Thanks (+1) for placing the solution along in an answer :)

There were around 1300 files with 1 MB file size each in /data/log. I have deleted them using root access and a file manager. Now the apps can be installed again.

I can't see any /data/log nor /data/app-lib folders, and I also have around 2GB of free space in the internal storage. What can I do? InsuFixer is saying that there are no bad folders.
I've tried everything, I'm one step from resetting everything and reinstalling CM11

@JonathanPerry Did you use root access to look for these folders?

Indeed I had root access, but in the end I just factory reset my phone and reinstalled CyanogenMod. Everything is working fine now


text:
Camera stopped working, how to check if it's hardware problem?
I'm quite sure this is hardware problem. I tried the following:

cleared application cache and restarted phone
tried alternative camera applications
reset phone to factory settings (still doesn't work)

There is just error message saying:

Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped.

Now I suspect it could be Gallery app problem. I rooted the phone and used super user app to disable Gallery and than install alternative gallery app. Still not working, now error is

Camera has stopped working

Is there any way I can check if actual camera is broken? I'm using Android 4.2.2 on the Doogee DG130?
Log file ( part about camera ):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0-PZcQ_Q9-ZV1pON0ZlMzNjck0/edit?usp=sharing
Here is the exception stack trace from the logcat
08-19 17:03:08.098 W/dalvikvm(18229): threadid=14: thread exiting with uncaught exception (group=0x414369a8)
08-19 17:03:08.098 D/IPCThreadState(18229): [DN #5] BR_CLEAR_DEATH_NOTIFICATION_DONE cookie 0x50840260
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229): FATAL EXCEPTION: Camera Handler Thread
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229): java.lang.RuntimeException: startPreview failed
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at android.hardware.Camera.startPreview(Native Method)
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at com.mediatek.camera.AndroidCamera.startPreview(AndroidCamera.java:168)
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at com.android.camera.CameraManager$CameraHandler.handleMessage(CameraManager.java:168)
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:107)
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:194)
08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229):     at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:60)

And this is entire log for last 2 minutes ( while I was opening a camera ):
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0-PZcQ_Q9-ZTW9QeTVKdk1NdEU/edit?pli=1

Provide output of logcat command

It's probably the Gallery, it is very tightly linked to the camera in stock Android. Try re-enabling it. Alternatively try installing another camera from the market, but NOT a Google one for obvious reasons. See if that works.

@RossC thanks I will try, I used an app to disable gallery only, I didnt actually remove it completely. When enabled I get gallery error, without it I just get camera error

Your nuclear option is to flash a new ROM or a backup. But obviously don't do that first. Try re-enabling, rebooting, re-installing apps etc as you go. Try to narrow it down. What is the Gallery error?

just says Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped. I updated log now, there seems to be errors like: FATAL EXCEPTION: Camera Handler Thread 08-19 17:03:08.100 E/AndroidRuntime(18229): java.lang.RuntimeException: startPreview failed but I still cant tell what could be the problem

Are you using the android OS that came with the phone or a custom ROM? have you modified it at all, like root, deleting system apps, etc? Did it work before? Did anything change when it stopped working?

Check out this application to know whether it has Camera/Hardware problem -
System Info Droid
It provides whole summary of the device.


text:
Understanding RAM, SD Card and Device Memory of an smartphone
I have an Android smartphone and would like to understand what is the difference between RAM, SD Card and Device Memory.
When I check Memory Usage of my smartphone, I see those components:
RAM: 174 used  and  52 MB free
On SD Card: 492 MB used   and  3.16GB free
Device Memory: 143 MB used  and  47 MB free
I understand that "SD Card" is some external memory that you put in the Smartphone.  But how do I understand RAM and Device Memory?

RAM - Random Accessed Memory - When running an application on your phone, the application is loaded from your device memory into the RAM, just like on a computer, the main purpose for this is access speed is far greater in RAM. You can clear the apps that is in the RAM on your phone depending on your smartphone (Samsung for example hold home button down and click ram manager > clear RAM - this will clear what's in RAM however most background apps will automatically be loaded back into the RAM hence the free space decreasing straight away
As you mentioned SD Card is a external memory card which you can switch and swap with a variety of different sizes if needed
Device Memory is your phones built in memory, just like SD Card has memory however this one cannot be swapped or taken out of the phone. It will hold all of your phones files that make it work, just like a PC, as standard you cannot edit these files as they are read only, however through rooting your phone you may access these files and change if needed.

These files as mentioned take up space on your smartphone, so you may have a 16GB device memory or Device Storage, but you could actually only have 15GB free (for example not exact) to use as 1GB is used for the files I mentioned above
Hope this clear it up for you, and I'll happily provide links for further reading for you if needed
Addition Note:
Modern Android phones (4.0+) use an "emulated SD card" for their internal memory. Which means that your phone tricks the OS into seeing the internal memory as an SD card, which can cause some confusion as to the difference between SD memory and internal memory.

Thanks. What it's not so clear to me is RAM and Device Memory. Is RAM included in Device Memory? Or are they both independent components?

Independent from each other.

@user71140 One point I would like to add is that the RAM is always dynamically occupied and freed. You may get a fixed RAM size but the occupancy is never fixed.(i.e. when no app is running it automatically gets cleared and when you are multi-tasking It gets filled) also you will never find 0 RAM occupied because in Android always some or the other app is running in the background.

@user285oo6 The RAM is your brain, taking in information always working, always doing something. The device memory is like a book, it stores the information that isn't needed immediately as part of the phone executing code. It's a silly analogy but just think of RAM as a few little chips that handle what is actually happening on your phone, and device memory is basically a hard drive that stores things long term. So you click on an app, the app is stored on your device memory, the phone loads it (or part) into RAM and starts it running, the CPU crunches the numbers.

I had the same question, and I found this answer to be helpful. The short summary is that "device memory", AKA "internal storage", is non-volatile: in other words it's persistent across device reboots, unlike RAM.
Internal storage is flash memory, similar to a solid-state drive or a microSD card. One way to look at it is that device memory and a microSD card use (practically) the same technology, just that the microSD card is removable.
Flash memory is much slower than RAM, and has to be written in large chunks, unlike RAM. Its role would be more like that of a hard drive than like RAM.

authors: เมืองสรวง 106


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How to force wpa_supplicant to connect to AP and skip scanning
I have been using wpa_supplicant to connect to an AP on an Android device running ICS. I have defined a few APs within the network block in the wpa_suplicant.conf file. The problem is every time the device restarts, it does a fresh scanning which takes up a lot of time. What I would like to do is to force wpa_supplicant to just try re-connecting to one of the APs present within the network block of config file and not undergo a full scan. Am I missing an option somewhere (either command line or in config file) to achieve this without making changes to wpa_supplicant code?

The network info contained in wpa_supplicant.conf is not enough for associating(connecting) to a network. It only provides ssid and its crypto suite. In order to connecting to a network, the device needs more info to learn by scanning them. The scan is a MUST step for connecting.


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I can't unlock bootloader of my moto g xt1033 android 4.4.4
Guys I've been stuck at this step for a while. My device as Motorola says is unlockable and I also have the unlock code but still it says in the command window that error occurred. I've installed android SDK and in it I've installed the platform-tools and all the other build tools.
Link  to screenshot:https://www.dropbox.com/s/wgqpq7jdki6sik5/Untitled.png

Have you checked that there are no typos in the unlock code? how did you obtain it?

Typos? What are typos? And i obtained it from Motorola's website

Did you type it or paste it? Typos are where you mis-type something. If the code is wrong, get on to Motorola and get a new one.

There is a bug in Android KitKat 4.4.4 which causes this issue. A thread in the motorola forum explains how to resolve the issue.
Follow these instructions only if you have upgraded to 4.4.4! If you have 4.4.3 or 4.4.2 it is more likely that you misspelled your unlock key.

Download the boot loader patch (this the link from the forum)
extract the ZIP file & read instructions
your user data might be erased as part of this process
Then run following commands:
$ fastboot flash motoboot motoboot_41.15_testdrive.img
$ fastboot reboot-bootloader
... your device will reboot in fasboot mode
$ fastboot oem unlock [UNLOCK KEY]
... wait for unlock confirmation ...
... you might see some error messages here, ignore them...
$ fastboot flash motoboot motoboot.img
$ fastboot reboot

It's a current issue with the bootloader in the 4.4.4 OTA upgrade. There are two solutions: If you still can, You should unlock before you accept the 4.4.3 or 4.4.4 upgrade (but in your case, it's too late as you have already upgraded to 4.4.4) or you need to manually upgrade the bootloader on your device to get rid of this bug. There is a thread on the Motorola forums to join the seeding program for the updated bootloader.


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Can't connect Samsung Note 3 to a Windows 7 VM in VirtualBox
I'm trying to connect my Android to my Linux Laptop, I use VirtualBox and in it a Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit virtual machine. I've been able to connect in the past but it's not working anymore.
I have installed Virtualbox guest additions and the extension pack. I've made usb filters to the VM. Still when I plug the phone in, Windows doesn't recognize the device.
I've tried to uninstall the driver, disable/enable the device but nothing. I reinstalled all the "System Devices" and nothing.
I have Kies3 and "Drivers for Samsung mobile phones" installed.
The phone is: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with Cyanogenmod 11 installed.
It worked before and I've flashed my phone many times with Odin in this VM.
What can be the fault here?

I found the solution:
Check the VirtualBox version and go to their website and update the extension pack.
This is on a Fedora 20 system and after updating the VirtualBox "extension pack" and uninstalling all the all the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" drivers in "Device Manager" of the guest(Windows 7), and then shutting down the guest and rebooting the host. Everything is back to normal and working. Yei


text:
Does Android upload my address book to Internet if I never explicitly enabled this?
Suppose the following scenario:

User gets an Android device;
User created Google account, not enabling any "sync"s or "backup"s;
User inserts a SIM card with contacts;
User copies then to the "Phone contacts", not to Google account;
Users installs various programs that does not request permission to view contacts, root or contain exploits.

Are the phone numbers still secret from the Internet in general and Google in particular?
Has somebody experimented (monitored all traffic of Android device, including encrypted) and confirmed or disproved this for particular devices, Android versions and usage scenarios?
How do I proof the device from vendor-installed backdoors that can "mistakingly" send my data on opportunity; for example, if user never rooted the phone, not over Wi-Fi (which user can monitor), and when there is legitimate mobile traffic?

You can never guarantee that it's cent per cent private.
First let's begin with Android apps. In order to earn money you have advert's in the apps.In order to get localised adds it has in built code which will access your location and display the advertisement based on the locality you are presently. In doing so your identity is revealed there itself.
Your device name, id, carrier etc. is stored in the third party servers. To which no one can guarantee whether the communication is secure between their server and what is done with the information stored in the server.
You cannot disable this featured as it is hard coded in the application and the best way to this is simply un-install.
You can verify whether the app is collecting information or not through some Apps from the play store like Permission checker.
In the app you can sort out apps that might cost you money, send data, etc. Check for the application permissions which are listed and check it's use on the Web.
If you see any application that has permission violating your privacy like viewing contacts, device id, network information you need to delete those apps from the device. You cannot modify the code even if possible as it violates the policy.
Also make sure the permissions are relevant to the functionality of the application. If it is irrelevant(flash light app Is having permission for viewing contacts ,location which is not at all relevant then you need to remove it. ) then you need to remove this app and find another app from the play store.

Also, at the end of the day it depends on if you trust the oem (I trust most of them [all of the big ones]), as they would be the ones putting in the backdoor


text:
Facebook Messenger always crashing
I have a Dell Venue 8 tablet with Android 4.4.2. Today the Facebook Messenger application started to crash whenever I try to open it.

The crash doesn't happen in my phone (a Moto G running Android 4.4.4 and the same version of the FB messenger). From what I understand, libhoudini.so is the ARM emulation layer (this tablet is a x86 device).
No other apps (not even the main Facebook app) seem to present the problem.
I tried cleaning its cache/data and uninstalling/reinstalling it but didn't work. What else besides resetting the device can I try?

did you try a force stop and then the clear cache,restart

Well (almost 1 year later), apparently this doesn't happen anymore. I installed Messenger back a while ago and haven't had any crashes.


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Set ringtone to start from a specific point
I recently got my Nexus 5 and I would like to know if there is any way that I can set a ringtone to start from a specific point from a track that I have on my phone.
Is there any way that can help me do that, considering that I don't want to cut the track to the point that I want my ringtone to start from?

Well, I don't think that can be done! Why don't you use several MP3 cutters to cut the song over to the appropriate place you like?
There is a load of song cutter apps available over the Play Store, as well as software also available for PCs. I have tried searching over the Play Store and got several apps names MP3 cutter which can help you out with cutting the ringtone to a specific point and then then you can set that as your ringtone.

There are two ways to create custom ringtones.

Through an Android app from the Play Store

Real player MP3 cutter which cuts the MP3 from the desired starting time (from where to start) and the end time as well (till where it should play)

Now for this-

[...] considering that I don't want to cut the track to the point that I want my ringtone to start from?

is completely irrelevant because without specifying/cutting the start time, how will the audio file start to play as all the audio/video files start from 00:00?
The audio file cannot randomly start anywhere you like. It has to have a point where you need the song to start (00:00 till the end but not from 2:50 till the end).
Ex:- Suppose you have a Beethoven audio file in which you want the phone to ring from 4:00 till 4:35 i.e. 35 seconds then with the help of an MP3 cutter, you will set the starting point from 4:00 and ending point to 4:35 . After you have set the slider, then you need to cut that particular portion and it will be set as 00:00 to 00:35. This song will not replace the original Beethoven song but will add an extra song of just 35 secs as a ringtone.

Actually it's possible to include a start/end point in the meta tags of the audio file. For example iTunes can do this. But it isn't applicable in this case since the start/end points can't be defined as "ringtone-only", so it has the same effect as cutting the file.

Not a complete answer, but an important detail: I discovered that from a song length of 1:30 (90 seconds), Android seems to pick a fragment from the middle of the song instead of the beginning. So, if you cut your own ringtone and expect that it starts from the beginning, it must be less than 1:30 in length. 1:29 is fine.
(checked with a Galaxy S10)


text:
Repeat notifications for users on-call?
For people who are on-call and use android phones.  What's the best way to repeat notifications until acknowledged?
If an alert comes through at 4AM I may not hear one beep.  But it would be nice if the phone just kept beeping until I acknowledged it.  Is there a way to do this without an extra app?

Presumably the app you use to notify yourself has the ability to choose a ringtone. Just pick a ringtone that is long and noisy, or a loud annoying song, or better, a looping ringtone.

There is no way to do that with default android and you will need to find applications in order to do that. For example in regards to text messages you can use an application such as GO SMS which has the option to set up a reminder that will set off a different ringtone/alert until you acknowledge the message.
I am sure there are different apps out there that will do this for other notifications such as email if you need it but it might take some work to find the apps you need.


text:
How can I disable the low-battery sound in Cyanogenmod?
I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 running Cyanogenmod 11 (20140804-SNAPSHOT-M9-i9300). When the battery hits ~15% or 5%, an alert appears with a warning sound. How can I disable this warning sound (without removing the popup alert)?
I've tried removing /system/media/audio/ui/LowBattery.ogg; this did not prevent an alert sound, but the sound did change, perhaps to a fallback. I also tried installing "Suppress Low Battery Sound" (aka "Disable Low Battery Beep" via the web browser), but this had no effect either. I tried installing Sound Manager, and turning the system sound down, but this also had no effect.

As per advice from Narayanan, I replaced /system/media/audio/ui/LowBattery.ogg with another .ogg file. The next time it was triggered, the new file played.
I then tried placing an empty file at /system/media/audio/ui/LowBattery.ogg, but this did not work.
Finally, I downloaded a slient .ogg from here, placing it at /system/media/audio/ui/LowBattery.ogg. This worked perfectly.

I see Sparhawk wants to disable the warning sound alone and not the popup. I stumbled on an xposed module which will disable both. I just keep this posted just in case if Sparhawk wants to slightly compromise on the requirement and also probably will help others who read this post.
Text from the post:

Disable the Low Battery Alert with Xposed POSTED OCTOBER 13, 2013 AT
12:30 AM BY WILL VERDUZCODIFFICULTY:1
Disable the Low Battery Alert
with Xposed There are plenty of Xposed modules out there. Their
purposes range widely from adding previously device-specific
functionality to patching bugs, and everything in between. This is, of
course, all made possible by XDA Recognized Developer rovo89‘s
fantastic Xposed Framework (thread) . The framework allows developers
to create a module APK that is able to make a modification at runtime,
while leaving original files intact. Both a boost in ease-of-use and
user safety, Xposed makes device modification into a click and reboot
affair.
A new Xposed module from XDA Senior Member defim has appeared, and its
purpose is to remove that annoying low battery popup alert that you
are given when running low on juice. Yes, being notified that your
battery is running low is generally useful. However, for those of us
who actively look at the battery meter in our status bars, it’s a bit
redundant. Furthermore, if you happen to be in a call when you receive
this alert, it will generally turn on your screen, thus reactivating
the touch sensor. For yours truly, this has resulted in accidentally
ended phone calls, unintentional muting, and more.
The module will work on any ICS+ device with Xposed Framework
installed. Simply install the module, activate it, and reboot. To tame
your low battery alert, head over to the module thread.

The exposed module is available in this XDA thread.
Update:
I happen to notice that with GravityBox You get an option to disable sound alone. The screenshot of that option is as below:

Thanks for the link. I did come across this in my searches, but as you acknowledge, it doesn't exactly solve my problem. I do like the popup, just not the sound. In fact, if forced to make a choice, I'd prefer to keep both rather than lose both. Cheers anyway.

Your advice in the comments of the other answer led me to the solution. I started editing the information into this answer, so that I could accept it, but I thought that such a large edit would be rejected. Perhaps you want to edit my answer in, or copy-paste into a new one so I can accept and upvote? Cheers.

GravityBox is not recommended with Cyanogenmod because of the heavy customization of the latter.

Well, I am not going to take credit of this answer, I just googled out the answer of this question.
Head over to the /system/media/audio/ui it will have LowBattery.ogg file rename it to something different like LowBattery.ogg.bak or something else. It will not bother you.
PS: You need to be a rooted user to do that and yes removing the LowBattery.ogg try renaming and let me know about it !

How does renaming it differ from removing it? They are essentially the same. In any case, I "removed" it by moving it to another location, which is equivalent to renaming it in Linux terms.

Well, at least I think you can give it a try ! Who know if it may solve your issue !

I am just wondering why sound is heard even when the OGG file is removed. My guess is probably it fall back to some other file or a hard coded value. Instead of removing try replacing it with a known sound file. If this works, you can generate an OGG file with silence and replace.

@PeterCarlos Well, perhaps post up your reference at least. Also, I'm quite familiar with Linux, and I cannot imagine how this could work. Perhaps the inode of the file would be consistent, if it were moved in a particular way, but even then, I cannot imagine how this would be relevant, since we want the absence of a file, not the presence.

@Narayanan I think your guess might be correct, although it's a very strange way to code it. I double-checked the file I moved, and it's the same sound. I tried putting in a different sound, and we'll see what happens. Another possibility is that it's cached somewhere, and I need to delete this file, or refresh the cache.

@Sparhawk In that case I can't comment more over it as it looks like I just ran out of options. I would say maybe you should wait a bit more while and see if someone else over the community can come up with some new ideas.


text:
ROOTING THE ANDROID DEVICE
Hope y'all doing fine, My question may be so lame sorry but wanted to know the answer.. how to root a android device I have mobile of Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini (ST15i) I bought that before 3 years, still use the thing it's still good working condition but on the latest update of the software which it sucked all my internal memory now i have only 100 MB to usable and latest update of Facebook alone is 25 MB + extra data 30 + cache 10 MB and total is 65 MB (rough calculation) so thought of removing the unwanted default apps which came with the update which were uninstallable searched for removing, XDA Developers  said that the best bid is to root our device and so can you guys please guide me how to root I checked with SuperOneClick it never worked

So, here I will be trying to help you real fast by directly dropping you over to the thread over stack exchange How to root the Xperia Mini ST15i.
PS: Updated the link.

bro downloadable files which has root tool kit have been removed.. :(

Oops I think I may have to check it before giving it to you ! @rajesh now try looking over the post I have updated the post.