text:
Galaxy S3 Mini screen seems to get touched when there's no actual touch
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini which I've bought about 6 month ago. For about 3-4 months now, I've noticed when looking at its screen (but not touching it myself) that there's things happening on it as if some invisible finger would touch the screen:

lock screen with pattern would report some random touching on one of the screen lock pattern's circles. It looked like someone did a short finger-drag of about 1 cm, and then would shake the finger very rapidly on it:

other times, when I was doing stuff on the phone, it would either open an application or the Google tool-screen (the one that normally opens when you hold the home button for a longer time on Android 4)
also, while it was doing this, if I tried to override the ghost touches with my own finger the screen wold be very unresponsive (it would only "get" parts of my inputs)

I've googled for a solution and I've found basicaly 2:

1: remove the screen protector and clean the screen well to make sure it has no moisture or hand-desinfectant gel etc. Did that, removed the screen protector, wiped it good with soft paper, still have the problem
2: some people said that if I'm charging it with something else than its own charger, it may lead to the problem I have. It's true, I'm using multiple chargers to charge this phone only one of which is the original charger it came with. I've tested this, and it does appear that the problem arises when I charge it with an LG charger, or when I connect it to my laptop: before connection, no ghost finger, after connection, when the lock screen display automatically, there's the ghost touch like in the screen shot. However I'm not 100% sure that it's ONLY when I charge it like that that the problem crops up. However this does seem to be one way to trigger the problem.

My question is then:

has anyone had such a problem also? If yes, did they found a solution that fixes it completely (i'm willing to factory reset it if necessary, buy some fancy cleaning kit, etc)
if the solution is to only use its original charger, how come it seems to happen when I connect it to laptop also? How am I supposed to make it so that it doesn't go all ghost touchy when I want to transfer my pictures to my laptop?

Is it always in the same spot?

It seems to preffer that spot I show in the image, but I think it happends on other spots as well since sometimes it will start applications and such. It's hard to track down where it happends... but when it happends on the lock screen, it always seems to be in that spot.

My opinion is the screen might be grounded with some metallic or conductive object inside the phone. Probably a loosened part due to use. You can try to wave a strong magnet (like neodymium) at the back of the phone. Data shouldn't be affected anyway because flash chips are resistant to magnetism. But its still much better if you can get it repaired thru warranty.

Ok, thanks for the suggestion. Any idea where I can get a strong magnet?

I had a phone that did this, the second I saw it going off on its own  I would turn off the screen and turn it back on. The screen would recalibrate and it would work perfectly fine for a while. What really used to set my phone off would be when I got grudge on it like water, sweat or food. It always happened if I took my phone into the bathroom when I took a shower. Try to wipe off the screen before turning it on. Newer phones are better at detecting when you have grudge on your screen so it's not such an issue.

Thank you for your answer. However, I've already tried something similar to this, and I still get the problem. However I'm starting to think it might be due to moisture, because it sort of started happening when the weather got hot and very humid around where I live.

I did have the same problem! but amazingly that was due to charge it with its Original charger! I was very frustrated with those ghost touches which cause my touch screen unresponsive. Samsung dealer told me that its may due to its charger so after that I used to charge it with my Tablet charger which was 1 amp same as the original... now it looks like the problem goes away! cz those ghost touches used to appear after every 3 hours and my temporary solution was to lock and unlock but now it passed 30 hours but I didn't noticed any thing!
Hope everyone problem as simple as my one!


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How can I easily tag a photo I am previewing?
I take a lot of photos on my Droid M THEN I have to go through them and select the best ones to upload. I need to preview full-screen to see if it's a good photo but then there is no way to mark/tag/select it in preview mode. You can Select a photo but only in thumbnail view.
Is there a way to select (or, better, tag) a photo in full screen preview mode?

F-Stop Media Gallery does exactly that. You can preview photos and it has an on-screen 5 star rating and "favorite" button.
Unfortunately, the tags don't "stay" with the photo if you upload to Google+ or Facebook.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How can I read PostScript files?
Is there a way to read PostScript files on Android? Currently when I click on a PostScript file web link it downloads it then takes no further action, unlike a pdf.

42 results on a search for postscript. Have you checked those apps?

@Izzy Once you filter for Free you get one file format converter and one that uses google docs.  I don't see any that just let you read a postscript file in that list.

I didn't check them all. A raw scan shows Prompterous fits your description, but doesn't come for free (1 buck, so it will make you bankrupt); DocsViewer would even fit better and comes for free (but needs Google Docs, yeah, so it wouldn't be my choice either). OK, was just a start. So I've to leave the place for better answerers ;)

"Prompterous is the first App who turns your Android Tablet into a powerful teleprompter !" This doesn't look right either.

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


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Nexus 4 phone speaker not functioning
The speaker phone of my new Nexus 4 is not working. I am able to hear the calls without the speaker phone, but on switching to speaker mode I hear voice from speaker for a fraction of second and then I hear no voice and it shifts back to speaker off mode even though it shows that the speaker is on.
I have no problem otherwise in the hearing on speaker as I am able to listen to music etc. I tried reformatting my phone and it solved the problem temporarily, but the problem reoccurred within a few days.
My phone is only a month old, and is fully updated to Android 4.2.2. Is there a permanent solution to this?


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Incompatible / error connecting as MTP device after unlocking and rooting Nexus 4
I unlocked and rooted my Nexus 4

it shows as connected
it shows in my computer

But when copying a file, it gives me an error stating "device is unavailable or may have been removed"
What should I do?

Are you able to replicate the same error on other computers and OSs? If it's just your computer, remove all drivers and related software and then connect your device and add them again.
Otherwise, you can attempt to ftp to your device using Solid Explorer. It does not require a cable; you'd be able to transfer files over WiFi (albeit a little slower).


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Call app needs long time to start
The call app on my Samsung Galaxy Ace takes a really long time to start (about 20 seconds). When it finally starts and I cancel the call and call again, the app launches normally. When I turn off the screen and turn it on again, the app starts again delayed. I was watching the LogCat output, and it gives me this:
07-21 21:11:08.710: D/PowerManagerService(1502): releaseWakeLock flags=0x1 tag=ActivityManager-Launch
07-21 21:11:11.390: D/BatteryService(1502): update start
07-21 21:11:14.703: W/PowerManagerService(1502): Timer 0x3->0x3|0x0
07-21 21:11:21.421: D/BatteryService(1502): update start
07-21 21:11:22.531: W/ActivityManager(1502): Timeout of broadcast BroadcastRecord{407bdff8 android.intent.action.SCREEN_OFF} - receiver=android.os.BinderProxy@40bd2f18, started 20000ms ago
07-21 21:11:22.531: W/ActivityManager(1502): Receiver during timeout: BroadcastFilter{40bf3618 ReceiverList{40bd2f88 23024 com.google.android.youtube/10057 remote:40bd2f18}}
07-21 21:11:22.554: I/Launcher(19091): ACTION_SCREEN_OFF
07-21 21:11:22.578: D/PowerManagerService(1502): acquireWakeLock flags=0x1 tag=GeofencerStateMachine
07-21 21:11:22.578: D/PowerManagerService(1502): releaseWakeLock flags=0x1 tag=GeofencerStateMachine
I think it has something to do with this line:

07-21 21:11:22.531: W/ActivityManager(1502): Timeout of broadcast BroadcastRecord{407bdff8 android.intent.action.SCREEN_OFF} - receiver=android.os.BinderProxy@40bd2f18, started 20000ms ago

but I don't know how to fix it.

What is the call app? Have you checked on Play store for updates? Emailed the developer in question?

I think he is talking about the default dialer app.

Re-reading the output of logcat, it's showing youtube is mis-behaving (Look at BinderProxy's address corresponds to com.google.android.youtube/10057 remote:40bd2f18) has nothing to do with call app... just saying

It is the default call app.
I don't know how to find updates for that...

I have experienced the same issue on my Galaxy S2(Android version 2.3.5). It was cause by Youtube, not the call app. When I saw the log related to youtube, I tried to start youtube by touching its icon, but it failed to start. You can try to see if you can start youtube now.
Then I went to "Settings/Application/Manage Applications" and found "Youtube". Cleared its data and cache. Now try to start youtube again. If it cannot start, check if you has disabled data sync. Enable it in "Settings/Account and Sync/Background data". Try to sync your data to allow youtube to update. After youtube is updated, it should be ok for the call app to work properly.
Hope this can also fix your problem. Cheers.

It is all about cache memory.
Whenever you load any application, it will be loaded in cache memory first and then Android will load that app on your screen from that cache.
If the call app was recently used, it might be stored in cache still, and thus it will load on your screen quickly.
Once you go out or lock the screen, cache memory will be cleared and when you start the call app, Android will have to load it again in cache memory as it is the first time. It will take some time to appear on screen afterwards because of this.
The trick to this situation not to kill the call app if you use it very often. Just leave it in your recent app list or background apps.


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Photo thumbnails can no longer be seen
I took some photos and when I went back to look at them the thumbnails are black and corrupted.
How does this happen and can they be repaired?

Is it only the thumbnails or you can't see the photos ?

Assuming the original photos are still available, the loss of the thumbnails is not an issue, so you can dispose of the corrupted files. The Gallery app will read the images directly. In fact, certain space-management apps will delete thumbnails for space recovery. I use SD Maid, which recommends their disposal in the SystemCleaner panel. I have done this a number of times, without system degredation. The Gallery obviously still works, as I can still find and display any of the near-1000 images taken on my phone. If you choose not to use SD Maid to clean them up, you can do this manually with any File Explorer app to find them in the DCIM\thumbnails folder. This folder is the sibling to the Camera folder (DCIM\Camera). Select and delete all the thumbnails without a problem, just don't do the same to the original images until you've backed them up.

I can't see the pictures either?

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


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Where is the camera button in the Google Image Search webpage on my Android?
Device: Samsung Galaxy S3
OS: 4.1.1
I want to do a reverse image search on my S3 phone. When I open up the Google Image Search homepage, the "camera" button is nowhere to be found. So, I cannot upload a photo.  I opened the page in Chrome, and the stock browser but I still don't see it.
How can I do a reverse image search from my phone?

Best option is to request the desktop website on your Google Chrome browser.

Tap the menu button of your browser.
Tick the check box next to Desktop Site.
Now go to the Google Images website (google.com/imghp).

And you have the look and feel of the website like you'd expect it on your computer.

Works in Chrome on my Note 4.

Have you tried using Google Goggles instead? This is Google's app for doing a reverse image search using a camera. Make sure to enable Search from Camera.
You can also use an existing picture in your gallery. Open settings (circle button at lower right), then click the icon that looks like a mountain with an arrow (2nd button from left).

I have it but I want to use a picture saved on my phone.

@verve See my edit (2nd paragraph). If it works, don't forget to upvote and accept answer. :)

Google goggles won't actually accept an image with no text nor barcode.

Google seems to block some webbrowsers/versions from search with image.
if you change useragent string in your browser settings to Firefox/4 (or anything more than 3) google show you the camera-icon so you can search with a image again like was possible before.
(firefox have this setting under general.useragent.extra.firefox in about:config
your phones browser might have it somewhere else)

I just found the alternative solution using Search by image app. This app lets me search by image on my smartphone. I can upload my photos to search via Google easily. You can also share images from any website to social media in one click.

You need to enable Desktop Mode in your browser, in order to see the camera icon.

Just open Google Chrome on your phone. Then select 3 dots on top right corner and put a tick mark at " Desktop Mode ". Then go to Google Images as usual, there will be a camera button

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


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How to quickly write an apostrophe with Swiftkey keyboard
In Swiftkey how do you right an apostrophe (') for words like "can't", "hasn't", or "the dog's bone"? Is there a way to do it without taking your finger off the keyboard and going to another menu?

At the bottom there is no apostrophe like there is in swype, only a period. To get to the apostrophe you need to click on the button that says "123" but that requires taking your finger off the keyboard. Auto correction/auto detection has nothing to do with it since using an apostrophe to show possesion can is just as allowed as not having an apostrophe there to show plural e.g. The dogs bone vs The dog's bone.

How do you use SwiftKey Flow ? If not, you just have to type on the dedicated touch. It is with the lettres.

@air-dex I cannot understand what you are saying.

I asked you how you use SwiftKey. Do you use "SwiftKey Flow", the SwiftKey feature which enables you to write words just like Swype ? Or do you write words just like on a classic keyboard, by tapping on virtual keys ?

@air-dex in settings it says SwiftKey flow is enabled. Does that answer your question?

I think that it is due to the keyboard layout.
SwiftKey's QWERTY layout do not put the ' key in the "abc" part of the keyboard. If you want to type a ''' with the QWERTY layout, you have to go to the "123" part of the keyboard and then type on the ' virtual key.
But unlike the QWERTY layout, the AZERTY layout has got the ' key in the "abc" part of the keyboard :

To switch to the AZERTY layout, go in SwiftKey settings > Languages and layouts. Then go to the keyboard language (the one you use) and type on the keyboard icon near the checkbox. Then select "AZERTY" when the list of available layouts is opened.

I tried and both QWERTY and AZERTY appear to have the ' character in the 123 menu

Yes but with the AZERTY layout ' is ALSO in the abc menu. Look at my screenshot (and your phone too ?).

The way I do it is to have space insert the suggestion. That way I write cant and hit spaces and Swiftkey inserts the suggestion of can't in its place. I basically never use the apostrophe key.

I am not an user of Swiftkey, rather an user of Swype. I am suggesting this with an assumption that both apps should not be miles apart in their feature.
In Swype we can do this by moving the finger through apostrophe, considering it as a part of the word. So, if you would like to type can't then start swiping on c, to a, then to n, then to ', and finally finish at t.
You can see this demonstration video as well.

Yea I used to be a user of swype and I know what you mean. The problem is the apostrophe isn't on the same menu, you have to go to the other menu to get to it. Know what I mean? Like how the dollar sign isn't available in the default menu (or whatever it's called).

Still can you swipe through the key assuming Swiftkey will be intelligent enough to interpret and give a try?

It seems there is someone who raised this to Swiftkey's support - see whether it helps.

But this is different because they are talking about words that always have apostrophes. For example "Im" isn't a word so it obviously should be "I'm" where as "Dogs" is a word and "Dog's" is another word that shows possession so auto correct is not applicable in this situation.

I tried and the screen shot is what is shown.

If you hold down on the 'v' key for a brief pause it will type the secondary character, which for that key is the apostrophe. Each key has a secondary character which is shown in black in the top right corner of the key.


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Wi-Fi with no data
This has always bugged me, but I really don't know the best way to ask it (sorry if this is a duplicate):
Some Wi-Fi networks that I use require secondary authentication (via a browser, etc), and some are unreliable (they stop working intermittently). When this happens I get no data on my phone even though I have a data plan. (Galaxy S4, ATT FWIW).
Is there a way to configure my phone to use my cell data when the connected Wi-Fi is not working\unavailable, etc?

This seems like something that you can automate with Tasker...? I have a task that when I am not connected to any WiFi my mobile data turns on, otherwise it is off.

Do you mean that you want to go 4G when not on Wifi?

4g, 3g, whatever. What I want is when I am connected to Wifi, if said Wifi is not sending\receiving data, that the data would go through my mobile data instead.

Did my answer help?

Yes, I +1 it but I'm waiting to the end of the bounty to sort out the best answer. Thanks.

Aww!! I thought I am the one who gave the there is nothing currently out there answer. Sad!! :(

it was more than just that, @geffchang's advice is useful above and beyond... it works "most of the time"

Fine then. :) But mine is THE answer for this question. So could you at least accept it? And when you reply to a comment, please tag the other person using @

Like others have already pointed out, some models, including my Samsung Note 2, can detect internet access and whether login/password is required, so it's obviously technically possible to check is. Unfortunately I need to go into network settings to see that there is no Internet access - I'd like the phone to simply disable the AP and switch to mobile network (3G) instead to ensure continuous internet access. A friend tell me his Iphone has this functionality out of the box.

After some digging, I have to decide that what you are trying to achieve is not possible since there is no way to check whether there are additional login requirements necessary for the connected Wi-Fi networks.
You may be able to check the connectivity of the Wi-Fi network with the methods mentioned by both geffchang and NoBugs. But, since the connections with additional authentications literally give you the internet access to login to their network, the said apps and methods  (even the tasker) will sadly be of lesser use.
But the Network Tester app suggested by NoBugs seems promising even though it cannot switch the connections.
You can use an app like Auto WiFi / 3G Switch to do the switching automatically. This app can be used to disable Mobile Data / 3G connection automatically when your device is connected to a WiFi network and re-enable Mobile Data when your device is disconnected from WiFi network. Again of course, the app cannot detect whether or not there are additional authentications.
Finally you are left with manually switching and toggling your mobile data and Wi-Fi. You can use an app like 3G WiFi Connection Mode.

Have you tried Settings > Connection > Wi-Fi > Left-click (soft menu) > Advanced > Check for Internet service?
NOTE: I have an S4 (build XXUBMGA)

That might just be it. I'll test it more this afternoon and let you know. Thanks!

I think it might work if the connection is down, but if the Wifi connection requires a login it does not seem to work.

@javamonkey79 I see. Well, if it's able to connect to their log-in page (but gets denied access), then it looks like it has Wi-Fi access. This is a problem I have also encountered before, but I guess the only option was to really log-in. If I couldn't, I'd disable the Wi-Fi and get on 3G data. I hope somebody else can offer a solution.

Yeah, this is still a helpful suggestion. +1

This seems to be about as close as it gets. From what I can tell, there is nothing currently out there that does this, but it seems like it wouldn't be that hard to do.

On my Nexus 4, when I'm on a Wifi network that requires a login, it will set a notification "Login to wireless network" shortly after connecting.  It checks against a known-value page in CaptivePortalTracker

Is there a way to configure my phone to use my cell data when the
  connected Wi-Fi is not working\unavailable, etc?

Assuming you are talking about Wifi being activated, then in this case, Wifi and Cellular Data are exclusive, you cannot have one activated and yet use the other. A flip-flop operation, switch on Wifi, Cellular Data is off, switch off Wifi, Cellular Data is on. Cannot have both!

Check the firmware - perhaps a newer update is available? What version of Android are you referring to?

Quite possibly, Izzy's solution of using Tasker might suffice, this was answered recently?

Have you tried iNetify or Network Tester to check for wifi connectivity?

Ideally, I am looking for something that toggles connectivity rather than checks for it. iNetify looks promising and Network Tester looks useful. Perhaps if no suitable solution is found I'll submit a feature request or fork the code. Thanks, +1

No this is not possible up to Android 4.2.  Some convention they need to follow that's why if mobile phone is connected by WiFi (no matter internet connection is there or not to WiFi router or device by which your phone is connected) then it will not get connect by Mobile Data.
May be you will find some application on google store but I am not sure. Because if some application do this then they need to change at kernel level or they need to customize the Operating System.

Do you have documentation for this? I mean, it seems like it wouldn't be that hard for an application to simply turn WiFi off if it isn't actually transmitting data. Look at the apps @NoBugs suggested.


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Why does Google Drive for Android say "Failed to open the document"?
Periodically, when I try to use Google Drive for Android, it will show the list of documents, and when I click one, it says:
"Failed to open the document. / Unable to open the document. Please make sure you are connected to the Internet and have permission to open the document and try again. / Cancel / Open in browser"
I had the problem Tuesday and couldn't open any documents; by Wednesday it was normal again; today it's back and I can't open any documents.  The app is the newest version and has not released any upgrades in the meantime, so I'm thinking it may be caused by the server. Is that plausible?  Is there a fix?
I am using Cyanogenmod 10 (Android 4.1.2) on a Samsung Captivate.
[More info:  When I choose "Open in browser" it does open in the browser.  But it still doesn't open in the Google Drive app.]

After months of mysery, I found the solution: go to docs app (instead of the drive app): if it says you need an update you are lucky as this solved my problem.

thx @user226449, error gone after updating DriveApp from playStore.

Google Docs requires an active Internet connection, when that error happens try testing whether you can access Internet on the browser.
You can alternatively make a document available offline in the preview document screen, you still won't be able to edit it but it will be still be readable.

Go to the following link being signed in with your google account:
https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps
Then, Turn on the less secure apps and your are good to go.

Of course they say no connection instead of saying that you're on cellular.

similar problem

Used to have the same problem. In my case, google drive was trying to
  open the document using Sheets app, but the Sheets app was allowed to
  access documents only via WiFi connection. Go to Sheets/Setings and
  uncheck "Transfer files only over Wi-Fi" checkbox. Be aware, that
  similar "Transfer files only over Wi-Fi" checkbox is also in Drive
  app, but this affects only Drive app, not the Sheets app.

In this case, go to Drive/Setings and uncheck "Transfer files only over Wi-Fi" checkbox.

In Google Play, update Google Docs. Looks like they fixed a bug causing the same error message.  Worked for me on my Nexus 9 after this issue cropped up a few days ago.

Just open google drive in your apps and update it... worked for me

The original post (now 5 yrs old) stated the latest version of the app had been installed. Your result may have been accurate for your out-of-date installation, but this would not be instrumental to the original post.

I looked at each of the earlier suggestions, and they each were either irrelevant for me or did not work.
Luckily, what worked for me on my Pixel 3 running Android 12 was simply to restart the device.
Then I was once again able to open the single problematic Google Doc.


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Is there any compatibility issue while using WiFi Direct between different cell phone vendors?
I was trying to transfer a file via my LG Optimus L9 (T-mobile) WiFi Direct to my friend's Samsung Galaxy S3. It got connected successfully. However, shortly after sending initialization, I got an error "Sending Failed". Then I tried the other way i.e. receiving, but no success.
Later, I have tried with my other friend's Samsung Galaxy Note, but no success.
Nobody around me has an LG device with WiFi Direct feature.
Can someone tell me why is that going wrong?

Incompatible implementations between different manufacturers. I've read an article on that a while ago. To work around that, use a 3rd party app like e.g. SuperBeam.

Real odd and probably different, my LG blows out the wi_fi direct connection when the GPS kicked in (active not just switched).  I had been wondering why it was blowing out, when I spotted the location update occuring, the GPS symbol in the top bar at the same moment as the Direct disconnected again.  At first I thought it was the problem of the net Wi-Fi being connected at the same time, and had to "forget" that WiFi to reduce any conflicts.

Why don't you try using a 3rd party implementation just as Izzy suggested. My ROM doesn't have that feature so I typically use Fast File Transfer. It's a great app and only the host phone needs it. Currently it doesn't work with host HTC phones though.


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Process priority of music player?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S+ with Cyanogenmod 10.1 (built 2013-04-15) (Kernel 3.0.73-rc1-PhenomKernel-V3) and music playback is stuttering when the phone is locked/standby most of the time.
Some days it's fine being locked and playing music, other days it can't play 5 seconds straight.
As soon as the phone is unlocked music plays fine, when locked again the stuttering continues.
I've tried solving this problem by trying around with different I/O schedulers (currently on ROW which was the ROM's default) and CPU clock rates (currently set to 192-1401 ondemand, tried elevating the minimum clock to up to 386 MHz) to no avail.
Since the phone is single core, my best guess is that the phone goes into the powersave governor when locked and some background processes are using all the processing power when syncing data or doing something similar. Is this a correct assumption?
If so, how do I give the music player a higher process priority (e.g. lower its nice value) or otherwise tell the system to prefer spending resources on music playback?

I believe why this is happening is because when your phone goes into standby the processor goes into a state where the processor slows down to save battery life. You could try to see if there is a feature in your mod to turn off this mode.
I think your phone doesn't go into power saver mode when it is plugged in, try that and see if it works (this solution is less convenient because your phone needs to be plugged in). One last thing I could think of would be trying to kill some services that are hogging cpu. This solution will be more likely to drain your battery if you kill some services that automatically start up again.
Good luck!


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What does the program Samsung Kies light do?
I use Samsung kies for my Galaxy S1 and I also installed Kies Light but I don't understand what it does. I would like the function the send SMS from my computer, can it do that or what does it do?

I don't understand the downvote. Does nobody want to know what this program does? I have used a Galaxy 3 for nearly a year, and still cannot find sufficient info about it. I really want to know, too.

There's not enough information here. Is this a variant from Samsung? Is this a third-party app?

I know there has been at least one question here about sending SMS by using a connected computer. Have you tried searching here?

Source: Samsung FAQs: Cell Phones: What is Kies Lite mode, and what can I do when using it?

Kies Lite mode launches the application with a reduced set of features. This uses fewer system resources and lets some key features of Kies run more efficiently. Using Kies Lite mode, you can access and use these features more quickly: Firmware Upgrade, Sync Data, Backup, and Restore.
You can switch to Kies Lite mode by clicking Kies Lite Mode Icon in the top-right corner of the screen. If you switch to Kies Lite and you close the application, Kies will open in Lite mode next time you run the application. To switch back to "normal" Kies mode, simply click the icon again.
Or open Kies in Lite mode by double-clicking Kies Lite Icon on your Windows® desktop.

So it would seem that the functionality is limited to: Firmware Upgrade, Sync Data, Backup, and Restore.

Kies for Samsung phones and tablets is more or less similar to what iTunes is for iPhones, iPods, and iPads.
It allows you to synchronize your music and video collections, synchronize your schedule and contacts from Outlook or Yahoo, perform and restore backups, and perform updates to the Android OS.
Kies Light is just an alternate, somewhat less featureful, GUI for Kies
It doesn't allow for remote control capabilities.  For that, you want another app, such as Airdroid.

The question was about "Kies Light", not Kies.

@AlEverett - Kies Lite is Kies, just run using a more minimalist GUI.

@Compro01 So that should be pointed out in the answer, then.


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How do I stop my screen from flickering when I wave my hand across my camera?
Whenever I wave my hand or finger over my front camera, it causes my screen to flicker off and then back on in 2-3 seconds. It does not matter what app I am using; it always occurs. What could be causing this?

It could be a hardware malfunction, how old is the phone?

Brand new, only a few months.

I found out that this was caused by installing SuperN64. Strange that it caused something across the entire phone and every app, not just itself.


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How to restore files on SD Card that was protected by Vault app?
I changed my Android mobile phone from one carrier to another. I installed Vault app from the Google Play store, and placed the old SD Card from the previous phone into this new phone. After installing the vault software in the new phone, I am unable to restore data (photos, videos) from old SD card.
What might be the reason for this? Is there any way I can recover the files from my old SD card, which was protected by the Vault app.

Rephrased the question so it doesn't get closed.

Any updates from your end?

Here's a wild guess. The Vault may have encrypted the protected files to be used only with the previous phone. So if you try to open them in another phone (assuming you have installed the Vault with the same Google account), the new phone won't be able to access them.
I have emailed help@nq.com regarding this issue. Hopefully, they will reply. I will then update / confirm this answer. If not, it's safe to say my assumption was right.
Update #1:

Thank you for contacting NQ Mobile Customer Support!
You would not be able to show pictures on your SD card in another
  phone. Once you put them in Vault they are encrypted in the phone and
  would not be able to be seen. The Vault application is specific to
  each phone unless you transfer the application to another phone.
Thank you again for contacting NQ Mobile Customer Support!
Adam Schalk
  NQ Mobile Customer Support Team

Possible Solution
What can do is put back the card into the old phone, and remove the protection from the Vault. I'm sure you can un-protect pictures, like in other apps. After you've unprotected all the pictures / files, put back the SD card to your new phone. You should be able to read the files. After that, you can protect them again using Vault (on your new phone).


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Change the speed of games in Android / SpeedHack for Android
Is there a way to slow down / speed up the actual game speed? For Windows PC, there is the Cheat Engine SpeedHack that does it nicely. Is there anything (requiring root or not) to achieve similar effect on Android?
Check the Cheat Engine wiki (linked above) for the description in the functionality.

Well, you can always flash a new kernel and use SetCPU to change your clockspeed, but this won't have quite the effect you're wanting. It'll just make the CPU faster/slower, which you'll only really notice with things like emulation (PlayStation, for example)

Any updates from your end?

Hy @geffchang thanks a lot for participating, but unfortunately no. I am gonna check some of the answers, but I just rage-quit the slowpoke of a strategy game that prompted me to ask this in the first place, so the need went away.

Use GameGuardian. It perfect works on all Android versions include Lollipop and Marshmallow.
It have speedhack worked on arm and x86 devices, include x86 emulators like Bluestacks, Droid4X, Andy and others.


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Phone forgets selected input methods?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S+ with Cyanogenmod 10.1 (built 2013-04-15) (Kernel 3.0.73-rc1-PhenomKernel-V3).
I have turned off Google voice input in the keyboard settings because I never use it and rather have the , key there than voice input.
Anyways, it keeps turning itself back on (I believe when the keyboard is killed for memory) and I have to go to the settings again to turn it off.
How can I tell it to stay turned off? Can I possibly uninstall it?


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ADB connect to a device via TCP/IP
I'm trying to use adb connect:
 connect <host>[:<port>]       - connect to a device via TCP/IP
                                 Port 5555 is used by default if no port number is specified.

and this is what I get:
mbp:~ alexus$ adb connect 10.0.0.18
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
unable to connect to 10.0.0.18:5555
mbp:~ alexus$

USB debugging is on and 10.0.0.18 is IP of my Android device, I'm able to do it via USB cable w/out any issues... any ideas?

Try following these instructions:
1) Open the command prompt and navigate to your sdk/platform-tools/ folder.
2) Type adb tcpip 5555 with your device plugged in
3) Type adb connect <your device ip address>:5555
4) At this point you unplug your device and type adb logcat
5) At times, such as unplugging/plugging into a USB device, the logcat will become disconnected, just redo steps 3 & 4.
From my answer here.

For me adb tcpip 555 command is giving the following error

error: no devices/emulators found


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Android 4 don't require unlock at home
In the Android OS version 4, what would I have to do to require a pass code to unlock the phone when I'm away from home, but when I'm at my home, I don't need pass-code restrictions.
Detecting proximity to my office could be done by detecting a WiFi or BlueTooth link to some hardware in the office, but GPS would be iffy since it doesn't work well inside. Also Google's location service would work, since it seems to know where my WiFi router is located very accurately.
I would also be interested to know whether this would be compatible with the full storage encryption on the Android.

As you report issues with encryption being involved, I want to make sure this works before making it an answer: you could try Tasker with the SecureSettings plugin. Tasker is a paid app, but they have a free trial on their homepage. SecureSettings has a free test version on Google Play. (and for more on Tasker, check my list of Tasker resources to see it's worth considering to buy it :)

Skip lock screen (formerly "Unlock with WiFi") will let you bypass your device lock screen if you are connected to your home WiFi network. (Or whatever WiFi SSID you define.)
I used it a year or two ago and it worked well.
There is also a trial version.

Neither "Unlock With WiFi" or "SkipLock" work if you have full device encryption enabled.

@tgharold just as it shouldn't.

Smart lock is a feature on Android 5.x and above but I'm not sure if it is on older Android versions. This allows your phone to be unlocked when your GPS shows you are at home, or you are connected to your home wifi.


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How to tell the Play Store to list apps in different languages?
Apparently the search in the Play Store only returns results of apps that belong in some way to the locale my phone is set to.
For example, there is an app from a German bus company with their schedule. If I type the exact name of the app into the search field it doesn't show this this app in the results because my phone is set to English.
The only way to find it is in the browser Google Play website when I am not logged into my Google account.
Is there a way to circumvent this and let Google Play present all the apps with this name?


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Configure Australian Phone to work on US Network
I have an HTC Desire HD (unlocked) purchased in Australia, currently operating on a T-Mobile network but I am not getting any data service. I purchased an activation kit from Amazon and the $30/mth unlimited data package from Walmart. Text and voice are working fine, but I am not receiving any data.
The data plan is a 4g plan but I assumed that would also include 3G for those without 4G phones.
On the phone settings, T-Mobile is listed under settings > Wireless & networks > mobile networks > Network Operators. When I select Network Operators > Select Automatically it flashes up a message "registered on network".
Is there something I must do to get my phone to work here? OS = Gingerbread.

Check for your APN settings - found in Settings > Wireless & Network settings > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names.

Thanks. I found some APN settings on the T-Mobile site, and it is working, but very slowly.

You can't. The "international" version of the HTC Desire HD is not hardware compatible with T-Mobile USA's 3G frequency bands. The phone's antennas support HSPA on the 900 and 2100 MHz frequencies (the North American GSM variants should work, though: source), and software settings will not have any effect on this. T-Mobile's 3G network uses:

850 MHz: Acquired via a roaming agreement as part of the failed AT&T merger
1700/2100 MHz AWS: the device must support both of these frequencies to work because the 1700 band is used for uplink and the 2100 band is used for downlink.
1900 MHz

As you can see, these do not line up (excepting half of the AWS band, which is not sufficient). You'll need a new phone if you want 3G service. See Can I use my device on a different carrier? for suggestions on how to determine which phones will work.

Thanks. I think you must be approximately correct. I am receiving very slow internet after changing my APN settings as indicated above. Cheers.


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What are the non-diagonal screen dimensions of the Nexus 7?
Very simple question. I want to know the non-diagonal physical dimensions of the screen itself of a Nexus 7 (eg: 4" by 5" or whatever).
Every site I look it up on seems to just happily repeat that it's a 7" tablet with 1280x800px and so on.

Duplicate of: http://android.stackexchange.com/q/33994/12357

They are 3 7/16" x 5 15/16" by my measurements.

perfect, just what i wanted to know.


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View Installed Apps on particular Device on play.google.com
Before the redesign of play.google.com (the website, not the Android app), there was a way of viewing what apps where installed on a device of yours and what apps where in your library but not installed on the specific device.
After the redesign I have not been able to find this option to view your apps library broken down as such.
Is it still possible to view your apps library as two lists, one list of apps installed on a particular device and another of apps not installer on that device?

It looks like they launched some incomplete build. I hope the old functionality will be "restored" (rather re-added) soon, and it looks like they are still doing some work at it. Though I have to admit that most of their recent "updates" where rather "downgrades" when it comes to functionality :(

@Izzy yes I would have to agree their recent updates have been aesthetically nice mostly but yet they remove features each time it seems.

I even have to disagree on the "aestetically nice". The tiles make it difficult to handle (especially on smaller screens), text gets cut (sometimes even unreadable). Searches limited to 48 results, which makes research impossible. I cannot see any added value there, sorry, and for most things switched to AppBrain therefore. As they also handle updates etc. when using their client (AppBrain ist just an alternative front-end to Google Play), it might be possible you can find an answer that way (I did not check this recently).

Luckily, this is possible again:

while logged in with your Google account, visit Playstore's your apps page (you can also reach this from your Google Dashboard, scrolling to Play Store, and hit the "view apps" link)
at the top of the page, you should see a "link" labeled "all apps". That's a drop-down, push it
now select the device you want to see the apps for.

Screenshot of the described drop-down (click image for larger variant)

Unfortunately, I can only see "Alle Apps", "Familienmediathek", "Abos" (translated: all apps / family media library / subscriptions) as of the time writing this comment.

@ComFreek well, all things Google are subject to change continually :( What I wrote was 3 years ago.


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Is it possible to enable bootloader unlocking on C6603 (Yuga/Sony Xperia Z)?
I was following Sony's official guide for unlocking the bootloader. However, upon entering *#*#7378423#*#* into the phone App and navigating to Service Info -> Configuration under the Rooting Status category, it said Bootloader unlock allowed: No
I tried Googling on how to solve the issue, but I mostly hit dead-ends. A few of the guides claimed that flashing a stock ROM would work, but it was often met with negative feedback from other readers. There are apparently some paid services that do this, too, but I'm not in the position to resort to them. Some people said it's virtually impossible to do it.
The main reason why I want to flash the ROM is because my operator/carrier (T-Mobile) has loaded the phone with bloatware and there's this one application that just keeps giving me grief with notifications. Also, I've grown very familiar with Cyanogenmod with my previous phone, and I miss it!

No, unfortunately not in this case, you are seriously out of luck!
It cannot be done.
If it did say "Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes", then by all means go for it.

Well, this is a grievance! Can I at least flash the stock C6603 ROM (safely) without all the T-Mobile bloatware?

You can flash a stock Sony rom on to your device by using flash tool just Google it, then you  find a stock ftf rom and you can flash it without unlocking the bootloader.

Even if the Bootloader can't be unlocked (nevermind it being locked in the first place). Also, I'm curious whether this will break Bravia II? Thanks! :D

I think you need use SeeTool box it's the solution for an Experia bootloader unlock. All the videos on YouTube to unlock bootloader are for movil with YES.

What does "All the videos on YouTube to unlock bootloader are for movil with YES." mean? And could you post a link to the program you talk about?

It is possible. But you need to sim unlock your phone first. Do that and the bootloader unlock allowed will turn to yes. then pay for a bootloader unlock code or try to get one from the sony site once again. It should all work.

Got unlock code from safeunlockcode .com within an hour, and could successfully unlock my Sony Xperia Z on the first attempt. This, after even Sony Xperia Z customer care couldn't find an unlock code for my device since apparently, my mobile's IMEI number was not in their system!

Unlocking the bootloader is nothing to do with getting a SIM unlock code from your carrier. SIM-unlocking the phone allows it to be used with a different carrier. Unlocking the bootloader allows unofficial ROMs to be used.


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Why has my Android become half-rooted?
I had rooted my Samsung Galaxy S 4G, and for some reason it seems to be only partially rooted now. What I mean by this is that while SuperUser is installed, apps such as BusyBox and Titanium Backup are complaining that they cannot get root access. Using apps from the Google Play store, I can neither remove the root or re-root the device. I cannot get to the Recovery menu because the key combinations done at startup just end up rebooting my device. Why is this happening and what can I do to fix it? Resetting the phone to factory settings does nothing.
Despite all this, AVG Antivirus is complaining that my device is rooted. So, what's up with that?

I remember encountering a similar problem with superuser. I installed SuperSU from Google Play (replacing the superuser app), and it fixed my problems.
Update #1: As discussed over chat, jeffreylin_'s root was lost, as verified with Root Checker. To fix this, the phone must be rooted again. SuperOneClick can be used; no need to flash ROM or anything. Just run the tool. It supports Samsung Galaxy S 4G.
Edit #2: In case you want to protect root (after phone's been rooted), install OTA Rootkeeper, so you can just restore root if you mess it up.

But Super User came installed with my ROM...

@jeffreylin_ Superuser is different from SuperSU. Look for SuperSU in Google Play. I posted the link in my answer.

I pressed all the buttons, none of them work. It also seems that my SU binary is outdated.

@jeffreylin_ What error messages are you seeing?

It tells me that the SU binary is missing, and when I press the normal button, it says installation failed and exits. If I hit TWRP, it doesn't transfer me there, but instead let's me into the app. None of the settings do anything, such as 'install SuperUser into /system' and 'full unroot'

@jeffreylin_ Can you go to the chatroom?

You probably have su installed (the program that allows you to become root) but it may lack the right permissions to run. In this scenario, AVG is probably just checking if su is installed but apps that need root fail to run. You might be able to change the file permission using adb and chmod (I don't know the exact command but may be easy to google for it).

you could use chown command to give su its rights.

While this might help: How should Jeff accomplish that? Could you please [edit] your answer and include at least a short step-by-step instruction?

In my case replacing SuperSU from the Play store did not fix the problem.
What did fix the problem was copying su from /su/bin to /system/xbin.


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Exotic case of Galaxy Nexus not booting
Symptoms :

Put battery into Galaxy Nexus (tried with two different including a brand new one)
Plug cord to USB host or charger
Large battery charge indicator icon appears in the middle of the screen
Six seconds later the screen goes dark and no further user-observable activity happens
During the whole process, device does not react to any button input - including the 'while holding down Volume Up and Volume Down buttons together, hold down the Power button for ten seconds' maneuver that should have taken it to fastboot mode
When plugged to an USB host, no USB activity is detected from the host - whether by adb or other USB observation tools.

Context :

The device having suffered a cracked screen, it has been swapped for a new screen
This problem appeared on first boot attempt after the screen swap
The device worked perfectly before suffering the cracked screen
The appearance of the battery icon proves that the replacement screen works

I may have broken something during swapping the screens... But with disabled hardware I would have expected a frankly non-functional device.
What further steps can I take to find what makes the boot process fail in the aforementioned way ?


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Does the built-in Google app data backup work?
This question is a long time coming I guess. I have been seeing claims in Android since the dark ages that our data is being backed-up to the cloud, and recently "Sync App Data" showed up as well in the account settings. However when I have to restore, all I get is the apps I had, and a very small restore.. perhaps wifi passwords and desktop wall paper from what I see. So my question is this..
Does the in built-in backup service work?
I see from code documentation, that the apps need to manage it manually. I guess then it is possible that some apps do not support this?
Is this backup service actually supposed to backup app data or only just system data?
Is installing helium or similar 3rd party services the only way to go?
Second minor question. Am I right in understanding that Helium and its adb backup bretheren rely on the opt in android service, and that Titanium backup and their ilk just copy all possible files of the app and thus do not require the opt in service?
p.s. Am sorry if there is a good post about these details, much of what I see is very cynical posts which plug one of the aforementioned 3rd party software.

Does the in built-in backup service work? Yes.
But maybe not how you expect/want. As you mentioned apps need to 'opt in' to backup data and most apps don't actually use this. I'm only aware of a couple that do. As far as i know, the backed up data is only actually restore to a device when the device is initially set up, not when you install an app from the Play store that you've previously used (i could be wrong on this though). Google recently launched a way for games to sync progress between devices which more apps seem to be using and are publicising this more.
Helium and adb backup work differently in that they backup the data stored on the device and don't require opt in. Helium uses the adb backup method so essentially they work the same way (although it doesn't require a pc to perform the backup).
Titanium Backup backs up the apk and the appropriate 'data' folder (NOT the folder on your sd card by default) and again this does not require any opt in from the app developer.
Personally i use Titanium Backup as it was the only option when i first rooted my first phone. I've not used Helium so can't say if it's better/worse. When i have used adb backup (not via Helium) it took a long time to backup/restore but it does work quite well.

Ah thats good to hear that adb backup does not need opt in. And dissapointing that the default backup system is so underwhelming..

Does the built-in backup service work? Yes. And the restore? Sometimes. Sometimes partially. sometimes not at all... Unfortunately there are many reports for the latter two cases. It seems like the data always find their way to the Google servers, but not always back to the device. Also reported: Backups explicitly deleted from Google servers have been restored to new devices weeks later. So better have another backup ready, just in case...


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Extract App Data from Nandroid / CWM Backup
I use ClockworkMod Recovery, and Slimbean.
Recently, my slimbean started hanging at the loading screen and getting insanely hot. So I took a backup, and cleaned flashed AOKP rom. It's working fine so far. Initially, I tried to do a flash without clearing data. Then, a clean flash with "advanced restore"ing the data alone from the backup, but both resulted in the above-mentioned problem of hanging at boot screen.
Is there a way to extract the app-data from CWM backup and restore it manually? Or an app for this?

See if the answer here works: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20738/restoring-messages-from-clockworkmod-backup I can't vouch for it, because I don't have CWM. Let us know if it worked. :)

@geffchang sounds like it might, but too expensive :(

It's a very good investment though. I use it for my back-ups. And it can also do several other things other than back-ups. :)

See also: View/mount Nandroid file on Android :)

In addition to the well-known Titanium Backup app (for which you must purchase the Pro key to unlock the CWM/TWRP nandroid backup support), there is another app now: Nandroid Manager, which according to its description can restore apps from nandroid backups even with the free version (there is a Pro key too, but it is required if you want to restore special data such as Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth data, user dictionary and browser data). However, I did not try using this app.

Thanks, That looks interesting, I will try it out tonight.

Its quite slow, but it seems to be working. Have restored sms-calllogs, working on app data right now. Thanks again!

It worked for many apps, but notably apps that I had installed on internal SD card ( ~90% of games) dont seem to have been backed up.. that was dissapointing..

Nandroid manager did not work at all for me. (Backup was found, but was restorable). Titanium Pro worked for apps not moved via Link2SD.

Titanium Backup Pro can do that.

[✔] Restore individual apps+data from CWM backups!

Similar question.

That requires the $6.99 PRO key for TB.

It looks like there are several options, though I was hoping for something simple like "rename to .tar and open in 7-zip". Anyway, some options:

on the phone, install Nandroid Manager or Yaffs Explorer, or pay to install Titanium Backup Pro (which is a frequently recommended app anyway)
on a Linux computer, use unyaffs, or go to lots of trouble but get the yaffs fs mounted for real:

See also this very similar question.

Most of the answers have become a bit dated so here is an update: Nandroid Manager doesn't seem to be developed any more and doesn't work reliably with the latest versions of Android anymore. But it's worth a try. In my case, about half of my apps were successfully restored and for most of the ones where "restore app + data" failed, "restore data" alone worked (and you can just reinstall the app from the app store).
As regards Titanium Backup Pro, it is still updated but the "Restore from Nandroid" function doesn't seem to work too well either on Marshmallow. Over the past months, there have been multiple reports of it either not seeing the backup files at all or failing to read their contents. I guess it's not a priority for the developers to fix this.

I second this... I could not restore any of my apps with Titanium Backup on my new Oneplus Three (Coming from a Oneplus One)

Nandroid Manager doesn't even exist anymore. Any other options?


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Is there a way to send an emergency text and/or email by holding down either of the volume buttons?
A friend of mine recently developed a medical condition that causes sudden shortness of breath, and in one instance, caused her to pass out. In that instance, she said she lost her vision first, so she couldn't make a phone call to anyone.
I found some apps that send emergency messages by pressing a button in the lock screen, but it may be hard to do so without being able to see (though certainly better than trying to punch in a phone number). I was wondering if there was a way to send messages by holding down a physical button for, say, 5 seconds. (Of course, the contacts/message would be preconfigured/preset.) I'm not sure if it's even possible for an app to "hijack" a button's functionality in such a way.

tl;dr: I wasn't aware of any such apps and so I've actually written an application that can do this for a university project; the user holds the volume down button for x seconds (default is 3) and a preconfigured emergency message is sent to their chosen contact(s). There are a few problems with getting this functionality however (see below). I haven't made the app available anywhere but could put a version up on the Play Store over the next few days. Will edit this when I do.

The problem I found is that it doesn't work in all possible states the phone could be in, meaning your friend might be trying to use it but will forget to put it in a correct state if they're in a panic. Here's the results of the testing I did, a pass means the emergency SMS was sent:

One test wasn’t applicable because if the screen is off pressing the
  volume button will turn it back on giving us the first test state.
For the state where the screen was on but phone was locked, the evidence
  gathering could be activated but only by pressing the volume button
  repeatedly for the required amount of time.
The reason the activation doesn’t work as intended is because Android
  only receives one button press when the volume button is held while the
  screen is locked and so only passes one press to the application. If the volume button is repeatedly pressed then
  the application is ‘tricked’ into thinking the button is being held
  constantly because the app checks if the button is being held once a
  second but the button only needs to have been held once in the last
  second for it to count.

A positive point about the volume button method is that it uses almost no battery, there isn't any monitoring or polling of the volume button's state.

If you were willing to consider other activation methods I also added the ability to tilt the phone and have it activate the emergency SMS, I found this worked in a lot more states:

I believe it would also be possible to get the Tasker application to do this tilting activation but I don't own it and haven't tried it.

Thanks! I'd be happy to test all your listed scenarios on the phones I have available to me: HTC Thunderbolt, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, and my friend's phone; and send you the results. Let me know if you'd like to send me an APK or other installation files/instructions. Though, the tilt mode sounds like it could register many false positives (what if the phone's tilted in her pocket or her bag?) Maybe I don't fully understand how it works yet.

@acheong87 The tilt mode would be, for example, tilting at least 30 degrees down, up, down and up again in under 3 seconds for it to activate, I got a v.low false positive rate. Like I said I'll upload it to the Play Store, I've never done that before and want to try. It will take at least a few days because I'll have to rewrite bits of it, it was designed for domestic violence victims & had to run discretely on the phone, obviously there's no such requirement here. It also does things like monitor location and send it in the text when activated. Fuller description here: http://redd.it/1eu81e

@acheong87 Just to note I haven't forgotten about this, just getting the app ready is taking much longer than I thought it would!

Thanks for the update! No worries. If you make it you make it, and if not, that's okay too. I was just saying I'd be happy to help test it if you get around to it one day. Good luck.

@Peanut I just came across your post. My brother has ALS and I am looking for ways to easily have him send emergency text messages. I kno this post was years ago, but is the app available for testing? Thanks!

@josh From the research I did for my app I believe there were already 2 good apps available that could send emergency texts, one was called Circle of 6 and I can't recall the other but can check when I'm back home next week. If neither of them suits you I'll be happy to give you the apo I wrote

Not specifically with the volume buttons, but if you are open for alternatives, Tasker might be able to help out. To fire the emergency task, the following triggers might be feasible:

Camera button
Long-Search button
Gesture (The phone has just been waved around in a particular way)
Shake (The device is being physically shaken)

If the device has no camera button, the long-search button being hard to find without vision, this might leave us with the "gesture" and "shake" triggers. To set that up, you can record your "emergency pattern", e.g. "shake twice left-right, then twice up-down".
As task, Tasker offers e.g. "Send SMS" (Send an SMS without user interaction.) So combining action and task, you'd have your "emergency profile": As soon as the shake-pattern is recognized, the emergency SMS would be sent.


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Advertisments still blocked after uninstalling AdFree
I am trying to test out Admob for an app on my phone. But I have absolutely no idea what is blocking my ads. My phone is rooted, but I don't have any ad-blocking software. I did have AdFree, but then I restored my phone. So what's doing it? My ads are definitely being blocked because I have gone on several websites with ads, and they don't show up.

Could you share what ROM you are using? stock? custom?

@geffchang I'm just using the stock. The problem is the hosts file. It's full of 127.0.0.1 ad_website.com I tried the Ad Block Remover, but it didn't work (or i'm not doing it right, idk).

This is my problem: http://androidforums.com/transformer-prime-all-things-root/478802-ad-free-still-blocking-ads-after-uninstall.html

Why did you mark my answer as Answer? Did it fix your problem already?

@geffchang. Didn't mean to.

Well after an hour of searching around for how to revert the hosts file, I gave up. (I kept having permission denied errors). So I downloaded AdFree again (turns out that's what I had before) and clicked "revert".

Did it show the ads? :)

@geffchang Yep. Ads started showing up on my app.

Safe to mark your own answer as Answer then. :) Did you have to restart?

@geffchang Can't accept my answer till tomorrow. No I didn't have to restart

Are you using a custom ROM? It may have adblock enabled behind the scenes.
As a work-around, try the Ad Block REMOVER.

Looking at what the app does, and the fact that it needs Root, it looks like one of the methods that it uses to block ads is to make changes to the device's central hosts file.1 2
This changes the way that DNS works on the device so that any requests by an app to connect to certain internet servers are given a bogus IP address, and the attempt to talk to the ad serving server fails.
In fact it looks like AdFree downloads and uses the MVPS list of HOSTS file entries list of host file entries (the file is available for download here).
Based on that I would assume that what's happened is that when you were using AdFree it downloaded that list of HOSTS file entries and saved them into the central HOSTS file on your phone (this would require root access), but when you uninstalled the app it didn't undo the changes it made to the HOSTS file.
If you just want to be able to connect to AdMob servers to test your app then you could edit your HOSTS file to remove just Google's Admob servers from the list, it looks like they're all called something.admob.com. Alternatively you could edit your HOSTS file and remove all entries from it that point to 127.0.01, which should set you back to a default setup, with nothing being blocked. More on editing your hosts file here: Guide to editing /etc/hosts.


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How to turn off Viber's new SMS income message notification
I am getting double SMS notification, i.e. one from system SMS app and another one from Viber. I don't want Viber SMS notification and need to turn it off.
I'm looking in Viber app's setting but I cannot find where to turn it off. All I can find is the below snapshot; but I guess it helps to reply the SMS message via Viber text message and save my mobile fee. I don't want the notification though!
Any work around for this please? Great appreciate.

I had that option turned off and viber still "helpfully" notified me. So not sure where that leaves me!

Go to viber, in the bottom corner you should see 3 lines stacked on top of one another (Menu) click on it, then click on Settings, then on Calls and Messages, and you should find that option.

Go to VIBER APP
Go to right bottom corner; you should see 3 lines stacked on top of one another
Click on it
Click on Settings
Click on Calls and Messages
Uncheck free reply with viber
There you go, you will not receive double SMS notification.

Alternatively you can go to settings on your android phone, go to sound, then vibration intensity and you can turn notifications off, the only problem is you will lose it when you get text messages. But if you're using mainly whatsapp or viber it makes no odds.


text:
How can I determine what URL an app is accessing?
I have an app that downloads mp3 files.  The app does not tell you where it is getting these files from.  Is there an Android tool/app I can use to figure out what URL an app is accessing from my phone?
Thanks

What is this app?

Its an 'old time radio' app, but I was hoping to figure out how to determine what connections apps make from my phone in general.

Ah, tcpdump. Why didn't I think of that before?

I was going to recommend Sharkbit, but I couldn't see the URL of the connection. Anyhow, please add a link to the app you used, and don't forget to mark your own answer as Answer. :)

Please don't add comments as answers. Use actual comments when seeking clarification of any issues.

This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post.

@ce4 Red Cricket is actually answering his own question. It's a poor answer, but I assume he went with tcpdump to find the URLs / IP addresses.

Ok, got it. He's right, but extracting links from tcpdumps only works for unencrypted traffic


text:
How to Enable Android phone for full Tamil Indic Interface
I'd like to buy an Android phone to gift to somebody who only knows Tamil. From the little research I've done there are Android phones setup in Indic languages available readymade (like Robosoft), but I'm not very happy with that.
I've also come across the thread below but even after going through the full process (with the Android emulator) I'm unable to get the full tamil interface (specifically in contacts list). I want to add/edit contacts in Tamil and hopefully back them up in a Google account.
How to make an Android device to display complex rendering of Indic characters?
Is there a check-list or help available somewhere.
Thanks
Ganesh

Rendering Tamil characters is a challenge as there is no one glyph to one character mapping as in English.
Earlier versions of Android (before 4.1) does not have this support natively. Which means unless the manufacturer or the author of the ROM decides to additional support, Tamil characters cannot be rendered properly.  There were few hacks which helped those users who didn't have such ROMs.  But those hacks were not always successful.
With many users lamenting on Google's support pages, I guess Google decided to provide this feature from Android 4.1 onwards.
These are the ability of the vanilla Android ROM (i.e. the factory images for Nexus 4/7/10):
Supported:

Display Tamil characters with proper conjunct rendering in browser
Display Tamil characters with proper conjunct rendering out of browser in file names, SMS, contacts (which means you can have a contact and its details in Tamil characters).
Display Tamil characters with proper conjunct rendering in apps like notes editor, facebook, twitter, ebook reader etc.

Not supported:

No keyboard to input Tamil character - Swype has Tamil language support. You even swipe along the keys to type which is much better and much needed input method for Tamil input.
No interface language as Tamil - which means the menu, home screen, settings etc will not be in Tamil.

I have a rooted LG P500 which runs Android 2.3.3. Thanks to LG which had added support for proper rendering of Tamil characters in contacts, file names, text (SMS) messages and many other apps. With Swype keyboard I am even able to type in Tamil as well.
However, when I tried to use a clone of Cyanogenmod ROM based on Android 4.2.2, I observed that Tamil characters are not even displayed (all characters were displayed as empty space). Replacing fonts didn't do the trick. I later understood that due to limited /system partition size of my phone, the ROM developer has to chop off some components and I guess whatever did help to render the Tamil characters has been axed.
I also have a Nexus 7 running vanilla Android 4.2.2 and it works superb with Tamil. Again, Swype also works and I am even able to mix and match English and Tamil characters in all apps.
So if you want to ensure Tamil can be read without any user intervention, I would suggest you to buy phones that have Android 4.2 installed. Again chances are there they can be trimmed as my Lg P500 experienced.
Update: I could see this answer being upvoted in spite of being quite old.  Now (Marshmallow) Google has provided Indic keyboard support where one can enable Tamil keyboard to type Tamil. Still gesture typing a.k.a swiping across the characters is not supported for Tamil.  Same is applicable for many Indic languages.

Buy Redmi phones. It has pre installed Tamil language. I am using that phone only.Or else Flash phone with Cyanogen or MiUi mod. But it will tamper your phone warranty. Do it at your own risk. The best Tamil keyboard i know is Sellinam. Currently i am using that keyboard app only.
தங்கள் கேள்விக்கான விடை கிடைத்திருக்கும் என நம்புகிறேன்.


text:
Reset only the settings for HTC One
I have an HTC One (4.2.2) & I need to reset my settings ONLY, just the settings.
Is there any way not to lose my data, without making a backup?
I mean I want a factory settings for the settings only.
Thanks.

You could go to Settings->Apps, switch to the "All" tab, and walk the apps you want to reset the settings. Apart from that, there's only the factory reset AFAIK.

Goto Settings-->Apps-->All-->(you can find Settings App)click on Settings--> Clear data and cache


text:
Extract the apk of Live wallpapers
To extract the apk of any android application , it is simple just use any apk extractor tool and get the apk. However in the case for live wallpapers the apk extractor do not show the apk for wallpapers .
I just want to get the apk for live wallpapers from my phone .

See also: How to access Android APKs without rooting, How do I save purchased apps as APKs?

You can use ES File Exporer

Goto App Manager (press menu to get app manager)
There you can see list of applications installed in your mobile
Select Live wallpaper apk
click on Backup
You can find apk in location /sdcard/backups/apps

*Edit:*
System Live Wallpapers are located on your phone in path:

system/app/LiveWallpapers.apk

You can use ES File Explorer for the same.
But your device need to be rooted to access system apps.

its no working .. ES File Explorer not showing any ofthe live wallpaper apk

Are you talking about system Live wallpapers?

Yes i think i am talking about system wallpapers.

edited answer above


text:
How do you capture video from the command-line on an Android device?
How do you capture video from the camera on command-line of a rooted Android mobile device?

Depending on the recording app installed, that could be done by calling the corresponding activity via the am (activity manager). The syntax for this is explained on the ADB help page:
start [options] <INTENT>

Example given:
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW

This means, you first have to find the corresponding intent. This can be done using any Manifest browser (there are several apps available), or e.g. using the activity browser integrated with Apex Launcher (long-tap free space on homescreen, select Shortcut, then Activity). The am call then can either be initiated from within a terminal in the way described above, or via ADB by prefixing the call with adb shell, e.g. adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW.
See also: http://en.androidwiki.com/wiki/ADB_Shell_Command_Reference

Another way to get the activity is: launch the camera in video capture mode manually and then do adb shell dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity to see the corresponding activity. Or do adb shell dumpsys activity recents | grep -A15 "Recent #0" (replace 'recents' with 'activities' for Android 4.2.1) and see the intent or activities responsible for video mode.

This worked for me,
adb shell am start -a android.media.action.VIDEO_CAPTURE

However, this did NOT start the recording, so it's kind of undesirable.
I did open an issue upstream to ask the author of Open Camera if this would be possbile


text:
My clock has disappeared
I have a HTC Desire X running Android 4.0.4 (not rooted).
I use the "Digital Clock" widget which comes with phone on my home screen. The phone came with 3 clock related widgets - Weather Clock, Digital Clock and Social Clock. By default, the Weather Clock appeared on the home screen but I removed that from the Home Screen and added the Digital Clock on the home screen. This was good for a month.
But today, the Digital Clock disappeared from the home screen.
I tried adding the clock back to the home screen from the Widgets list.
I am able to add "Social Clock" and it's visible on the home screen. But I am unable to add "Digital Clock" and "Weather Clock". When I add either of this - it takes me to the chose a City menu & then when I chose a city, it returns me to an empty home screen with no Clock. I am however able to add the "Social Clock".
I tried the following things

Booted the phone
I force stopped and cleared data for Clock and Clock Widget
None of this helped.

What do I do? I am not really a Social Clock kind of guy.

I did a reset from "backup and reset" menu in settings. And this got the Digital Clock back.


text:
Is there a way to verify stock ROMs?
When we download a .FTF or ROM file as a stock ROM, is there a way to verify that it is really the stock ROM and is not modified by someone?

If you downloaded it from "official" sites such as Sony's own, or Samsung, you are ok that it is not modified - look at xda, modaco, pda4net.ru - completely modified ROMs... just saying, common sense, along with MD5/SHA1 checksums...

@t0mm13b, I downloaded it from xda-developers forum.

@t0mm13b By "completely modified ROMs", do you mean that they contain malware?

Modified ROMs does not imply malware! It very well means, tweaks to system scripts, UI tweaks, bloat removed! As for malware, hmmm... try a chinese warez site and download from there, then yes, probability very very high!

I know meaning of modified ROM! but since I'm asking about ROMs provided as stock, then if they are modified and also provided as stock, they should contain malware:)

How do you know that they should contain malware? Have you flashed it and run it to see what happens? Stock ROMs are the official ones found on official sites, you are not going to see stock roms on other un-official sites, modified yes, tweaked yes, but not re-distributed as "Stock ROM". If you are so worried about it, why not use Cyanogenmod, Cafogen, LegacyXperia, CAF, AOSP, AOKP? The point I am making is, you seem to jump to wrong conclusion, like as I have said, common sense and know your way around in understanding various ROMs will help.

I'm looking for an official Lineage build, which is no longer hosted on the lineage servers. But I found this one: https://lineageosroms.com/ is there any registry of md5sum of images that have been official releases in the past?

Yes, you can check the SHA1 or MD5 checksum.
You didn't specify which ROM you are downloading. Let's have a look at the Nexus stock ROMs:
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#mantaray
There is a download link and a version number and checksums listed like that:

Version: 4.2.2 (JDQ39)
Link: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/mantaray-jdq39-factory-d79f489e.tgz
MD5: b7a1162fb4e617143306ef6c4ca6c040
SHA1: d79f489e1001d183b31d8a407b47cd5b8e9505cd

To verify a checksum you can do it via command line:
$ md5sum mantaray-jdq39-factory-d79f489e.tgz
b7a1162fb4e617143306ef6c4ca6c040

Or:
$ openssl sha1 mantaray-jdq39-factory-d79f489e.tgz
SHA1(mantaray-jdq39-factory-d79f489e.tgz)= d79f489e1001d183b31d8a407b47cd5b8e9505cd

If it matches with the one stated at the google page, you can assume the file is not corrupted or modified.
Note: Linux, MacOS, Windows
The terminal commands only work out of the box in MacOS or Linux. To verify checksums in Windows there is a tool by Microsoft called Checksum Integrity Verifier.

Thanks. Is there somewhere to find md5sums for sony(xperia z) official ROMs? I have downloded Xperia_Z_C6602_10.3.A.0.423_Generic US

Well, Sony is neither offering direct download links nor telling anything about file integrity. The only thing you can do is doing it like described here: Download via official Sony Software. In future, don't buy Sony devices :p


text:
Samsung GT-s6312 USB issue connecting to USB
My samsung GT-s6312 phone does not connect to PC. Even after connecting USB cable, it gives an error to download software.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Did you download any software yet? What have you tried so far? Could you add more details to the error?

Have downloaded Samsung Kies software but it is not installing and gives error that phone is not found retry.

@giridhar.n Samsung Kies is not installing on your PC? What is the error message? Do you have an existing Kies installed? Uninstall it first.

I found that most of the time such type of problem are solved by this link.
STEPS : (for Windows specific instructions):

Ensure phone is not connected to PC.
Uninstall KIES from PC. Reboot your PC and Reinstall KIES after that. Just for great measure... open KIES, go to Tools | Troubleshoot connection error. Follow instructions and wait for it to finish the troubleshooting procedure.
Reboot your phone (or turn off and then on your phone again). Do not connect it to your PC just yet.
Once rebooted, go to your phone's dialer, type *#7284# - A configuration window will appear. In that window's USB section, if it's default to PDA, tap MODEM, then back to PDA, (if it is MODEM in the beginning, change it to PDA) then press the back key to exit. Most importantly, it must set as PDA when you exit.
Turn off USB debugging in your phone.
(Optional) Set your phone's screen timeout to a lengthy time. (minimum 1-2 minutes - recommended 5mins to 30mins) its found in Settings | Display. You can change this back later on.
Connect the phone to your PC with USB cable and let windows load your drivers... and wait for the drivers to get reinstalled.
Once reinstalled, disconnect the phone off USB. Switch USB debugging back on in your phone settings, and reconnect the phone back - you'll see windows load another set of drivers for your phone. Wait until it is completed. (This step is a precautionative measure to ensure your phone is identified with all the necessary drivers)
Once complete, unplug your phone, and turn off USB debugging... This is to ensure MTP will initialize. Also, press the phone's home key until your homescreen is displayed. Only after doing all that, reconnect your phone back to PC.
Test and see if MTP works using Windows Explorer. You'll see your phone's USB storage and SDCard contents if it does.

Hope it will help you..


text:
Androidify does not show correct graphic on my device
Androidify from Google that uses svg-android library, shows broken graphics when running on my low-cost Chinese tablet (Android 4.2.2). Look here:

Is someone else facing the same issue? How can I fix this?

Can you post a link to the nice app? I'd like to try it on my phone.

yes, sure! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.androidify&hl=it

I was able to replicate your issue. You need to disable hardware acceleration in Developer Options.
This step is for the Samsung Galaxy S4, but you should be able to find something similar for your tablet: Settings > More > Developer Options > Force GPU rendering.

I tryed with my low cost tablet. Without success, the problem arises with or without the "Force GPU Rendering" option activated. This is due to the poorly implemented graphic layer of the tablet, I suppose... Thanks anyway. Maybe a lot of people will solve the problem with your answer.

@Seraphim'shost After you change the value, can you restart tablet? See if that makes a difference?

Yes, no benefit

@Seraphim'shost Maybe you can change the other Drawing settings. If something works, let us know. You can post it as an Answer. :)


text:
Why is portable hotspot and tethering not working?
I am trying to use tethering features to connect my laptop to the Internet. On my Samsung Galaxy S3-i9300 device when I enable a portable wi-fi hotspot and connect wirelessly I can connect from my Windows 7 device but not browse the Internet from my laptop.
If instead I use USB-tethering I can browse the Internet from my laptop but sometimes the connection falls and I need to reboot my computer to get the laptop to realize the connection to the Internet is lost. The connection falls for instance when I receive a text message on the phone used for tethering.
Anyone experience these problems and have any solutions?

What is the Windows 7 device? Is it the PC?

To be sure, Windows 7 firewall is not blocking access to your hotspot no?

My issue seems related https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/245655/my-android-hotspot-is-not-routing-data


text:
What exactly is the APN field used for, and why do some providers require it while others don't?
I've switched providers and now have to enter an APN (access point name) in order to use the service. With my older two providers I did not need to do this and it worked out of the box. What is the rationale for requiring APNs to be entered on some cell phones, and exactly what features do they enable?
Why do some providers require them while others don't, and what do they do?

APN settings are necessary for data service on GSM and related networks (UMTS, LTE) to work.  It defines what network to connect to and the configuration of the network (e.g. the gateway GPRS support node address, which is the interface between the mobile network and the public internet).
APN settings are always required for data service on GSM and related networks.  The reason why you didn't need to enter them before would be either that you purchased the device from the carrier, in which case it would have been pre-configured with their APN settings, that the ROM (either stock or custom) included your previous carrier in their APN database, or your phone was able to accept automatic configuration from the carrier.
Most custom ROMs and some stock ones (in the case of direct-from-the-manufacturer devices) include an extensive database of different carrier's APNs and Android can automatically choose the correct one (Based on information from the SIM card) so you don't have to enter stuff manually.

Remember that CDMA carriers and devices don't use APNs (unless they're also LTE capable). If the OP's previous carriers were CDMA, this would explain the difference.

The APN (Access Point Name) is generally the gateway between your providers 3G network and the Internet. They are usually auto-detected but occasionally you have to enter them manually when you swap providers.


text:
How to boot to ClockworkMod recovery with Galaxy5 GT-i5500
I have ClockworkMod recovery installed on a phone (Samsung Galaxy5 GT-i5500, I have used it in the past to flash ROMs).
The phone is currently not booting, just shows the Samsung logo.
I want to get into the ClockworkMod recovery mode, by pressing some key combination. (Do not confuse with Samsung download mode: power-down+middle-button+power.)
How to get to CWM recovery mode?

It is impossible to boot directly into CWM recovery by key combination. However one can boot into "download mode" (as described in question) and then (re)flash recovery with Odin, this will automatically reboot phone to CWM recovery


text:
How to root Samsung Galaxy S4 SCH-I545
I would like to root my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 SCH-I545.
It is currently running Android 4.2.2 and has Build number ending in VRUAME7.
How do I root my Galaxy S4?

There is a root method available for the VRUEMA7 Build that does not require you to wipe your device or flash ROMs, but it does not have an unlocked boot loader (source & credit to: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2380325)
STEP 1: Download all three files from the first step from the source above and install/extract as necessary.
STEP 2: Insert a microSD card (exFAT format REQUIRED) into your device and connect it to your computer as a media device.
STEP 3: Move the extracted files and folder from the Root Exploit package onto the root of your microSD card. Do not put them in ANY folder.
STEP 4: Open the Android Terminal Emulator App on your device and run the following commands hitting return after each line:
cd /mnt/extSdCard
./pwn
./script.sh

After the second command you should see the '$' change to a '#' indicating root access. The third command will make root access permanent.
STEP 5: After the above commands have run, you can download and open SuperSU and check for binary updates. At this point you should be done and you can open an app that will request root access to test this.

If you are lucky enough to have not updated and are still on the VRUAMDK Build number then here is the root method (source & credit given to: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2290798):
STEP 1: Go to the source link above and download the five items in the first step, Samsung Official USB Drivers, ODIN v3.07, VRUAMD2 Prerelease Kernel, Stock VRUAMDK Kernel for your phone, and Motochopper Root Exploit Tool.
STEP 2: Boot your phone into ODIN mode.
STEP 3: Flash the VRUAMD2 Prerelease Kernel using ODIN v3.07 in PDA section only. Boot back into Android and verify that the flash was successful.
STEP 4: Follow Settings -> More -> About phone -> tap "Build number" 7 to unlock Developer options and verify in there that you have "USB debugging" checked and "Verify apps via USB" unchecked. Verify in Security setting on your device that you have "Unknown sources" checked and "Verify apps" unchecked
STEP 5: Connect your phone to your computer and open "Run.bat" file from the location you have extracted motochopper to. You will see a message on the phone asking you to accept the new computer connection (select to always allow and select OK).
STEP 6: After motochopper runs and your phone reboots on its own, check if SuperSU has any update in the Play Store. Open SuperSU app and let the binary update itself to the latest VERY IMPORTANT OR YOU WILL LOSE ROOT ON STEP 4. Now you can open a root application and verify that is able to access root properly.
STEP 7: Now to restore the stock kernel you need to boot your phone into ODIN mode (how-to link above).
STEP 8: Flash the Stock VRUAMDK Kernel using ODIN v3.07 in PDA section only (follow same link in step 3 for a how-to).
STEP 9: Boot back to Android and verifying everything is still working and kernel has flashed successfully. You should now be fully rooted and on the fully stock original firmware that came on your device.
To restore a custom recovery (optional), follow Step 5 on the source link.

Here you will find a guide for the stock ROM version of your Galaxy S4
http://www.droidgator.com/how-to-root-samsung-galaxy-s4-sch-i545/
However, if your phone was updated to the VRUAMDK, you should use the already posted tutorial. Good luck!

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


text:
How to backup locally stored game data?
I'm looking to upgrade from a Nexus 7 to a 10" tablet. I know that Google stores my purchase information so that I won't have to pay for any already purchased games again.
But I was wondering if it's possible to transfer my locally stored game data to the new device so that I can continue without loss of progress. If so, how is it done?

Please see: How can transfer my game progress from HTC Legend to Samung Galaxy S3? / New phone: How to transfer game progress? / Full Backup of non-rooted devices

See also: Back up not only games, but also game progress before flashing ROMS


text:
How to download via Chrome on Nexus 7 with Jelly Bean 4.2.2
I have a Nexus 7 updated to Jelly Bean 4.2.2, with all apps updated. Chrome is version 28.0.1500.94.
I navigated to
http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-podcast-102-public-game-leeches-economics-and-hardcore-dh-follies
in Chrome and long-clicked the "Download" hyperlink located below the video. This is a link to a .MP3 file (audio podcast). A short message appeared, indicating that the download had started.
However, no indicator appeared in the notification bar at the top and nothing is present in "Apps, Downloads", either when the download starts or a while afterwards.
I looked in the Downloads folder via Rhythm Software's "File Manager". The file appeared there for a short while, but vanished soon afterwards; it vanished long before it would have finished downloading.
Neither uninstalling "File Manager" nor restarting the tablet solved the problem.
Single-clicking the "Download" link causes Chrome to start playing the file, which is not what I want; I want to download the .MP3 file.
II only have a few other apps installed, which are not download/file manager apps.

There is a downloads app that should contain your file.

No, as I indicated, "Apps, Downoads" remains empty, immediately after starting the download and after the file vanishes from the Downloads folder.

Ahh... that is odd...? Do you have a link to the page you could post so others could try to reproduce the problem?

Sure; I'll update the question.

I wasn't able to get anything to download. Have you downloaded videos from this site before on Android?

I long-clicked the word "Download" below the video, which is the link to the .MP3 file.

I tried to download the link using Chrome for Android SEVERAL times, but it always disappears. Like I've been telling myself before, Android for Chrome is not mature enough and lacking in (so many) features.
I would suggest installing a 3rd-party browser like Dolphin or Boat, which are both highly-customizable. I downloaded the MP3 file successfully using Boat (which is my main browser), and it appears in my Download folder.

I solved this by installing Opera Classic 12.1. Single-clicking the "Download" link prompted me to open the file via Google Music or via Opera. Selecting Opera started the file downloading via Opera's built-in download manager.
Quite a fail for Chrome :(


text:
How to connect Samsung GT-i8160 and Debian via WiFi-Direct?
The wpa_supplicant documentation contains information suggesting it is possible to set up a WiFi-Direct connection between a Linux box and another WiFi-Direct device. It seems it is necessary to use wpa_cli and issue a series of commands first of which is p2p_find.
However when I use wpa_cli this command does not seem available. I am using Debian Wheezy.

The issue is that there is only wpa_supplicant version 1.0 available in Debian Wheezy.
For support of WiFi Direct you need wpa_supplicant version 1.1 or higher.
You can download and compile the latest wpa_supplicant on your own. This way you make sure wpa_cli is available and WiFi Direct is supported.

Is it available in testing or experimental Debian distributions?


text:
does it really work? rekey.app claims to protect agains Master Key vulnerabilities
The android app rekey claims that it can protect android device against "Master Key" vulnerabilities
on their website they have a test/proofOfConcept
To verify that your device has been patched, you can
attempt to install a [PoC APK] to test whether it is properly
blocked by ReKey."

I first installed rekey (version 1.0.4 dated July, 21th 2013) and then PoC APK but got no warning that PoC is not ok.

Does that mean does rekey does not work at all?
Or does it not work on my rooted android 2.2 smartfone?
Or is PoC APK not a proove of concept?

What is your experience/option?
Can you confirm that it is working or not working on your device?

I'd be extremely worried there!
The MasterKey vulnerability exploit works in the handling of ZipEntry (see below - Bug 8219321), which is buried deep in the ROM itself, its used in the PackageManager layer as well.
For such an application claiming "to patch" it, is misleading and false, because it is a user application and not at system level.
The real cure to get around the vulnerability is to modify the source code in Android in itself and rebuild the ROM.
The vulnerability exploits ROMs from Donut (1.6) right up to Jellybean (4.2).
In the FAQ of the app's website - this made my hairs stand up:

Can I trust ReKey with root access on my device?
Did you see those seals up above? They look pretty darn official and
  trustworthy. They have Latin phrases and everything.

I really do not know whether to laugh or cry!
Dynamically patching the bytecode in the Android's Java DalvikVM (Runtime engine to the uninitiated) is unheard of.
Verdict:
I would take those so-called "claims of a user-level app" patching in Masterkey exploit, with a pinch of salt and not get fooled by it.
Source:

Masterkey Exploit (I) - Bug 8219321
Masterkey Exploit (II) - Bug 9695860

Patches:

Bug: 8219321 - Remove duplicate entries in Zip.
Bug: 9695860 - unsigned Zip Entries.

+1 thanks for the info. Maybe ReKey uses "patch" as a metapher.
For example the app LBE Privacy Guard for android
really protects my android: I can decide at runtime if an apps is allowd to access internet/contacts. This also looks like a patch.
ReKey irrites me because i got the info about reky from the german heise security which has a good reputation in germany.

There is a module for the Xposed framework that "patch" the bug, and it is at runtime...

Xposed Framework - that looks like a breeding ground for malware ... I extended the /system/bin/app_process executable to load a JAR file on startup. The classes of this file will sit in every process (including the one for system services) and can act with their powers  Another thing, its for ICS or later, and the author has refused to backport to older Androids...

authors: Надежда Петрова