text:
Transfer root to SDcard with switch_root didn't work
I'm trying to install Debian on the Android 4.4 (modded with cyanogenmod) that's installed on my nexus 10 to one external sd card. I'm reading this tutorial :
http://whiteboard.ping.se/Android/Debian
I've attached the Leef microSD microUSB Connector with a 64GB sd card inside to the mini usb port of my nexus 10 as you can see here :

The tutorial talks about the The ASUS Transformer TF101 and the instructions are based on this tablet. Instead I have a tablet nexus 10,that's equipped with an internal sd card where I have installed android 4.4 + cyanogenmod. For this reason I need to know how to change some part of the tutorial to adapt it to my situation. Anyway on my desktop computer I have partitioned the sd card in this way :
Disk /dev/sdf: 64.0 GB, 64021856256 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7783 cylinders, total 125042688 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004504c

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1            2048    32767999    16382976    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sdf2        32768000   125042687    46137344   83  Linux

My nexus 10 recognizes the sd card as sda2. According with the tutorial I have issued the following commands,but something did not work :
mount -o rw,remount /
mkdir /mnt/deb
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda2 /mnt/deb
/mnt/deb/busybox sh
/mnt/deb/busybox mount -t proc none /mnt/deb/proc
/mnt/deb/busybox mount -t sysfs none /mnt/deb/sys
/mnt/deb/busybox mount -t tmpfs none /mnt/deb/dev
/mnt/deb/busybox mdev -s
exec /mnt/deb/busybox switch_root /mnt/deb /init

BusyBox v1.21.1 (2013-07-08 10:07:37 CDT) multi-call binary.

Usage: switch_root [-c /dev/console] NEW_ROOT NEW_INIT [ARGS]

Free initramfs and switch to another root fs:
chroot to NEW_ROOT, delete all in /, move NEW_ROOT to /,
execute NEW_INIT. PID must be 1. NEW_ROOT must be a mountpoint.

        -c DEV  Reopen stdio to DEV after switch

but where is the mistake ?

busybox switch_root works only when called from PID 1, meaning from init.


text:
link2sd app size incorect
Hi I was wondering someone here had a solution to my problem. I have rooted my tablet, created a ext4 partition and installed link2sd. I did this because I kept running out of space. The problem I am having is that the app size is much larger in application manager then in link2sd. For example I had the walking dead game installed which shows as1.25 gigs in app manager however only about 35 mb in link2nd so when I create the link it only saves me 35mb. Any help would be appreciated.

There is more to an app besides the application itself. The data for the application may not be moved to the sdcard. Or another example could be apps that download additional data from the play store after installing. So the "base application" might be 35mb, but the additional data may be 1gb. That additional data may not be able to be moved to the sdcard.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
I am using motorala g .I have problem sending contacts via SMS how to resolve it
I am unable to share the contacts via SMS there no such option can anyone help me

what is your android version ? ,
check this question and search please before send a question.
and also you can use import/export at " Contact " if your android version is support this option.

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


text:
WiFi network not detected (Nexus 4)
My home WiFi network is not detected at all on my Nexus 4 (lollipop). I've got no problem connecting with my laptop.
What could be the reason?

I had the exact same issue with my Nexus 4 after the Lollipop update.
Rebooting the phone will fix this temporarily, but only for a few hours from my experience.
So far there is only one thing that has resolved this issue for me - I replaced the stock Lollipop with Cyanogenmod, using these instructions:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_mako


text:
My POI files are not showing in OsmAnd
I have created POI using KML to .obf format,imported it to the SD card storage,also seleted the option 'Any' from POIs settings, but Osmand is not displaying any POIs.
I also imported some city maps(.obf format),which i have downloaded manually, stored in the same folder,OsmAnd is showing the maps properly but POIs. It will be great if someone please help me to solve this issue.
Thanks in advance.


text:
How to use an external sd card and recharge the battery at the same time
I'm an happy owner of the tablet nexus 10. It is very good. Some time ago I've bought the leef connector because I want to use an external sd card :

as you can see from the picture,there is a problem. When I keep attached the leef connector I can't recharge the battery. Do you know if there is some way to do both things at the same time ? I want to use the external sd card but when the battery is going to be very low I want to attach the tablet to one USB port or to the wall outlet. Thanks.

I have an OTG adapotor that looks like this

It accepts SD, microSD and USB memory sticks while charging. It's a bit bulkier than what you've got, but it may be worth trying. This one was made for the Galaxy S2, and it works well with the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S5 as well (those are the ones I've tried it with, and it probably works with most Samsung devices). There should be similar devices for your tablet or for generic Nexus devices as well.

can you suggest to me a more cute OTG adapter that works for my tablet ? it is very bulky ! thanks.

@Marietto "Very bulky" is an exaggeration. It's only about 3x1x0.5 cm. I only meant to show you that solutions exist, and the reason I included an image of this specific adaptor, is that it's what I've got at hand. Finding one that is more fit for your needs, is up to you. Google and Pricerunner are your friends.


text:
How can an NFC battery's NFC functionality be used on Android devices?
My Samsung Galaxy SIII comes with a battery with an Near Field Communications (NFC) label on it. Several earlier Android modles don't come with such a label on the battery. I would like to know what the NFC functionality on the battery enables Android devices and their OS to do with the battery.

What do you mean "how can it be used?" Are you looking for a list of every OS feature that leverages NFC? A list of every app that uses NFC? Something else entirely? Such lists would be too broad for an SE question, I would say. If you just want to know why the battery is relevant, that's answered by Why is the NFC in the Galaxy Nexus battery? The answer is that it's just an antenna. nothing more.

Thanks, that answers my question. As I need to get a replacement battery, I guess I will have to get one with the NFC label then if I want the NFC on my device to work. The original battery is a 2100mAh battery which used to charge in 4 hours and last several days, but now, about a year and a half later, once the battery level reaches 47% the device powers off, and charging only lasts 2 hours, hence the need for a new one.

Batteries labeled NFC come with the NFC antenna, without which it would be impossible for the NFC chip on the device to operate.


text:
Android Virtual Device
I want to run my first App 'Hello World' and want to create AVD, so I could run it using emulator . I am using android studio. When I create AVD with the given below configurations and launch emulator, i receive following error message;
" Starting emulator for AVD 'test'emulator: ERROR: x86 emulation currently requires hardware acceleration!
Please ensure Intel HAXM is properly installed and usable.
CPU acceleration status: HAX kernel module is not installed! "
I am using following AVD settings:
Device = Nexus 6(5.96", 1440 x 2560:560dpi)
Targt = Android 5.0.1 - API Level 21
CPU/ABI = Intel Atom (x86)
My computer configurations are as;
Accer Aspire 5732Z
Intel Pentium Processor T4300 (2.1GHz)
Memory 4GB
I would appreciate someones help.
Regards
UJB

"HAX kernel module is not installed!". Please first read the error and search for it (Google). Solutions can be found more than enough.

Genymotion is also a nice alternative ;)

I have tried genymotion as well, when I try to launch it, error says "Unable to load virtual box engine".

Your processor doesn't include support for Intel VT-x (virtualization technology), which is required by Intel HAXM. This means you can't run a x86-based device on your PC. You'll have to use the ARM CPU images instead.


text:
Gmail or Inbox not loading mails
I'm using gmail and inbox in my browser, they just work fine. However, on Android the Gmail app or Inbox app both displays nothing left whereas I do have emails in my inbox. If I try to switch in other categories such as spams or trash, it displays "No network" even though I'm connected.
I have a rooted phone with JB 4.2.2 (deodexed) and:

Xposed
Greenify Pro
GravityBox
Xprivacy (not for system apps)
...
I removed some system apps using ROM Toolbox but only samsung's bloat

I tried:

turning off Greenify auto-hibernate and Xprivacy for inbox
deleting data of Gmail, Inbox, or Google Play Services. When I try to use Inbox it now asks me to connect and then says that an error occured and try again later.
download manager is not disabled
removed /system/etc/hosts

You have to turn sync on. Go to your notification toggle section, and there should be a loop, that is the sync toggle button

I tried but it didn't worked :'(

Try going to Accounts, then go to google... sign out of your google account, then sign back in. It will refresh all of your google settings... and try disabling XPosed for some time

I would try to uninstal and reinstall app and login to see if your same settings are still applied. If so. Login from a pc and make changes that way. Always make sure you log in and out each time.


text:
Where to get or create an Android Lollipop iso for x64 environment?
My question is simular to this question about iso for x86.
I am looking to dual-boot my Lenovo Yoga 3 pro with Android L and I need an x64 iso.
I can not use an x86 as it is not able to install to my hard disk partitioned with GPT.
Where can I find an Andorid L x64 iso?
I am willing to try to create an iso on my own. Does anyone know how to do this?

To get Android Lollipop or another flavor of Android on your x64 laptop I recommend to use an Android disto called RemixOS. They have 64-bit support. There is another Android project called Phoenix OS that is similar but only x86.


text:
Lollipop Contact Count
I have a Nexus 6 with Lollipop 5.0. I am wondering how many contacts I have on my phone. Of course I could go through and count each one but is there a way to put the contact count at the bottom sort of like the iPhone contact count. How
How can I enable this?
Thanks.

In the Contacts app, press the Menu button and select Memory status.
Then you get a screen displaying you the total number of contacts used for every single account/storage.
This only works for custom ROMs, though (don't know why).

When I press the menu button, I don't see a Memory status. I see setting. Under settings there is only sorting.

Hmm, that's strange. I see Displayed contacts, Import/Export, Accounts, Settings, Delete and Memory status. Also I am on Lollipop, too. So that's strange.

Wait. I don't have developer mode on. Do you?

I have it on by default, but that's not the issue. Developer mode does not interfere with any apps (not even changing the menu).

I tried it with Dev mode on and it didn't work. Huh. That's strange

is it possible that it was removed in the update? I believe I have android 5.0.1.

I have 5.0.2 (CM12) and I see Memory status. @GiantTree, are you running Google android or CM (or some fork of CM)?

I am using a CM fork (Resurrection Remix) with Android 5.0.2.

FYI, this feature is not available on stock Android. Please include a note mentioning the custom ROM on the answer.

Oh, didn't know that. I'll add that ASAP.

Don't do it on the phone at all. Log into your gmail account on the desktop, switch to the contacts tab, and the number is displayed after "My Contacts"

I wrote an app that counts your contacts. It is called Contact Counter and eagerly waiting for users ;o)

You might consider adding a link to the app on the Play Store (or Github or wherever it's available from).

Just scroll down to the bottom of the Contact list -- you'll find the total # of contacts

Can you add more details please. Maybe it is specific to your phone /OS. I haven't seen that anywhere

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


text:
Will sdcard0 be encrypted on HTC One XL?
If I want to connect to our company Exchange server I am forced to encrypt my android (cm11).

Q1) My question is whether ever /sdcard0 will be encrypted too.

Note that HTC One XL got only internal storeage, no external SD card is present.
That is the location where I got pictures taken, installers for cm etc.

Q2) if /sdcard0 is encrypted too will I be able to access the files on sdcard0 via Mass Storage?
Q3) from the research I did, I would be able to update cm using "using a tmpfs mount for /sdcard and 'adb push update.zip /sdcard' just seconds flashing". Is that correct?
Q4) if I update cm will the data on /sdcard0 be still accessible?
Q5) I read that the only way to decrypt android phone is factory reset. That's something I do always before installing new version of cm. But this does not touch any data on /sdcard0. If /sdcard0 is encrypted what is the way for me to decrypt my phone?

Not answering your question, but there are mail clients (mailwise, for example) that allow you to connect to exchange and bypass the exchange security settings.

Too many questions btw but the answers are follows :
Ans 1 : Yes your /sdcard0 will be encrypted.
Ans 2 : No, if the /sdcard0 is encrypted you will not be able to access your storage in anyway.
Ans 3 : Yes, you will be able to update your cm but it will not be updated in seconds, it will take several minutes.
Ans 4 : Yes, all your previous data will be accessible. Data is lost only if you are installing cm for the first time, if you are updating it, your data will not be lost.
Ans 5 : Upto I know, you can decrypt your phone without factory reset but I don't know step by step process for decryption.

Ans4: how come data is going to be lost when I install cm for the first time? Let's say I got cm installed now and I decide to encrypt. So I just update settings and the phone will be updated. I am confused about this answer. On the other hand what is going to happen after I upgraded cm on encrypted phone? It will just pick it up and will be able to access the encrypted part?

@Radek What he means is that if you install from stock to CM ROM. You will obviously lose all data, since you are recommended to do a full wipe. But if you upgrade existing CM to a minor CM update, you can retain your data.


text:
Use of Dalvik VM in android
Can someone please explain why exactly Dalvik is used in android? Is it to provide portability and ability for the application developers to write hardware independent code? I dont think it is used for security reasons, since application sandboxing is being attained via unix style user permissions where each application is running under a different user id.

There are answers on SO that discuss this, if it helps. And Dalvik is replaced entirely by ART (Android RunTime) since Lollipop.

Thanks @Andrew , but that answer talks about Dalvik not being slow as we might assume but I still didnt find exactly why it is used.

So it is used to store everything you need. For example:
You own a Samsung Galaxy S4, you need:

Verizon Tools
Samsung Camera Drivers
Speaker Drivers
etc

So dalvik is a partition which is used to keep everything that your android device needs. It keeps everything ready to launch once you boot up your phone. =)

I was asking about the Dalvik virtual machine and not just the partition. Why do the apps need to run on a virtul machine?

Same thing... the Dalvik Partition is run as a virtual machine


text:
how to downgrade moto g 2nd gen from lollipop to kitkat without root
I am having a problem while gaming on my new android update on moto g (2nd gen). So, i want to downgrade the android version please help me out.

Related, but not duplicate as the nexus devices have "factory images": Can I downgrade to an earlier version of Android after installing an OTA update?

A downgrade (as well as an upgrade) can be performed by flashing the corresponding ROM that match your device configuration, that is  MOTO-G (2nd Gen.)
So, first thing is to find Appropriate ROM for your device MOTO-G.(2nd Gen.)
You may find more hints at this LINK.
Once you find the ROM, you can downgrade(or upgrade), as needed. Refer rom-flashing for more details and instructions related to ROM Flashing.


text:
Moto G 1st Gen - Mobile Data not working after upgrade to 5.0.2
After upgrading to Lollipop from 4.4.4, mobile data doesn't work. I have tried all the solutions listed in various forums including,
1. Reboot
2. Reboot after re-inserting the sim card.
3. Manually add the APN (Got the settings from the service provider)
4. Toggle between the Preferred Network type (2G and 3G)
I have only one usable sim slot, and so cannot use sim slot-1. I have heard it worked for a few guys after putting the sim in the other slot, but unfortunately I cannot try that out.
Any suggestions?

Okay, so here I am posting an answer to my own question.
I finally visited a Motorola service center today to get the problem fixed and I was told that they are aware of the issue and that they'll be rolling out an update with a fix in 5 days.
Hopefully everything will turn out well after that.

Just yesterday i got lollipop on my MotoG! I'm having same issue!! Its been 4 months since you posted the answer; Did the update roll out? Is your mobile data working?

@neckTwi: It looks like Rocks may never return. Did you ever find a solution to this issue which started affecting you more than a year ago?


text:
Galaxy S4 mail group limits
I have a Galaxy S4 that seems to only allow a maximum of 20 contacts in a mail group. Does anyone know how this annoying feature can be changed please?

Are you talking about an artificial limit of the number of contacts you can add to the default Mail app's "group" section? Because this as far as I know can't be circumvented.
I use Gmail (Gmail app recently stopped working so I switched to their newer "Inbox" app.. thanks google.. >_>) and there's no artificial limit on the number of members of a mail group in Gmail.
Like you have suggested though, it's an annoying "feature", it's unlikely it can be changed in the default "email" app.
[I have a SG4 too]
Edit: I'd recommend trying to add the people from your contacts to a general contacts group in the "Contacts" app or "People" app depending on your Android Distribution then choose to email them directly from there. I have one with 52 people I can email using a variety of email clients/apps.


text:
Turn on screen during notification on Moto G
Before I had an HTC one with 4.x & 5.x with custom roms. Whenever I got a text message and my phone had the screen off, the screen would turn on. I didn't think this was special behavior.
I just bought a Moto G (2nd Gen) with 5.x but when I get a text message the screen stays off.
I downloaded an app called AcDisplay and this helps, but it is a suboptimal solution since it shows its own screen and not the default android lock screen.
Is the turn on screen during notification only on custom roms?
This is hard to search for since nearly all results are for adjusting the privacy of the notifications that show on the lock screen.

It's either an added feature on custom ROM, or implemented on the apps (e.g. WhatsApp can turn on the display when there is a new message). However, it's not a default behavior on all devices.

Go to settings....display...then turn on he option "ambient display"
It wakes the screen when notifications arrive!


text:
Transfering my contacts from old phone to a new phone
How do I copy all my contacts and messages from my old Android to a new Android phone?
I downloaded Wondershare but the trial version only transfers 1st 5 numbers. Linking the phone to my PC only the SD card details are shown. Contacts and messages may be in the phone memory which I can't access.
How do I go about it?

When you add a new contact, your phone asks you where to store it (Phone, SIM, Google account). You can store your contacts in your Google account so when you sign in on another device, it will import your contacts.
For backing up SMS messages you can use SMS BackUp+ or a similar app.
For more detailed explanation you can refer to HowToGeek's article on SMS backup.

Not all phones "ask where to store" the contact.

Go to phone dialer menu-> import/export-> export to storage.
After this is done, you can find a file with VCF extension on the SD card.
In the new phone, import the file and select that file from the stored location and that's it.

Sign in to your Google account enter your Gmail account on your new phone and all your contacts will appear. Or just import contacts from the SD card on the phone dialer menu

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


text:
How can I customize which Gmail notifications are shown in the notification bar?
I receive dozen of useless newsletters everyday from my school, at the same time the same addresses may send a few important e-mails that I need to read ASAP.
How can I setup the Gmail client and the Android notification bar in such a way that the bar will show new messages only of their title doesn' start with a certain string of characters?
ex. if the same address sends me a newsletter called "Campus news no. xxx" (with the exact title changing everytime) how can I have the notification bar NOT show any message starting with the string "campus news"?
(Android 4.2.2 with Touch Wiz - Samsung Ace 3 GT-7270)

Well, @maja I wouldn't think that will be possible at all! Anyway I would say you can wait a little while for other members to respond over the same but I don't think the chances of getting the answer to such question is possible at all !

@PeterCarlos It's possible, but sadly not using Android only. In my opinion, the insufficient label management is a huge issue. I'd love to add, edit or remove labels in the app..

@stefan Yes, that's what I was thinking but as over here the original poster has been asking about to do the same over the Android device which makes me a little of the ....

@PeterCarlos in fact I don't care if it is on the device or a desktop, instead I find the desktop tools themselves to be somewhat lacking..  (no alfabetical sort inside the filter, a few to many clicks to get very repetitive processes done, etc. )

maja in that case I think you have already got your query answered by @stefan

You can filter messages based on sender, recipient, subject and other criteria from within the Web app. This is not possible from within the Android app.

In a web browser, Goto [Settings] -> [Filters] of Gmail. Click on [Create new filter].
Create a filter to match your newsletters.

Assign a label to them (create one if you don't have one yet). Make sure to apply "skip the inbox (archive it)" such that this message only lands in that label, but doesn't land in your inbox triggering a notification.

Now go to label settings in the Android app and customize notifications for the "newsletters" label.

I eventually arrived to this solution and passed the whole day updating the filters, I somehow feel the whole system may benefit from an overhaul, but at least it should work for the most annoying content. thanks @stefan

If you'd use the new label system you could have easily turned off notifications for that label, otherwise follow what was posted to get the same effect

how? how can I have a label assigned to some completely new content (either a new combination of sending address and title elements or just a new address form the same domain)?


text:
Invert screen colors on Android 4.4. KitKat
In Android Kitkat 4.4, is there a way to invert screen colors, that is make all colors negative? One would assume this would be a basic accessibility feature in today's world.

It's not available by default on AOSP KitKat. Which phone model do you have?

I have Micromax Canvas A1, based on the Android One specification. If it's not available by default are there any apps? (I couldn't find any for the 4.4). There seem to be a Negative Colors widget that is supposed to come in "stock", but I can't find it on my phone.

Someone suggested to install Xposed Framework, but I don't know if there's module for that. Other suggested CF.lumen app, but needs root (I tried just now, it can invert properly).


text:
Allowing SSH connection to Android Devices with Droidwall installed
I've installed SSHDroid and Droidwall on my Android device. I know that SSHDroid won't work if Droidwall is enabled. Is there's anyway to list SSH connection in Droidwall whitelist? So, I can connect to my Android device via SSH.

I would try using AFWall+ instead of Droidwall, since AFWall+ is a fork of Droidwall and Droidwall is deprecated.

Thanks, but how about the settings that I have to do to allow SSH connection?

Port 22 should be accessible from outside

>> AFWall+
>> Filter for " (root) - Applications running as root
>> Enable LAN

This can work with default Port# 22


text:
Is MIUI just another version of CYanogen Mod?
On their wiki page:
The original MIUI ROMs were based on Android 2.2.x Froyo and CyanogenMod 6 sources, and was initially developed in the Chinese language by Chinese startup Xiaomi Tech.[6] Xiaomi added a number of apps to enhance the basic framework; those include Notes, Backup, Music, and Gallery.[7]
Updates are usually provided over-the-air every Friday.[8] MIUI is then translated and ported into unofficial versions in other languages by independent developers and groups of fansites. The list of supported devices may or may not be complete, and ROMs are very similar but not identical. The list of fansites can be found on MIUI's official English website.[9]
I was just having a discussion about MIUI with a friend. I believe MIUI is just another version of CyanogenMod. Is this correct as there are various conflicting pieces of information scattered on the internet.
NOTE: I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, please let me know and I will migrate this question.

As far as I can tell MIUI is a ROM developed by Xiaomi Inc and was designed to mimic iOS more than other android ROMs. It has been available to install on many devices for a while as well as for their own brand of high end Chinese Android devices (http://www.mi.com/en/).
As far as I know, its only relation to CyanogenMod is that MIUI used the core backbone of CyanogenMod to build upon in creating its own ROM and so will share some commonalities/similarities but they have always been available separately and often compared to each other as 'competition' choices with people favouring one of the other for their differences in overall design in the end product.


text:
A Google Play application installed and not installed in the same time
Few days ago I was asked to install Mailbox from Dropbox, Inc.. I went to Google Play and clicked on the Install button to request remote installation on my machine. Yesterday, I have realised, that this apps wasn't actually installed. So I went again using PC and saw, that it is installed:

Since I couldn't find it on my phone, I opened Google Play directly from the device and to my surprise, it turned out, that this application actually isn't installed:

Is it often to reach such miss-align between mobile and desktop version of Google Play? What can cause this strange situation?

Sometimes I encounter this case. I can press the "Install" button again from browser, then the app will be really installed after the second time pressing it. As for the cause, I still don't have any idea.


text:
My mobile doesn't read my sd card
My Sony Xperia Play doesn't read the memory card. It only says unavailable. Trying to format it didn't help either. I have tried many methods but the same problem occurs, so what to do?

Have you tried formatting it on a Mac or PC? Seems to work better than trying to format it in Android for some reason


text:
fail to connect to public wifi networks with cyanogenmod
I changed my pre-installed OS to Cyanogenmod 9 on my Xperia Neo V and since then I cannot connect to any free public network that requires simple registration (like airports, cafes, etc).
My phone does connect to the networks (it says connected) but when I open the browser (Opera) to register it never connects, getting a failed to connect message after a while.
Does this has to do with this other problem I also have? To solve that problem I had to delete the dhcp folder. Maybe I deleted some other important files there?

DHCP is the method by which your phone is assigned an IP address whenever you connect to a wireless network, exactly as in the scenario you mention.  Basically (and oversimplified) when you connect to the network, you announce to everyone "Everybody, I'm here on this network now!  Hey router, I'm a phone with the MAC address of 00:01:02:03:04 (or whatever)  Can you give me an IP to use?"  And the router responds "Yes phone 00:01:02:03:04, for this connection you should use the IP of 192.168.1.105" and from then on that's your IP.
If you're deleting files and folders out of /data/misc/wifi or /data/misc/dhcp, you're removing the place that the wifi system sets and stores wifi/network-related information, so I'm not surprised that you'd be having issues.  In fact, sometimes just doing a rm -rf /data/misc/wifi can solve some corrupted/messed up wifi issues, but of course you lose all your settings when they are re-created.  At reboot, those folders are usually recreated if they are missing and their permissions and ownership is adjusted, but if you're asking if deleting stuff in there is related, then the answer is probably yes, depending on when and how often you're clearing it out.  A reboot when you're near one of these open wifis may help if you've messed with those directories since rebooting.
One final observation is that there appears to be a cm10 for your device.  If you're still on cm9, you may want to upgrade.


text:
Make an app behave as if it is on kitkat
I have an app that worked well on my i9100 (Samsung Galaxy S2) with a custom Kitkat rom. Now, I have installed CM12 (Lollipop) and this app isn't working as it should have.
It shows a login screen, clicking "sign in" on which it throws an error (invalid login. server not responding. Please try again later). This didn't show up when the phone was on Kitkat.
Is there a way whereby I can tell the app that it is running on kitkat or run an app in compatible mode(?)

More information is needed.  Which app? What is the error it's showing?

@Chahk: Updated the question with link to the app and the error message. Thank you for taking a look.

You should probably just contact the app developer. If Lollipop broke something they'll need to release a fix for it.

@eldarerathis: Sure. Lets say that is going to take time. I wanted to see if there is a way whereby I can tell the app to run in compatible mode, assuming Lollipop supports backwards compatibility.

Apps SHOULD be forward compatible-- new capability is added to Android updates, but a lot of care is taken by Google to try to make sure that older apps won't break on newer Android.  That said, you're sure it's not a new or temporary issue with the server? Can you verify it still runs from a kitkat device?  I'd check logcat for clues (errors can actually be kind of descriptive) and contact FSM Mobile with whatever you discover so they can fix the issue.


text:
Writing an ISO file to flash memory
I have an Ubuntu DVD ISO file downloaded in my android phone. Is there any way or any app I can use to write the ISO file to a USB flash memory connected to the phone so that the flash memory can be used just like a DVD to boot into Ubuntu in a desktop computer?

There is an app on the Play Store called 'DriveDroid' which will allow you to do exactly what it is you are looking for.
I am not sure however, if it is free or not but unfortunately you need a rooted phone to use it.

well it seems my phone cannot be rooted. I want to write the ISO to a flash memery, drivedroid tries to use the phone as a flash memory instead.

I believe this is why you need root, so that it can access and use USB or SD Card. Is there no root information for your phone on the net?

Although it's not actively maintained; EtchDriod still a works file for Linux ISOs.

EtchDroid is an open-source application that helps you write images to USB drives, no root required.


text:
mdev: applet not found when trying to populate /dev on android
I'm trying to install Debian on the Android 4.4 (modded with cyanogenmod) that's installed on my nexus 10 to one external sd card. I'm reading this tutorial :
http://whiteboard.ping.se/Android/Debian
I've attached the Leef microSD microUSB Connector with a 64GB sd card inside to the mini usb port of my nexus 10 as you can see here :

The tutorial talks about the The ASUS Transformer TF101 and the instructions are based on this tablet. Instead I have a tablet nexus 10,that's equipped with an internal sd card where I have installed android 4.4 + cyanogenmod. For this reason I need to know how to change some part of the tutorial to adapt it to my situation. Anyway on my desktop computer I have partitioned the sd card in this way :
Disk /dev/sdf: 64.0 GB, 64021856256 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 7783 cylinders, total 125042688 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004504c

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdf1            2048    32767999    16382976    b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sdf2        32768000   125042687    46137344   83  Linux

according with the tutorial,these are the commands that I have issued right now from my desktop pc to the tablet using the ssh connection :
mount -o rw,remount / ;
mkdir /mnt/deb ;
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda2 /mnt/deb ;
mkdir /mnt/deb/proc ;
mkdir /mnt/deb/sys ;
mkdir /mnt/deb/dev ;
/system/xbin/busybox sh ;
~ # echo $$
2360
/system/xbin/busybox mount -t proc none /mnt/deb/proc ;
/system//xbin/busybox mount -t sysfs none /mnt/deb/sys ;
/system/xbin/busybox mount -t tmpfs none /mnt/deb/dev ;
/system/xbin/busybox mdev -s ;
mdev: applet not found

and now I'm freezed here. I've tried to find a solution by myself with google but I haven't found the solution. This is what I have tried to do :
~ # echo $PATH
/sbin:/vendor/bin:/system/sbin:/system/bin:/system/xbin

~ # which busybox
/system/xbin/busybox

~ # find / -name mdev
/mdev

~ # cd /

~ # ln -s /system/xbin/busybox mdev

~ # /system/xbin/busybox mdev -s
mdev: applet not found

but where is the mistake ? thanks.

this is not a mistake. Your deployed busybox binary does not include mdev. What you need to do is: cross compile your own busybox for ARM with mdev included. Or look for a prebuilt ARM binary which includes mdev and replace the busybox binary which is currently installed.

According with the tutorial I have replaced the default busybox binary with the one that has been already compiled to support mdev. The error is gone,but I have not fixed the main problem that I have explained here : http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/97534/transfer-root-to-sdcard-with-switch-root-didnt-work ; infact the switch_root command still does not work. Can you help me further ? thanks.


text:
The encryption button is not working on Galaxy S Duos
I cannot encrypt my S Duos, it has an ICS 4.0.4 custom ROM with bloatware removed. When I'm trying to encrypt, the encryption button looks like it's hidden.

You must set screen lock password first, not PIN. Then try to encrypt and your button will be enabled. Then follow instructions...


text:
Auto spacing in Firefox search bar does not work
As the title says, the auto spacing feature does not work in Firefox search bar.
This issue seems to be related only with that bar, because auto spacing works fine
in forms or text fields in web pages and it works in the other apps too.
My Android version: 4.4.2
I hope somebody else has already experienced this problem.

What keyboard are you using?

This is a known bug.  It seems like it was introduced with 4.2.2.  Downgrading to before that is not a good option, but might be available to you.
It affects multiple browsers with multiple keyboards, so I assume the issue must be with the specific type of text field used for their address bars.  I used to encounter this with Chrome but haven't lately, so you could also try that browser instead of Firefox.  In the thread above, someone also mentioned that the stock Google keyboard did not cause the issue for them.

This isn't a bug, this is by design. The application, in this case the browser, sets input type hint for the URL bar to be text box for entering a URL, and the keyboard switches to URL keyboard, which provides helper keys like a .com key and disables autospace since URLs usually don't have spaces. If you have a relatively recent device, use the Home Button Search (by default this is usually to Google Now or S-Voice, but can be customized to launch Firefox Search).

as @MatthewRead says, this is a known bug. Here are some more details:
Apparently, for some reason the phone thinks that browsers are only for typing web addresses. Since URLs don't have spaces, the phone disables auto space by default. This make sense since many browsers use the same box for both searching and the URL, but often causes inconveniences. The only possible solution is to either go to your search engines website, or looking for and trying other browsers.


text:
How to change launcher application on cyanogenmod 11?
I've updated my Cyanogenmod 11, and I found that the Google experience launcher is not available anymore. Instead I'm forced to use trebuchet (or something like that) with the option to have the google now cards.
But I'd like to have GEL instead! How should I do it?

Have you tried installing it from Google Play? Not sure which one it is (as it's not exactly my favorite) – but maybe you mean this one?

That did it! I missed it because I previously installed google now...

OK, so maybe I make it an answer for you to accept – so it gets clear your issue has been solved :)

The Google Launcher is available at Google Play – so you can install it like you would install any other app.


text:
Some secret codes not working after installing CyanogenMod
I installed CyanogenMod on my Galaxy SIII I9300, There was a secret code that shows MAC address of the device: *#232338# that was working when original stock ROM was on my device. But it does not works now. Is the secret code list differs between original stock ROM and CyanogenMod? If yes, where I could find new secret code list?

Such secret codes are usually not needed on a custom ROM like CM, because their functionality is easy to access via Settings or a menu inside. "Secret codes" are usually only GSM codes (working on every phone) or "shortcuts".

For you: Go to Settings->About the phone->Status scroll down to Wifi MAC address and read it there.

Some "secret" codes are provided via hidden apps that the carrier and/or the device manufacturer installs in the phone's firmware. When you switch to a custom ROM such as Cyanogenmod, those apps are no longer present.
Nevertheless, for just about anything you might have wanted a "secret" code for, there is some way to get that information already, either through an existing menu item or a free app you can find on the Play Store.

In CyanogenMod 12, it's Settings->WiFi->Advanced WiFi (in the menu) and there you can find both IPv4 and IPv6 MACs.
Or, to find it in the command line, say via adb, type adb shell netcfg.  Also you can use adb shell ip addr show from the command line which also gives you this info.  Both of these commands can also be entered via the Terminal app and neither requires root.
(On some older devices you can try using ifconfig -a or even iwconfig -a... good luck!)

Try this Code,
*#*#232338#*#*

Here is a List:
WiFi Mac Address Secret Code:
*#*#232338#*#*

Bluetooth Test Code :
*#*#232331#*#*

Bluetooth Device Address :
*#*#232337#*#*

Power Off Code :
*#*#7594#*#*

Quick GPS Test Code :
*#*#1472365#*#*

Different GPS Test Code :
*#*#1575#*#*

This list will be long, find the rest here


text:
Any application to scan non-standard QR codes
Following this question. Typical QR Codes have control squares in three of four corners of each code:

It there any application or method available for Android system to scan non-standard QR Codes? For example:

QR Code with only one, central control square (I can't provide detail about company using these, because I've seen them in dozens of places, but I've heard, that many airlines uses these):

UPS diamond-codes / MaxiCodes:

I've tested many different QR Code reading applications in Google Play, but none of them were able to scan any of these non-standard QR Codes and all of them were limited to standard QR Codes only.

First of all: The examples you have given are no QR codes. They look similar, but use different techniques to store information. The first one should be an Aztec-Code. I know that there was an App called barcode Scanner that was able to read various barcodes and 2D codes, but it seems to have lost functionality; for me it only reads QR and bar codes, nothing else (no data matrix/Aztec codes).

I think this could be an answer.

Yuck... Just after answering it: recommendations like Is there an app for X are off-topic here (see What topics can I ask about here? for details). But it had perfectly fit on Software Recommendations... That happens to one being active on both ends – I thought I was there :)

NeoReader should match your specification:

Scans all standard 1D and 2D code types – QR, Data Matrix, Aztec, EAN, UPC, Code 39, Code 128, PDF 417 and more!
Automatic detection of code type

(emphasis mine)
As GiantTree identified one of your non-standard codes as "Aztec", this app sounds promising. It doesn't explicitly mention your other candidate, but that could be covered by "and more" (or we simply were not able to connect it with one of the other names).
I've personally never used this app, as I only need EAN (1D) and standard QR codes – so I can give no personal experience here. But again, rating (4.2) and votes (>30,000) speak for it. If you want to check some alternatives, be welcome to take a look at my list of Barcode Readers.

Thank you for a great answer, even though, it is for an off-topic question. BTW: "the other candidate" was already identified by me. It is MaxiCode.

Update: No, NeoReader is not able to read MaxiCodes ("the other candidate"). It does not recognize them on screen / on paper and when such image is uploaded to NeoReader (an option to recognize an image from library), it crashes.

Sad to hear that! Just discovered those are used e.g. by UPS. I only found several low rated reader apps explicitely mentioning them. Best rated amongst those is Barcode Helper. Not updated since 2013, though.


text:
Select multiple files on Google Drive App
Is it possible to select multiple files on the Google Drive App?
I tried every intuitive solution I could think of, perhaps it's possible on the Google Docs app?

Since Mar 6, 2015, you can trigger multiple files/folders selection on Google Drive app by long-pressing a file/folder, then ticking other files / long-pressing other folders.
After selecting them, you can:

Star selected items
Pin selected items
Remove selected items, or
Move to another folder (by selecting from the menu, or by dragging the "deck" to a folder)

It's still impossible when I need to select multiple files as attachments using gmail app and using "From google disk" option. I can select only single file. On the other side, when I use share option from Google drive app I can select multiple files but there is an option to add those files as physical copies (not links to files on google drive) which I don't want because of email attachments size limitation.

That's exactly as it works in other apps or on Android system in general. But the problem is, that you have to manually tick every single file what's useless when you need to select more files than a couple of them. It looks like there's no way to select a range of files.

Simply first go gallery, select multiple files,  then select the share option, then select drive, all files will upload simultaneously.


text:
Can apps completely take over sound I/O in calls?
I've done some searching but this is a pretty hard question for search engines. I need to know if an Android app itself can take full control of call sound I/O on calls to the PSTN.
I've found "background sound effects" apps e.g. to add traffic sounds to the background of a voice call, but I'm not sure this indicates what I'm interested in - the ability of an app to do ALL sound I/O on voice calls. And of course there are the call recorder apps which indicate that incoming voice call audio can be diverted and processed.
Examples where this would be useful:

realtime voice disguiser apps (shifts the pitch of your voice etc)
apps that detect when hold music is interrupted by a human so e.g. one can put the phone down and it will beep when a call center employee answers
apps which implement a DSP modem which can talk to a modem (or fax machine) on the PSTN, even if at low speeds like 4800-9600bps

The latter is my particular interest - being able to have an app which acts as a softmodem and can talk to modem-based devices on the PSTN. I'd imagine it might be technically possible given the CPU power of modern phones but I wonder if it's possible given Android's own capabilities.


text:
Ringing volume is reduced after after updating Moto G2 to Android Lollipop
After updating my Moto G2 to Lollipop 5.0, the ringing volume of my phone is reduced. Can anyone help me with a fix?

I suggest you to perform clear cache on your device. This steps will remove any temporary files that may be causing the problem, but will not delete your files or settings.

With the phone powered off, press and hold the Volume Down + Power button at the same time and release after two sec.
Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight "Recovery mode"
Press the Volume Up button to restart into Recovery mode.
You'll see an image of an Android robot with a red exclamation mark and the words "No command."
Hold the Power button, do not release it, press the Volume up button and release it (hold on the Power + Volume Up button and release).
Use the volume buttons to scroll to "Wipe cache partition" and press the Power button to select it.
"Reboot system now" will be highlighted, press the Power button to select it.

I hope I can help as my Moto g 2nd Gen had the same problem and it's running ok for now.
You are going to need to plug your phone into a computer and on AUTO PLAY click "OPEN FOLDER TO VIEW FILES".

Go to Media folder > Audio > Ringtones
Copy all ringtones and go back 3 tabs to the main storage page of your phone
Open Ringtones folder and paste your ringtones
Close the window, unplug your phone and cross your fingers it has solved your problem.

Worked for me so I hope this helps others.


text:
Galaxy S4's LCD broken. How do I access hidden folders in the storage using computer?
I recently broke my screen entirely so the touch function and LCD do not work at all on my Samsung Galaxy S4.  I managed to plug in a keyboard to my phone to input my pass-code in order to unlock the phone so I could access the files on the computer.  However, I do have some files on my phone that are hidden (with the . file prefix I used to hide them in a separate file manager app).  I can not figure out how to access these files.  I am willing to download any program necessary to get these off my phone!
Again I can not use my phone at all as the screen is broken.  Possibly if I can remotely control the phone via my computer?  Any help is appreciated.  If absolutely necessary I will have to replace the digitizer and LCD.

As you're able to access your device (i.e. apply input to it), the easiest option would be activating usb-debugging and then use adb. There are even good graphical remote-tools when it comes to ADB (if the device is rooted, and your computer is running Windows, I strongly recommend taking a look at Droid Explorer; its dev is an active member here at this site), but you can as well deal with the command line (ls -a would include hidden folders and files in a listing of the directory you're in).
For additional hints, please take a look at our tag-wikis for broken-screen and adb, plus at my list of ADB tools – the latter including pointers to several "ADB file-managers" which might prove helpful in your case.

Okay, so I can't comment to ask what PC OS you're using, so I guess I'll assume it's Win7. So open an instance of Windows Explorer.
Then, select "Folder and search options".
Select the tab marked " View".
On the "Hidden files and folders", select the radio button " show hidden files,folders,and drives".
Also, your phone isn't on charge only, is it? If it is, I'm afraid I can't be much of assistance there..


text:
Nexus 5 not recognized at all by device manager
I've been programming a game for android and been using my nexus 5 for debugging purposes for a while. Unfortunately, today it isnt being recognized anymore.
Things I've tried to fix it:

Enabled USB debugging
Tried another cable
Unplugged replugged
restarted android studio
restarted laptop
Switched to MTP
Switched to PTP
Factory reset device
killed adb server then started it again

Since it doesnt come up on the device manager at all - I was unable to reinstall drivers.
I've been trying to fix this for about 4 hours now and I'm starting to go crazy. Thanks in advance.

Do you get the notification that the phone is connected?

The only form of notification I get is that it's charging.

Use a different USB port or PC?

I tried my nexus 7 and that one works. I think there might be something wrong with my nexus 5.


text:
I Rooted My Phone and Uninstalled Google Play Service
Even though I was warned, I went and uninstalled Google Play and Services because I've been using iMobile for my app store as I didn't think I needed them any more. Guess I was wrong because now iMobile won't open.

Well, there are a lot of services that requires the use of Google PlayServices app for working but I couldn't understand why Imobile isn't working anyway maybe you should try installing Google PlayServices back to see if installing it fixes the problem.

Follow the link if you want Google Play back
http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/117097/error-application-not-installed-when-trying-to-install-google-play-services-ap/117132#117132

I had same problem few months back. Then what I did was:
I used a second, identical device (running the same Android version), and from there transferred all the components I had accidentally uninstalled on the first one, using some sort of apk sender application.

This answer is very hard to read and understand. what is "some sort of apk sender application"? How (and what) did you transfer "components you uninstalled"?


text:
Auto restart android OS
I am looking for a mechanism so that I can auto restart my android 4.3 phone at periodic intervals without human intervention.
Is there some way that allows me to do that ?

You can use this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pereira.autoreboot
It needs root permissions.

+1 worked for me, as far as I know any app that can access the reboot menu will need root permission.


text:
tts or some other notification sounds not playing at right time when screen is off
tts stops reading the next paragraph when screen is off , notification sounds from some apps don't play while screen is off.
But when I turn on the screen it starts playing again, even if I don't unlock.

Android suspends its tts service when screen turned off.


text:
Where is the internal memory for Samsung Galaxy S2 and how do I remove it?
I've removed the motherboard like this: http://gyazo.com/9995b3ba45b8053c2732eee6f62f90da
I no longer care about the phone itself. The only thing I particularly care about now is getting into the internal memory since it has alot of sentimental files that really can't be replaced. A picture pointing out the things i need to take out would be nice as well as some additional info
Thanks!

The internal memory isn't removable - it's soldered onto the phone's motherboard. The only way to get data from it is via USB.


text:
Moto G Lollipop Update : WiFi Bug
I just updated my Moto G to Android Lollipop via official Motorola update. Now, my Moto G is not connecting to the my cellular Data Plan and not even identifying my home Wi-Fi. (Interestingly, the phone is connecting and identifying other Wi-Fi s)
Please suggest a solution.

Well, that gives me a feel that at the time of updating your device may have encountered some error as I am also having Moto G which has been recently updated with the Android Lollipop 5.0.2, and couldn't see the bug you are talking about, did you tried removing and re-inserting the SIM card, if not then try doing that because sometimes it do helps in fixing common problems like the one you are referring to and if by chance if you still don't get things back to working then I would say, most of the time it's better to perform a factory reset! See if that helps ....

Check your wifi channel on your home wifi router. If you have channel 12 or 13, then is probably your phone configured for bad region (e.g. us), just go to advanced settings in wifi settings and set the right region.

I just resolved this issue on my wife's MotoG by changing the channel in wifi router to 6. You should choose your wifi channels based on some simple app like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&hl=en

Added an answer as a comment since I could not add answer to this question even though I've the required reputation. :/


text:
How can I know what type of encryption is used by my mobile phone?
I'm interested in finding out what kind of cipher is used on my Android phone. For example A5/1, A5/3 or is the GSM connection unencrypted. I was thinking about sending AT commands to the GSM modem (/dev/smd0), however I didn't find any command that would tell me this. Is this possible somehow?

Try the service menu if your phone supports it: dial *#*#7378423#*#* (*#*#service#*#*).


text:
How to root and unlock bootloader
how do how do I root and unlock the bootloader for my Samsung Galaxy 3 S model number SCH-s968c which is the Verizon version for straight talk

This may help http://forum.xda-developers.com//showthread.php?p=47412631

Some Samsungs have a bug in their "download mode" which will let you flash a custom recovery without even having to root or unlock the bootloader. With custom recovery you can then do whatever you want with the phone.

From my research this mo del

From my research this model does not.  Every technic I have found does not work. Apparently if the model ids made after august 2014 No one has found a way to root

Verizon models come with a locked bootloader which makes it impossible to root.

Is that for sure? Sometimes it's as simple as flashing a pre-rooted ROM. Unlocking the bootloader isn't necessary to root many devices. HOWEVER, if no root method exists, then you can't root the device.


text:
Karbonn Titanium S1 suddenly switches off
My Karbonn Titanium S1 smartphone switches off when I open the gallery, play any game, listen to music or do anything with the phone without connecting the charger. The screen starts to shrink and the phone is switched off. After restarting the phone battery is empty.
How can I solve this?

Well,that's weird maybe you should try performing factory reset to see if that helps you out ! And if it still doesn't then better would be talking it to the customer support as it may be happening because of some hardware problems.

Is the battery indicator on the phone showing full charge before you disconnect it?

and after restarting the phone battery is empty.

This shows the battery of the phone is dead. You will need to replace the battery to stop the sudden drain like this.

I had the same problem with the same phone . I changed my battery and everything is OK   now


text:
Camera 'Failed to start" after button pressed on the left side
I started the camera on the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. One of the buttons on the left side was pressed by a customer.
Now whenever I try starting the Camera I get a "Camera Failed to Start" message. How can I fix this?

Did you try rebooting the tablet? That message usually means some application (probably the camera app itself) has a 'grip' on the camera hardware. Usually the first port of call is a reboot. Then if you have to try clearing the cache/data of the camera app.

Go to "Camera" in "All apps" of the settings menu and selecting "Clear Data" should do the trick.


text:
Multiple Google Accounts contacts Syncing
I have 2 google accounts lets say 'me@gmail.com' and 'work@gmail.com'
Personal email has 500 contact of my friends and family. Work email has 1100 business contacts.
I share the work emails contact list across 5/6 different people/PC's/mobiles etc. and keep the personal one for my phone only.
Can anybody find a way that my android phone can display/sync me@ contacts whilst JUST displaying work@ contacts?
Whenever I add accounts/sync etc. both lists merge and everybody using the work email suddenly has access to my personal contacts?
Tried quite a few fixes but Android always syncs everything.

Which phone and which version of Android is it running?

I'm not fully understanding the request. You want your phone to display/sync @me contacts, but only display the work@ contacts without syncing them? That's not a distinction that exists. The only way to display them is to sync them to your phone. That's the method by which they reach your phone.
Are you asking for it to not sync changes back from the phone to the work@ account? The only way to ensure that is, simply, not to make any changes to the work@ account contacts. Don't add anything to them, and don't edit them. The only things that sync back up to the cloud are things you change.
Syncing two different accounts (me@ and work@) will not merge the contacts. It will merge your view of those contacts, so that locally on your phone you see only one list of contacts aggregated from both sources, but if you go onto your computer, or work@ Gmail web interface, it will not contain all the contacts you synced to your phone from your me@ account. They're kept entirely walled off from each other. I have easily five or six Google accounts at any one time on my device, some Gmail, some Google Apps, and NONE of the contacts cross-pollinate. In fact I wish there was a way to make them do so, as it would be useful for me to have all of my contacts in a couple of those accounts for various purposes. But the moment I log into the web interface for one of my less common ones, I have zero access to any of the contacts in my primary one, and vice versa. So there should be zero problem here, just possibly the perception of one.
The only way to get the contacts from one into the other would be to manually export them from one account and import them into another. Or, presumably, use some sort of third-party app that might produce the same result.
Assuming my answers above don't clear up the issue, and there's still a problem, can you clarify a couple things for me?

What specific phone do you have?
Are you using the built-in Android function for adding these Google accounts, and not some third-party app to manage them?
Do you have any sort of unusual backup apps you use on the phone for contacts?

I'm researching a similar issue. The root of our problems is how tightly google accounts are integrated across the apps on Android phones. I just learned Android has the concept of "users". Like a computer or server, you can log out of your personal user and log in to the work user. I believe this functionality was added in Android version 8 or 9.
Previously, I used Settings -> Google -> Add Account and I didn't want the mess of all my google accounts on my phone. Like your problem with contacts, it also means notifications and prompting from maps and gmail for my work account. And my multiple other gmail accounts I haven't given up on.
Now, I "added a new user" to my phone. Once added, when switching to this user the first time, they go through the full process of setting up the phone. You can switch users by swiping down with 2 fingers. Next to the settings gear icon is a user head. Tap that to switch users. To add a user the menu is Settings -> System -> Advanced -> Multiple Users
I did all this so I could add work's Google Prompt popup to my phone. I do not know yet if I'm using the phone as my personal account if the work's google account will "Is this you" popup or not. Plus there are rare times I simply need to see work's email. Additional users lets me have work on my phone but my normal user experience isn't littered with work-account related stuff all the time.

Complete side note: If you only need 2FA on a phone for a not-my-own-google-account,  "just use the Authenticaor app". To do this, download Google Authenticator, try to add your new account, then on your pre-existing computer, go to the 2-Step Verification page and click on Authenticator App to get a QR code to scan. Then you don't need work's Google Account on your phone at all.


text:
factory reset ,re-install
i recently factory reset my phone and wiped everything off it.
i have re-installed my phone and logged back in to the play store with the same Gmail account. my question is , why is it when i look up installed apps and come to re-install them again does it say the in app perches price of 2.99 ? does this mean i have to pay for it again ? , because i thought if you buy it once you never have to buy it again if you re-install on the same account!.

That's correct.  Are you sure you're using the same primary account?

No, you shouldn't have to buy the app again.  If you bought the app, you should have a receipt in your e-mail inbox or a folder you put them in.  E-mail the support team of the app in question by going to the app page on the Play Store, scrolling down, and click on "Send email", attach your receipt so they know you paid and they should either refund your money so you can buy it again, or make it so you don't have to pay again.  Just a word of warning though, some support teams aren't the best depending on what app it is, so there is an outside chance you might have to pay for it again if they don't respond.


text:
Android software update
I am with Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Android 4.2.2 JB which has to be upgradable up to 4.4.3 KK.
However the software actualization keep fails due to a lack of free memory in the phone and SD card.
It shouldn't fail since I have 1GB of free space on the phone (actualization is /500mb/) and 14 GB of free space on the SD card.
What am I supposed to do to solve this?

You can try to move some apps to your SD card because there may be to little space on your phone. I recommend DU Speed Booster because it has a move to SD feature which tells you which apps can be moved... Hope it helps

I already have DU Speed Booster apps. I removed all the movable apps.

If you can, backup your data and Factory Reset your device, setup the initial phase then go straight to the upgrade. This should allow your phone to update before you install any third party apps etc. Not the continent way but it should work.

I would say the reason why its showing error is because of the space, maybe you should consider moving some of the bulky apps over to the SD card, or I would also say that its better to Head over to the Settings>application manager> Swipe left to all and start uninstalling the application that you don’t use much as the update you are going to put over your device may look for more of the device internal storage.  And still if that doesn’t helps then better will be installing some cleaner apps like CCleaner apps over the device as sometimes it does helps in clearing junk space occupied.......

You can uninstall all updates to stock apps such a google play store because the update are going to be installed anyway during the android update...

Yes thanks. I think backup of everything should fix the problem.

Try Settings => Apps => All => delete cache


text:
Two identical devices, only one offers system update
I have two identical Nexus 7 (GSM) devices. Both running Android 4.4.4, KTU84P.
Now one of them shows that Lollipop 5.0.2 is available as OTA, but the other one says that no updates are available. How is that possible?

OTA updates that come directly from Google (such as Nexus devices) are rolled out in waves. An excerpt from Dan Morill's comment states that, specifically:

Rollouts are conducted in phases. Typically they start at 1% of devices for around 24 - 48 hours; we watch the return rates and resulting device checkins and error reports (if any), and make sure nothing looks wrong before sending it to more. Then typically it goes to 25%, 50%, 100% over the course of a week or two.
What the percentages mean is that when your device checks in, it has a 1% chance (for example) of being offered the OTA. If it doesn't (randomly) get an offer, it will never get an offer until the next batch.

Since the Lollipop update for the GSM Nexus 7 just began yesterday, one of your devices was likely chosen for this "wave" and the other was not. If you want to update manually, you could try to find a copy of the OTA and attempt to sideload it or use the proper factory images.

Alright, for some reason I thought it would be country specific rollouts or something like that. So it's probably just some algorithm that checks some identification from the device before answering wether it has updates.

It's basically just random. I updated the excerpted quote with the next paragraph, which explains the selection process. When your device checks in, it randomly gets either a yes or no. To start, it's a roughly 1% chance of a "yes". If it gets a "no", Google will record that, and every subsequent check will also be a "no" until the next wave starts, at which point a check will result in another random yes/no (with 25% chance of a "yes"). The probability that you get a "yes" increases with each wave, up to 100% at the end.

Basically, if the numbers are truly accurate and not just for the purposes of an example, you had a 1/10000 chance of both devices getting offered the OTA during the first batch.

@eldarerathis I'm not certain it's entirely random. A friend both have the Galaxy S5. He got his about a week before I got mine. Before I rooted it, he got all the updates about a week before I got them. Before that we both had the S3, and with that one it was the other way around. There may be some randomness, but my experience suggests that there is probably an overall queue, in which devices are placed at the end when they're first activated.

@SixthOfFour that may well be the case for Samsung OTA's as they control the rollout. This question (and answer) are specific to how Google rollout the OTA's to their devices. I'm not aware of any definitive information on how other manufacturers handle updates.

@bmdixon You are right, of course, that different manufacturers may handle this differently.

@SixthOfFour I've clarified the first sentence slightly to try to make my intent a bit clearer, but yes, this really only applies to Google's update strategy as bmdixon notes. Carriers can also affect this, since they have a great deal of influence over OTA timings and rollouts. The statements I've referenced come from one of Android's engineers, so I have no reason to doubt their accuracy in this instance, but I would not be able to gauge whether or not they apply across the board to every Android device.

@eldarerathis Point taken.


text:
SD Maid on Rooted Roger's Galaxy S3 hanging on "System Cleanup" and "Duplicate"
My phone is a rooted Canadian Samsung Galaxy S3 (SGH-I747M) running stock 4.4.2. I've had SD Maid installed for a very long time and it's worked great up until now. I've never had any issues with it. I hadn't used SD Maid in a couple of months due to carelessness so a couple of days ago I figured I'd give it a run.
Well, most of the scans to run as per usual but for some reason both "System Cleanup" and "Duplicate" seem to start but then shortly after hang and not complete. For example, I notice System Cleaner will start with a full 600 op/s but then it reaches the "cache" portion of the scan and then the op/s seem to drop steadily, all the way down to 5 op/s. I even let the phone sit for an hour or something, assuming for whatever reason, that the cache was massive but that doesn't seem to be the case. Shortly after, if you try to do anything, SD Maid crashes.
Something similar with the "Duplicate Finder" function happens as well. Start fast at around 120 op/s, gets to scan about 380-480 files and then the op/s drop to 2 op/s but the scanned files aren't moving at all.
I'm not sure if this is a bug with SD Maid, a problem with my phone or something else? I was curious about installing a older or beta version of SD Maid to see if that would help but I've been reluctant to do so. I've noticed my phone has also been somewhat more sluggish lately and that the battery has been dying much faster. I've been using Greenify for a year or 2 now and that always seemed to help. I added Hipmunk and Snapchat to the Greenify list a few days ago, thinking that they might be the culprits to the battery loss but it hasn't helped much.
How do I diagnose or fix SD Maid?

Do you have an external sdcard in your device? If so, remove it and try again.
When sdcards start throwing errors and have to remap sectors it kills their performance. As this is usually an indicator for a dying sdcard i would suggest to backup any important data you have on it.

Oh my goodness, haha. It's the actual Darken! Hello! Anyway, I took out the SD Card and it instantly started working. I guess my SD Card is starting to go. No big deal. It's just a really old 2gig stick from my old Blackberry. Really appreciate this! It's always reassuring to have the actual developer help instead, lol. Love the product by the way. 10/10 would buy again! And the support? Amazing apparently, haha. Have an awesome day sir!


text:
samsung galaxy core-i8262 /system/xbin/su path
I have samsung gt-i8262 phone.
scenario: i want to drop superSU binary for gaining root access. I tried framaroot but was not successful. now I am using cydia impactor to execute script as /system/xbin/su.
There are two partition sdcard0 and exsdcard in file explorer, a format which i have not seen in other devices.
my problem: How can I know the path of xbin? is it the same in gt-i8262 device as the other devices.
NOTE: later on, I want to root this device and install CWM recovery.
any expert help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance, gud day.

/system/xbin/su is an absolute path, it can only be in one location. Do you have a reason to believe that the path is incorrect? Are you having trouble rooting your device properly?

yes, i do have reason. Whole internet is able to root gt-i8262 with framaroot where as i am not. I rooted other devices n never faced any trouble. When i hit # drop SuperSU su to /system/xbin/su in cydia impactor, i get unknown error.


text:
Will a factory reset wipe the apps that i have installed?
If I factory reset my device will it wipe all my apps and music like Clash of Clans? I want to know before I do this to my device.

Yes, if you factory reset your phone it will wipe everything that is on your phone.  You can get all your apps back once you factory reset it, and as long as they are linked to certain accounts, the progress will still be there.  You can back up your music, pictures, and contacts to your google account so all will be restored once you reset your phone, and log back in with your google account.

If I factory reset my device will wipe all my apps and music like clash of clans? -- Yes.
A factory reset results in a full reset of an Android device to the original settings of the currently-installed ROM.
What is the purpose of factory-reset?
This is often done to fix a software issue that the device is facing, but it could also be done to restore the device to its original settings
Also, mostly, Data on the SIM card and the MicroSD card are not erased.
Quotes from factory-reset
What a factory reset does is basically to "wipe" (delete all content) from the /cache (holding the application cache) and /data (user data and user-installed apps, dalvik cache) partitions. Other media, like internal-sd and external-sd cards, are usually left untouched
Refer factory-reset for more information.

Yeah you will lose all data in your device. Be sure to backup everything before resetting device.

Everything stored at the external SD card won't be touched by the Factory reset.

Yeah, users will be prompted to remove/unmount the card. I was talking about the apps and internal memory in general :)


text:
Transferring a downloaded film from Nexus 7 to Nexus 10
I recently downloaded Gravity, which I stupidly did on my Nexus 7, so I can't now watch it on TV, which I could have via HDMI if I'd downloaded it on my Nexus 10. I don't want to download it again (have only 20GB allowance per month). I've found the file and transferred it to my Nexus 10 but Google Play Movies acts like it's not there and wants to stream it or download again. Can anyone help?
Thanks.

You downloaded it via Google Play Movies, correct?
The file is encrypted with DRM locked to a combination of your account AND the device used to download it. No way you're going to get that to play on anything else. You'll definitely need to redownload it it to watch it on the 10.

Appreciate your quick response which would explain why I'm having such a problem. Thought I was OK because Google's own information seemed to be saying you could log in on any device, so I assumed if it was on that device it would be accessible. https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/1283330?hl=en "Watch movies & shows using a different account
You can watch a movie or TV show on any device that has the Google Play Movies & TV app. To watch, just sign in to the Google Account that you used to order the movie or TV show.
You can't transfer movies or TV shows between accounts."

You can watch the movie from a different device, but you still have to re-download it.  It's just stating that if you buy it or rent it on your google account, it will be accessible on any device that is associated with that google account.  You still have to download it on every device.

New-To-IT is correct. You CAN watch it on any device that your account that owns it is logged into. But you'll still be streaming or downloading it on each one individually. The DRM is tightly controlled.


text:
Stop recommending GMail Contacts
When I got my LG Tribute, I put in my Google account, and it immediately downloaded all 1700 GMail contacts from my many years of e-mail.
Obviously I don't want all those contacts, so I went to Accounts&Sync and told my phone to not sync contacts with GMail, and then hid all the contacts.
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to truly get rid of them, so they are all in Groups > Other Contacts, taking up space.  More importantly, when I want to type a message or contact someone, there's a search bar that makes recommendations that I select from, which I always use.  But now those recommendations are from my GMail contacts, since they're still on my phone even though they're not in my main contacts list.  so i.e. if I want to talk to my friend Selena and I type "Se", I'll be recommended the e-mail for "ITS Server Admins Group" where I want the contact.
How can I get rid of them once and for all, or at least have them stop showing up everywhere?

i have a samsung, but the steps should be quite similar:
Settings > More > Applications > Go right to all apps > scroll down to "Contacts Storage"

Then click on contacts storage > Click Clear Data

Hope this helps


text:
Simple volume control on Lollipop
Is there some way to have a simple volume control on Lollipop? It was bad enough when each media stream had it's own volume, but the addition of notification priorities has made the overhead with Android volume management impractical.
With this in mind, is there some utility, app, Tasker profile, etc that will make it so when I press the "volume down" key on my phone, all streams will get quieter, and when I press the "volume up" key on my phone, all streams will get louder?
I would like this to be completely context agnostic; if I try and decrease the volume while media is playing, I'd like it to also decrease the ringer volume, and visa-versa.

Your best bet is probably to root and install the xposed framework. From there, you can install gravitybox or some alternative that offers unified volume controls.

The problem with what OP is suggesting is that generally ringer, media and alarm volume all have different scales, which vary between devices: for example, on my phone the ringer volume goes from 0 to 7, but the media volume goes from 0 to 15.

A root tweak is one option but if you don't want to do this, SoundHUD (avaliable here) will bring more traditional volume controls back to Lollipop. The app has lots of configuration options too.

It has has been pulled from the play store.  Simple Volume might do the trick.


text:
Root galaxy note without extern devices, software or internet
Hi I wondering if I can root my phone (Jelly bean 4.1.2) without computer or else. I want to root it man manually by myself, in other words without any apps or something.
Also, if is possible to root without any zip-packs or additional downloads.
Now I have just a fresh installed andriod, no updates or apps installed, also no google account on it. Now I want to root it without anything or internet access.

If you want to root your device you have to either use a computer or download an APK file trough your android browser.

How exactly to you propose to accomplish this without any external downloads whatsoever? You're basically asking how to build a house, but without any tools, equipment, or lumber. The process requires at least a minimal set of supplies to even be possible.

As I know: Rooting is just switching to the admin mode of the operating system. And for that I usually do not need other devices, internet or software. On Ubuntu and other linux distribution I can also easily switch to root mode without anything? Andriod is linux?

Yes, Android is based on Linux but it is locked down by Google and possibly your carrier because if you accidentally brick or break your device they don't want to be responsible for that. Rooting basically means that you exploit a vulnerablity in Android and unlock the root account.

Android simply isn't designed that way. If it was, then the external tools and hackery wouldn't have a reason to exist. What you're hoping to do is not possible unless you manage to find some kind of huge security vulnerability that's locally exploitable with only the pre-installed apps (and if there was such an exploit, I would expect that someone would have found it by now).

Simply enough: no, there is not. You absolutely, positively will need outside resources. You will need outside tools downloaded to a computer, a USB connection to it, and data pushed to it. The bare minimum that would be possible, which is still not possible with the Note as far as I'm aware, could be rooting it from the phone with downloaded apps that exploit security holes to get through. But again, that would still require Internet and outside tools. There is no way in Android to root without that. It's not like straight Linux where you can visit a CLI and type a few commands and you're there. It's locked down to prevent that.


text:
emoji issues or in other words you could say problems
On a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit, is there any way to show emojis in text messages or in social media apps?

Diddent quite understand that. But I i
 think I can answer:
What's you android version only 4.0 and higher has emojis.  (go to settings, my device and look at android version) you can get emojis on Android version 4.0 and bellow but you have to be rooted.
If you want to type emojis, download SwiftKey+emoji (free)  from play-store

Emoji are only supported on Android Jelly Bean 4.1 and up. I see that the Exhibit did have an update to Jelly Bean, but not all carriers necessarily provided that. Check your Settings, About, to see if you've got it. If you do, and you're still not seeing emoji, you may wish to try an alternate SMS application, such as GoSMS, to see if they function in that one, as Samsung may not have provided support in their messaging app. If they're still not working even with that, then it's possible Samsung didn't include the emoji functionality in their modified version of Jelly Bean, in which case you're likely SOL without rooting or custom ROMs.


text:
When should I get suspicious over permission requests and when should I safely install an app?
I'm pretty paranoid with the android apps and if I think an app requires too much, unnecessary permissions, I simply don't install the app. However, I feel like I'm missing out lately.
For example, I prefer to use browser for facebook, and I refuse to update my twitter client that requires excessive permissions.
So how can I distinguish a possibly malicious application from a decent application that requires lots of permissions? When am I safe and when should I be suspicious installing an app?

Well, there's a lot of questions in one. Let's handle a few:
If your concern is major applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc., from major publishers and services, then as long as you're downloading updates from the Play Store, there's no reason to assume you're downloading a possible malicious application. The apps are all digitally signed and scanned by Google. While malware HAS gotten onto the Play Store, it doesn't get on there as updates to major, legitimate apps. It ends up on there as its own unique app from shady publishers, or updates to apps that got sold to a new publisher, etc. If a major app like Twitter or Facebook wants a new permission, you can feel confident it's for a feature and not malicious.
What that doesn't tell you is whether or not you're comfortable feeling paranoid about how that major publisher intends to use that permission. Some people strongly distrust Facebook, and are unwilling to hand those sorts of permissions to them, even though the app isn't strictly malicious, as it's the company they have an issue with. That's more of a personal judgment call than anything else.
The other priority is to familiarize yourself with what the permissions actually mean (here's a good place to do that from Google), and get a basic understanding of how apps actually function. Some sound scary until you understand why they're necessary. An example was someone I found upset over a keyboard app requiring permission to monitor everything they type, oblivious to the fact that without that permission, it couldn't function as a keyboard. Understanding how apps need to communicate over the network, or be aware of incoming call status in order to pause a game, or being able to review contacts in order to try to suggest new friends based on people you know, or needing access to the camera because they can take photo notes or do video chat, etc., will help you parse which permissions fit within the mission of the app and which ones seem like a stretch to possible data-mining. Google's descriptions tend to focus on the worst-possible scenarios because they have to allow for them. But dialing back and recognizing that, yes, this permission does allow for scenario Z, but it's also the only way they can do scenario A, which is right in line with the goal of the app, will help you figure out when you're being a little paranoid.

Very nice sum-up, +1 for that! As for "familiarizing with permissions and what they mean", may I suggest an additional resource? (Disclosure: That's my site I've set up a.o. to cover for the off-topic "is there an app for X" questions from here :)

Great list. One thing I'd like to see is real-world examples given how how these permissions are used by legitimate apps, possibly in non-obvious ways. Although that might be outside of the scope of your site.

Not fully beyond it, I could do so in some article (given I find the time). Something like Why do some apps request too many permissions? This article partly covers that when discussing READ_PHONE_STATE (see also Why do so many applications require permission to read the phone state and identity?)

Exactly, yes. Something that helps a user understand real-world needs for some of the more arcane, or seemingly heavy permissions.

Trouble is, there are too many permissions to take care for – and as the article mentioned in my last comment points out, many of them are not well documented (or documented at all). I partly tried that with the "good cop – bad cop" model. Maybe I should start trying that on the whole list from my first comment – wherever it's possible at all, that is. Still, a hard thing to do for someone who's not a developer (and thus no knowledge of which methods are protected by what permission) …

Just download Xprivacy on xda-developer forums or an app that can manage and deny permissions of apps ( of course this requires root )

Which is why that's not really a good option for most users. Also, it has the potential to break apps in unexpected ways if you don't know what the permissions are for. That's why I still strongly recommend the route of understanding the permissions first before considering toying with them.

Be suspicious when the app requires an permission that is not related to what app offer especially things like send SMS/MMS or do calls and be very suspicious if is anything related to things like "show alerts as system level" or "modify global settings" or "interact between users" and be extremely cautios and suspicious about the permission "download files without notification" (like google+).
About the major apps and company's i will say only that they indeed have privacy issues so is all about you feeling ok with that or not , like i don't have facebook at all but you using it on your mobile browser is no different from using their app except that an app give then more access to your system to abuse but your mobile browser already leaks enough data to track and identify you especially if you use chrome mobile and accepts their cookies and most pages today have the nasty facebook widget to track you too if you don't block them so its all about what you choose (to use them or not)
And if you download apks from Internet be extremely careful and download then directly from the their official site or xda-developers and in a connection you believe you are not in danger of man in the middle attacks if you want scan it a good AV can detect some androids malware already ( virustotal will say you that apks that do root have rootkit already)
Obs: The permissioms may look different on your phone but the meaning should be the same

Good advice. One thing I'd say about those permissions that seem unrelated to what the app offers: sometimes it's not obvious what the use for the permission is. Facebook Messenger was a good example, with people genuinely clueless why it needed SMS permissions, call permissions, etc., unaware that it optionally could be used AS your SMS app, make calls, and so on. Features that can be used optionally have to have permissions for those features, even if you don't use them. Some apps use SMS for automatically verifying multifactor authentication, or licensing. So needs can be non-obvious.

Atlassian Confluence requires the "download files without notification" permission. Just noticed this tonight. See comment timestamp for reference on the day / approx time that it required that permission in case they nix it. I found your comment after a search for that specific one, since I hadn't seen it before. Thanks for the tip.


text:
My laptop cant detect my nexus7
My laptop used to detect my nexus7 tablet but for some reason its stopped detecting it. Any way to try and get it to start detecting it again?

Well, did you tried restarting your device?? I would say better to try restarting your device as well as the PC you are trying to connect it with and do make sure that you have selected MTP mode and if that still doesn't helps then try removing the USB cable and try reconnecting it !

These can be a little tricky to troubleshoot without a LOT more information and a ton of back and forth. My best suggestion to do an end-run around all of that would be for you to download WugFresh's Nexus Root Toolkit.
Now don't worry if you're not interested in rooting, as that's not why I'm suggesting it. I've just found that its "Full Driver Installation - Automatic + Manual" function is one of the easiest, cleanest, most step-by-step ways to both clean out all the remnants of the old Nexus drivers that might be causing your problem, and installing the most appropriate new drivers that will hopefully resolve your problem the rest of the way. A bunch of them are for the purpose of flashing/rooting/repairing/etc., but even if you don't want that, it can't hurt to have them there in case you have a need for that later.
Outside of that, a few main suggestions that sound obvious, but assuming they can't be the case sometimes bites us in the butt:

Try a different cable. Even when the cable charges fine, or connects for some purposes all right, it can end up causing issues in other situations. Worth a shot.
Try a different port. Any different port, but especially if you're connecting via a USB 3.0 port, try a 2.0 port. There are some known, odd issues with Nexus devices and some USB 3.0 controllers.
Try switching the connection method. When you connect it, there should be a notification allowing you to switch connection modes. One usually works better than the other in some situations.
Try it in a different computer to verify there isn't a problem with the port on the Nexus 7 itself.

That's about all I've got. Good luck!


text:
Make play store recommendations from other people disappear
For some reason my android phone and tablet still try to recommend things that my ex is rating highly.
I am not sure where it is getting the idea that i would care she was but is no longer my 1 friend on google+ and ive deleted her email from recent emails in gmail. Where else would i go to clear this from my life. Its been well over a year btw so not like its just taking time to clear out.

Do you still have her in your contacts / address book?

no did find out i was still in a "circle" of hers on google+ blocked her to remove it there, cleared the cache on the store rebooted the tablet ...still showing up

Well, I think you should give it a little more time to clear things up as you yourself said that you were still in her circle which may be the reason why your ex rated apps shows up ! But as now you have removed the user I think things will update after a short while !


text:
Forgotten the pattern and phone not showing the "forgot pattern" button.
I upgraded my Moto G2 to Android Lollipop using over-the-air upgrade. It was awesome but I set a pattern lock which I forgot. Usually after 5 wrong attempts it shows the "forgot password" button but it is not showing that button even after 100 wrong attempts. How to unlock the phone?

this may not apply to your moto, but i was able to log in to my Samsung account for my galaxy S4 with lollipop. once there, i could simply click the "unlock" button - voilá! perhaps motorola / you have a similar option?

I bet you already resolve the issue, if you did not yet, can you please tell if you use CWM or have rooted your device?

Well, I would say I don’t think you can’t do anything about it because the forgot password button isn’t available with the Lollipop , now what you are left with is you can try unlocking your device with the help of your Google account i.e. Log yourself over the Google account you are using over Laptop/PC once done head over to the Android device manager  and using it try unlocking your device remotely, also in order to do that your device must be connected to the Mobile  Data or Wi-Fi network. And if you don't have the access then I guess you are locked out and the only thing you can do now is factory resetting your device by holding the Power+Volume down button.

Here is what I found online ...

How to unlock your device if you have forgotten the unlock password or unlock pattern:

If you forgot your password or unlock pattern, but still have access
  to your Google Recovery Account, then you can just click on ‘forgot
  password?’ and it will take you to a screen where you will be required to
  enter your Google Account user name and password. You'll need to input
  the same registered user name and password you use at the Google Play
  store. Here is the link to the Google
  Accounts Recovery page.

Source (with plenty of steps for every type of situation): VisiHow.com


text:
"Select All" from Contacts in WhatsApp
In WhasApp, is there any button for "Select All" from Contacts; in order that one single message goes to all?

Well, nope there isn't any select all option available over the WhatsApp, rather than it has the feature called Broadcast messages !
To Broadcast the message:

Open up WhatsApp.
Tap over the three dots available on top right side of the screen.
Now Select the option "BroadCast Message".
Tap over the + button to add recipient name over the Broadcast list.
Next thing to do is tap over the continue button.

Like, the above user said that, presently it has a limit of 256 broadcast limit.
You can also refer to the WhatsApp Support Section for the same.

There is no "Select All" when sending a WhatsApp Broadcast Message. Presently there is a limit of sending 256 people a broadcast message.

from which soure/reference, this limit of 256 you found? I did not see this limit described in the link that you gave while Answering! You may want to remove that if there is no "official" source or put the reference to that official sourece

^^ If you try sending a broadcast message, the counter on the top counts the people with a limit of 256 eg. 1/256, 2/256 and so on. Try sending one now and you'll see it. @MeTechnical


text:
Samsung Ace 2 with Cyanogenmod turns itself on when put on charger while turned off
It started happenning after repair.
Could it be a software setting that was changed in repairshop or is it a hardware issue?
All they did was replace mini-USB port.

As it turns out the issue was in the non-original charger. I don't have original charger from Ace 2, but original charger from Galaxy S3 works perfectly fine, as well as charging from a PC via USB.

Okay, glad you figured it out.  For anyone who might come across this and the above solution doesn't solve the issue, another place to look in the settings is Settings->Display->Wake on plug ("turn the screen on when connecting or disconnecting a power source")

In recent versions of CM, check the Settings->Developer options->Stay Awake (Screen will never sleep while charging) option.

My question is not about screen turning on, but about the whole device turning on. Nevertheless, this setting was set to   off, even the Developer options section was not  turned on (it is turned off by default, to turn it on you have to tap "Build number" seven times).


text:
Viber already active on PC; want to activate the same Viber account on Android without SIM card
I already have Viber installed on my PC and want to install it on my Android now. Want to use the same old mobile number with Viber but I cannot receive SMS on that old number.
I don't know how to receive a Viber activation code on my PC Viber, for example.
How to activate Viber on Android without a SIM card?

but I cannot receive SMS on that old number Why?

for example, its a pay as you go SIM or, sim from different country and now i live in a diff country and forgot to deactivate the older number -- all contacts have your previous number... many examples..

I believe there is no way around it. You can ask their support to make an exception for your situation. I don't think you got an other choice.

As mentioned on the Viber Support Docs

You will receive an SMS message with your Viber access code

You will require to receive an SMS (or use the automatic callback feature) to be able to activate. You will have to necessarily use either of the above options to activate Viber on your phone.

Thanks but everybody knows this. Question is if there is any other way or not.

There is no way IMO. Hence I posted this


text:
How do I update my encrypted phone (CyanogenMod 12)?
I want to encrypt my phone(Xperia M). It has CyanogenMod 12 with cyanogenmod recovery. Wanted to know if I could update it the normal way, flashing through recovery, or some other way.

As of 04-01-2015 custom recoveries don't support decryption CM12 yet. It will give you a wrong password notification when trying to decrypt.
But you can put the update.zip in /cache partition. Then in the recovery, skip entering the password. And flash from /cache partition.
This works because you don't need your password to access /cache partition.

In upgrading to CM13, I would do wipe both caches, system and data. It is enough demanding for the system to the upgrade also without system encryption. However, I have managed to several updates in encrypted systems as Sparta describes but after many of them something often breaks and fresh installation can be necessary.


text:
Android 5.0.2 Lollipop- Moto G 1st Gen Wifi Hotspot issue
I am unable to browse internet in laptop using Wifi Hotspot of my Moto G after it got updated to Lollypop. Any one has a solution?

Below worked for me... Hope it works for you too...Go To  Settings -> More -> Cellular networks -> Access Point Names and then on right hand side top click on three vertical dots and select "Reset to default" .... This works .....

Following solution worked for OP as mentioned here:

Go To Settings → More → Cellular networks → Access Point Names → at the top on the right side, click on three vertical dots and select "Reset to default".