text:
How to root a Galaxy SM-930U
I've found varying amounts of information about this subject and I'm hoping that someone here can point me in the right direction.
I've never rooted a phone before and would like to know the correct procedure so I don't end up with a paperweight.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you

Did you check dedicated threads on XDA?

I don't have enough reputation to post comments.
Would you check this thead on XDA Developpers? The method uses TinySU an lternative for Chainfire's SuperSU or SuperUser or  MagiskSU.


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Can I delete an app I got on sale?
I recently downloaded an app for free from Google play store. It usually costs $0.99, but is now free.
If I were to delete it, will google remember that I purchased it, even though I paid nothing? Can I delete it now, and install it later without purchasing it?
Thanks in advance!

Bochur's answer is correct. By way of additional information in your Play Store → Account → Order History , these apps will be shown as 0 price payment apps as the screenshot below shows - all these apps (barring third) were bought free (discounted) and I can install them again on any device (of course with the same account)

From play store support:

You can use apps you bought on Google Play on any Android device
  without paying again. However, each device must have the same Google
  Account on it.
You can:

Reinstall an app you bought but deleted
Install an app on more than one Android device.
Install an app on a new Android device.

Even though the app you downloaded was free now, being that usually it is a paid app, Google will count it as if you paid $0.00 and therefore it's counted as if you bought it. And as quoted above, purchased apps can be reinstalled later.

+1. Agreed. With experience I can say that I bought this game for free, uninstalled it some time later and I still get to reinstall it whenever I choose to.

+1 added a screenshot to supplement your answer

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Backup of internal and SD storage via script (USB)
tl;dr

I want to backup my internal storage and SD card contents when connected via USB cable
due to potentially large amounts of data I don't want to use WiFi-based programs
failed attempt at using rsync and gvfs

Is there anything I can do?
Full story
I would like to backup data from my Android based phone (5.1.1 that is currently). I do not want to use an WiFi-based unstable and insecure hacky solutions with SSH and server here and client there (you name it - actually Samsung's very unreliable kies software made me think that way).
By now I used a current Linux Mint (18.2), I tried to read data from the phone using rsync and the mapped storage from gvfs which failed miserably (permission issues, unstable connection).
I would like to script which directories I backup and automate that process as far as possible. Can I make Android act as some sort of virtual device on Windows/Linux that allows some sort of file based access? Or a Web-DAV server connected via USB cable? No free cloud solutions (Google, OneDrive, Dropbox), either, please!
Thank you for your help.

Did you try Grsync? Install that and try. The UI is awful but it does the job. I use it to back up phone as also backup selected partitions of laptop to external hard drive

See this. It also has a test button that simulates backup and throws up errors if any before doing the backup

You can install from here and it works on 18.3 also add I read elsewhere, though the comments here indicate otherwise

Thank you, I'll give it a shot and see if it solves my issues.

As most of the time: error in layer 8 of OSI model. Here is what I did and what I should have done:
What I did
I mounted my target external drive using sudo (nothing wrong so far) and thus only root has permissions to write, rsync failed to do anything (which makes sense after all) - even when running using sudo.
Where exactly the error was, I am not absolutely sure, but let's focus on
What I sould have done

Mount the external device using the GUI tools (for I am using an encrypted external drive)
Create a directory in the root of the external drive and chown it to your designated user (or group or both)
Run rsync

I created a small script to automate the finding of the gvfs path and rsync to external drive:
#!/bin/bash

PHONE_VENDOR=0000 # your phone vendor here!
USERID=1 # your user ID here - possibly `id -u`

PHONE_BUS=\`echo $(lsusb -d ${PHONE_VENDOR}:) | cut -d' ' -f 2\`
PHONE_BUS=${PHONE_BUS}%2C
PHONE_BUS=${PHONE_BUS}\`echo $(lsusb -d ${PHONE_VENDOR}:) | cut -d' ' -f 4 | cut -b 1-3` #extract vendor ID from lsusb

SOURCEBASE=/run/${USERID}/gvfs/mtp\:host\=%5Busb%3A${PHONE_BUS}%5D
TARGETBASE= # your target base path here

rsync -a --progress ${SOURCEBASE} ${TARGETBASE}  # your rsync commands here

I don't know if anything changes (or this script works) when applying an fstab entry and then mounting via shell and not relying on the GUI tools.
This works for me and provides a neat way to backup contents from Android phones without copying whole SD-cards or internal spaces.
UPDATE - First real attempt
During execution rsync started throwing I/O-errors, probably because the process in general was taking very long (got about 50GB to sync). I am now starting over.
It might be a good idea to start a foundation by manually copying all files initially and all further syncing-processes by using rsync.
UPDATE - Second attempt
So it happens this amount might be too much for one attempt. Maybe this is my crappy smartphone, too. In general it works and after the first initial load-up it will be fine, I guess.

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


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Edit Word documents in Google Drive on Android
Whenever I search for a Word document in Google Drive on the Android app I can view it in Google Docs. I can also open it with Word, but then it tells me that this is a read-only version and I cannot edit it.
Is there a way around this? It works on OneDrive, but I really can't find a way to edit my Word documents in Google Drive. Using other apps is Ok for me, but I am not rooted.

Edit files using Office Compatibility Mode (OCM)
To open and edit Office files, you can use Office Compatibility Mode (OCM). With OCM, you can open and edit Office files in Drive, the Docs, Sheets, and Slides homescreens & apps, and Gmail.
On your mobile device, OCM is automatically included with the Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps.
When you open an Office file in one of the apps, you'll be able to edit it.

Source: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6055139
A bit of extra info:
Opening a Word document on Android just so you can read it is incredibly simple. Since Android natively supports opening .doc and .docx files, all you have to do is click on the file to open your Word document.

Find the file you want to open.

Tap to open the file – if prompted, open it in Google Drive or Google Docs if you have them installed already.

You’re now able to read the document.

To edit it, tap the small pencil icon in the bottom right – now you’ll be editing the file.

If you’d rather not use Google Drive or Google Docs, download Microsoft Office Word for Android and use that instead.

Google has provided an extremely useful apps that are compatible with Google Drive:

Google Docs for Management of Word Documents
Google Sheets for Excel file management
Google Slides for Powerpoint

Editing a document that is present on Google Drive is very easy with these apps. You can do the following to solve this problem:

Install Google Docs
Go to Google Drive
Open the required document using Google Docs

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


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How to export/convert WhatsApp chat to PDF/Excel/HTML?
How do I convert/export WhatsApp chat (by chat person/group) to PDF/Excel/ HTML so that I can open it in a computer? I've tried several methods:

Manual way using screenshot and stitching it using Android app. To be honest, I really don't want using this method. It's the most cumbersome way.
The preferred way, using an app called Backup Text for Whats. This app is the one that has the most feature that I know about. It can filter to backup WhatsApp chat based on person/group chat, and can even convert all your chat to the desired format. It can convert to HTML (which can then be converted to PDF including the images downloaded), Excel (and download images separately), or even text. It's most versatile app that I know about when it comes to backing up whatsapp messages. You needed to install Tri-Crypt first to use it. My Android is 4.2, but now with the current WhatsApp version, it is not functioning. I don't know why.

Does anyone know any other method? Has anybody tried Backup Text for Whats app and why is it not functioning anymore?
Note: whatever the method, it should maintain how it is displayed in WhatsApp, if possible.

This can be done beautifully using a software called Snagit by TechSmith. This video shows how to do it..

Fortunately for you, WhatsApp actually has a built-in option for this. No need for third party apps!
WhatsApp has an option called "email chat" which converts your chat into a word document containing all conversation with a specific person or group.
Simply open WhatsApp, press on the conversation you'd like to backup. Open the menu on top right, press on "more" ->" email chat" it will ask you if you want to include your media or not. It will then bring you to your email app where you can select a recipient. You can choose yourself as the receiver. After you receive the email, You'll be able to open the conversation as a word document.
Depending on the app you use to view word documents, you should have an option to save as PDF.
This is how it will be displayed in your word document:

2/2/18, 03:55 - smith: text
2/2/18, 03:55 - jack: text
2/2/18, 03:56 - Smith: text

Emojis will be included in the word document. Media and voice notes will be sent in a separate file.

Btw is there any reason why you don't use WhatsApp web to view your WhatsApp on a computer?

Yes I can screen capture it through computer. But it just image. Not searchable.

If I copy it by highlighting all the chat then put it to a word doc, it doesn't display like in the app.

Unfortunately, since ca. 2020, this is not possible with the German version anymore due to some weird lawsuit

This doesn't work at all.

Not the Android stuff, but I wrote an extension for the Chrome browser that helps you save messages to your PC from WhatsApp Web.
If you check the ‘try grabbing media’ checkbox it will also fetch all the media that were ever sent in a chat.
It will create a ZIP archive with all your messages and media, easy to open and read in your browser. It will have the same look as WhatsApp Web.
Here’s the link to the extension: Backup WhatsApp Chats Chrome Store
If it doesn't work, you can try a developer version Backup WhatsApp Chats Dev version

Extension isn't free ^^

@GFoley83 The author of the question did mention that it has to be free.
@ tube-builder This extension is working well.

Yes @Peter, that's why I said the extension isn't free?!

Dude, I was looking for answer similar to your question, and what I just figured out, that works at least for me, is is via directly selecting the text in the chat I want to export, and then click on the "print" option.
You know... like printing to a pdf file.
It worked just fine to export the formatted text (that was what I was looking for specifically)
Cheers

Not sure about Excel, but WhatsApp allows you to export an individual or group chat to a text file. You just need to open a conversation that you'd like to export and tap More > Export Chat. Then, you can open the text file with MS Word and save it as PDF or html. Please note that formatting will get little messed up.
If you'd like to directly export WhatsApp conversations to a PDF or HTML, you will need a a third party desktop application like the one mentioned in this guide. Your chats will be displayed in a similar way they appear on the WhatsApp messenger app. I personally tried it to document and print my WhatsApp conversations for some legal problem. This is how it works:

Install the app on your Windows computer on Mac.
Enable the USB debugging mode on the Android device.
Backup all the chats to your phone's storage or SD card.
Connect your phone to your computer and let the load your WhatsApp
conversation.
Right-click on the conversation you'd wish to export and select
"Export messages to file."

Note: I have no affiliation with the linked product. The software is paid. With the free version, you can only export a couple of messages per conversation/contact. You need to put the software to export more messages.

You can Export the Conversation to .txt file from within WhatsApp.
And then this web app can load the conversation file and "re-generate" the look and feel to rebuild the conversation, and even replay it back.
Chat Viewer for Whatsapp:
https://overbits.herokuapp.com/chatviewer/
You can even tweak the look and feel if you know how to Right Click -> Inspect Element and play with the CSS values in your browser.

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


text:
Kindle Fire HD 8 - cannot load app
I have a Kindle Fire HD 8 (7th Gen), Kids Edition. Fire OS 5.6.0.1
The tablet has Amazon FreeTime installed for my son. I have installed Google Play Store on the tablet. I have downloaded a game (BeyBlade Burst) that I can play in standard profile. However, I cannot load it in the FreeTime profile.
I have searched in the 'Add Content' and the game is not listed under "games & apps" I set the 'Smart Filters' to off to allow the game parameters. However, it still doesn't show up in the FreeTime profile.
How can I enable this game in the FreeTime profile?


text:
How do I check if my phone has hardware video encoder?
I own a Samsung j7 2016 and I did some search about the CPU and looked for information tools but I've found codec info but not hardware video encoder info anywhere.
If you know any app or adb command to retrieve info about this, it'll be helpful.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/36887469/how-to-do-hardware-h-264-video-encoding-on-android-platform

this app gives you information on codecs on your device. I am not sure if hardware encoder information is contained. You can check and let me know


text:
Understanding android app permissions section (Android Nougat)
In android Nougat, using an android phone if you go to settings>installed apps>[name of app]>permissions
There are three sections there: Details, App Permissions, and other permissions.
What are the differences between these three sections? Why are they arranged in this way?
In details section there are detail explanation about a list of Notes Permission regarding Security, Privacy and Other. Are these permissions listed in the details section activated or not? Why are they different (or arrange in a different way) from the one listed in the app permissions sections for the same app?

Starting from Android 6.0(API level 23), app permissions are listed as normal permission and dangerous permission

Depending on how sensitive the area is, the system may grant the permission automatically, or it may ask the user to approve the request.

The section App Permissions tells you about the Permission Groups, which are dangerous permissions requested by app and can be revoked by user.

All dangerous Android system permissions belong to permission groups.

The section All Permissions provides you more details regarding permissions. In which permissions are listed as:
Permission Group for all dangerous permissions further followed by requested permissions in that group.
Permissions which are automatically granted by system are listed under Other app capabilities.

Since you are running Android N, if targetSdkVersion of any particular app is 23 or higher,

All the permissions listed under Other app capabilities are granted.
If you have granted permission for a particular group like Storage, then further permissions listed under storage are automatically granted. App will not ask again if permission is granted.
If targetSdkVersion of app is less than 23, then it will not ask for permission at runtime. However you may revoke any dangerous permission from that app.

Is it possible to change which of these permissions appear in a given Permission Group? For example, I really don't like that Android automatically grants the "run at startup" permission automatically. On my device, I want Android to explicitly get my approval for an app to be able to "run at startup"..


text:
ALL Android Apps Randomly Crashing?
Recently my Galaxy Grand Prime has been acting weird. All of the apps, including settings, facebook, and youtube have been randmly crashing. I haven't done anything to it like rooting or factory resetting it. Any ideas on why?

Sometimes it can happen due to memory failures when the memory becomes read-only, but I only noticed on Huawei, Sony and LG devices, never noticed that on Samsung devices. Try factory resetting first and see if it helps.

I agree... Had a similar isue with HTC One, which was resolved successfully only after factory reset and data wipe-out.

I did a factory reset, and it didn't seem to help. I thought it might be a gesture on the sensor, turns out that ain't it.

This looks like a faulty RAM or some other hardware component like flash storage or CPU. But it does not seem to matter what part is faulty, as on phone, you usually can't simply replace one of them.


text:
Moto G5 Plus Screen Wake Problems
Everything was working fine until about a week or two ago. Earlier, the screen would wake when I got a notification or if I titled my phone a little, the clock out show.
Now, my phone constantly wakes about every 10 seconds. It happens even when I'm not getting any notifications, or moving my phone at all. I don't know what's going on. I'm pretty sure this is causing some battery drain. How do I turn this off?! Is there a way to fix this?

It may be a bug. Have you updated recently? If it is a heavy update/ os version. Moto recommend a factory reset.


text:
How to fix Samsung Note 3 SM-N900 bootloader loop?
My Samsung Note 3 SM-N900 got fully discharged and now it's stuck at the samsung logo when I power it back on.
Things that I have tried to fix my mobile:

Wiped the Cache partition from the recovery mode.
Used platform tools for adb recovery, but the device is not recognized in the PC probably because USB debugging was not on.
Soft reset using Home and power button.
Fully recharged the mobile, changed the battery as well.

I have a lot of important data which I don't want to erase. The last option left with me is to factory reset my device which would result in data loss. Is there any other way to fix the device without losing the data?

See if you can boot into safe mode and copy data to PC and then do factory reset

You said you made wipe from recovery. Do you have custom or stock recovery?

@Suncatcher I have stock recovery.

@beeshyams I am not able to go into the safe mode either.

You have two ways of recovering you data:

Boot into fastboot and try to flash custom recovery (like TWRP). It allows making partition backups, which you can open on PC later.
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Try to boot into temporary custom recovery and do the same (full partition backup). However, this depends on device and can be not available for Samsung Note.
Check this and this tutorial.

What concerns fixing the tablet in general from bootloop, it depends on what you've done/what have happened, and probably cannot be achieved without loosing your data. To be on the safe side, it's always preferable to do the backup prior to any manipulations.

Do what Suncatcher suggest,
And / or...
Install Phliz cuatom recovery via download mode to do full partition backup to your external card
(Philz makes good backup, results in folder clockworkmod)
Then change the recovery, install TWRP custom recovery via download mode and go to file manager feature to copy all your files from internal memory to external card
You can mount the system partition also to browse and copy files
(TWRP good at this)
Backup all your copy and partition backup from external card to your PC
Back to your phone with file manager in TWRP,
Go to /data/system/sync
Rename folder /sync to /sync.old
Then back to /data/app
Delete or rename to .old the apk that you suspect too hard to load when boot up
Then rename that folder /data/app to /data/app.old
Then reboot the system
You will find your phone successfully boot with factory only applications
There will be your last sms, contacts, dial logs with no last applications you've had
If you want to get your last applications, reboot to recovery (TWRP) go to advance - file manager
Delete the /data/app
Then rename /data/app.old back to /data/app
Wipe dalvik cache
Repair partiton one by one (in wipe - advance) feature
Do the renaming and wiping steps carefully and get focus
(well, you still have backups in your PC, right?)
Then reboot the system
You have to plug in your devices to charger while waiting the phone boot up. It can take up to one hour to successfully boot depend on how many applications to load
You will find all your applications back on stage but with no logins
Hope that could help


text:
Auto Complete coming up with strange suggestions
The auto complete on my LGL41C android is coming up with strange suggestions, this started in the last couple of weeks.
Type "Wash" and the number one suggestion was 'Washingtonu' the phone has a languge setting of English (Settings > Language & Inputs > Language)
What is going on and how do I fix it?

The keyboard also has a language setting, that can be different from the phone.
Go to (Settings > Language & imputs > Language > LG Keyboard > Input Language and type)  Select your preferred language (English) and keyboard type (QWERTY)

I searched google and andriod.se without finding this suggestion, stumbled across solution (after way to long).  I believe random butt dialing my have changed the default setting to Bahasa (top of the list)


text:
my one plus two no longer be able to connect to computer
I have tried the suggestions posted previously, but nothing works.  For example, the USB tethering is grayed out and no matter how i press or slide, it still show no USB connected.  I used to have a choice of either charging or file transfer, but not anymore after I upgrade the phone software.  Please help.

Since the problem has started soon after you've upgraded the software, you should contact the phone manufacturer, because this seems to be a bug in the update. You should inform them of the bug. Till then, you can use TeamViewer on your phone and computer to transfer files wirelessly. Download the desktop version, and connect your phone following on-screen instructions.


text:
Setting screen timeout when browsing
I know that it's a often asked question, however, none of the answers are applicable to me.
I read this, this and this answers, but some apps (like Screebl or Keep Screen Lite) are non-existent already and some (Tasker) are not working for me.
The most proposed solution is Tasker, however I tried it and it messes my display settings which is even worse than the lack of dynamic timeout. It doesn't return timeout setting to default state which then drains my battery and is also very irritating. Seems to be a bug.
My question is: do you know a native MM way to dynamically set up timeout while browsing? Or maybe a web-browser app that have built-in ability to disable timeout?
I tried searching descriptions of apps, but this option is rarely highlighted, and, personal experience is highly appreciated. Have anybody met such app?

Built-in systems are not available I suppose. Have you tried out Caffeine? Works absolutely great on my phone.

It bothers me that it wast updated last time in 2014, when they heard nothing about MM. Don't like to use abandoned apps.

The app is not quite "abandoned". 4.2 rating after 10 million downloads is not that bad. Anyways, let's hope someone else will provide you with some other option.

Ok, will try again according to your guide.

@Suncatcher Did it work?

As far as I can estimate now, it works. It looks like it reset to defaults after reading. Thanks.

The most proposed solution is Tasker, however I tried it and it messes my display settings

I use Tasker to keep my display time for longer when using certain apps, and it works perfectly. It's very possible that you might have missed a minor setting somewhere. Therefore, I suggest you try the steps below to set it up correctly.

download Tasker. (it is a paid app, but you can get a free trial version and see if you like it. It has much more than the options mentioned here)
Open the app and press on the '+' symbol on the bottom right of the screen. And press 'application'
Now select the apps in which you want the display to stay on for a long time. For example your browser app, or any other app. Select as many apps as you want for this action.
Press on the back button on your phone. Now it will ask you what you want to happen when you open those apps.
Press on 'new tasks'
Type a name for this task something like 'screen timeout 5 min'
In this new window, press on the plus symbol, and in the search bar type 'display timeout'
Press 'display timeout', and now under where it  says 'mins' choose the amount of time you want the screen to stay on for, while using the apps.
Press on the back button twice, and you should be brought back to the main page.
Long press on 'screen timeout 5 min' (or whatever you named this task) and press on 'add exit task' -> 'new task'
Give the new task a name something like 'screen timeout x seconds.'
Here, do the same as steps 7 and 8 just when setting the time, set it to the amount of time you want the screen to stay on while you're not using the selected apps.
Now, go back all the way to the main screen of Tasker and press on the check mark symbol on the top right. (If you don't see a check mark symbol, then don't worry about it)
Test to see that all is working by going to your home screen and see how long it takes for the screen to go to 'sleep' it should be the amount of time selected in step 12, then go into the selected apps and see how long the screen stays on.

I use an app called Keep Screen On. Simple and very easy to use.

That's a pretty generic app name. Could you [edit] your answer and add a link to the app you mean? Otherwise people probably won't find the same one you're recommending.


text:
Logged in, sending a message does NOT work, and calling DOES work after reinstall
NOTHING has changed since I tried UN-installing and RE-installing Skype from scratch of the Android 5.0 Note 3.  Except NOW, the CONTACTS are only showing from one contact, which is really odd.  Seems NO contacts or ALL contacts should have shown up.  When I tired to log in with my account, using the same app, ALL my contacts showed up immediately.

All VOICE calls work flawlessly, TO or FROM.
Any MESSAGES fail, TO or FROM.
When trying to send a message from the phone, it never gets
past the circle and "sending" indicator.

Yesterday, I noticed that my wife's android Skype didn't send or receive the messages I sent or should have received.  Tried calling the phone using Skype, that did work.  Also tried sending and receiving a message to/from her phone, WHILE on the call.  Messages never worked at all.
Separately, I tried this while logged into BOTH a web based Skype UI, AND the Windows (desktop) installed Skype.  Messages from me or to me worked, as long as they didn't originate or should have been received on the phone.
The problem must not be her account, nor any settings, nor any interference from another logged in Skype session on any other device.  Although I haven't tried logging into her account on my phone, I doubt if there will be a problem.  The problem is obviously isolated to JUST her phone.  I DID try to log into MY account on her phone, but all my contacts and messages showed up, and sending and receiving worked flawlessly on her phone.
It appears that there must be TWO modules -- with separate logins...

Voice, which logs in and works.
Messages, which doesn't, since it is not logged in, but only failed to log in with HER account.


text:
Contacts and telephone applications crash
On my Galaxy Note 4, when I launch the phone and contacts apps, they say "Unfortunately, Phone has stopped" or likewise for "Contacts". I have to go through message program to make a call. What's the problem and how can I fix it?

How "not accessed"? As in, for example, lost their shortcuts, or, they quit unexpectedly when started, or, they are uninstalled and not present? Please expand your question some to clarify with this info. As it stands, this questions leaves to broad a number of eligible conditions.

Oops sorry the message day that it says unfortunately, contacts have stopped. Says same thing when I try to call out

From your comments on your post I can understand that your phone's system apps are
crashing.I am going to list out some steps by which you might solve your problem.I have faced this kind of problems a lot and these are generally faced by users how are using a low end phone or a high end phone which has been used for many years.
The steps to troubleshoot your phone are:
1)Try restarting your phone.Sometimes the cache files(temporary files) takes up  a bit of your storage.Restarting your phone helps in removing those useless files.
2)Stop temporary background processes which are neither used by the system nor by any of your third part apps which you generally use as they eat up your ram and the app you want to open does not get enough available memory which may be the cause of your phone and message apps getting crashed.
3)If the above steps don't work,take a backup of your important files and try doing a factory reset.
Note:
If the problem still persists feel free to comment down below.


text:
Correct approach to symlink or mount bind two directories on internal storage
I have data from an app I would like to be synced. It writes into a directory, and and has no settings for what dir.
I would like it to write to a different dir, one that is synced.
I'm on a nexus 5x, running stock 8.1.0 fully updated.
I have root.
I'm trying to make things written to /storage/self/primary/sleep-data go to /storage/self/primary/sync/phone/sleep-data
ln -s doesn't work, I'm thinking a filesystem issue, though looking through the output of mount it wasn't clear what the filesystem actually is. /storage/self is mounted as tmpfs.
mount -o bind /storage/self/primary/sleep-data /storage/self/primary/sync/phone/sleep-data
This works, but only as root.
I did try mount -o bind,shared with and without namespace seperation set in supersu, as suggested by Rob W
I suspect it's related to this: How to "mount --bind" directories in Android 4.4?
That does have a workaround, but it's looking like I'm approaching this the wrong way.
That seems to be related to external SD cards only.
What is the android way to solve this problem?


text:
Voice control of audio playback: seek within track
I'm planning a lengthy cycling trip and I'd like to be able to listen to language training mp3s while riding.  I think the ideal way to do this would be to use voice control.  Is there a way that will let me

seek back eg 10 seconds
seek back 1 minute
repeat a section of, say 1 minute duration
seek ahead 10s, 1m, etc
skip to next/previous track
pause/resume playback

via voice commands?
For bonus points, I'd like it to let me set a bookmark at a certain point in a given file and then seek to that spot via voice command.

Very interesting idea.


text:
How can I flash a new radio firmware on my s3 neo trough my custom recovery?
My USB stopped working after I installed a new ROM on my device and I figured I must have messed-up the radio-firmware. Regardless to if that's true or not, I would still like to know how I can install and where I can find an appropriate radio-firmware for my Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo device.

What kind of reasoning led you to suspect the radio when USB is down? Shouldn't you first blame the ROM instead?

@AndyYan I have installed 3 other roms since then. Also mounting mtp directly in the recovery doesnt work either. To me it seems that the hardware abstraction layer is messed up and now I need to flash a new one. From what I read the radio-firmware is what I am looking for. It even says it in the tag for it on this site.

The radio firmware has nothing to do with the USB, that is purely kernel drivers, whether from the boot image, recovery, or  bootloader, all high-functions of USB are handled by the kernel loaded at that time. That said,  since you have flashed 3 different ROMs and USB continues to fail (all 3 would have different kernels), I would look at hardware issues. Cable, port, bad mainboard, etc. maybe the cause. A quick flash back to stock should tell you, although if you can't use flash in Download Mode that pretty much signifies somekind of hardware issue.


text:
Can I disable SMS ID?
I received a phishing text yesterday that purported to be from "NatwestUK". That in itself isn't entirely surprising; what bothered me was how easy it apparently is for any scam artist to use a service to disguise the number their text messages are being sent from. I want to know the number of anyone who contacts me; any system designed to hide this information seems thoroughly anti-consumer.
Is this something users have the ability to disable via software? Can my network (O2 UK) do it for me? Is it simply not possible in any manner due to how the system works?

That depends on the carrier , nothing in the OS to force revealing the numbers. If you are using Google dialler and SMS app, you can block such numbers. I find it quite effective

It's an LG G5 on rooted stock, so no dice there. Besides, I'm not looking to block the numbers because they're mostly legit. I just don't like knowing there's a facility for people to contact me directly without me knowing who they are.

AFAIK it is purely an arrangement between your carrier and the folks who send you these texts. Android per se has nothing to do with it and that makes it off topic here unfortunately

That's a shame. I did take a look around to see if there was a more generalised location to ask such a question. If you happen to know of one, please let me know.

I am at a loss to suggest where to ask. Let's hope for mods or better informed folks to suggest


text:
How to stop Android from switching between Wifi APs automatically?
I have several WiFi APs for different purposes. One is for printing, one is for smart devices with access to the internet, another for devices with no access to the internet for security concerns, and some others like repeaters, guest APs or streaming devices.
Android 7 always switches between these APs without asking for permission. The only time it asks for confirmation is when switching from WiFi to mobile data.
Using the wrong AP, is not only annoying but has unwanted consequences. Any idea how to stop Android from such nonsense move?
Ps: there is no smart wifi option but wifi plus which is off.
Ps2: Imagine an app does not have access to the AP or internet it needs or when setting up a device and the WiFi is switched to another AP or connecting to a server with the wrong IP, just because Android decides it wants to use a different WiFi AP.

is there any chance you have set Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep to Never (Wi-Fi->Configure Wi-Fi(Settings icon)->Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep)? This will turn Wi-Fi off when phone goes to sleep and when it wakes up, it will get connected to any of your available APs at that time based on signal strength.

The AP's all share the same SSID name?

In Android 7.0, you can actually disable wifi auto-reconnect. Go to Wifi Settings, then tap on one of the AP. Uncheck the Auto-reconnect.

I had that issue. I have 2 APs and my phone keeps switching between the 2. What I did was made the phone "forget" the APs I DON'T usually use the phone with. Can't connect to an AP you don't have a password for, right? Works like a charm.

Thanks a lot for your input, at least I see other people have the same issue. It might benefit some. I do this sometimes but there is no prefered AP and I need to constantly use these APs, and re-establishing the connection with long passwords each time would not be very user-friendly. I'd rather see android sticks to the WiFi AP that it was assigned to.

My same solution, answerer. A shame there isn't a more user-friendly way.

I have found reference to this command to disable the automatic internet connectivity test, and some reports of it working. I cant test it though. You need a rooted handset. I don't have one and
currently can't... you first need to su,  then....
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

I've actually put in a technical request to Nikon as my camera suffers the same issue. I can no longer download from it. I'll let you know if I get any joy!


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Prevent Google reacting to inline remote
My new wired earphones have a one-button in line remote. Two common uses of pressing this button include:
Option1. Pausing and resuming music playback;
Option2. Opening and dismissing an audio Google search.
But, I am only interested in Option1. At first I found all I could make the button do was Option2; even after I disabled Google's microphone access, Option2 still happened instead of Option1 (but of course Google couldn't hear anything, so although the search app opened it didn't attempt to discern a search string.) After I restarted my phone, pressing the button does Option1 and Option2 simultaneously. In particular, the Google app is brought to the front (whether it's currently open or closed), and stays in the front even when a second dismissal button press occurs.
My question, therefore, is how to stop this app coming to the front. I wouldn't mind it opening so much if the app I want to use stayed at the front. In theory the solution is to change the headset settings so the button doesn't have a search effect. However, I haven't managed to do this because:

When I search settings changes that should do it, the menu options they list are unavailable, possibly due to the instructions being out of date or my phone being unusual;
I have also tried several headset-controlling apps, but none worked (some didn't even seem to have a relevant setting).

Thus my question concerns how to prevent an uninteresting app from focusing.

In case anyone has this problem in the future, I fixed it by force-stopping the undesired app.


text:
How to find audio files from apps
I have this app from Bungie, which is called Destiny, and it's a companion for their game.
The app has a really nice notification sound but I don't know how to find the audio in the file manager because the folder from /Android/data has nothing in it.
If it helps I also have 2 computers, one with Windows 10 and the other with Ubuntu 16.04.
My phone is a Samsung J5 2017 with Android 7.0

Any chance it's using one of your prepackaged Android system sounds? Go through the list and sample them.

On your phone you can install Show Java or Dexplorer to decompile the apk. Usually such media files are kept in assets folder, but can vary on their development practices. On your PC you can use apk tool to decompile the apk and check the source there.


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No "Encrypt Phone" option on Android 7.0 Samsung Galaxy S7
In order to sell my Samsung Galaxy S7, I want to clear it of all personal data. I did a full factory reset thinking this would do the trick. But, after the full factory rest, I read this online

...a security firm has determined returning Android devices to factory
  settings doesn't actually wipe them clean. Security firm Avast
  purchased twenty used Android phones on eBay. Through extraction
  methods, they were able to recover old emails, texts, and even photos.

I then go on to read that a full file based encryption of the phone should make it safe for resale. I plan to fully encrypt the phone with file based encryption and then do another factory reset. However, I cannot find where to encrypt the phone!
I have tried every step-by-step guide I can find online and I simply do not see the "encrypt phone" option.
I've tried from here

Launch the Settings Application
Scroll Down and Tap on the ‘Lock Screen and Security’ Option
Then Tap on the ‘Protect Encrypted Data’ Option

But there's no "Protect Encrypted Data" option!
I tried the answer from this StackExchange question. I went into developer options and there was no “Covert to file encryption” option anywhere on the phone!
In fact, when I search "encrypt" in settings the only thing that comes up is "Encrypt SD Card" (even when developer settings are on).

Thanks to Samsung non standard implementation, OP couldn't factory-reset and encrypt before selling. They couldn't :

Check if the device was encrypted
Locate the option for encryption

Steps advised :

Install minimal adb on your laptop
(Is there a minimal installation of ADB?) and check device encryption status (Is there a way for a user to tell if their Android device is encrypted or not?). Alternatively, install Termux on your device and type getprop ro.crypto.state
Encrypt device from Settings → Lock Screen and security → secure start up → require password (Source)
factory-reset after signing out from Google account, else you will have problems with factory reset protection and buyer will not be able to use your device
Confirm device is encrypted. Decrypt device (to remove lock screen PIN ) and sell :)


text:
Why is Google app so large?
I see that Google app takes 120 Mb of storage. Since it's just an app to search things on the web, why is it so darn large?
Are there any more functions (except searching the web) that it does to justify taking up so much space?

A bit of analysis tells me that majority of space is taken by offline language files in (data directory ~ 70MB and another ~30MB the classes.dex files take a bit of the remaining space)

Thanks @xavier_fakerat . You can still post this as an answer if you like.

Thanks was away, but seeing that a better, more detailed answer was posted, I guess there is no need, but thanks for the feedback :)

As of 2022, it's more than 600 MB already, and that's only the apk, not including user data and cache.

Yeah, for some reason the bloat in the apk increased more than threefold over as many years.

Google App does more than just searching the web, it customizes your feed, updates you about stories, weather, etc., offers Google Assistant, Learns about how you use it and much more.
This results into an App size of about 120MB(apk size varies according to specific screen densities or Application Binary Interfaces) after installation without app data.
Analysing APK Structure of Google App 7.20.16.21.arm, I got following details which takes about 115MB of storage and further 90MB of data is stored on phone, making the total app size of 205MB.
The app size of approximately 115MB is categorized as:
classes.dex ~ 42MB(39%):

Contains the classes compiled in the DEX file format understood by the Dalvik/ART virtual machine.

resources.arsc ~ 30MB(27%):

Contains compiled resources. This file contains the XML content from all configurations of the res/values/ folder. The packaging tool extracts this XML content, compiles it to binary form, and archives the content. This content includes language strings and styles, as well as paths to content that is not included directly in the resources.arsc file, such as layout files and images.

lib/ ~ 23MB(20%):

Contains the compiled code that is specific to the software layer of a processor. This directory contains a subdirectory for each platform type, like armeabi, armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86, x86_64, and mips.

res/ ~ 10MB(8%):

Contains resources that aren't compiled into resources.arsc.

assets/ ~ 5MB(4%):

Contains the app's assets, which the app can retrieve using an AssetManager object.

META-INF/ ~ 2MB(1%):

Contains the CERT.SF and CERT.RSA signature files, as well as the MANIFEST.MF manifest file.

Rest ~ 1MB(1%):
org/, AndroidManifest.xml, build-data.properties, etc.

Further 90MB of data stored on disk consists of search history, feed data which grows with the app usage.

I have never used this app, why does it take the further 90MB of search history?

If you have never used Google app then I think data stored on your phone will be less than 25MB. That 90MB is in my case.

The user data for the Google app is 700+ MB in my case. I find clearing it just causes it to redownload the user data. It's not obvious how to reduce the size, but I know in my nexus 5 days the app was about 100mb with user and cache data.


text:
What is the accuracy of the wossip app?
what is the accuracy of the wossip app`s USAGE menu drop down? Does it reflect actual usage of the monitored account or some other state?

From the reviews it doesn't seem to be too accurate.


text:
Peeking in notes from Samsung Smart Switch's backup
My Samsung Galaxy S6 just drowned and I'd like to get stuff that I saved in Notes. I did some googling to find out what the app is called. I found some people referring to Memo, but I don't think that is right in my case.
I can't check this out because my phone just died. It is a "Note" app with a yellow icon and it comes with the OS.
The backup to my PC was made with Samsung Smart Switch.
Where are the notes located in the backup, and how can I read it?

Did it look anything like this
Or like  this?

Hmmm, the Memo icon looks familiar. Could be Memo....


text:
Problem with simultaneously connection in game (NavyField Mobile)
I wonder if you can help me. There is a game called NavyField on the android system. The game allowed connecting two devices with the same Google account at the same time. You could play on one and chat on the other (online game) After the last game update (deliberately done by DEV) you can not connect two devices to game server at the same time. App cloning and similar things don't work.
My question is. Is there a way to get around this from the game client side?


text:
Upgrade android 4.2.2 to 4.4 (MHTMID-B718DC8 DualCore-A23)
I was trying to look up some way on upgrading this device I have to a later version (kitkat) so I'd have more functionality with this tab. I know it is a bit of a low end device but is highly able to be overclocked. The build version is MHTMID-B718DC8_20140716 and android 4.2.2. Kernel Version 3.4.39 swtest@swtest-desktop #37. I also was looking for a custom recovery as cwm doesn't support my device. I have rooted the device using Kingo Root. Hopefully its possible. Its a Mikona brand tablet

There are a lot of custom Android ROMs out there, you need to find one that was made for your specific device. XDA-developpers and FreakTab are good places to look. Flashing requires a few utilities, but it is a fairly straight-forward process. Whomever made a custom ROM for your device would tell you the specific flashing procedure and utilities for your tablet.
Your first step is to find a custom ROM that was made for your specific tablet. I still run custom KitKat ROMs on a couple of old phones.


text:
Hangouts, Google Voice, and "SMS is no longer supported" notification on a WiFi-only tablet
Although I have been a long-time user of Google Voice and Hangouts, I only recently got my first Android tablet (WiFi only, no cellular).
The way the first two interact with the tablet is puzzling and frustrating:

As far as I can tell, Hangouts is the tool that Google wants us to use for Google Voice SMS messages.

It seems that recently Google removed SMS support from Hangouts except for Google Voice SMS that is still supported, and provided a way to choose what app to use as the main SMS app.

With Hangouts installed, everything seems to work, but I get constantly spammed by a Hangouts notification saying that SMS is no longer supported.  I have found no way to silence this notification unless I disable all Hangouts notifications, which would make me miss other Hangouts IMs.

In the attempt to silence the SMS is no longer supported spam notifications, I tried to install other SMS apps, but since my tablet is WiFi only, I am unable to install them.

I only found one SMS app that would install without the cellular hardware (I think called Messenger) and it spammed me with so many advertising notifications that I had to uninstall it, the cure was worse than the illness.

How to silence the Hangouts' "SMS is no longer supported" notification? Otherwise, how to install another SMS app on a WiFi-only tablet that stays nice and silent (which is ideal as I probably will never use it, I would only install it to silence the Hangouts notification)?

Related: How to block specific notifications from an app?

I had the same problem and I also wanted to avoid installing an extra app just to get rid of a notification.
The only thing I could think of is Facebook Messenger which I already use. After I downloaded it, the notification disappeared and Messenger was now the default app for SMS.
In case the notification doesn't disappear automatically, go to Settings -> Apps -> (Gear Icon top right) -> Default Apps and you should see 'SMS App'. Just tap on it and choose Messenger (or any other app you want to try). My tablet has Android 6.0.1, so instructions may differ on other versions.
P.S. Firstly, I tried to revoke any SMS permissions to Hangouts so I can clear it from the default app for SMS, but it didn't work.

Unfortunately, this is even one of the sticky notifications which can't be just swiped out of the notification area.
If you, however, swipe it to the right and keep your finger pressed, a gear symbol will appear on the left. When you click this, you can permanently disable this notification. Did the trick for me, at least.

AFAIK, this will disable all Hangouts' notifications? OP mentioned that he didn't want to disable all though: "I have found no way to silence this notification unless I disable all Hangouts notifications, which would make me miss other Hangouts IMs."

See How to block specific notifications from an app?


text:
Can you flash directly from another Android (no PC, no SD)?
I have an old Android TV box (the ZaapTV 509N) that is useless. It was advertised as a $300 subscription-free streaming service for Arabic channels from overseas, but every 3 years they would force a $300 hardware upgrade on you, and now that they've run out of new upgrades, you need a subscription to continue using the device with their service.
The device is running their custom Android ROM on it (4.2.2), and it is pretty locked down. You cannot add a Google account to use the marketplace to install useful apps like YouTube or Netflix. I've been looking at what other custom ROMs I could flash on it to regain control of my device, just installing YouTube and Netflix on it would make this device useful again. I've found 3 candidate ROMs for this, from similar streaming devices with very similar hardware.
I've flashed phones before (ported ROM from a different letter iteration of the same model or straight out CyanogenMod), and all these needed me to connect the Android device to a laptop. With the ZaapTV, the only USB ports are female, so I would need a male A to male A USB cable to connect to a laptop. The only male to male USB cables I have are micro at one end and regular size at the other.
So, I could connect an Android phone to the ZaapTV device. If I move the required ROM to my phone's storage, is it feasible to use my phone instead of a laptop to flash the ZaapTV? Is there an app or a flash utility that is available to do what ODIN and ADB are doing on the laptop?
I do have access to the recovery menu on the ZaapTV. I also have a Raspberry Pi (running Raspbian, a port of Debian). It has an OTG micro-USB. Could that work?

@beeshyams Mobile Odin can only flash the device it is being run on, only supports Samsung, and I can't install apps on the Zaap (which is why I need to flash something on it).

Indeed yes. There is an app that can be used for Linux . I don't know if it helps in your context

@beeshyams DriveDroid uses your phone as a USB booting device. ZaapTV can't boot from USB.

@tlhIngan You can try putting a regular Linux distro and see if it accepts the TV box as a peripheral device. Works in theory.

@harpratap I'll keep that in mind. Plan A is to use a BeagleBoneBlack as a USB host. Raspberry Pi is a no-go, the micro-USB is what powers the device, and it needs too much juice to be used as a peripheral at the same time.

@tlhIngan can't you package a rom in a bootable sd card? did you try that?

I'm still actively trying to find a way to flash my Zaap 509N, so please share if you find anything useful.


text:
Google Timeline error - "Can't connect to Maps, try again later" only on certain dates
I have been using Google timeline successfully for many months without problem but in the last few days I have getting this error on all my devices (phone, tablet and desktop) but only on some dates

Are you sure there is no problem with your Internet connection?

The problem only shows when viewing certain dates Writchik as I showex in the two images above. I suspected that it was a data issue so I contacted Google and they reset something and I can now view all dates ok. If you get this problem view your timeline for a different date and if the problem only shows on some dates then I suggest you contact Google Maps support - they were very helpful as none of these message boards seems to have a reliable solution.

I suspected that it was a data issue as it only affected  some dates so I contacted Google Maps support and they reset something. I can now view all my dates ok. If you get this problem view your timeline for a different date and if the problem only shows on some dates then I suggest you contact Google Maps support - they were very helpful as none of these message boards seems to have a reliable solution.


text:
Gallery Share via Calendar
Is there any way I can take a photo/image and create a calendar item based on it.
Ideally I would like to click an image in my gallery then select share via and pick my Calendar app (Google calendar).
So far the apps I tried do not work with images. For example when I tried 'Share to Calendar V2' it only put the images file name as a description it didn't actually attached it to the event.
So far the only solution I found involves sending an email with attachment to  yourself then creating an event from it, as described here https://www.groovypost.com/tips/add-image-google-calendar-events/ (this site also does a great job of describing the problem I am trying to solve)
I want something that is quicker, a one step process.


text:
Is Android associated with a specific set of control keys?
Windows systems typically have three control keys: Control, Alt, and the Windows key. Mac systems have Command ⌘, Option/Alt, and Control. There is historical precedent for a system having even more control keys.
Does Android expect, or is it designed for, a specific set of control keys?
This question occurred to me after trying to connect a wireless Bluetooth keyboard to an Android smartphone. I wondered as to whether there is a best practice as to whether or not a Mac layout keyboard or a PC layout keyboard (or even something else!) should be selected, all other things being equal and assuming that I want to connect the type of keyboard that is closest to that which the designers of Android were thinking about when they designed the system.
To be clear, I'm not asking for a hardware recommendation - this is more of a theory or general design question. I'm aware that most keyboards nowadays "work" (or can be made to work) with most systems with minor adjustments. So, something like, "Android is designed to be compatible with PC and Mac keyboards, but the original spec defines a set of five control keys consisting of Blue Squiggle, Red Squiggle, Wumpus, Marklar, and Shazbot, and having all five keys helps with some obscure shortcuts that most people don't need to use." would be a great answer.

Android CDD -section 7.1.2 does not specify any mandatory requirements, except support for third party IME, say for instance Hacker's Keyboard, which implements those control keys
In my understanding, there is nothing defined as essential support for control keys


text:
Share contents between my Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Smart TV
I used to have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 a few years ago, I remember I could connect my phone with my 8880 Samsung Smart TV.
This connection was two way, I used screen mirroring so I could display phone contents on the TV, and I could watch TV programs on my phone.
I even remember once my wife was watching TV and I watched another program on another channel using my phone (connected to TV).
Unfortunately I can't remember the application names which provided these features.
Its now two years that I have changed my phone with a Galaxy Note 5, and I have done all the upgrades. The problem is I can not do what I did with the old version of mobile set. I believe I don't have the applications, and I can't remember their names.
By the way is there any way so I can screen mirror a video played using streaming (is not on my phone but it is online) on my TV? Because Samsung Smart View application just shares contents (videos/photos/music) which are stored in my gallery.

See if this helps: Connecting Samsung Galaxy Note to TV

@xavier_fakerat There is a Smart View option on the phone. There is a Nearby device scanning option in the settings, which says that Nearby device scanning uses Bluetooth Low Energy Scanning and the microphone. Bluetooth Low Energy scanning can be used even while Bluetooth is turned off on this device. And it is turned on!

I meant quick connect.  Quick connect will use the Bluetooth® feature, Wi-Fi Direct®, or Screen Mirroring, depending on the type of content being shared and whether the other device has Quick connect installed. https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00043278/

@xavier_fakerat The thing is I did screen mirroring from phone to tv and from tv to phone with my Galaxy Note 3. Now I have Galaxy Note 5 and I can't remember the software names (and availability) of the same things.

Aww I see, that feature was built in in earlier editions of Samsung Note phones, but was removed, so you have to install a third party app from playstore

I can not find Quick Connect on my phone. And yes I am looking for the apps, they were manufactured by Samsung, but I can not find them on Google Play Store.

Screen mirroring is a feature available on some editions of Samunng Smartphones, but unfortunately has been removed in later builds on smartphones and replaced  Samsung Smart View and related.

Using the Screen Mirroring feature, you can share your Galaxy device’s
  screen with your Samsung Smart TV or with an HDTV using the AllShare
  Cast Wireless Hub.

The following phones support the Screen Mirroring feature by default. Some phones can be modified through a custom ROM, so they also may be able to support screen mirroring.

Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 ,S5
Samsung Galaxy Note 2, 3, 4

Nevertheless you can use alternatives app to achieve the same e.g Screen Mirroring from Playstore.
Another aggressive way of enabling the feature in Note 5 is perhaps rooting and editing build.prop line: wlan.wfd.hdcp=disable (anywhere within the additional build properties section, preferably at the end)
under /Device/system folder. (Remember to save and reboot) as outlined here on XDA thread.

Thanks for the answer, I prefer not to root my phone. So I go after software solutions. By the way is there any app which let me watch TV channels on my phone?

Yes there are plenty, for starters see Kodi which is an open-source media center


text:
sir Google play is showing unwanted apps to install and unwanted information about something repeatedly.can u help me to avoid that disturbance

Like I attached a pic it is showing repeatedly

Please  describe how this occur? Simply shows popup or while browsing using chrome/ firefox / any other browser?

It's probably an ad sent to you by one of the apps you downloaded

Couldn't understand your question fully, but as far as i understand you get notifications to install this app ?
If so then long click on the notification to see which app displays it (i had Go Keyboard annoying me with ads) and uninstall this app or block notifications. If not, then run a malware scan for your device using any antivirus from Google play.


text:
how to recover deleted files from private mode in samsung a5
i tried lot of android data recovery tools like wondershare dr.fone,minitool recovery etc. but wondershere cannot root my samsung it failed at 90% and other data recovery application cannot dug deep to recover deleted file from private mode of my smartphone.

What's your specific question? How to root or how to recover?

i have deleted files from private mode of samsung A5. i want to recover those files but without rooting my mobile or temporary rooting(rooting during the process only) my mobile


text:
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro (YT3-X90L) factory image, OTA update or backup needed
I was playing around trying out some new stuff with my Lenovo Yoga tab and locked it. There is an old Google account on it, but I can't remember it.
I've tried so many things:

I've tried to factory reset it, but it's still locked.
I've tried to flash TWRP in the hope to do something more, but unlocking my tab in a locked state isn't allowed.
I was able to follow this tutorial to minute 9:08. But the option "Email and password" is not there anymore. I guess they patched it with 6.0.1.
I tried to flash a stock ROM or TWRP with LenovoDownloader(QcomDLoader). The stock ROM file is: Lenovo_Yoga_Tablet_3_YT3-X90L_ENG_S200028_1609230146. Even it's a German device, this file was the only one I could find. But the LenovoDownloader won't recognize my device. The windows stay white with no entries. I guess I installed the correct driver for this device and Windows recognizes them as a removable device if I plug it in via USB.
I've tried to use adb and fastboot boot oem unlock. But these commands aren't working in a locked state.
With a trick, I could open the Settings and be full of hope to activate the developer options to set USB debugging to active. But these developer options aren't available either with this "user".
There is an APK for showing the "Email and password" interface. I could install it, but it force closes right after starting it.
I've tried several tools to bypass this FRP: WinDroid Toolkit, D-G Unlocker, Realterm, but NOTHING.

What could I do further?
Specs for the device:

Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro (YT3-X90L)
Lenovo/YT3_l0_row_lte
6.0.1/MMB29M/LenovoYT3-X90L_S200307_170614

What do you mean by you locked it?  After resetting, doss the tab still request an unlock code/pattern/password?

no that's not. It just requests an old google account. It says "Welcome" and then it requires an internet connection to verify the google account linked to my device. But i can't get the google account again.

Ah okay, that's an FRP lock even flashing ROM won't bypass that. There are dozens of tutorials on how to bypass the Factory Reset Protection.

Hey, first thank you for your help. But, i've tried to factory reset. It worked, but the device is still locked. Or do you mean another kind of resett?

The factory reset only reset user data. The FRP partition can't be wiped by a factory reset. But I think downgrading your device build could help bypass the FRP.

and how to downgrade my device? Sorry, but you might have a clue on how to do it.

Also posted on XDA: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/yt3-x90l-lock-state-locked-recovery-image-needed.3745106/

I've written it down. Translation by Google, but I think it's all good.
Situation:
"Confirm account: The device has been reset. To continue, sign in with a Google Account that was previously synced on this device."
Explanation:
The device has been blocked by repeated input of the wrong password, pattern, etc., and can only be unlocked with the Google account of the owner.
A factory reset or hard reset does not help here, as the account information is saved in its own FRP partition and will not be deleted when the factory state is restored.
Solution:

Connect the device to Wi-Fi and Internet access.
Before confirming "Next", select another hotspot here
Go to "Advanced Settings" and change the proxy settings of any hotspot to Manual.
In the text input field of the proxy settings, enter any word: e.g. Test
Now, mark this word and select "Assist" in the context menu.
Selecting this "Assist" option opens the Google search application.
You can now not only browse the Internet through this search but also search for and open installed programs.
We are looking for Chrome, open the internet browser, go to www.google.com, and search for DPC test (APK Mirror)
After downloading this application, go back to the Google search application.
Here we enter "Download" to search for the download application.
In Downloads, we can now find and install the downloaded app.
To allow the installation of this .apk, you must allow the installation of "unknown sources" in the settings.
Either you go here on the installation itself on "Settings", or you search for "Settings" on the Google search app.
After completing the installation of the DPC-Test program, start it with "Open".
The app itself will register as a device owner and now allows us to set up a new Google Account as an owner.
If this is set up, it will also be included in the FRP partition.
In the event of a new factory reset, the device is reset, the DPC-Test program is removed and the device can be freshly set up in the factory settings.

After the takeover of the owner, the reason for blocking the device was not present anymore and the old owner was overwritten. This will be overwritten in the FRP partition as well with the new account and the old one no longer be queried.


text:
Contact avatar colors
What do the different color contact avatars mean? My Samsung automatically generates avatars for new contacts. I'm wondering what the different colors mean. I can't figure out the pattern.

Different colors on contact avatars are randomly generated from an array of colors. If you look at the Source Code of Contacts app, you will find something like this in a xml file.
<array name="letter_tile_colors">
    <item>#DB4437</item>
    <item>#E91E63</item>
    <item>#9C27B0</item>
    <item>#673AB7</item>
    <item>#3F51B5</item>
    <item>#4285F4</item>
    <item>#039BE5</item>
    <item>#0097A7</item>
    <item>#009688</item>
    <item>#0F9D58</item>
    <item>#689F38</item>
    <item>#EF6C00</item>
    <item>#FF5722</item>
    <item>#757575</item>
</array>

This array consists of HEX color codes for different colors.
So when you create new contact, a function will pick any color at random from that array and it will be assigned to the avatar.
Since, the color is assigned at random, you won't find any particular pattern.


text:
Pdf not properly shown in pdf reader
I am having problems with the following pdf. Everytime I try to open the file with a pdf-viewer (I used acrobat reader and document viewer) the application does not render the first page.
The problem seems to affect only android devices since the  file can be opened correctly on my laptop.
Do you have any idea on what could be the cause of the problem and how to solve it?
Thanks in advance to anyone who will help.

It opens fine with Google drive PDF viewer as also Xodo (from Play store). But with Adobe the problem crops up so it's worth taking it up with Adobe support , meanwhile use other viewers of your choice or as suggested

There's nothing we can do here. Contact Adobe support, and they'll help you.

Ok, so it is a problem of the applications. Thanks for the help, both of you.


text:
Is there any way to recover a camera view (photo) that I didn't take?
So it happened that I asked a person to take a picture of me with Huawei P9 Lite smartphone. She said she took it but it happens she didn't because she didn't even press the button. I know this sounds crazy but is there any way to see that photo she had to take? I mean the camera was turned to me and the camera app was opened.

If the picture was not actually taken, you cannot recover it. Your phone doesn't record what's done on the camera screen, unless you actually record a video or take a picture.
If it would be recording the whole time, that would take all your phone's memory and it would probably be against some privacy laws.
The above is assuming that you didn't download a special camera app that has this function.


text:
When someone calls me, I want to see which number they rang me on
I have several work phone numbers and redirect them to my personal mobile (I prefer this to having 2 mobiles or dual SIM).  I'm wondering if there is an app or setting which enables me to see which number they dialed to reach me (i.e. my personal or work number?)
I'm on Android 7.1.2 wileyfox swift and prefer to keep unrooted.

This probably has more to do with the service that you are using to redirect the number.


text:
How does Android display image or video even before you start to capture using the camera?
When Android is used to take a photo or capture video, the display continuously displays what a camera can see.
Does that mean the CCD/CMOS device is exposed to light continuously? Or is it displayed by some other means (without involving CCD/CMOS)? Is the difference between displaying and capturing a video (or photo) only storage? Is Android continuously taking pictures for displaying, even if you don't take a picture?

First off, there is no physical shutter on smartphone cameras, so the CMOS is always "exposed to light continuously", even when the phone is completely off.
The Android camera interface has two modes (actually more, but only two are relevant). One is the "capture" mode, which allows full control over exposure time, resolution, and image processing, and allows to take photos at the maximum quality offered by the hardware. The second is "preview" mode, which produces images at a high frame-rate, but doesn't offer the app as much control over exposure and image processing, and is limited to smaller resolutions, and worse exposure control.
Often, the "preview" mode can also output in a different (YUV) format directly into GPU-accessible memory for efficient display on the screen, while "capture" mode can encode directly to JPEG for storage in main memory.

Is the difference between displaying and capturing a video(or photo) is only storage?

No, the difference is between the two modes. Capturing a video or photo offers better quality and more control, and can take advantage of hardware encoding to save efficiently to a JPEG or MPEG file.

Is cellphone continuously taking pictures for displaying, even if you don't take a picture?

Yes, while the camera app is open. When you take a picture, the preview mode stops while the picture is being captured. When you're not using a camera app at all, the camera module is powered off.


text:
Adbdinsecure and Droid Explorer
I have two phones, a Doogee X5max and a Cubot Gt88, both fully rooted. (Root explorer fully functional on phone). Without Adbd insecure installed and ticked both phones behave the same in Droid Explorer for PC. i.e.I can't access the data folder and I can't modify files or folders. When I install Adbd insecure and apply the patch to the Cubot it works perfectly. Droid explorer has full access and the consol prompt changes from a $ to a #. However, if I install Adbd insecure on the Doogee and apply the patch I immediately lose all connection with the phone. It shows up in Device manager as unknown device with a code 43 error. I can't reconnect to it until I have removed the patch and re-booted the phone.
  The failing Doogee X5max has Busybox installed, Usb Debugging enabled, Oem unlocking enabled, the google ADB drivers installed and the OEM driver installed. There seems to be a conflict between the Doogee and Adbd insecure that upsets Windows. Any clues?


text:
Edit hosts file on android studio messed up my emulator
I had to edit my emulator' hosts file in order to connect to a local development environment. I have followed this steps:
Run the emulator:
~/Library/Android/sdk/tools/emulator -writable-system -avd Nexus_5_API_19

In another terminal/cmd prompt:
adb reboot

adb root

adb -s emulator-5554 remount

adb -s emulator-5554 pull /system/etc/hosts hosts

add the IP to host file

adb -s emulator-5554 push hosts /system/etc/hosts

adb reboot

Now whenever I try to start my emulator from AVD Manager it is not responding. I always have to start it with:
 ~/Library/Android/sdk/tools/emulator -writable-system -avd Nexus_5_API_19

I mention that I work from High Sierra.
Mention: I have tried with adb to make my emulator rw but it did not allow me to push my hosts file.

There is an other way to manipulate the /etc/hosts  (You need a Linux machine )
Use the system.img which come from Google
go to your Android SDK home

cd $ANDROID_HOME

find the right system.img for your emulator

sudo mount -w system-images/android-25/google_apis/x86_64/system.img

edit the /etc/hosts

sudo vi /mnt/etc/hosts
sudo umount /mnt

Create an emulator (from Android Studio)

ASD Manager
→ "Create Virtual Device"
→ Nexus 5X
→ Next
→ Tab x86 Images
→ Nougart - 25 - x86_64
→ Next
→ "AVD Name" : "Nexus 5X API 25 with WLAN hosts"
→ Finish

I have gone this way because emulator -writable-system -avd xx didn't work in my environment. Also mounting the system.img in my ~/.android/avd/xxxx directory didn't work anymore.

Step by Step

Don’t Create the AVD with Google Play image.
Use for example Google APIs Intel x86 Atom System Image.
Start the emulator with the following command…
emulator.exe –avd <avd name> -writable-system

For example:
    C:\Users\ilyas.mamun\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\emulator>emulator.exe -avd Pixel_API_25 -writable-system

    emulator: WARNING: System image is writable
    HAX is working and emulator runs in fast virt mode.
    audio: Failed to create voice `goldfish_audio_in'
    qemu-system-i386.exe: warning: opening audio input failed
    audio: Failed to create voice `adc'

Root and Remount the AVD like the followings…
C:\Users\ilyas.mamun\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools>adb root

C:\Users\ilyas.mamun\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools>adb remount
remount succeeded

C:\Users\ilyas.mamun\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools>adb shell
eneric_x86:/ # cd system
generic_x86:/system # cd etc
generic_x86:/system/etc # cat hosts
127.0.0.1       localhost
::1             ip6-localhost

generic_x86:/system/etc # echo "192.168.1.181     sandbox.dmoney.com.bd" >> hosts
generic_x86:/system/etc # cat hosts

127.0.0.1       localhost
::1             ip6-localhost
192.168.1.181     sandbox.dmoney.com.bd
generic_x86:/system/etc #

Perhaps the reason you can't remount adb as root is you are using a production emulator image rather that a debug image see: ADB root is not working on emulator
To overcome this try rooting your avd as outlined here, then install a hosts editor to easily modify the hosts file. Try rebooting as usual as you still need to append with -writable -system for changes to persist.
This problem occurs because emulator from android studio has been changed and partition /system is no longer writable between reboots.
An alternative  workaround will be  to replace the original files in <sdk_path>/system-images/android-xx/default/x86/system.img.

Copy the system.img: cp /home/a/Android/Sdk/system-images/android-xx/default/x86/system.img ~/.android/avd/[avdname].avd/system-qemu.img
Put the new system.img in .android/avd/avd name/. Rename it to system-qemu.img, thus the emulator will use this new image instead of the original one, and this won't your other emulators.

Sorry for the late response I was away in the past few days. I have trie to copy the system.img but I cannot seem to find it in /home/a/Android/Sdk/system-images/android-xx/default/x86/system.img Cannot seem to find system-images anywhere actually

And I am not using a production image

I have successfully copied system.img but it reseted my hosts file

Sorry for late reply, did you update hosts after you root?

yes I did, and afterwords I have copied the system.img, now I have pulled the hosts file from the emulator and it no longer contains my edits

And if you start it with -writable -system are changes persisting? or nothing has changed?

Nothing has changed

mmm strange I will look into this

Is it possible to be caused by copying the system.img?

Perhaps!  Ok please verify this, see if you are boot the avd smoothly after rooting (this time don't copy system.img) and check changes in hosts


text:
SD card data not getting erased
I have Samsung Galaxy J26 with SanDisk 16gb memory card. Although the card seems ok I have facing one weird problem. If I delete something from the card and check the memory status it doesn't seem to get change. It should show more memory as I have cleared some space but it doesn't. In the end, I have to format the SD card for further use even it doesn't have anything.

After formatting, is the problem solved or does it repeat? It's not clear

If that is the case, try formatting on a PC and see if it helps

After formating also same problem


text:
Invisible Location History
Location History was active on my device and visible under timeline in the Google Maps app. I have just tried to use it via Google maps on browser to get my phone back, but the timeline stops in August.
The Android Device Manager last located my phone just before 6am yesterday morning, so it was definitely communicating with my account.
Has anyone successfully made their Timeline visible on GMaps retroactively if Location History was on and able to communicate with the Google servers?

Are you saying that timeline worked fine in your phone till now? Meaning did you open Google maps timeline since August, and you saw that it works?

A bochur - Yes, I have seen it in the Google maps app on my phone since August. And even now, I can see that my Location History is on. But I lost the phone, and Google Maps in a browser is showing nothing past August 13th.


text:
Is there a 'format painter' function in Excel for Android?
is there a 'format painter' function in Excel for Android? I'm starting to feel like you get what you pay for here - not much, by that, I mean, that the Android version of Excel is short on features that I find useful.

Check this out... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_excel-mso_amobile-mso_mobapps/wordexcel-for-android/994e0673-930a-43a6-8952-66416745d9ae

The closest I've been able to come, is:

Click on the cell with the formatting I like, then long click on the little square bottom right of the cell, and release, then click on the clipboard icon.
Click on the cell I want to format, and long click on the square, bottom right of the cell, and  release again, this time, click on the downward facing arrow, and choose "Formatting".  It works, but much more awkward than the format painter function in the Windows versions of Excel. (and Word)

If anyone has a way to be able to do this quicker, it would be much appreciated!

Use the standard copy and paste function. Copy the cell with the format you want. Then paste on the desired cell using "special paste", then select "paste format" only. This pastes just the format, not the data.

Hit the "Copy" icon.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Long click on the target cell.

Instead of the "Paste" icon (clipboard), click the drop-down arrow.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Click on "Formatting" (paintbrush icon)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Should have copied the format successfully!


text:
How to remove Play-store notification "uninstall harmful app"? (kit-kat)
About a year ago I rooted my Verizon tablet with King root - which is working fine. Then when Google Play Protect came out, it started giving me this static notification telling me to uninstall King root and it kept on popping up even though I unchecked the "scan apps installed from unknown sources box". It started to annoy me a lot so I just turned off the play store notifications.  My question is, is there a way to permanently disable this notification or to somehow "tell" play store that I want to keep the app even though it is potentially harmful?

Play Store Menu > Play Protect > Scan device for security threats  off. That's all you can do

as i  mentioned in the question, i did  that and it still gave me the notofication


text:
is it possable to install a linux distro ie:- nethunter on a android device
I have been trying to work out how to use my old Android tablet as a stand alone Linux tool for pen-testing and network monitoring and logging. I have it boot straight into the OS without having to run it over the top or along side my android OS for obvious reasons (speed,storage,simplicity)

What your question? Which specific device is this?


text:
WiFi disconnects in doze mode
Nexus 5x and Pixel with project fi. No antivirus installed.
OS 8.1.0
Regularly puts me on LTE connection both at home and in the office.
How do I force WiFi to always connect to known networks rather than surprising me every time that I just watched a video and used tons of data?
Is this related to the removal of Wi-Fi sleep options? And what "Sleep options are not relevant any more." means that the relevant commit message (via reddit) says?

Customer service explained me that my Project Fi SIM card is expected to kick me off from free Wi-Fi whenever it decides that the LTE connection is stronger. He said the customer should every single time manually put himself to airplane mode as a remedy. Complete bullshit esp. given that fact that it loses Wi-Fi in sleep even if data is off so waking the phone would not give me any connection, until I would force a reconnect by opening settings.
Finally, a device update from March 5 fixed it, so now my Wi-Fi stays on.


text:
Getting the Europa notification tone off my old phone
I'm moving from a Nexus 5X to a shiny new OnePlus 5T. I like my old Europa notification tone, but it's not on my new phone, and I couldn't find a way to find the file on my old phone without rooting the device, which I want to avoid doing.
Any idea how to get that sweet Europa tone?

Any idea how to get that sweet Europa tone?

I'm not sure if you can get it off your old phone without rooting. But there is no need for that, as you can download the tone online. Here's an xda thread, where the main poster posted zip files of all Nexus 5 notification tones. I imagine that the Europa tone in the 5 would be the same as in 5x.
Instructions:

Open the link
In the main post, you'll see a few links. One of them will be for notification sounds. Download that one.
extract the file, and you will see the Europa tone.

Unfortunately that tone is not Europa from the Nexus 5X.

There is no download available at that link.

@RamRachum i just edited the post with more info

Thanks for your edit, I was able to download the sounds now, but that's still not the same Europa as the one on Nexus 5X.

I've given up at this point. I'll just another tone. Thanks for trying to help.

No problem. Let's hope someone comes with a better answer


text:
fastboot does not recognize my LAVA Iris Atom
I've been doing quite the research on this error, but couldn't find a solution that could help me  with my device.
Adb commands works fine, but not fastboot commands.
I have tried several sites for the fastboot drivers, in case that's the problem, but it didn't work. (I still have an exclamation mark on Android ADB Interface icon in device manager.)
My phone gets stuck at boot logo when I try flashing a custom ROM and I have to re-insert the battery to solve it. I rooted my phone using the KingRoot app. Does this have any relevance?

"My phone gets stuck at boot logo when I try flashing custom ROM" How do you flash the custom ROM if the phone doesn't show up in fastboot?

I used flashify app to try custom ROM, but, unfortunately, I was stuck in the boot logo each time and couldn't install it.

Right click on Not installed or Exclamation mark driver in device manager, click Properties, then click Details Tab. After that from Property Drop down list, click Hardware Id.
and copy first value from the box and google it by pasting in search.
i hope you'll get the right driver.
Example:

Moreover, once you are sure that drivers are installed successfully, put your phone in Fast-boot mode to access otherwise fastboot command will not work.
in case you will stuck in process, let me know.
Thank You

Thank you Muhammad Fahad Irshad. I hope this could help me.

@Jane18 Instead of leaving a comment, the way we say "thank you" on this site is to "accept" the best answer, and/or "vote up", using the buttons on the left. This way, the best answers rise to the top of the list, and Mr Irshad gets more reputation points on the site.


text:
How to install apps to SD with adb when SD is formatted as internal storage
LOS 14.1, small internal storage, large SD card formatted as "internal".
Now when I adb install -s whatever.apk it fails with
java.lang.IllegalStateException: ☃No suitable external storage available

But when I leave the -s away the apps go to the true internal storage, rapidly filling it up.
Even this attempt at a workaround failed:
adb push whatever.apk /storage/self/primary/
adb shell pm set-install-location 2 # this works, get-install-location returns external afterwards
adb shell pm install /storage/self/primary/whatever.apk

They still don't go to the SD card.
Note that I'm talking about apps which support external storage, i.e. those I can move to the SD card from the settings menu.

Did you migrated data to adopted SD card? Also how about the apps from store do the go to settings card when you install it. On my phone (I have adopted SD card) even since I have a lot of free space on SD but not on internal storage it refuses to install no matter what app I try. P.s. you do use adoptable storage feature or app like link 2 SD?

I think I migrated the data, at least there is no option to do so now, but there is an option to migrate to true internal (although that wouldn't fit). I don't use the Play Store,  but apps installed with F-Droid or from "unknown sources" also go to the internal storage and need to be manually moved. I don't use any special app, just Android built-in features.

If there is option to migrate to internal then data is on adopted SD card which is fine. However since all installed apps go to internal storage it is probably up to android itself why you can't install it on adopted storage.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
System app reverts to original version after device reboot
I have created a custom System.img for my device, I need to put an APK as a system app, and I have places the app within /System/priv-app, app works flawlessly, I can download and install app updates from my own server, and after update is installed the correct version is used, until I reboot my device, and the version is reverted to the original app installed in Priv-App. I increment versionCode with every version and the issue is still present, what are my options? Thanks!

Have you given right permissions ?

As I turns out, it WAS the versionCode that prevented me from keeping updates around, I was changing the versionCode within the manifest, but gradle.build was overwriting it to the same versionCode back. I made sure build.gradle had the proper version and I allowed me to keep app updates after reboot.

Thank you so much!!


text:
How to avoid icon-within-icon when using "Add to Home screen"
With some apps like Chrome and the Google app it's possible to add shortcuts to content by using "Add to home screen". Unfortunately the icons created for these shortcuts have a small app icon placed over the lower right corner of the image representing the content. This makes things unnecessarily complicated and ugly on the home screen. I'm trying to find a way to easily avoid these icons-within-icons.
For example if you search for "weather" in the Google app, then select the first result, then select "Add to home screen" in that content's three-bars menu, you get a shortcut to the current weather on your home screen. Similarly, if you go to news.bbc.co.uk in Chrome and select "Add to Home screen" in that tab's three-dots menu you get a shortcut to BBC News on your home screen.
The resulting icons will look like this:

The microphone-over-cloud-over-sun is a particularly egregious mixed metaphor and visual mess, but even for content that has a simpler image like BBC News the icon-within-icon is ugly and unnecessary. After all, I created these shortcuts myself so I know which apps they will open, and if I ever forget I only have to tap on the shortcut to be reminded... I certainly don't need to be reminded by visual clutter every time I view my home screen.
The icons-within-icons get created whether I use the Google Now Launcher which is the default on my Nexus phone or or whether I use an alternative home app like the Nova Launcher. With the Nova Launcher I could manually change the icons to what I want after I create the shortcuts, but to do that I'd need an unadulterated version of the icon representing the shortcut's content, and those are not always readily available. For example I haven't yet found the Google app's weather icon without the microphone, and even the BBC News logo seems to only be available as a rectangle that would need to be resized and cropped to be used as an icon. I'm trying to avoid having to do such manual edits to get the shortcut icons I need: After all, the system itself has access to the desired icons since it's able to disfigure them by overlaying its app-icon-in-the-corner :-).
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

On my Galaxy s5 using touch wiz launcher, i don't have those icons. It's possible that this is device specific or launcher specific

For a person who had created many app shortcuts can easily recognize whether that icon related to which app and can manage it. Otherwise, you cannot understand whether it is app or shortcut.

Could you add information about your device and launcher app? Default or custom?

@arieljannai: Device = Nexus 5X, launcher = default Google Now launcher, with the same results with the custom Nova Launcher.

@Rahul: Yes, I think I understand the reasoning behind the decision made by someone to have icons-within-icons. As suggested in my question, this reasoning is in my opinion quite flawed as it leads to ugly home screens for typical users with little benefits for the users you describe.


text:
Malicious Virus/Trojan on my phone, hard to remove
I have been recently concerned about a malicious software on my phone, basically - the trojan/virus acts silently in the background, it increases battery drain, gives regular (and system apps) overpowered permissions and installs 'icon' programs that are a link shortcut to a possibly malicious website which I would rather not like to open.
The built-in browser is like an infected zone in which I do not go because its filled with ads, fake 'virus' warnings for every site I open.
Some of the recent 'icons' that have been downloaded are named 'loopscoop' and a what seems to me - possibly named Japanese or Chinese game, can't really tell by the letters. Here are the images.
INFO: Factory resets did not work, nor did Malwarebytes or any other antivirus detect it. It's a VIVAX FLY 3 phone.

We need a bit more info. Specifically, which apps have you installed before this started? Any apps installed form outside Google Play?

Those malwares install as system apps and cannot be removed by uninstalling as regular apps, even hard resetting won't get rid of them.
The only solution is either to flash the whole phone or manually remove the aps with ADB shell but  root privileges is a must. You need also to know the package name of the app.

Root your device
Install USB drivers for your device
Install BusyBox (adds extra commands that help with sticky malwares that even root can't uninstall, such as those with immutable attribute...)
Install Minimal ADB and Fastboot
Enable USB debugging (Settings > About > Hit 7 times on build number > Back in settings > Developer Options > USB debugging)
Connect the device with USB cable then open minimal ADB and Fastboot.
A Windows terminal should comes up.
type adb devices : Displays some serial numbers which means the phone is detected.
Type su : To get root privileges. Check on the phone screen for any prompt.
Now mount the file system as read-write: mount -o remount /system rw
Now go to the app folder: cd /system/app then list all installed apps: ls
Now simply delete any suspicious app with rm malwareName.apk

Note: You may encounter with malwares that refuse to be unistalled. This is where BusyBox comes to the rescue.

First check for their attribute: lsattr
Those which can't be removed should have the immutable attribute, therefore even root cant delete such file.
Clear the immutable attribute : chattr -i *.* or specifically chattr -i malwareName.apk
Now you should be able to remove that malware.

Hope this helps you.

Would using TWRP (custom recovery) to completely wipe & reformat the system partition & install LineageOS or a stock ROM suffice?

Yes, that would suffice

WARNING: This method is highly technical, and requires finding a precise compatible ROM  first, and will erase everything on the phone, and may cause bugs
Use Odin (or heimdall --flash) to load TWRP on the device, boot into recovery mode, wipe everything, format the system partition, and use adb to sideload a the specific stock rom for your device (or, my preference, a compatible lineageOS rom+pico gapps) on it. You may need to reconfigure you APN to make sure MMS still works aftewards. Continue at your own risk.

This is a bit radical if I may say :D but would work. You don't need adb to push file or sideload the zip,you can install it manually by enabling MTP then copying to an external memory


text:
Route the audio from one app to the left channel and that from another app to the right channel
I play a lot of live sound. I use one device for playing a metronome and another device for playing a backing track. I would love to use one device to play both.
Is there a way I can pan the audio from one app 100% to the left, and another app 100% to the right? I could then use a 1/8" stereo to 1/4" dual mono cable to run left and right as two separate instruments.

Hey people, this isn't a recommendation question, it's a "how do I solve this problem" question. Don't vote to close it as a recommendation question.

@DanHulme Can't you clear the CVs? Even if not, you can close and the immediately reopen it (but that'd be kind of abuse to the system).

@iBug As you say, it would be an abuse of the system. The close votes will expire after a few days.

@DanHulme Yep. Just wait for 4d since last CV. Hope the review item is invalidated already.

I'd say the title is what attracted the close votes. I just re-worded it so it looks on-topic.

Thanks for helping to keep the question alive. I appreciate it!

@DanHulme It just happened on MSE where a gold tag badge owner used his dupehammer to clear the pending CVs. So it doesn't look so abusive to the system.


text:
Is it possible to install a ROM on /recovery instead of /system?
I am not going to do it, but I just wonder whether it is possible to install a ROM to /recovery and TWRP to /system, so one would normally boot into TWRP and only boot into Android when one performs the key combination for recovery mode. Is this possible somehow and would it have any negative side effects?

Well since recovery partition size is usually 16mb then no it's not possible. Maybe you still can resize the partitions in order to fit a system on it, but question is would it work in practice, however it is possible but probably would be great pain in the ass and it's unnecessary to do so why bother with that.

It is possible to resize the partitions, but there's a large risk to brick your phone this way if you do it wrong. Let's say, one can manage to repartition the storage correctly and would install a ROM on /recovery instead of /system. However, the question is: Would it work properly?

Probably not, or if you want to make it work it would require a lot of customisation so it's not worth it. However see answer below maybe I was wrong about a way to do what you wanted to do

TWRP normally installs to recovery; kernel for the OS normally installs to boot; /system is another thing entirely where the majority of the files of the OS goes.
Doesn't change the conclusion for what you want to achieve though - yes, you can swap boot and recovery so it boots to recovery by default and boots to the OS when choosing "reboot to recovery" or using the key combo. At heart the two booting processes are both simply booting a kernel image. Note that this doesn't touch /system.

So you mean for a regular phone, one can swap /boot and /recovery to achieve what you said?

For what I've read, yes, if you can flash a recovery image to boot and boot image to recovery then the two will be swapped. Disclaimer: I never tried it on my own devices so take some caution.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје