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Why is TOTP two-factor digits behaviour different between Android and iOS implementations of Google Authenticator?
I have the below QR code generated from my application so users can use their phones for a time-based OTP. For Google Authenticator in iOS, scanning the QR code correctly leads to an eight-character time-based OTP generating every 30 seconds. However, on the exact same Google Authenticator in Android, it incorrectly generates a six-character string instead.
I have provided the sample string and QR code below (it's from a test system) - does anyone know why the implementation of the functionality differs between the exact same app on Android and iOS, or alternatively where I can find developer documentation for either the otpauth protocol or Google Authenticator itself (both seem thin on the ground and I've had to take what I can from tutorials)?
Sample string: otpauth://totp/test@email.com?secret=GQ2DOMBXGRCDCMRSIVBEEOJSGMZEEQ2F&issuer=TestApplication&algorithm=SHA256&digits=8&period=30
Sample QR Code:

While the Play Store version of Google Authenticator is proprietary, there is also an open-source version.
Browsing through its wiki for Key Uri Format, there is a remark for digits parameter.

Digits
OPTIONAL: The digits parameter may have the values 6 or 8, and determines how long of a one-time passcode to display to the user. The default is 6.

Currently, on Android and Blackberry the digits parameter is ignored by the Google Authenticator implementation.

So, apparently, the digits parameter is ignored in the Android version (along with other optional parameters like algorithm and period that are ignored on all platforms).
As far as I have tried searching for the specific reason why it is not implemented, I could not find it.

Thanks for that - what an odd thing to be different between the two versions. I'll mark this as the accepted answer. Looks like we'll be recommending a different app to our users that works properly across both platforms...


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Delete files downloaded from Telegram
As a follow up to this question, consider a phone with Android 11 and telegram installed on it.
Consider that the user joins many groups, download some files from them and leaves some group, loosing track which groups he first joint and then left.
So now he has many useless files that he wants to delete to free some space. In old Android version, one could access the Telegram folder and check which files were in and eventually delete it. In android 11, from the answer to the question I've linked, this is not possible directly (or at least no as easily as before): how can one check which files are present on their Telegram folder/in his phone and eventually delete them?

As per the linked answer, I don't think you can selectively delete them without root. Though as per the official Android Documentation, they should be removed on uninstall.

Ok, how can I get root access or access that folder? Are there any apps that allow to do that?

See this: How do I root my Android device?, but note that unlocking the bootloader will wipe all the data.

My logic in suggesting uninstall followed by re-install is this - unlike WhatsApp where you need to backup, Telegram has everything in cloud. They wouldn't want to store data that the user doesn't need and take up cloud space //@AndrewT has given you the technical reason,thanks Andrew//It's far more simpler to do this rather than root, just for this

ok but you see that the procedure is suitable for once in a while. Constantly uninstalling an reinstalling Telegram might be annoying.

If cleaning up space is the prime reason, then root is the way to go but backup all data - the moment you unlock bootloader, all user data is lost

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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"Do not Disturb" doesn't block anything
I have a Samsung Galaxy A71 5G. When I got the phone I setup the "Do not Disturb" on a schedule. It worked fine.
At some point I let the phone install updates. Ever since then, as far as I can tell "Do not Disturb" does not block anything. It automatically comes on on the same schedule. But nothing is blocked. Every single app, phone call, & text message still comes through. I do not have any exceptions in my "Do not Disturb" configuration screen.
What do I need to do in order to get "Do not Disturb" working again?

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


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Do turning on encryption and factory reset ensure that deleted images before that reset is also unrecoverable?
I have factory reset my device once. If I turn on encryption now and again factory reset, is it possible to recover photos deleted before the 1st reset? I want to sell my device and don't want others to recover any of my photos.

On Android devices sold in the last years encryption should be enabled by default without a possibility to disable it.

@Robert Thank you!


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Why do I get the error "Preflash Validation Failed" when trying to install a ROM on my Moto G8 Power?
I was trying to install an Android 12 GSI with Fastboot, but whenever I try to install the system.img, it always fails with the error:

(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)

I have seen that this error is common if you have the bootloader locked, but mine is unlocked.
Here's the full list of commands I used:
F:\Programs\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot flash boot boot.img
target reported max download size of 805261312 bytes
sending 'boot_b' (52224 KB)...
OKAY [  1.276s]
writing 'boot_b'...
OKAY [  0.779s]
finished. total time: 2.056s

F:\Programs\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
target reported max download size of 805261312 bytes
sending 'vbmeta_b' (4 KB)...
OKAY [  0.005s]
writing 'vbmeta_b'...
(bootloader) WARNING: vbmeta_b anti rollback downgrade, 0 vs 16
OKAY [  0.036s]
finished. total time: 0.041s

F:\Programs\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot flash system system.img
target reported max download size of 805261312 bytes
Invalid sparse file format at header magic
sending sparse 'system_b' 1/3 (786340 KB)...
OKAY [ 19.870s]
writing 'system_b' 1/3...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 19.962s

Why do I get this error, and is there any way to solve it?


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Do the recent apps screenshots/snapshot thumbnails in data/system/recent_images get deleted when the app is closed or overwritten?
I recently discovered how the recent app switching works, and I saw this thread:
XDA thread here (and there were a few other questions on here on the same topic, but were different questions)
and have the following questions for Android 10 and 11:

Do recent background app snapshots (overview) in data/system/recent_images ever get deleted? Since the data/system folder holds sensitive information, and specifically the task overview snapshots that Android takes for the recent app that are saved in data/system/recent_images or data/system/snapshots that are also called the overview or task list I believe, is there a mechanism that deletes these snapshots or overwrites them when an app is closed?

Do different launchers affect the snapshots or access them in any way?

Thank you!
Edited for clarity of main questions.


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FORTIFY: pthread_mutex_destroy called on a destroyed mutex
I own the LG G4 (Snapdragon 808 based device).
All files reference in my post are shared here.
I'm trying to get the camera working in Q, however, I get major issues with the camera daemon crashing.
We get errors like: FORTIFY: pthread_mutex_destroy called on a destroyed mutex
See the log file labelled "fortify - boot_lc_crash.txt" in the shared folder.
The lib at fault is : libmmcamera2_isp_modules.so
The issue is that the pthread_mutex_destroy is called within a loop. See the image labelled "mutex destroyed in loop.jpg" in the shared folder.
You can see the loop in lines 88-97.
We initially imported the same lib from another device with a similar chipset (oneplus2 - Snapdragon 808, just like the LG G4)
https://github.com/aoleary/vendor_lge/commit/72e3cb5fedd04e9daa99541d298037d81754daf0
But we had issues still after that.
So, instead, we tried modifying our own lib directly, to see if the outcome would be different.
We tried to reverse engineer the libmmcamera2_isp_modules binary. We tried fixing it by hexediting the binary so the loop only executes once.
But then we have these pthread join errors : invalid pthread_t 0xea776230 passed to pthread_join
See the log file labelled "pthread - boot_lc_crash.txt" in the shared folder.
We tried to edit the beq, the b and making param = 1 initially, but that didnt work out.
See the image labelled "modify pthread.jpg" in the shared folder.
Any ideas ?
ROM = https://github.com/AOSIP (ten branch)
https://github.com/aoleary/device_lge_h815/tree/aosip_Q
https://github.com/aoleary/device_lge_g4-common/commits/q_aol3
https://github.com/aoleary/G4-Titan-Kernel/tree/pie_mergeQ
https://github.com/aoleary/vendor_lge/tree/q_aol2


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Use the phone stylus/digitizer as a PC input method
I would like to use my Samsung Note; taking advantage of its digitizer; as a input device of the desktop pc.
I suppose the question/answer can also apply to other brands and the touch screen.
Is it possible?
is there any driver/app necessary?
is it not possible due any Android OS restriction?

There are apps in Play Store which can turn your phone into a trackpad. I have used KDEConnect in past and I remember briefly using this feature et al. Is that what you are after?

Good idea, I was on "tunnel focus" mode , and just thinking in emulate  wacom tablets,drivers and so on.


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Speed up network selection
I am living on the border between two countries and consequently I often have to manually select a network, either from one country or from the other country. My issue is that searching for the network is an extremely slow process, that can take up to ten minutes.
Why is this such a slow process?
Are there any ways of speeding it up?
Why do I need to wait for the search to finish completely before I am allowed to choose a network? I would imagine that the phone finds most networks quickly, but then perhaps struggles on a few where the reception is bad, which then increases the time. However, I do not care about finding all the possible networks, just the two main ones that are the ones that I frequently use.
Could I perhaps manually set a timeout for the search of, say, 30 seconds?
I am using a Motorola G7 power with Android 10, but this issue has been with me for several different phones and android versions.


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Switch password by day on Android?
I like to put overly complicated passwords on my phone (currently it has 16 numbers). Is there a way to make the password switch by day? Like every Monday it would be "1234" and Tuesday "4321". I have heard of a system like that, but it might not be a real thing, at least not on phone. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy A51.

This sounds like the antithesis of a good security policy. Make the system ever-changing & so complex & people start writing them down, or the formula by which they are calculated. You could increase your security by several factors by not using all numbers, for starters.

Is this specifically about the lock screen password, or everything else? Perhaps there are already 3rd-party lock screen apps that have this capability. However, for other things like specific apps, that depends on each app's capability.

The common way to have a long lock screen password but an easy to use phone is using fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone. So you only have to type the password about 1-2 times a week.

I'm already using fingerprints and face recognition, and I'm using default Samsung lock screen. I can easily remember whole code with no issue.

There is no such thing that generates and switches passwords for you - it would lock you out if the password is good, or it would be easily breakable if you could figure it out (computers can break any password generation logic much faster than us). The best thing you could do is to use a password vault app to store passwords safely and use a password generator to generate secure passwords whenever you want.

I mean like I would set password for each day without app generating it


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Connecting external wifi adapter to android 6
This question may be asked before but I couldn't find a working answer so I will ask again.
I got a Android 6 device which has root permissions. But its kernel is the stock one. I want to connect a cheap wifi adapter that doesn't support monitor mode (now don't write that I use it for cracking/hacking and etc.) to my phone. I also have chroot environment in case of compiling driver. How can I use that usb adapter to share my connection at least from chroot???
Now about why I use it: The router in class that is next to us has very short wifi range and it almost doesn't come until our class(Don't worry,we got their permissions) so,I want to use my phone to extend the range and be able to use that network in my class.(From other devices)
What I tried until now:

Sharing WiFi on same interface using Create_AP.
Result: It created a AP but clients couldn't get connection even though I could. And WiFi interface kinda hard blocked and didn't work until I rebooted phone.

WiFi tethers for Android
Result: They didn't work as well.

EDIT 1: I guess I got some progress. Check out https://pastebin.com/jQqHX5Ms

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?. Don't say it's about Ethernet. It's applicable to WiFi adapters as well.

Connecting to WiFi via ADB Shell

@Irfan Latif , it will take a year to understand everything  written in posts(cuz I have no experience with Android(WHYTF IT DOESNT USE REGULAR DEBIAN)) so I cant say it worked or not in near future

Thanks anyways. I will try to do it.

@IrfanLatif , please,check this note: https://pastebin.com/jQqHX5Ms

@IrfanLatif I used PPP Widget 3 instead of scripts there,is it okay? And btw it returned no modem response. Ig it is due that I don't have its module for my kernel(mt7601U.ko). How can I compile it specificly for my device?? I have cross compiler with parameters but it needs kernel build too so where and how can I find it?

@IrfanLatif , please check this XDA post. I gave more details there: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-cross-compile-wifi-drivers-for-android.4370231

And please,respond if u saw any of these

Yes I did see your comments. But I'm really sorry I don't have time to go with you on the long troubleshooting journey. I hope you'll find better answers than mine.

@IrfanLatif ,Okay..  Thanks for guides at least. I will try my best to solve it


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No sound through hearing aids when having a video call on android
I have ReSound hearing aids, tried them with different android devices, the latest is S21 ultra which has (Direct Android Streaming, a hearing aids bluetooth Functionality), which should be compatible with the hearing aids.
When having an ordinary call, or streaming media, the sound comes from the hearing aid,
(but not when having a video call in any app, that the sound in this case comes from the phone).
May I ask if there is a solution for this problem?
My best regards and thanks in advance.


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Apps work with mobile data, but not WiFi?
I have an android phone, where spotify and instagram refuse to work, and behaves as if there is no internet connection when the phone is connected to my home WiFi.
If I switch to mobile data, these apps work perfectly. I don't know what's causing the issue since my WiFi connection on the phone works fine otherwise.
After a factory reset to the phone, I get the same results.
I can't afford to use mobile data all the time, anything I could do to disguise my WiFi? As I assume this is a trust issue of some sort...
This only happens on this one phone, on my other devices I have no problems with my WiFi connection and these apps.

Well, it seems there is something wrong with your phone, something related to the hardware that receives/sends WiFi... That would be my guess...

I don't believe so, as this only happens with 2 apps, WiFi works fine otherwise. The 2 apps also worked perfectly by using mobile data via WiFi connection by connecting to another phone with mobile hotspot enabled.

Have you tried some different (better/faster) WiFi networks? It seems those apps need constant data, and the network isn't able to fulfill the needs.

No, but my WiFi is much faster than my data...


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Android 11 - If you turn off your screen with an app open that uses data, will any data/battery used be considered background?
Let's say I open Pokemon go and was using mobile data to play it and kept the app open but turned off my screen.
For the next few hours, I know battery and data usage will be significantly reduced, but during this time will any battery and data used be only considered "background usage?"
It's impossible for an app to use "foreground data and battery" if the screen is turned off?

To my knowledge all apps are considered to be in background when screen is off no matter which app was on top when you switched off screen.

Sounds good, thanks! To make sure this is clear you're saying if you check foreground and background data usage, any data used while the screen is off when any app on top of the screen was opened, usage would ONLY show up in "background?"


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Does clearing RAM actually help in performance before opening a game?
I have the samsung a32 5g.
Is it a good idea to clear RAM often on your phone? I have 4GB total and notice it is always usually using 2GB, and 3GB when I have opened apps recently. To prevent app game crashes and increase performance, does cleaning RAM actually help? Should you turn off auto-clean since it might close apps you wanted open and would be more inconvenient than helpful?
Does cleaning RAM manually work the same way a phone restarts and "cleans" RAM or is it different?

Our ram tag-wiki answers that. TL;DR: No, it's a bad idea. Let the system take care for the RAM. "Cleaning" RAM has the opposite effect. Related answered questions: 0 ram free on ICS // Are there guidelines on how much free RAM a phone should have?

I see, though I noticed Pokemon go seems to crash often when I re-open the app and maybe it's a placebo effect but cleaning up RAM manually when it's at 3GB/4GB seems to help keep the game from crashing too often. I read that the system is smooth and can manage RAM when needed, but if you are seeing performance drops would it not be a bad idea or will it still do nothing? Is it ever useful in any situation like if you opened multiple apps in one day?

That's most likely rather a bug in the app. You could send the app developer a log of the crash (if the app offers that; but I rather suspect it has a bunch of trackers inside and one of those will already have taken care for this, so the dev already sees it in the developer console). Of course if you know about such an issue, and clearing RAM makes it work, it might be considered a viable work-around until the issue got solved – but then apply it only when needed, i.e. when you need to re-open the app as described.


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Get full list of secret codes in android
I was able to run some of settings hidden apps via adb with
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN "com.android.settings"

These hidden apps are actually some of the activities runnable via "secret codes". Since secret codes are various and some of them are also vendor/device defined, is there a way to retrieve list of every secret code available on a particular device? Maybe from a manifest, by identifying the receivers, via some adb commands etc.
Thank you in advance!

See this answer in particular https://android.stackexchange.com/a/78607/131553

Your example does not contain any "secret code" it just starts the app com.android.settings using it's package name. You can get a list of all app packages via adb shell pm list packages.


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Mild mechanical sound when using the camera
I have a Samsung S10e, with android 11.
Whenever I use the camera, I hear a very mild sound that appears as if it were produced by an actual mechanical displacement of parts, not coming from the speaker.
It is similar to the (old) point-and-shoot cameras when autofocusing.

Is that possible?
If so, is there any way of confirming this?
If the sound is "mechanical", is that normal/expected, or is it a sign of something wrong (even if perhaps not serious)? (see link below)

Notes:

Shutter sound and Vibration feedback are set to Off.

Sounds are produced, e.g., when I:

activate the Camera app
exit the Camera app
open settings in the camera app (with the cog)
exit settings in the camera app
change mode (photo, video, more, etc.)

Sounds are not produced when I take pictures

If I shake the phone I hear a mild noise as well (not exactly the same). It is louder if I shake it up and down, than if I shake it left-right. Perhaps related to the OIS, but not sure...

Some people noticed similar clicks here, here and here, not sure it is the same. Not sure if the S10e is expected to make that noise.

This warns about upcoming failure.

I confirm I could see a sort of a shutter opening and closing (but not fully) whenever the click is heard.
I am not sure if it is "likely the aperature of the adjustable lens adjusting for the current light in the shot." (VerbumVeritum, Samsung Care Ambassador), or the OIS as linked in the OP, or...
Hopefully it does not precede failure.


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Stuck in Fastboot mode with "No valid slot to boot" after Magisk rooting attempt
For a Pixel 3a XL with an unlocked bootloader, I tried to flash a boot.img file patched by Magisk following this guide, using bonito-sp1a.210812.015 from Google Factory images.
After I successfully completed the whole process from "Step 2: Rooting Google Pixel 3a XL" section and rebooted, my Pixel became stuck booting with a "G" logo (and progress bar animating).
I tried to fix it with these commands, which resulted in always booting in Fastboot Mode, error message "No valid slot to boot".
./fastboot flash boot_a "boot.img"
./fastboot flash boot_b "boot.img"

How can I make my Pixel boot normally again without loosing any of my user data living on it?
Alternatively, is there a way to back up all my user files from Pixel with eg. adb, given the broken booting?

I'm able to boot in recovery mode if it can be useful.

Sideloading in recovery mode with full OTA following the official instructions solved my problem: Pixel now boots properly; all my data is intact.


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When connecting two Android phones via a cable, how can I choose which phone is charging which phone?
When connecting two Android phones via a cable, how can I choose which phone is charging which phone? E.g. when I connected a Samsung Galaxy S9 (Android 10) with a Google Pixel 6 (Android 12) via a male-to-male USB-C cable, the Google Pixel 6 got charged.

Under USB preferences, whichever device has Charge connected device as enabled is charging the other device.
Snapshot from Pixel 4a (Android 12) connected to and charging One Plus 7 (Android 10)

And the reverse (One Plus charging Pixel)

If you want to switch charging when connected, toggle the switch on any device and the selection on the other device gets reversed.
Edit: To address the comments, charging cannot be switched off on both devices. I couldn't find any documentation around this.

Looks like this feature was added since Android 9 Pie.

If you want to switch charging when connected, toggle the switch on any device and the selection on the other device gets reversed seems less than ideal - what if you want no charging to take place at all?

@ChrisH: Then presumably you'd set it to "off" on both phones, instead of "on" on one or the other.

@PeterCordes that's what I'd hope to happen, but "toggling one reverses the other" means that when you turn one off the other turns on

Regarding charging not being able to be switched off completely on both, I bet this has something to do with USB certification. There are all kinds of seemingly odd edge cases involved there, and it would not surprise me if one o them is ‘no data transfer without power transfer’.


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Is there a way to enable Android debugging by PC?
I'm trying to turn on debugging on my Samsung Galaxy J5 so I can use adb shell rm /data/system/gesture/.key and unlock my phone screen so I don't have to reset it and lose all its data (but it's locked with my PIN). For that, I need to know how to debug it just by the Command Prompt.
Is there a way to enable Android debugging by PC?

You cannot. adb daemon can be only started by android OS.

There is no point pursuing this course of action. Deleting any file under /data/system requires root access. Android doesn't provide any way to users to access powers of root. A user has to resort to system hacking (called as rooting the device) to get root access. And in that process, most of the time the user data is wiped in the process.
In short, even if you somehow manage to enable and authorize USB debugging the problem of "no-root-access" would stonewall you. And if you try to root the device, you will end up deleting all of your data -- the very thing you want to avoid.

My advice is to try this with recovery mode.
Download a custom recovery like ClockWorkMode or TWRP for your device. Then enter in recovery mode by holding Vol Up and pressing power. The recovery will give you root access with no need to grant permission.

Doesn't flashing a custom recovery need an unlocked bootloader, and that also mean wiping the data first?

I'm sorry Andrew, you are right, it does require OEM unlock to boot on TWRP recovery mode. I think Firelord's analysis is correct. It cannot be done.


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Encrypt SD Card
I am new to Android because I was an iOS user before and the first thing I came across on the way is that with Android it is possible to expand the memory via an SD card.
The disadvantage, however, is that the merged memory encrypts the data, but the data is unusable if it is defective.  The other method is not to use the SD card as a shared volume but as a separate data carrier.  The problem, however, is that in the event of theft, data such as application documents etc. is read in.
Is it possible in any way to encrypt the data on the external SD card so that the data can still be read by entering the password and on multiple devices.
You couldn't encrypt the SD card on a computer and activate it on the Android device with a password.  Or the Android device itself can offer encryption options.  For example, there is a virtual volume like macOS introduced with hdiutil to create UDIFs so that the disk image could be read when the password was entered and it worked like a real virtual encrypted disk.
I hope you can roughly understand what I'm getting at, ihow to encrypt the data and to be able to access everyone again when the password is entered, on all devices.
What next?
Warm greetings

Decrypting microSD card on another Android device or desktop computer

Cross-platform compatible encryption of SD-card for Android

@Irfan Latif  Sorry, but your contributions are written in such a complicated way that only someone with prior knowledge can understand it.  There is no example or something similar given, only several suggested CLI programs that you have to deal with very intensively.  Isn't there a way, as it is not risky, to write an encrypted virtual volume on the SD card?


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Hide photos & videos from the gallery
no matter what is stored on the Android operating system as long as there is no root rights needed to view this photo / video file stores in my case Amazon photos.
All photos & videos of the file system in your app or the pictures are released. But I do not want my photos and videos I automatically enter the gallery in another place like downloads / documents.
Unfortunately, I always have to go manually in the Amazon Photos app and hide the pictures that do not come from the camera which time unnecessarily wasted.

EDIT: After the hint of the community bot in the comments, I'll try to make the question simpler.
No matter where I save photos and videos on my device, for example in the music folder or in the documents folder, they end up in my photo gallery.
But I don't want them to get into my gallery because the pictures are in the documents folder and not in the camera folder.  What exactly can i do now?

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

you can try putting the pictures or videos you don't want in the Gallery in your "Secure Folder"'s Gallery.
If you don't know, there is an app called Secure Folder and you can access several apps, including the Gallery app, and so the Secure Folder acts as like a private room with an additional body guard /  password required to enter.
You can move all pictures and videos in your Gallery to your Secure Folder Gallery by going to a specific pic/video, pressing the 3 vertical dots that appear in the lower right corner, and then tapping Move to Secure Folder, they will then disappear from the Gallery

Secure Folder is specific to Samsung.  Although there may be similar apps on other makes of phone.


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Can you clean your Samsung a32 5g front and back camera lens with 70% isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth?
I have the samsung a32 5g.
Will doing so cause any strappings of coatings/damage of any kind, and what are those coatings supposed to do? Are the camera lens made of plastic or glass?


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Force check for notifications without checking phone
When i haven't checked my phone (One Plus 6. Running OxygenOS 10.3.12) for a few hours, when i finally check it it lags like there is no tomorrow.
My guess is that it requests and then receives a crapton of notifications, which causes the lag.
I can take that guess because when i check my phone, nothing is new but after 10-15 seconds it seems to open the floodgates and i receive 20-30 notifications all at once.
Is there a way to tell android to do a check for new notifications every x minutes, even if the phone is left undisturbed?

What device do you use? The apps that cause those flood of notifications is allowed for background data usage and is it included/excluded from battery optimization?

One Plus 6. Running OxyenOS 10.3.12

One Plus is known for extrem battery saving: https://dontkillmyapp.com/oneplus


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Safe to delete files in /storage/emulated/media/logs?
My phone is running out of free space. When Settings > Storage displayedmore than 30GB used by "System", I looked into it further using the DiskUsage Android app.
It told me that  /storage/emulated/media/logs was more than 8GB:

In this folder were many 256MB log files.
But when I try to view more information about these files in a browser app, no files are displayed. I assume they are protected in some way. I'm not rooted, so maybe they're unavailable for that reason.
Are these files safe to delete, and if yes, can I delete them without rooting?


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Mosquitto broker on android 9 hotspot = random broker address
after some years of great and reliable service, my old Android 7 phone, used as hotspot and mosquitto broker, has decided to retire himself.
In my previous setup, Mosquitto runs in a termux shell on boot, and with an app/tasker plugin -mqtt client-, I can intercept messages sent from an esp32cam client (I use it as a PIR alarm), then send me sms through tasker and a mail with the captured image through wifi.
On android 7 the hotspot address is always 192.168.43.1 and for months I had no problems.
Now I have a new phone as hotspot, with Android 9, but I can't replicate my setup: the gateway address, so the mosquitto broker address, changes randomly at every new connection, and I can't fix it on the esp32 and on the mqtt client app.

Solved after thinking about it a bit more:
On mqtt client app (that runs on the android hotspot) i've set the broker address as "localhost".
On the ESP32 cam alarm add this lines after the wifi connection
int mqtt_server = WiFi.gatewayIP(); //ugly but works
client.setServer(mqtt_server, 1883);

hope this helps others that want to run mqtt broker directly on their android hotspot


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Multiple account for contacts Sync in Whatsapp
I have multiple accounts in contacts Gmail, Phone, Samsung account.
Which account will it take to sync with Whatsapp ?
What is the limit of contacts ?
As per my work i have total 50k plus contacts in my phone in various accounts, will it sync in whatsapp ?
I have tried all possible ways to sync account deletion, reset of my phone, restarting phones.
I can see few contact names in whatsapp but in my contacts when i open the app of contacts there is no link to whatsapp in none of the names.


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How can I configure Google speech to text so that whenever I say "Frank" it writes "Franck"?
How can I configure Google speech to text so that whenever I say "Frank" it writes "Franck"?
I use Android 12 with a Google Pixel 6.

Glad to see you didn't have to change your name just to accommodate Google. ;)  Personally, I think you should spell it with two c's, but that's just my opinion.

@RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket I'm reading Frank so often that I might start to do the same typo at some point!

I think we need to arrange a posthumous meeting with Mary Shelley and get her to rename her creation to Franckenstein.  The confusion obviously is her fault.

there is isn't a direct way doing that. unfortunately Google voice to text translation is terribly biased. it offers various accents for English but it will not translate anything perfectly  and errors remain.
so how do you force corrections that come from bad voice to text translation  ?
from settings go to dictionary  &  add  Franck and make Frank the shortcut. I believe this is the closest you can come to what you you want to achieve


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Gboard keyboard suggest second language even though I added only one language
I use GBoard and have set English as my only language. But it shows auto-completion suggestions in both Hindi (transliteration) and English to me. I don't type in Hindi so I find it really annoying and want to disable transliteration of Hindi words in Gboard Keyboard.
Here is what I did:

Go to Gboard -> Settings -> Languages. I only see English (US) there.

Go to Gboard -> Settings -> Dictionary. I only see English (US) there too.

But still, when I type "bah" for example, I see suggestions for "bahut" and other Hindi words.
How do I get rid of them?


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Audio recorder triggered by global long press gesture
A friend who has limited eye sight would like an audio recorder on his Samsung phone. Ideally it starts when he long presses the display anywhere after unlocking the phone.
Is that possible?

This is definitely possible.  Unfortunately, it's a bit off-topic for this site.  If you ask on the Software Recommendations Stack Exchange, it will definitely be on topic.

@RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket Interesting. So an app can listen to global touch events? Can you elaborate? (I'm not looking for a specific suggestion, anyhow too many Stack Exchange sites now.)

I'm happy to elaborate, but it will be too long for a comment, so I'll write an answer.

I'm thinking there are at least 5 good approaches to help out your friend:

Take a close look at Android's and Samsung's accessibility services.  I haven't had the best experiences with Samsung devices, but some of the accessibility services they offer are top notch.  If you go into Android's Settings UI, you can explore.  You may find something exactly like you describe, or something else that you can adapt to your friend's needs.

Use a custom launcher like Lightning Launcher, Total Launcher, or Nova Launcher, and configure the entire main home page be one huge button that, when pressed, launches an audio recorder of your friend's choosing.  I've used all of those launchers, and Lightning Launcher is by far the best and most flexible, but it has a significant learning curve.  Total Launcher is also very flexible (yet not as flexible as Lightning Launcher), but its learning curve is quite steep. Nova Launcher is the easiest to configure, but the least flexible, by far.

Using any of the aforementioned launchers, you can program a swipe gesture (e.g. 2 fingers swiping up) to launch an audio recorder of your friend's choosing.

Install HomeBot from F-Droid and remap the home button long press on to launch an audio recorder.

There is a great open-source app that allows you to reconfigure all the physical buttons on your Android device called KeyMapper.  You can configure it to start an audio recorder when your friend presses or long-presses a button.

Note that for options #1 and #2 (and perhaps for #3, #4, and #5), if your friend prefers, they can link directly to the activity within the audio recording app that begins the actual recording.  That way, the recording starts right away.
The biggest challenge I see is for your friend to know that recording is taking place.  This partially depends on the limits of their vision.  One tip is to enable a sound when the device is turned on.  Most modern Android phones have this option, often tucked in with the other accessibility settings.
I admire you for being willing to help others.  Good luck!


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Unable to login into spotify from Samsung Galaxy Note S20 Ultra
I have recently purchased the Samsung Galaxy Note S20 Ultra.
When I'm trying to login into spotify, then it is giving a message - Something went wrong, please try again. I also checked from my other device, i.e, iPhone. I'm able to login from that device.
I tried all the methods like clearing cache, re-installating the app and so on. But the issue still persists.
What is the actual issue ? Is this issue caused due to One UI ? Please help.

Have you tried exporting the app and try to install apk on another phone? If it does not still work try imstalling other variants from third party websites.

@Silent The apk is working on another android phone.

how about going to the previous version of the app? And if it works i suggest usig it until next update.

@Slient Need to check.


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Cannot remove Avast from Asus Zenpad 3S 10 Z500M
I have an Asus Zenpad 3S 10 Z500M running Android 7 and I tried Avast recently but now I can not remove it. I deactivated the admin permission but still, when I uninstall, it redirects me again to manage the admin screen.
I tried to email support but they are very slow to reply and never give me a solution, all they knew is to deactivate the admin.

https://support.avast.com/en-gb/article/Uninstall-Mobile-Security/

@Tetsujin none worked out.

Their support pages are as tracker-ridden as their "security" app itself… You could try uninstalling via ADB with adb uninstall <packageName> (see our ADB tag wiki for details on ADB). The package name is the part you find in the Play Store URL of the app, following the id= parameter.

@Izzy I dont see how security app does not give you a choice to remove it is good nor  waiting for a week for support to replay to me, it is a terrible app but thanks for your help.

I have my doubts on most of those so-called "Anti-Virus" apps (see the intro to my corresponding app list). Often they are more harmful than useful. IMHO security apps (as well as apps for health, fincances or children) should not contain any trackers, yet most of them do. I've never installed such on any of my devices. I rather keep my defenses up and my eyes open, using that gray mass between my ears. Served me well so far ;)

@Izzy yes I found the same.

@Izzy if you post as answer I will select. I think adb is the only way.

You could try uninstalling via ADB with adb uninstall <packageName> (see our ADB tag wiki for details on ADB). The package name is the part you find in the Play Store URL of the app, following the id= parameter – for Avast that would be com.avast.android.mobilesecurity, so the complete command should be
adb uninstall com.avast.android.mobilesecurity

As it turned out (see comments below), the instructions given by Avast included the required details, but one needs to take care not to miss a step. Summing up:

open the app
via the Hamburger menu (upper left corner) navigate to Settings › Uninstall App
enter your pin, then toggle off "turn off device administrator first"
now tap "uninstall app"
on the following screen, tap the Uninstall button and confirm.

On the last screen mentioned, you could also try to first force-stop and clear its cache/data, as shown in this (older) video. Also see this video for more up-to-date visuals.

As for the so-called "Antivirus" apps, I'd keep them off my device and rather use "brain.apk", for multiple reasons:

they often do more harm than good, especially with the trackers included. Avira is the best example of this, tracking you without your consent as security specialist Mike Kuketz demonstrated in detail (German article) – and as you experienced yourself, removing that threat proves hard.
the term "Antivirus" is misleading. There are no viruses on Android (there is malware, yes, but you have to actively install it while viruses replicate themselves). So the naming is scare tactics as people using Windows think they must use such things.
Due to the architecture of Android, such scanners must have root privileges to be effective. As they do not, they cannot do half of what they promise: there's no heuristics, no live-activity-scanning. At best, they compare the package names (and maybe APK hashes) against some databases.
There's a wrong sensing of security. People let their guards down because they think themselves protected, getting reckless as they think no harm can happen.

So with some common sense and carefulness, your protection level is much higher :)

For "what to install", just follow the link I gave to the ADB tag wiki. There you find a lot of details getting you started – for example also Is there a minimal installation of ADB?. Concerning the DELETE_FAILED_DEVICE_POLICY_MANAGER error message: that indicates you still have granted the app device manager permissions. Have you thoroughly checked with your settings? Settings › Security › Device administrators and uncheck the box next to the app? Does the app also have something like an anti-theft protection? If so, you might need to disable that in the app, too.

yes check box clear for administrator. Yes there anti theft but I did not grant all permissions so it is not on but I will try to turn it on and then off maybe it will allow uninstall.

This one you have tried (all 3 variants)? You could also try to first force-stop and clear its cache/data, as shown in this (older) video. There also seems to be a device admin setting in the app itself; maybe this video provides some help? If none of this works, forgive me the pun, that app seems to need a malware remover to get rid of it…

no I did not notice the settings. I was able to uninstall from inside the app. I am getting old :) Thanks


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Onedrive & Googledrive automatic syncing - How often does syncing happen?
I have the samsung a32 5g.
Does just logging into onedrive/google drive reduce performance/battery life in any way?
How often does onedrive and Googledrive sync to your phone automatically if logged in, does it affect performance/cause slowdowns constantly?


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How can I backup and/or restore MMS messages on another phone?
Context
I recently got a new Android phone. (OnePlus Nord N200 5G for reference.) On my old phone (LG V30+) I utilized the "Backup" in the Settings. On my new phone, I was asked if I wanted to restore from a backup, so I did. Everything seemed fine.
Later, I realized that MMS messages did not back up. It's as if they were never sent, and old Text conversations don't make sense with those pieces missing.
Goal
My ideal situation is: I can restore those messages and they will slot right into where they belong in conversation order. I would also accept just being able to easily save all MMS messages across all contacts somewhere, if my real goal is not possible.
What I've tried
It seems to be the case that the old "backup" stuff in the settings has been replaced by Google One. Indeed, in Google One, there is a checkbox for "backup MMS messages" that is separate from "backup SMS messages." However, it doesn't seem to be possible to restore those backed up MMS messages without resetting the new phone back to factory settings. But I have a month of new conversations that I don't want to delete, either! So I don't think there's a way with that app.
I have seen dozens of sketchy looking apps promising to be able to do something with my MMS messages. However, I don't trust any of them, and through searching haven't been able to find anything that I feel confidently says it can do what I want.
I'm vaguely aware that these messages are stored in a SQLite database on the phone. I have not attempted to copy this database or otherwise merge the data in them, though am willing to give it a shot if this is necessary. I know my way around databases, but have low confidence the simple solutions will work here. (Expecting security things, or checksums, or anything.)
Neither of my phones are rooted, and I would personally like to keep it that way, but if necessary I'm willing to go through those steps. But even with that, I haven't seen anything that suggests that creates an easily solution either.
What can I do?

While indeed most such apps look sketchy (just count the trackers inside!), I'd say you can trust apps from F-Droid (disclosure: I'm one of the F-Droid maintainers). SMS Import/Export could do the trick: it exports to JSON (so you can easily use that with other apps) and also allows to import from that. I haven't tried it (didn't receive a single MMS yet in all those years), hence just a comment. If it works for you, feel free to answer your own question :)


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Getting "java.lang.SecurityException: Shell does not have permission to access user 150" when uninstalling apps from Samsung Secure folder using ADB
I am using Samsung Galaxy A50, Android 11, One UI 3.1. I use Samsung Secure folder. There are many bloatware in it and I could not find a way to uninstall (and disable) them via ADB.
Owner profile user is 0, Secure Folder user is 150.
pm uninstall -k --user 150 com.android.chrome

Exception occurred while executing 'uninstall': java.lang.SecurityException: Shell does not have permission to access user 150
com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.handleIncomingUser:17947
android.app.ActivityManager.handleIncomingUser:4863
com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.translateUserId:3125
    at com.android.server.am.UserController.handleIncomingUser(UserController.java:2375)
    at com.android.server.am.ActivityManagerService.handleIncomingUser(ActivityManagerService.java:17947)
    at android.app.ActivityManager.handleIncomingUser(ActivityManager.java:4863)
    at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.translateUserId(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:3125)
    at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.runUninstall(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:2024)
    at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.onCommand(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:237)
    at android.os.BasicShellCommandHandler.exec(BasicShellCommandHandler.java:98)
    at android.os.ShellCommand.exec(ShellCommand.java:44)
    at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.onShellCommand(PackageManagerService.java:26662)
    at android.os.Binder.shellCommand(Binder.java:965)
    at android.os.Binder.onTransact(Binder.java:839)
    at android.content.pm.IPackageManager$Stub.onTransact(IPackageManager.java:5206)
    at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.onTransact(PackageManagerService.java:5281)
    at android.os.Binder.execTransactInternal(Binder.java:1195)
    at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:1159)

Samsung has restricted privileges of adb (shell) user from making changes to packages installed under user 150. There is nothing we can do. This is a design choice (probably to ensure bloat continues to float in the device). Rooting is the only solution to remove bloatware in such situations.

If no way without root then i should stop searching for answere. Thank you

Uninstall the Samsung Secure Folder from the Settings.
Settings -> Lock screen and security -> Secure Folder -> Enter your lock details -> Uninstall.
Refer to this blog.

Perhaps you might want to [edit] and clarify if this is the only solution since the question stated "I use Samsung Secure folder", thus uninstalling Samsung Secure Folder might defeat the purpose.

@AndrewT. I am not sure if this is the only solution, but this worked for me.

I want to uninstall some bloatwares from secure folder, not uninstall secure folder.

It works. Confirmed for S22 with Android 13. Jun 10 2023

I've encountered the same messages after trying to get to the list of packages. Nonetheless, knowing the name of the package, I was able to get rid of bloatware using the standard pm uninstall -k --user 0 command with no root.

Are you sure this is what the asker wants? Note that the question is specifically about apps on Samsung Secure folder (user 150), not the owner profile (user 0).

I am expanding on Ashwin's answer. If you have Secure Folder enabled (usually by default), in order to uninstall any other app or even have permission to do something simple with ADB shell such as listing packages, you need to uninstall secure folder.
Example from before the uninstall for running  pm list packages | grep google:

And right after uninstalling Secure Folder, I ran the same command and it worked!

Now you can uninstall apps via: adb shell pm uninstall — user 0 com.example.app
(optionally can add -k before - user to keep app data)

Did you able to uninstall any app which can be uninstalled/disabled only via adb insade the secure folder? I am looking for solution to uninstall/disable system apps insade Secure Folder. Adb comments working fine outside secure folder.

@Halilb1978 your question didn't state that.


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How to add special permission to application?
I removed too much system apps last time and I reinstalled Google Play Services (GmsService) from .apk file from backup.
However, its component com.google.android.gms.persistent needs permission OBSERVE_GRANT_REVOKE_PERMISSIONS and there is no way to add it using adb grant command because it's a special permission.
Without this permission it's constantly restarting and this causes high CPU usage and battery drain.
Logcat:
12-01 11:59:37.352 26458 26458 E DeviceDoctorHandler: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
12-01 11:59:37.352 26458 26458 E DeviceDoctorHandler: Process: com.google.android.gms.persistent, PID: 26458
12-01 11:59:37.352 26458 26458 E DeviceDoctorHandler: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to create application co.g.App: java.lang.SecurityException: addOnPermissionsChangeListener: Neither user 10009 nor current process has android.permission.OBSERVE_GRANT_REVOKE_PERMISSIONS.

What I tried is to edit /data/system/packages.xml file and add permission manually:
<item name="android.permission.OBSERVE_GRANT_REVOKE_PERMISSIONS" granted="true" flags="0" />

However, packages.xml is restored after reboot and manual changes are lost.
How to add this permission or how to reinstall GmsService with all required permissions?

You need to install GMS as privileged system apps. Then add android.permission.OBSERVE_GRANT_REVOKE_PERMISSIONS to /system/etc/permissions/privapp-permissions.xml.

Isn't that the answer to the question, even if it's short?

@IrfanLatif, no such file on my device (Android 6.0.1)

Sorry I didn't see the Android 6 tag. It was added in Android 8. Related documentation: https://source.android.com/devices/tech/config/perms-allowlist. Before that, IIRC, every privileged app was granted the requested permissions with the signature|privileged protection level.

@IrfanLatif I followed these tutorials from command line:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/trial-turn-any-app-to-system-app-and-automatically-install-after-factory-reset-totally-irremovable.4206825/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/what-is-the-right-way-to-turn-an-app-into-a-system-app-under-android-oreo-and-above.4229763/
But if we had the app installed previously, then we must fix paths in /data/system/packages.xml and remove (or back-up under another name) /data/system/packages.xml.mbak to prevent overwriting changes in packages.xml.
Now I will observe...


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What does a small "two white rings inside orange circle" icon mean on an app icon?
I am using a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Why do I have some apps doubled up such as Settings, Chrome, Android System Web View, and Google Play Services?  They have a small orange icon with two circles.

AFAIK, some Samsung models have a native Dual Messenger feature, and the duplicated apps are marked with "Dual Messenger" symbol that looks like on the screenshot. However, I don't know if it also includes other apps like Settings, Chrome, Android System Web View, Google Play Services...

As mentioned by Andrew, the newer models support Dual Apps.  On my system I can see other apps such as:

Chrome
Whatsapp

If you search for Dual in Settings, you will see the option Dual Messenger that allows you to use a second copy of select social apps with a second account.

If you press it, you can see the following, where you can select which apps you want to use.  And you can use a separate contacts list for these.

To disable this:

click on the three dot menu at top right;
press Delete all my data.


text:
Update/change Sony TV KD-55XE7005 to Android TV possible?
I have a Sony TV KD-55XE7005 with the Firmware v8.905-1000. I do not exactly know what Firmware/OS it is (some SONY proprietary), but it is NOT Android TV. Other newer SONY TVs come with Android TV. Can I change my TV to Android TV?
I wish to do so that I can install applications, which is not possible with my TV. It comes with some apps, but no chance to add new ones.

Android and Android TV are no "universal OS" you can install yourself. You need and adapted version of Android[TV] for each device, therefore what you want is not possible until you or someone else adapts Android TV for your TV (assuming the hardware is powerful enough which is usually not the case).

Understood, good point. It was my hope that an adapted version exists, as SONY sells many TVs with Android TV. So I was vaguely hoping that my TV is also sold as a Android TV version and I somehow can patch it to that. However, most likely it is much easier to just buy a TV stick or a Raspberry Pi Android TV Box.


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How can I configure Android so that the keyboard appears by default when clicking on the settings search box?
When I click on  the search box in the settings,  by default no keyboard appears:

I  have to click again on the search box for the keyboard to appear.
Instead  I would like the keyboard to appear by default:

How can I configure Android so that the keyboard appears by default when clicking on the settings search box?
I use Android 12 with a Google Pixel 6.

According to this topic on stack overflow, this is defined by the application. The app must request the keyboard to be displayed when the cursor is on the field.
They say that, in small screen devices, the keyboard occupy lots of space, covering important views. So it's better to not display the keyboard by default, and let the developer implement if he wants to display it.


text:
Samsung phones - Do their camera lens have a coating?
I have the samsung a32 5g.
Do the front and back cameras on these phones have any coating similar to what professional cameras have like "anti glare?" Does alcohol damage these coatings or is it ok if it has any?


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How to choose which tools to download in android studio?
For personal reasons, I have limited internet. :(, that is why I want to choose only the necessary tools to compile APKs, I only give it download, for example: plarform-tools and android studio shows me the complete list of what I am downloading:
Chosen option:
      platform-tools

What android studio wants to download:
    plarform-tools // I want to download.

    Android emulator // I do not want to download it,  because it is not necessary (since I have an android device) and it weighs a painful 300MGb.

    etc ... // All the other tools I need to compile APKs (I think), but not chosen either.

The problem is that I swear I must download the android emulator, how can I not download the android emulator or choose to download in android studio?

Do you have a traffic limit (? GB per month) or is it just the time you want to save? If it is the first be aware that for Android development the required tools to be downloaded is way longer. Android studio uses gradle and Android development plugin (each another few hundred MB), and then all the required Java libraries for compiling and gradle. Consider about at least another 1-2GB before your first project is built.

@Robert 0_0. Goodbye android . Not only is it a game, I have the java virtual machine (I have no problem with this) and with the compilation I imagine that it does not require that much (because I had a mobile app that compiled APKs and it weighed about 120MGB).

Games usually contain a lot of graphics, 3d models, audio, video... An 120MB Android game app is nothing unusual, and comparing it with the iOS eco system 120MB is small, an iOS app (not game) is typically 50-200MB large.

@Robert I dont understand, the App is a IDE and compiler of APKs no a game, but yes it runs on an android phone.


text:
Dual SIM phone: Disable/Enable SIM card on Airplane Mode
I have a Samsung M32 (current Android version: 11, Knox version: 3.7).
I'm using dual SIMs, 1 for homeland and 1 for the overseas. I want to ENABLE the overseas SIM and DISABLE the homeland SIM when I get on the plane after turning ON the Airplane mode. The reason is, if I turn on the overseas SIM beforehand, I will have to pay a daily usage charge in my homeland and vice versa (I have to pay a daily usage charge for homeland when the airplane lands on another country).
Is there any software solution to this or should I disregard the dual SIMs and use the phone as single SIM?
Thanks in advance.

Possibly related/duplicate: How do I put only one SIM card in dual-sim smartphone to "Airplane mode"?.

AFAIK, Airplane mode will disable telephony service no matter what. While it's possible to manually turn on WiFi and Bluetooth back after turning it on, there's no way to enable any SIM on Airplane mode.

Thank you for comments.
"How do I put only one SIM card in dual-sim smartphone to "Airplane mode" is asking to enable/disable SIM cards without the airplane mode. My question is enable/disable during the airplane mode.
On the other hand, as you've commented; I'm trying to find to disable one SIM in Airplane mode in which I can not understand why this option is not available.

This is a super valid use case and I'm surprised that not more people encounter this. It makes you think that nobody who actually relies on dual SIM for multiple countries/continents was involved in designing the dual SIM UI. It should be noted that you can change the SIM preference for calls and texts in airplane mode, but not for mobile data. The only "solution" to avoid charges seems to be turning off airplane mode at 30,000 ft to make the switch without connecting, which is obviously nothing you should do.


text:
Can I prevent hyperlinks in messages being clickable on Android?
My father has a Samsung Galaxy A6 phone running Android (don't remember the version on the top of my head, but I guess 8 or 9). From time to time he gets these scam SMS with hyperlinks, and now during the holiday season he is getting many more. He has dementia and I'm afraid that he will click on these hyperlinks.
Currently I periodically connect to his phone and delete any scam SMS I see, but now I've come up with the idea that maybe there is a way to disable hyperlinks from being clickable altogether. He rarely gets messages anyway, so there wouldn't be any legitimate need for him to click on hyperlinks. I don't want to disable or uninstall the web browser, because he surfs the web on his phone. It's just from the SMS app I would like to disable hyperlinks.

There are two solutions I can think of now. 1) find an SMS app that allows disabling hyperlink clicking. You'd have to search and try a couple SMS apps in Play Store, or try asking this as a question at [softwarerecs.se]. 2) Other option is to isolate the SMS app. You can try running the SMS app only in Work profile, and remove all browsers or don't install any browser in Work profile. This way, even if your Father clicks on a hyperlink the Android would have no way of loading it in a browser because it doesn't exist.

I unfortunately don't have time to write an answer right now, but if you don't get good answers, ping me in a few days, and I'll hopefully have time to write up an answer.  The solution I have in mind may not be perfect, but could likely help.

Related on SoftwareRecs.SE: https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/q/81470/520

@RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket You asked me to ping you if I didn't get good answers. I'm interested in hearing your solution, if you have the time.

Thank you for pinging me.  Unfortunately, I'm still swamped.  I'm going to add this to my list, but in full disclosure, it's a long list!  Feel free to ping me again (I truly don't mind).


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Continue a music playlist as an Alarm
Back when Google Play was still alive, I found an Automate script that would turn on the app at a specific time, continuing whatever playlist it had last been going through. It made for a really handy alarm, since I wouldn't reflexively turn off music the way I would an alarm, especially as it changed every day. And I really appreciated it continuing the playlist since I could curate the play order and manually switch to another playlist at the end.
Ever since Google nixed Play in favor of Youtube Music, I haven't found a way to replicate that - the only way I can get YT Music to play a playlist in order with an alarm is if it starts over every morning, which really doesn't help you get through a 50 song playlist over time.
Is there a way to use a music service as an alarm like that? To continue the set playlist in order where it left off the morning before? I'll entertain any music app and automation combination, but am really hoping there's just some setting I missed in the default Clock/YouTube Music combo.


text:
Calling up an arbitrary dictation app from within a keyboard app (Swype)
I've been using the Swype/Dragon keyboard for years, because I found its swipe-typing function to work best, and the voice dictation was also the best for the languages I needed.
Despite the app's discontinuation, the keyboard still works fine, in fact better than others I've tried, such as GBoard or Microsoft SwiftKey. However, the Dragon voice dictation server is down, so one can no longer use voice typing from within the Swype keyboard.
Is there any way to keep Swype as a default keyboard but call up some other dictation component/app, such as Google Voice Typing, upon pressing the microphone key in Swype (below)?

Why not use GBoard  for both swipe typing and speech recognition?  That's what I do


text:
How to open, edit, and save file on USB connected Android phone via notebook/desktop
Personally I do a lot with VBA in Excel and like it to explore various software to find the one that fits my needs best. I am a friend of proper data management, e.g. having photos taken at hand based on keyword management. Since I have my phone always with me, I have various lists in a text editor app. E.g. next needed maintenance at the car, grocery shopping list or a list of places I discover in my hometown. Sometimes I want to read and edit these lists at my notebook using Wordpad.
So I connect my phone with a USB cable, select the folder on the internal phone memory and see all the files as proper .txt.
But: On my notebook when right-clicking a file, I can select 'open with' (there I select 'Wordpad'). But the files in the internal phone memory do not show this option on right-click.
If I copy the file to my computer, it works properly. If I have Wordpad open and select a file via 'file open' from the phone, then it opens properly in 'Wordpad', but automatically with an [1] in the file name. Obviously, write-protected. If I want to save any edits, I cannot save that back to the phone in the same file. Only to my computer and then copy back to my phone.
My setting: Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 with Android Nougat. Windows 7 Notebook.
My question: How can I enable opening a text file with Wordpad (solved with 'file open'), edit, and save the edits directly with the file on the phone when USB is connected? Ideally getting also the 'open with' option when right-clicking a file on the phone. Do I need to change any USB access option on my phone permanently? I searched via Google in various word combinations but did not find a helpful post.

The MTP protocol used between phone and PC does not support editing. MTP is a very simple protocol that allows only listing files/folders including properties, download a file from the phone, upload a file to the phone and delete a file/folder. Additionally while one operation is ongoing no other operation can be performed.
Originally MTP was designed for very simple devices like early photo cameras without much CPU or RAM.
As editing is not supported you can only simulate it by downloading the file to the PC, edit and and then upload it back to the phone. The download part is integrated into Windows, but the upload part seems to be missing.
Also important (but Windows specific) is that MTP devices are shown in the Windows Explorer but can not be accessed by applications by a path like F:\. Therefore the Open With menu is totally different.


text:
Can I fix a bootloop for non available storage by mounting a SD card?
I was receiving an alert from Whatsapp saying that my storage went full, so I wanted to clean it up but this morning I saw my phone and it got stuck in the boot logo. The weird thing is it lets me to write the password (and then it freezes).
Someone in Facebook told me that was because my phone ran out of storage and tries to write some logs (and since it hasn't space it keeps trying)
Can I fix this problem mounting a SD card so the phone can write the logs? is there another solution (except doing a hard reset)?
It's a OWN FUN 7

Does this answer your question? View app's full package name?

Does this answer your question? What useful Android Shell commands do you know?

None of them worked, since I can't enable debugging option. Thanks anyway

flashing boot.img does not concern userdata you won't lose anything with this method (enable usb-debugging via modified default.prop)

Since I can't enable the debugging option, I gave up and went to hard reset. Thanks anyway

try airplane mode or remove sim card and try to reach developer options/usb-debugging at least. then you can free up disk space from adb shell
another method is readback boot.img with SP Flash Tool, modify  it and flash it back to device

I couldn't reach developer options, since it stills getting stucked at the logo, and I can't flash it because I don't want to lose internal storage


text:
Android 11 October Security Update drastically drains idle battery usage
EDIT
Ever since I installed the latest security patch available for my Phone (October 5 patch), there has been insane idle battery usage. More like 1% dropping sequentially whenever I'm sleeping
It's worth noting that, this doesn't happen when the phone is in Airplane mode, or switched off.
I picked up the Paid version of Accu Battery, it doesn't show background battery usage. Better Battery Stats (BBS) was recommended and I went for it but it doesn't work most of the time (shows No stats have been collected yet).
But I slept for the past 4 hours and it worked, but I need someone the translate it's output for me, so I can recognize what's draining my battery.
Attached are the screenshots
Model: TECNO KF7j
Android Version:  11
Device name: TECNO SPARK 7P

At least edit your post to include make/model of Android device. It would help to know if it is a carrier version for possible bloatware. I would also check for any battery/background restriction settings to see if anything got toggled.

The dotted gray is the estimated projection that at that time, it's about 4 hours left until it reaches 0%. It's not static and will change depending on the recent usage. You might try BetterBatteryStats for more detailed info about the battery usage.

On unrooted devices because of the down-grade protection you can not go back to the old version. Updates on Android can never be uninstalled (unless the update itself was installed as temporary update which is only supported by some newer devices for testing out beta releases which are released as such a temporary update).

claim it to customer support and wait for next release. or download older ROM and install with SP Flash Tool from PC (you will lose all data)

Thanks @alecxs, I think this has to be on the manufacturer then. I'll wait for the next security patch. I'm just a month into a 1yr warranty btw. Will the older ROM option void my warranty? Hope it doesn't require root coz I don't have root access

Thanks @Andrew T. I have tried the Google play paid version of BetterBatteryStats, it initially worked well but now it isn't anymore. All I see all day is, no stats have been collected yet. AccuBattery on the other hand doesn't show background battery usage


text:
Which Android emulator supports utilizing connectivity of PC VPN?
I want to test an APK. I connect my PC with the company VPN. There are certain URLs that are accessible only when I connect to VPN. The android app which I want to test connects with those URLs. I installed BlueStacks, and in that, I installed APK. But those URLs are not accessible in BlueStacks. Even though the PC is connected fine with VPN. I found that there is no way to tell Blusestacks to route the traffic over PC VPN. Yet.
Any advice, which emulator I have to use? Which can utilize or route its traffic to PC VPN. Like if I am able to access a website in PC. Same URL should be accessible in the APK running in the emulator as well.

Hi, note that questions directly asking for app/software recommendations are off-topic. Instead, we prefer the asker to just state the underlying problem that they want to solve and not putting any restriction for apps-only, so we'd appreciate it if you could [edit] the question, add some details and/or remove the restriction. Otherwise, you might be interested in our sister site, Software Recommendations Stack Exchange instead.

BlueStacks bases on VirtualBox which installs own virtual network adapter. This is exactly what you don't want. Use an Android emulator like the one from Android Studio that does not use VirtualBox or installs an own virtual network adapter.


text:
Android 7 breaks certificates on Samsung Browser and in Whatsapp
On a Samsung S6 Plus Edge running on Android 7, certain security certificates will break since September 2021: the workaround which Let's Encrypt implemented doesn't seem to work in Samsung Internet. I get the standard "Back to safety" screen.
For browsing this is not an issue, I can use firefox. But I have an issue with WhatsApp: it will not load preview images from such websites, as probably it routes such requests through Samsung Internet or some samsung API. Changing the default browser doesn't help.
Is there a workaround for this which doesn't involve rooting the device ?
I've seen this answer, but it looks like I can't install certificates manually if the device isn't rooted.

doesn't seem to work in Samsung Internet - it is more "does not work in any app except Firefox as Firefox has it's own certificate trust store". As your device does not receives updates the only alternatives are rooting + installing the Let's Encrypt certificate or install a custom ROM with a newer Android version.

@Robert "Both owners of older Android devices and Let's Encrypt subscribers shouldn't need to do anything for this workaround to function" according to the article on androidpolice I've linked ... And according to Let's Encrypt "Android devices as far back as 2.3.6 will continue to work" until 2024. That's why I imagine Samsung as the culprit ...

Samsung as the culprit I agree with you, that is the most likely reason, too many modifications by Samsung but the relevant they missed or did something wrong.


text:
Google Discover says "Something went wrong" - How to fix?
I'm on a OnePlus 9 Pro using Android 11 and version 12.47.14.23 of the Google App.  I really enjoyed the Google Discover tab and would use it many times a day on the phone.  A few days ago, it simply stopped working.  When I swipe over to the screen now, I get the following error:

I've hit the "Try again" button, as well as swiping down from the top to reload.  Same error.
I've also checked the app settings to see if something got flipped somehow.  Here's the general settings:

Here's what I know so far:

This happened the second I traveled from Seattle to Texas, and took my phone off airplane mode.  Right when I went to the Discover page, I got this error.  This was 3 days ago.  I have no idea if this error is location based or just a random coincidence.  I guess I'll find out when I get back to Seattle on Friday.
I've tried things like clearing the app cache from the Google app, and removing all Google App updates and re-installing them in the Play store.  No go.
If I log off and choose the "Use without an account" option, the feed loads.  However, then I would get random links in which 99% of them I couldn't care less about.  The links associated with my Google account were generally very useful, except when it would spoil who won on The Great British Baking Show even though the finale hadn't even aired in the US yet.
If I use without an account, then log on as myself again, I'd get the same error.
I'm using a paid, Google Suite (I think it's called Google Workspace now?) account with a custom domain name.  I do not have have an @gmail.com address of any sort.  I'm actually leaning towards this as a primary suspect, even though I haven't changed any settings.  Google has made it clear many times in the past that paying users are second class citizens, as many products don't work, and you can't do things like "Rate an app" in the app store even though every app always pops up asking for ratings.  I dug through the enabled apps in the admin console and didn't see anything about Google Discover or Google Now.  The only apps that were disabled didn't appear to be related.  Maybe there's some weird setting buried in there somewhere though.  It's also possible Google just decided to disable Discover for paid accounts, which wouldn't surprise me in the least.  I'd expect this to have been announced or documented somewhere, which I wasn't able to find.

I'd love any ideas on things to try!  I've read just about every link and blog post I could find online, but they're generally fairly useless.  It's also been suggested you can get the same feature from the "New Tab" page in Chrome.  This is true, but it only shows a few things at a time.  I'd love to be able to get the phone working like it did a few days ago.
Update:
I talked with a Google Workspace support rep and he has confirmed this should work, and all admin settings in my account are correct.  Beyond that, he wasn't able to tell me why this isn't working.  Since this is not a Google Workspace issue, he wasn't able to escalate any further.

These might help: toggle WiFi / cellular data off and on,
force stop Google Play services,
restarting your phone

@crazo7924 I'll try that.  I did try restarting the phone several times already.

@crazo7924 Ok just tried that.  Still same error.

Fixed!
The second I got back into Seattle, everything started working again.  So, this problem is most definitely location based.  Either Google Discover does not work in Texas, or something about my account prevents it from working in Texas.  This theory fits in with a reply from a product rep in this thread, saying the issue can be solved by VPN'ing into another network.  As VPNs basically "mask" the real location, this is perhaps another way to work around the issue.  Now I'm kinda wondering if I could have fixed this by turning off Location services as well.


text:
Some android apps not working on WiFi, but working on mobile data
I've had a strange scenario these days.
While on WiFi connection, whenever I tried accessing certain apps from my android device, they would be stuck on the loading screen forever. Other apps were working fine, there were only few apps with this problem, that were not related (ex: Skype and some food delivery apps)
Then, after switching to mobile data, those apps were working fine. Switching back to wifi, the apps were stuck again at loading.
Then, I found out that multiple devices connected to this WiFi network were encountering the same problem with the same apps. Then, I knew the problem was with my network. I restarted the router and then everything worked fine again.
My question is: what could be the reason this happened? The router was untouched for at least half an year, and this problem appeared only last few days. Could it be that those apps were asking for location and the WiFi couldn't provide it properly or something happened to the network by a malicious encounter?

Does the router advertise itself as a DNS server/resolver via DHCP?

I am not sure, I do not have the box or any info about the model unfortunately

I'm not sure why this was migrated to here. Apps don't need to connect to WiFi to locate itself (further reading: Wi-Fi positioning system). This looks like an issue with the router, not Android.

I have the same issue with galaxy s23, did you managed to find a solution?

Yes, it was in fact, the router. Did a router restart and worked fine after. Not sure why it happened, but it was the router.


text:
What is GROWTH_TEST and appGrowthLog.txt inside of it?
I recently found the folder GROWTH_TEST on my Samsung phone, and it has the file appGrowthLog.txt in it that says
"com.android.volley.NetworkErrorcom.android.volley.VolleyError: Network Disconnected"
Anyone know what this could be from? I believe it is in emulated storage as I cannot see it by going through the file tree in the files app, only when searching for it.
Thanks!

"Volley" is a simple Java library for making HTTP(S) network requests. The other term "GROWTH_TEST" is unknown to me.

Looks like you have found this XDA thread. While probably not conclusive, there's a post by 'soulife' in the same thread trying to investigate this.


text:
When is the Final vbmeta Image Generated in a Signed Build?
BACKGROUND
I am attempting to generate my own signed builds of LineageOS 18.1 and am having trouble with the final signed OTA.  Specifically, the vendor partition is failing during AVB verification which causes a boot loop.
To perform my build, I am following the official Lineage build instructions as well as a number of external guides.  The general outline is as follows:

Build Android via mka target-files-package otatools.  Interestingly, after this step, I have a valid vbmeta at $OUT/obj/PACKAGING/target_files_intermediates/lineage_fajita-target_files-eng.*/IMAGES/vbmeta.img which has the correct hashes for both the vendor and system images found in the same directory.
./build/tools/releasetools/sign_target_files_apks -o -d $CERTDIR -p "$ANDROID_HOST_OUT" --prebuilts_path $TOPDIR/images/fajita $OUT/obj/PACKAGING/target_files_intermediates/*-target_files-*.zip signed-target_files.zip .
./build/tools/releasetools/ota_from_target_files -p "$ANDROID_HOST_OUT" -k $CERTDIR/releasekey --block signed-target_files.zip lineage-18.1-$(date "+%Y%m%d")-UNOFFICIAL-fajita-signed.zip.
Profit.

I admit, step 2 confuses me somewhat.  I get that each of the APKs is extracted and signed; that part it easy.  What I do not understand is what happens to the files after they have been signed.  If I extract signed-target_files.zip I have both a full system image at IMAGES/system.img as well as what appears to be a full system rootfs as individual files at SYSTEM/*.  Which is the "correct" system payload?  I notice there is no equivalent VENDOR/* directory; shouldn't one have been created in a similar fashion to the system files?
After step 2, I see that the vbmeta image in the extracted signed-target_files.zip is different.  Obviously, the hash for the system image has to be regenerated as the image contents have changed and, presumably, the same would have to happen for vendor and/or any other partition which has its contents updated.
Unfortunately, this is where things seem to go off the rails.  Again with the extracted signed-target_files.zip:

IMAGES/vbmeta.img has the correct SHA for IMAGES/system.img, with a different value from what is found under $OUT.
IMAGES/vbmeta.img has an incorrect SHA for IMAGES/vendor.img.  This value is also different from what is in $OUT.
IMAGES/vbmeta.img has correct SHAs for boot.img and dtbo.img which, as far as I can tell, are unmodified from the original build.

QUESTIONS

When signing an Android build, which files are used to generate the updated vbmeta image?
How do these relate to the contents of signed-target_files.zip?
Is there any good documentation on the part of the build process?  I have found a bunch of stuff on how APKs are signed or how AVB verification works but, unfortunately, startlingly little on the mechanics of signed image generation itself.

maybe related How to properly ENABLE dm-verity and FEC for /system on Motorola X4 with LineageOS 17.1?

Related, but different.  The above question covers how to enable and verify dm-verity across the entire build and boot process.  My question is specifically targeted at the vbmeta regeneration as part of build signing, which isn't discussed in detail in that question.


text:
Capture TLS handshake
I would like to capture TLS handshakes coming from Android. I was able to install a certificate using this instruction, then I started a server:
openssl s_server -key my_site.key -cert my_site.crt -msg

and I set a proxy in the Android Emulator:
127.0.0.1:4433

but if I browse to any pages on the Android device, I get this result:
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED

and this result in OpenSSL:
<<< ??? [length 0005]
    43 4f 4e 4e 45
ERROR
24500:error:1408F09B:SSL routines:ssl3_get_record:https proxy request:../
openssl-1.1.1l/ssl/record/ssl3_record.c:325:
shutting down SSL
CONNECTION CLOSED

What am I doing wrong?

connection refused means that on TCL level the connection could not be established. Make sure that the proxy and the server are really accessible on TCP level. BTW: If you just want to capture the TLS handshake why don't you just use Wireshark to capture it instead of trying to intercept all connections? Also in my opinion openssl s_server may be the wrong tool. I don't think it is able to handle multiple request concurrently. May be that causes the connection refused message (server is busy with first request and the other are rejected on TCP level)?

Last but not least using a proxy is a bad idea because then you don't capture the TLS server connection but the proxy connection. So you don't get the correct handshake.

If you don't need the TLS handshake why do you use it as the title of your question!? What you want are the HTTP request headers.

I ended up writing my own proxy to solve this [1], inspired by another
project [2].
To capture TLS handshake, go to Android Chrome App info, then Storage, then
MANAGE SPACE, then CLEAR ALL DATA, then OK. Then start the server, and go to
Android Emulator Extended Controls. Choose Manual proxy configuration, then
enter:
127.0.0.1:8080

and click Apply. Then start Android Chrome.

https://github.com/89z/rosso/tree/v1.47.3/cmd/proxy
https://github.com/spritesprite/proxychannel


text:
Can I disable Passpoint somewhere on the OS level (not GUI)
I'm using a version of Android for the Raspberry Pi and PasspointManager is causing the machine to crash and go into an endless boot loop.  Is there any suggestion for a way to disable Passpoint on the machine altogether?  A solution for any version above 10 and ideally 12 would be very helpful.  There is no menu option to disable Passpoint as on some devices.
The fact that it's a Raspberry Pi is not relevant other than to any other users with a similar issue, this is an AOSP question.  The following instructions are added in AOSP with no additional info on where to make the alterations within WifiManager:
"Conversely if device implementations do not include support for Wi-Fi Passpoint:
[C-2-1] The implementation of the Passpoint related WifiManager APIs MUST throw an UnsupportedOperationException."

I'm not sure if Raspberry Pi is critical to the issue (like, if there's a specialized Android ROM for RaspPi while this community might not have experience with that), but just FYI, we also have a sister site [raspberrypi.se].

Could probably be done via [tag:adb], if you've enabled that (see our adb tag-wiki) and know the package name. There are multiple ways to either disable (see e.g. here or even remove (see e.g. here) the app.

Thanks for your advice, Izzy!  I will look into that and report back if I find anything useful.


text:
Where is the bitcoin wallet file location on android smartphone?
I'm trying to find the bitcoin wallet files on my phone Anyone can help?

Yes thanks Do I need root to see /data/data/... It isn't visible in file explorer on my phone Would android studio file explorer show the directory and files? If not does that mean I'm gonna have to try to root the phone?

From the linked answer This directory is "private" to the app – which means no other app and not even the user can access data in it (without root permissions). But you should consider that your device uses Android 7 which is pretty old. Using root exploits other apps may be able to access the wallet data.

Some time ago I wanted to root the phone (Blu) by compiling TWRP myself but I couldn't find BoardConfig.mk: Find the BoardConfig.mk for your device. The BoardConfig.mk is in your devices/manufacturer/codename folder (e.g. devices/lge/hammerhead/BoardConfig.mk). At that time I gave up trying and yielded my time to other priorities I guess I'm back

TWRP is not required for rooting. Not even unlocked bootloader for older devices. read about Magisk

Requirements
Unlocked bootloader
Custom recovery like TWRP

I couldn't download the apk, it has to be builtand build fails on my system, even with proper path and environment variables set as described Suggested command line options --debug, --info, --scan, --stacktrace all cause an argument error If you wrote it I think it needs fixing

Mediatek Blu Grand M2

then the most straightforward way is mtk-su (no root) or bootless-root

The most straightforward way to do what

open adb shell, execute mtk-su, copy /data/data/pkgname bitcoin wallet


text:
Why is my phone missing "product" partition contained in lineageos distribution?
I have a OnePlus 7T, and am trying to install lineageos on it. The adb sideload method failed, and a forum comment led me to look into doing a manual installation using fastboot as described in https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/hotdogb/fw_update.
After extracting the images from the lineageos hotdogb distribution using payload-dumper-go, and also extracting the images from oxygen updater package for OnePlus 7T for comparison purposes, it appears that each image should correspond to a flash partition on the phone.
When I attempt to fastboot flash the partitions from the lineageos distribution, this completes successfully for most of these partitions, except "product.img", for which fastboot fails with the message
"remote: 'Partition not found'"

This happened for a couple other images as well (recovery, system_ext, vbmeta_system). Similarly I found that the Oxygen distribution I mentioned earlier contains an image "opproduct", which gives the same message.
From adb if I run
ls /dev/block/by-name

I can see that the flash attempts that succeeded do have a partition listed here, but the ones that failed don't. How are these partitions created? Can I add the missing ones for the lineageos distro .img files myself somehow?

Did you find a solution in the last 3 weeks? I current have the exact same issue for the same reason, just a "7T Pro" instead of a "7T" (which seems to be almost identical). Otherwise, did you ask this somewhere else as well, so that I can follow that, too?

In case you're using Windows, this post might lead to a solution for you. It links another post, which talks about "large address aware", something about 32bit vs. 64bit software, and links to this tool. Since it seems to be Windows-specific, I did not look further and also couldn't test it.

Created this now: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/fastbootd-cant-find-product-partition.4381139

Apparently I have a "OnePlus 7 Pro", not a "OnePlus 7T Pro". I bought that accidentally, but the specs are fine. Actually following the instructions for the correct device worked, who would have thought…

My device is definitely a 7T which I also bought accidentally. I gave up on searching the xda-developers forums, seems the topics there are mostly people looking for quick and easy fixes without any useful information.


text:
Do anybody know how to install twrp in Infinix Smart 2 X5515F
I've been trying to install custom ROM on my device.So first I went to install TWRP. My device is Infinix Smart 2 X5515F. I followed the steps from this website. I'vd downloaded the TWRP file for my device and tried to flash the file from fastboot mode, using the commands given on the site. But each time I tries to boot into recovery by fastboot boot twrp.img it does nothing. So I tried to get into recovery mode manually. I first rebooted the device using fastboot reboot and then shut down the device. Then I pressed power and volume up buttons. It took me to a window with a text of(no commands). I pressed volume up and power button once again and it took me to systems default recovery. The default one was not replaced by TWRP. Also each time I do the procedures it factory resets my device. Do anybody know any solution to this??

Have you unlocked the bootloader? Or otherwise, which step from the link are you stuck on?

Yeah, I think so. Because each time I reboot the phone it shows message like your phone is unlocked and can't be trusted.

which command should i use to unlock bootloader? Isn't it fastboot flashing unlock

@AndrewT. first of all the site said me to unlock OEM by fastboot oem unlock. The command unfortunately wasn't understood by the device. So I went to the next step. I flashed the file and ready to boot into recovery by using the command fastboot boot recovery.img but it didn't work for me.

You have to unlock the bootloader first before being able to flash custom recovery. On some sites, I read that you have to enable "OEM Unlock" from the Developer Options first before calling fastboot oem unlock or fastboot flashing unlock. However, not having the device in hand, I can't tell if the articles are correct or just clickbait.

Yes. The OEM unlock in developer options seems to be enabled by default. But the switch is disabled(The switch is on and disabled from toggling in off). I ran these commands only after that.

@alecxs It just leads me to a blank screen and nothing else. After waiting some time it just reboots into the system.

This can have following reasons 1) wrong twrp file or 2) flashing unsuccessful or 3) you did not enter recovery mode right after flashing, instead booted normally in between which caused recovery-from-boot.p to restore stock recovery

I checked it. The default recovery is still there. I can boot into it. The twrp is not loaded. I don't think flashing was unsuccessful because it returned me success and finish. I'm not sure about twrp file. But flashing has to wipe the existing recovery right. But why is it still there.

I've found a recovery log in which it tries to start TWRP 3.2.3 but seems to be failed. I will update my post with that.

Does this answer your question? TWRP seems to be currupt or not working for Infinix X5515F


text:
What is the path to Internal memory on android phone?
I'm trying to remove files from my Internal memory (which is 99% full).
In Big Files app, I can find large files, but unclear whether they are on the SD card on Internal memory.
E.g.,
I think this is the SD card:  /storage/emulated/
What is the /path/ to files (or directories) on the internal memory?

no /storage/emulated/ is the emulated sdcard also avilable as /sdcard (internal flash memory). The real sd-card is called "external storage". The real sd-card is typically mounted on /mnt/runtime/write/D123-7CAF (the last hexadecimal folder is different for each sd-card). If you want to see the paths you can e.g. use DiskInfo app.


text:
How can I long press on android screen projected on PC using adbcontrol?
I am using adbcontrol (https://android.stackexchange.com/a/168907/37436) to stream and control android screen of a cracked android phone. It looks like this method is pretty slow and does not detect long presses. Is there any way to make this program detect long press on the projected screen, and to make to run any faster? I have set screenshotDelay = 100 in the config.properties file.
Alternatively, is the MyScreenExplorer (https://android.stackexchange.com/a/42131/37436) app any better? I wasn't able to install this app on this phone before and couldn't figure out what the problem was so I gave up. But if this app is noticeably better (faster response, has log press support, etc) then I will try to install it once again. If there are samsung specific tools that work better, I would like to know about them a well. The phone is an unrooted Samsung Galaxy S4 SHV-E330S with Android 4.x (not sure of the exact version, most likely 4.4)

@Robert I think scrcpy needs Android 5.0 and above

try other solutions from your link

@alecxs I know I'm just trying to figure out which of the other tools are worth giving more time.

Vysor is fluid, but I never got WebGL enabled in windows chrome browser, so ended up with scrcpy

Does this answer your question? How can I use adb to send a longpress key event?

@alecxs I was hoping I could do everything from a single app, instead of just doing long presses from a separate adb instance

@alecxs I ended up using MyScreenExplorer. It's not very fast either but still pretty usable

I know for sure I used adbcontrol to unlock pattern. This mean adbcontrol is capable of swipe, and therefore of long press touch input too. Either something is interrupting touch input (ghost touches) or you are just impatient (because of the haltingly frame sequence)?
Make touch events visible in developer options. Try again very very slow


text:
recommendation for charging plan
Using Termux on an Android smartphone and a WiFi Smart Plug the phone can control its charging via half hour cron'ed termux-battery-status, MQTT and openHAB to control the plug. Termux hasn't battery status events (Termux issue 382) hence cron.
When I get home, I plug in the phone and manually switch on the WiFi plug.
I wonder what is the best charging plan for battery life.
Currently the plan is simply
if between 10pm and 5am
   if charge < 20%
      power on plug
else
   if charge < 50%
      power on plug

if charge > 80%
   power off plug

at 05:00am
   power on plug

(at 7:00am the charge should be at 80%)
Do you know a better plan? Are the 50% / 80% limits ok?
This way I also control an old tablet that is used as smart home display and speaker, but as it is alway at home I only let it cycle between 30% and 80%.

For battery life keep it between 40% and 60%. Most LiO batteries age less if charged only around 50%.

The best we can provide factually is about the battery percentage. For the timing/schedule, it depends on personal restrictions which cannot be possibly applied to others having different restrictions, which also makes this opinion-based (i.e. there are no charging plans that can be applied generally).


text:
Redmi 9T stuck in fastboot mode after flashing recovery
I decided to root my phone, but after rebooting into Fastboot via adb, I was a little wary, because I noticed not Fastboot, but FastbootD, but even scored on it, because it was detected through fastboot devices. I wrote all the necessary commands for flashing the recovery partition, everything seemed to be successful, but after writing fastboot reboot, the phone got stuck in fastboot mode. Like, no matter how much you reboot or flash it - it literally doesn't care, it reboots back to fastboot mode. Also, after several such reboots, fastboot began to issue as many as two devices when trying to find them, and you have to execute it through the -s operand in order for the commands to be used. In addition, there was a delay in the region of two to three seconds before the command was executed.
What to do about it? Reflash via flash-all.bat in the firmware archive, or is it possible to restore it without it?

restart PC and try 'fastboot continue' or flash stock recovery

Thanks, but I already solved the problem: it was enough to reset the phone via fastboot firmware, and then download the firmware for installation via recovery, and, after installing the correct recovery image, flash the phone from there


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Google Pixel 4a mic issue - mic won't work when earphones are inserted into headphone jack
When I am on a call, the mic on my Google Pixel 4a works perfectly. When I insert earphones into the headphone jack during a call, the mic suddenly stops working and the other person can't hear me anymore. When I remove the earphones, they can hear me again. What could be causing this?
All I want is to be able to hear the person through my earphones and for them to hear me.

The most likely reason for this behaviour is that your phone detects that you plugged in an audio device, and then tries to use that one over all audio devices it has built into. So instead of using the built in microphone it wants to use the one that is usually built into the volume buttons on your headphone cable. If there is none, than the phone should use the default one, but maybe it just doesn't recognise that there is no external microphone attached.

I think this is probably what is causing the issue, but I am answering the questions myself as I found the exact problem.

The issue has been resolved. I tried good quality earphones and headphones and the issue disappeared. It seems to be a compatibility issue with the earphones I was using. As DarkDiamond suggested, perhaps they were being mistakenly recognized as a microphone.
Anyway, if anyone experiences this issue, simply try a different pair of earphones/headphones.