text:
Nexus 4 Nav soft-keys not responding
On my Nexus 4 (Lollpop), the nav keys no longer respond when it is in portrait mode, and the q key no longer responds when it is in landscape mode. Here is the bug report. This has been discussed at the Google Group, and Grigoriy Kraynov has brilliantly put together an unofficial fix, but it requires rooting the Android. (Correction: Maybe not rooting it, but definitely some dangerous digging around in the OS's innards.)
There are also occasionally ghost presses. (I configured my phone to show a white dot when there is a press, and sometimes there are a lot of them all together, usually in this malfunctioning area, without my pressing the screen.)
It's been called a hardware bug in the digitizer, but it looks to me like it's in the software layer -- why would one particular rectangle stop working?
Can anyone suggest a simpler way to fix this? It's hard to believe that Google would allow such a significant bug to go unfixed.
My workaround is to install the Button Savior Non Root app and an autorotator app (to enable 4-way rotate in every app). This workaround is more or less OK.

The README suggests that it only requires a custom recovery, not a rooted phone.

"It's been called a hardware bug, but pretty clearly is in the hardware layer", did you mean software? The weird thing is, it only affects some users, as I don't have that problem with my Nexus 4 running Lollipop 5.0.1.

@AndrewT. Yes, software. And right, no one seems to know what causes it

I used Nexus Root Toolkit on my Nexus 4 with Android 5.1.1. Here's what I did:

Rooted my Nexus 4
Launch → Fastboot Flash → Recovery→ Latest CWM
It installs Quick Reboot app in your Nexus 4. Open it and "Recovery" will reboot your device in recovery mode. If it asks for root permission, grant it.
Install zip → Install zip from sideload
In Nexus Root Kit → Advanced Utilities (Click on Launch in NRK)
Launch CMD Prompt
It will show you the path of current location. Copy the correct UPDATE.zip (download).
In your device, enter the command adb sideload UPDATE.zip.

That's it. Go back and reboot your device.
Enjoy!

https://github.com/gkraynov/nexus-4-navfix
Fix making Nexus 4 navigation buttons alive after enigmatic hardware issue
LRX22C (Android 5.0.1)
LRX21T (Android 5.0)

See Releases to download UPDATE.zip. Verify your build number carefully! Wrong builds will not work.
If you are not familiar with flashing zips on you phone, there is comprehensive Tutuorial, thanks RavanH.
The root of issue
I had no believe on hardware-only root of issue. During digging inside touchscreen driver inside AOSP I've found deadzone processing. What does it mean? Immagine that you're typing a message and accidentialy clicks on navigation bar. This click could cause undesirable experience, but deadzone have some timeout after your last action and accidential touches should be ignored.
Unfortunately, Nexus 4 touchscreen could process deadzone in a wrong way after enigmatic hardware issue. This cause that deadzone locking locks same touch region forever. The easiest way to overcome this damn is disabling deadzone at all. It's exactly my script does!
I think that no deadzone is better than permanent dead area :D
Automated solution
To fix your phone, just connect it via ADB (Developer Options - USB debugging) and
$ git clone ...
$ ./all.sh
Flash UPDATE.zip via custom recovery. Enjoy!
Don't forget to save UPDATE_ROLLBACK.zip in a safe place. Once you see OTA update alert, flash rollback, update and repeat. Never try to apply OTA for patched files, rollback first!
Prerequesties:
Broken Nexus 4 (as on video)
Linux machine (tested on fresh Ubuntu)
ADB installed
Custom recovery (no root required)

N.B. If you still having problems, try to install the following packages on your system
I didn't make all what they say, i just flash de update.zip on cuatom recovery with root permision, i am using havê four days and didn't stop to work, i'm note an expert just a curious


text:
Spotify in Croatia
I am from Croatia and I was able to install and use(run) Spotify free version(not Premiumm I didn't sign up for free Premium or anything). None of my friends can install (or run) it because in order to use Spotify in Croatia you would need to have either an Unlimited or Premium subscription. Now week after using it I get this error message after trying to log in: "You appear to be trying to log  into Spotify from a different country."
So obviously the first time I downloaded Spotify or Play Store thought I was in a different country. I was not using VPN or anything like that, so how can it be?
Other thing that interests me, can I trick Play Store or other app to think I'm in other country by changing my settings somehow?
P.S: I get promo messages form Spotify in Swedish language!

Could you clarify a little bit? By "installing", do you mean you can installed (but your friends couldn't) from Play Store, or all of you could install, but cannot run? ProGrammer's answer might give a clue, but it depends on this clarification. As for tricking Play Store, refer to this question (or it might be the case for you!)

I've edited! Tnx @AndrewT. I've answered my question with your help!

With help from Andrew T. I've got the answer to my question. For the first time I've used my Google Wallet, so that must be the reason for changing the country settings also in Play Store under My apps I don't have visible Spotify although I've have installed it nor do I have it when I search apps Store.

If I remember correctly, the first time you login with your new Spotify account, you can enjoy Premium for a month or so.
Your Premium trial period may have run out.
There could be country restrictions in place.
It has been a while since I last stumbled across this problem with a friend's computer.

The "Premium for a month" is plausible, but I'm not sure it is related to app installation in the first place (I believe it's controlled by Google, not Spotify). I have asked OP to clarify this a little bit further.

Tnx @ProGrammer for your help! I've up voted your answer although it's wasn't solution.

MediaHint has a beta program you could join MediaHint Beta signup or you could try Hola Free VPN

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How would I root my HTC without computer
I want to root my HTC but I'm not sure how I would do this and I have no computer access........ Please help.
Tori

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. You should edit your question and provide necessary information for people to actually help you. What phone (i see you have [tag:htc-one] but you should say that in your question, along with your exact model. Also, explain what methods you have tried already.

I have a HTC one m7 I think by at&t. I haunt tried anything yet I need something that is free and easy.

You can try Root Master apk from this site - http://www.nextwap.net/mobile/vE4C-rxxce/root_master__english_version_.html
Just install and click the button. I tested it with my Samsung, but it should also work with HTC, depending on system you have.

I dont know what kind of system I have.

Is it.supposed to not be in English conserns  a little BIT

Well, sorry for that, because most of the apps that root phone, are in Chinese or Japanese. This is a minor translation that should suffice ;)

I don't have a computer and can unlock bootloader what do I do.

authors: Алексей Соколов

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


text:
Speech recognition not working in Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G
Has anyone experienced it before? The speech recognition (Google Now and speech input) is not working in Redmi Note 4G at all. I've tried cleaning cache, re-training, re-authentication, etc. but every time it says- "Didn't catch it. Please try again."
Can anyone please tell me what's wrong? Thanks for your help!
P.S: I'm having excellent WiFi connection with mic turned on. I've also checked all permission settings.

Of course I checked my microphone. Voice recorder is working fine. It just seems like the voice recognition service is not able to process the input. And I can assure you, it's not the network connectivity problem. In the same network and same app settings, Google Now is working like charm in my Xperia Z.

Apparently, this is a known hardware issue on the RedMi Note 4G. The top microphone doesn't work, only the bottom one. Talk directly into the bottom of the phone and Google Now should work just fine. BTW, the 3G version of the RedMi Note (w/ MTK chip) works just fine.
Chinese QA sucks.

I had the same issue and fixed it with these changes:

Open Root Explorer and go to BUILD.PROP
Search for: persist.audio.fluence.voicerec=true
Change it to this: persist.audio.fluence.voicerec=false
Reboot your Device

Google Now and Maps both work fine and recognize "Ok, Google"

Can you please tell me, from where did you find the rooting toolkit for MIUI?

Change the language in Google settings  to "English US' and then retrain the voice....  I tried this in Redmi 2 and it worked for me...

Well, you have to enable it in manage permission. Go to settings - general settings - app - google search - manage permission (scrolldown to last) - enable trust this application and auto start.  Thats it.  Please ensure permission in given to this app for data/wifi as you choose.

Please read the question again.It clearly states that permissions have been checked already.


text:
i am not able to receive my calls at my galaxy Y after updating the android 2.3.6
i am not able to receive my calls at my galaxy Y after updating the android 2.3.6 although I can call in regular way.  whenever a person calls me he get phone busy notification, while i got a missed call notification with ringing any tone. I will be very thankfull if you help me in this concern.

After reading alot of blogs I tried one thing and it worked. First of all I saved all of my contacts on SD card then I removed it and apply sttings ____privacy settings____"Factory Data Reset". After that I'm receiving my incoming calls in regular way even after inserting the SD card. I import all my contacts from sd card again. You ca also try this


text:
Twitter asking to "Authorize SNS to use your account"?
I've installed the latest version of the Twitter client for Android and logged in. To my surprise, the screen displays the message (also shown in the screenshot below), asking me to authorize the SNS (Social Networking Site/Service) to use my account? I don't understand this question. Assuming SNS is used as a synonym for the Twitter service itself, then what is the "account" they are referring to.
Obviously, the Twitter service automatically has access to my Twitter account, so are they talking about my Android account on my Android device, or perhaps the Gmail account corresponding to the email I provided, which I doubt as such account uses a different password. It seems like Twitter is being intentionally vague here.
If someone could kindly explain what the app is asking for in the screenshot I would be happy to know this.

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is about an Android app.

This question is the same as your other question basically.

OK, I figured out what the app is asking. It's asking to create an account in the Settings > Accounts section on my Android device. This enables other applications, including stock applications and user-installed applications, to find out that I have a Twitter account and possibly use it to post to Twitter (provided I give consent to such apps to do so).
The following screenshot shows that after clicking the Allow button, the details pertaining to the user's Twitter account are stored on the Android device:


text:
Does push mail service utilise constant internet connection?
I searched Google for this but only found that push mail requires constant internet connection.

I want to know whether Push mail really USES constant internet connection? If so then what is the difference between push mail service and "constantly refreshing inbox"?
Ps: please don't suggest me to upgrade my plan, I want to know the difference.
Thanks in advance. :)

Push mail shouldn't use the internet connection while idle, but it has to keep a connection open to the server. That's why push mail needs the internet connection.
The difference between push mail and polling is that when using push mail, the client opens a persistent connection to the server. After this the connection is idle. When a new message is received by the mail server, it notifies the client of the new message, and the client decides whether to download it or not. When using "pull" (polling) mail, the client has to periodically open a connection to the mail server and check for new messages.
The only reason your internet connection would be used while idle is if the connection to the server is broken and needs to be reconnected.
See Push email - Wikipedia for more detailed info.


text:
Why is the app name under /data/app different from that under /data/data?
After I installed DiskInfo.apk through adb install DiskInfo.apk, under /data/app, there is an installed apk named:
me.kuder.diskinfo.pro-1.apk
However, under /data/data, there is a new directory named:
me.kuder.diskinfo.pro
Why is the apk name under /data/app appended with "-1"?
And why is the name under /data/app different from that under /data/data?

I would guess it's due to Android supporting multi users, and that the number indicates the user ID (aka "1" for owner), but I don't have proof, and haven't researched about it. Other than that, the name is the same though.

@AndrewT. +1. But why is the folder under /data/data not appended the "-1"?

Yes sounds good what Andrew is writing. I could also guess that this -1 is related to the installed version of this apk. Maybe if you install a newer version when this version is still installed it's number will increase. The folder in /data/data is always named after the package chosen for this apk, read from its AndroidManifest.xml file so it does not contain this -1 thingy.

The .apk file can be named whatever you want. It doesn't have to be named even anything related to the application ID.
In this case, what happened is that, when the file was downloaded, there was probably already a me.kuder.diskinfo.pro.apk in the download directory (or perhaps a temp directory), so the OS added "-1" to the filename. The contents, however, weren't changed, so the app still registers itself without the "-1".


text:
Moto G 2nd Generation - Mobile Data is not working after the upgrade to 5.0.2
MOTO G 2nd gen, Mobile data not working (India) post Android Upgrade to 5.0.2 from 4.4.4...any clue..
could be linked to improper upgrade and is there a way to restore ??

If your problem is solved, mark the answer as accepted, this removes the need to modify the question title.

Weirdly I inserted another sim into the 2nd slot(it has no service btw), and voila The excalamtion(!) mark is gone from the mobile network icon and Mobile data is back up. I just hope XDA doo take a look at this... And yes I had tried soft reset , factory reset, re inserting the sim and re registering , APN manual config etc etc..

Well, great that looks like you need to reinsert the SIM and SD card once you did the update ! Now you can mark your question as solved I would say.

I had actually reinserted the single sim alone but that dint work, when i reinserted the sim along with the sim in the other slot it worked. Another bug i notice is that you can independently turn off mobile data for one sim, turning it off for one turns it off overall(wonder if its just me).

My issue has been solved, I have changed my sim slot it is working now.
Previously I was using slot-2 for my sim so it was not connected to the internet, now I changed it to slot-1 the exclamatory mark has disappeared and the internet is working now.
-Thanks


text:
Internal Storage size is less than
I have the Micromax Canvas A1 AQ4501 device. On various pages, as as this one, it's internal memory is listed as 4GB.
But, when I go to Settings -> Storage, under Internal Storage it says total space is 2.27 GB. The app Hardware Info also lists a similar amount: 2322 MB.
Where is the rest of my storage? :O
(Is it that the rest of the storage is taken up by OS etc, duh?)

See also: Internal storage, phone storage and SD card and Why does my phone show less storage than it's supposed to? – for a short answer, TimoS is absolutely right :)

The shown free space is without the size of the whole Android system. Your internal storage has a total amount of 4GB (Sometimes there is less because the manufacturer defines 1GB as 1 billion bytes). And the Android System and preinstalled apps are also using space.


text:
Rooting the Micromax Canvas A1 Android One Phone (Micromax Canvas A1 AQ4501)
Can anyone share experiences rooting the Android One device Micromax Canvas A1  (Micromax Canvas A1 AQ4501)?
I am looking for a trustworthy way, as far as possible.
Please don't say rooting is inherently risky - I know that. I am still looking for relatively safe technique(s) and using third party software, if that's required, that is known to be generally reliable.
If any one has rooted this device, were you able to upgrade to the latest Android version after rooting? (It runs Kitkat 4.4.4 by default)
Thanks.

I hope you haven't rooted your Micromax A1 till now. I have Xolo Q1010i and i've rooted it using Kingroot. I am not sure it will works the same for you but anyways you can always give a try.
I have gathered some information from droidviews for your solution to root Micromax A1.
Requirements and Precursors

Download Minimal FastBoot tool from here and extract the contents to a folder of your choosing.
This will help you in setting up fastboot quickly and counter the need for installing the full Android SDK.
You’ll have to have ADB drivers setup on your PC. Refer to this guide if you don’t have them already setup.
Once ADB and FastBoot are setup, you’ll have to install your device specific drivers by connecting it to the PC via a USB cable. The drivers specific to your device will be automatically installed to your PC if you have a working Internet connection. If a problem arises in driver installation, just download these drivers and manually install them by pointing your PC’s Device Manager to them.
Enable USB debugging on your device in the Developer Options menu.
Download SuperSU installable.

NOTE: Remember to backup your personal data and charge-up your Canvas A1.
Unlock Bootloader

Connect your device to your Computer after enabling USB debugging from the above-mentioned steps. If the first time you connect your device to the PC and a pop-up like this appears on your Canvas, click on ‘Always allow’ and then OK.

Now, open the FastBoot folder and right-click on an empty space while holding down the SHIFT key, and then click ‘Open Command Window here’.
Next, in the Command prompt, type  the following code:
         adb reboot bootloader

Your device will now reboot into fastboot mode.
The bootloader can now be unlocked by entering the following simple command
        fastboot oem unlock

        fastboot format userdata

That’s it! your bootloader is now unlocked!

Install ClockWorkMod/TWRP/Philz Touch Recovery

First and foremost, download the recovery you want to install from the below link:

ClockWorkMod v6.0.5.1

Now extract recovery image from the zip file to the fastboot folder.
Open cmd command prompt and enter the following command:
        fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

        fastboot reboot

Done! Your phone now has a working recovery.

Root Micromax Canvas A1

Start by copying the SuperSU installable update.zip to your device.
Now, to boot into recovery, just open the command prompt and type:
         adb reboot bootloader

And now comes the time for the good old method of flashing SuperSU via recovery by browsing to its zip file. For this, go to ‘choose zip -> /external_sd’ and go ahead with the install.
On reboot, you may or may not get a warning similar to ‘su may have been removed’, ignore that and click ‘No’.
Once this is done, you’ll be sporting a rooted device!


text:
How to automatically delete photos after google plus upload?
Once Google plus uploads the images, then it automatically delete the image files on the phone for more storage space. Is it possible? Can it be used with tasker or any other app?

Tasker  does not support HTML response like when photo is uploaded, that's why you can't use it.
But App called FolderSync - (paid version) to pack up my photos to cloud. You can set automatic delete of the local files, after transferring them. But with this you can't use Google+ 's automatic upload.


text:
Rooting android using kingo root
So I was trying to root my samsung android 4.4.2 using the software kingo root.
I first connected it to my pc and then began the rooting process. After it began, the pc app of kingo root was blank and showing no progress bar but i was able to see that it was connecting to the internet, after sone time, it stopped communicating with internet and an app was installed on my phone 'Kingo root'.
I then checked using a software if my phone was rooted but it showed that the phone was not rooted. Also, I couldn't find any SuperSU app on my phone.
My question is, when will i get to know that the rooting process has finished? Also, how do i reinitiate the rooting process given the current scenario of my phone?
Thanks

I don't recommend using kingo root there was security concerns in the past you don't say your which is your device but i would recommend going to xda-developers forums and search for an more trustworthy way to root

What type of Samsung do you have?

Use framaroot. It's far better than kingoroot. Also kingoroot have some security issues too.
I. Before You Begin:

This will void the warranty of your device. However, you can reinstate the warranty by unrooting your device if there’s any unrooting procedure available.

This only works for some of the android devices.

II. Downloading Required Files:

Framaroot APK

III. Rooting Your Android Device (Framaroot Method):

Once it’s been downloaded, head to Menu>>Settings>>Security on your device and enable the Unknown sources option.

Open the File Manager app on your device and install the app you downloaded earlier to your device.

Once the app’s been installed, launch it from your App Drawer.

Select Install SuperSU from the first dropdown menu.

As for selecting the exploit (there’re three, Sam, Frodo and Aragorn and I personally wish there should be Gollum too ;)), head to this page and see what exploit works for your device. Once you find it out, tap on it in the app.

The app should begin rooting your device, shouldn’t take too long to finish.

Reboot your device once it’s been rooted.

Voila !! You’re done!

You’ve successfully rooted your Android device using the Framaroot app and you should now be able to see the SuperSU app from your App Drawer!
Hope this will help you !! Happy Rooting.

It's far better according to who?

According to a lot of android enthusiasts.

Citation needed. I would you are affiliated with the project.

Success of rooting process depends on version of your system and model of your phone.
I rooted my Samsung Galaxy by installing apk directly on my phone.
You can try using Master Root (English version) from this site: http://www.nextwap.net/mobile/vE4C-rxxce/root_master__english_version_.html You just need to install then click the button - it worked in my case.
After that I recommend installing SuperSU from Google Play.
If you want to check phone for root, there's root checker app in google play


text:
Is Google Play Store geo-targeted?
Some companies are telling me that my games are better listed in some countries than in the US.
I'm using VPN to try to check if it's true, but the top free games seems to be the same in all countries. Am I wrong ?
Does the Google Play store have a different listing in different countries?

Well, yes listing order do varies from region to region like if you have uploaded the app from US then you ranking over the US is little more higher than over the other places it's called localisation (I guess) ! But the fact is yes your listing varies according to region.

As already answered, VPN doesn't work for Play Store. Or to put it simply, you cannot cheat the country easily like previously (whether using Market Enabler app, or changing IP using VPN)

Yes. For certain countries, Some Apps are geo-targeted. For example, Certain Video-Calling apps aren't available in the Middle-East.

I'm not talking about the availability of the app but the order listed. Ex: I get statistic from India site telling me that my app is #45 in their country, but in the US it's #123... So the listing order is not the same depending the countries. I want to know if it's true because my VPN connection doesn't change the order at all. App position are the same in every countries that I've looked.

@Warface: Are you using the Play Store app from VPN or the Play Store website? If I recall correctly, the Play Store app would use the device's home country when used overseas, I believe it records where you activated the phone, rather than figuring it or from your IP address.

The Play Store uses the payment information you have on-file with them for geo-targeting. A VPN shouldn't make any difference in the results you see unless you change your payment info to match the country you want to test.


text:
Facebook for Android app no longer displays og:image of website served via home computer's IP
I've followed the advice given in this post. I have updated the Facebook cache, and shared a website on Facebook on my Facebook timeline (shared only with me for testing purposes) via a web browser. When I do this, the image in the sharer looks fine, and when I go to my Facebook page I can see the shared link details as well as its corresponding image, which is a 1200x630 PNG (the text is displayed immediately but the image takes about 6 seconds to load, despite the fact that I thought such image would have been stored in the FB cache).
The story is different on my Facebook for Android app. I had previously shared a website whose site image is a 1200x630 PNG, and I can still see that image on my FB Timeline despite the fact that it's been removed from my site a few days ago and replaced with another image. The problem is that the newer og:image I've updated on my website, which is the same size and format as the older one it replaces, displays fine on my mobile phone's web browser and on my PC's web browser, but does not show up in my Facebook app for Android, and a blank ligh-gray rectangule with the shared og:title and my home computer's IP but no og:image shows up in the shared post. A whole day has gone past since I've updated the FB cache, and I've tried the Facebook Debugger Tool once again, but the image just won't show.
How do I fix this?

Questions about Android apps should be asked at [android.se].

OK, sorry, please migrate my question (which I have already answered). Thanks.

There is no direct migration path, so a Moderator will have to do the migration. I have submitted a flag to that effect.

I thought being able to migrate a question was just a matter of having enough points, and looking at your profile I thought you would have had enough. Is it not so?

Only for pre-defined migration paths. This site only has pre-defined paths to [su], [webmasters.se], and [so]. Even then others with appropriate privs would need to vote to migrate. Only Moderators can migrate to any site in the network.

I don't see anthing about this here (it says 10000 points gives you access to Moderator tools). So, are the Moderators you mention SE employees?

We have moved beyond the purpose of comments. If you have a question about how the site works you should ask on Meta.

I've tried installing the Facebook app on an a friend's Android phone and the images display fine there, despite the Android app on my phone, which is even faster, still doesn't display the image. This means the problem is a caching problem (e.g. I previously shared from my site while it had a bug, and the cached information is not being updated).
So, since I couldn't find a place where I could delete the Facebook for Android app's cache, I deleted the Facebook for Android application and all its data, and reinstalled it.
That fixed the problem.


text:
Strange Glitch with Youtube on S4
i have a strange glitch on an S4 phone
the screen goes "crazy" when the video tries to play
Device : S4 I9500
version : 4.4.2 NC1
Youtube : 10.02.3

see the following video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcZG82aUcZc
any ideas to what the problem is?

The video is private so can't be viewed. Also, you'd be better off providing details of the issue you're having (and refer to the video if it makes it clearer).

@bmdixon changed to public, it's a video playing issue, easy to see then describe

This happened to my S3 and I got told to uninstall YT, reboot and install it again.
Try that maybe?


text:
Reducing the size of the screen
I have a LG G Pad 8.3 which its digitizer is broken and touch of the half of the screen is unresponsive, is it possible to reduce the resolution just from top side of the screen. kind of like cropping.

I have similar problem with my Nexus7. Try NOMone Resolution Changer. It allows you to choose diferent aspect ratio for screen. Is it possible to find combination to suit your needs:

Two Android shell commands control screen resolution and density (dots per inch):

am display-size
am display-density

For Android 4.3 and higher, these two commands were moved from am to wm. Now they are:

wm size
wm density

This application nicely wraps these two commands so you can try different settings quickly and easily. It doesn't implement these functions, it merely uses them. So, if they don't behave well on your device then there is nothing we can do about it, please don't rate us down. We are just trying to make things easier.

Please provide a link, with maybe some directions, so others can follow along. And also to make it a complete answer

@RyanConrad I think it does perfectly answer the question (from what I understand – I've not tried it). Ahem, well, after my edit at least – but it was rassha providing the pointer :)

authors: አንዋር ነኝ የባቲዉ ነው


text:
Temporarily disable notifications
I need a way to temporarily disable all notifications with ONE CLICK ONLY, for example via widget or EQS.
I don't care if it is for all apps or just whatsapp, as long as it prevents vibration and especially the notification light.
Is there any way to do this?
On Rooted Android 4.4.2, HTC Desire 816 dual sim

There is in Android lollipop.

What kind of phone?  What OS?  Rooted or not?  A little more information would surely help!

Their is an app over the Google PlayStore with the name Notification off which you can use to turn all the notifications down at a single tap but it's going to need rooted permission to work correct. So, you can try using that and if that's something which isn't possible then you can always use the Silent mode over your device !

Updated info.
Notification off seems like the right thing, but it isn't really one click. you need to go into the app each time and click more than once, both to enable it or to disable it

Answered at http://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/32229/temporarily-disable-popups-on-android-facebook-snapchat-line-etc (with one-click widget)


text:
Android Lollipop -- connect to Wifi and Cellular at the same time?
I've heard that Android 5.0 (Lollipop) supports the ability to connect to your Wifi and Cellular networks simultaneously, so I could connect to a private Wifi network (e.g. my GoPro camera) while remaining connected to the Internet via the cellular connection.
Is this accurate, if so where can I find more information on this feature?

I'm confused by this question.  I am able to connect to wifi and cellular connection at the same time now, without 5.0.

Uhh, I don't think this is true. I actually wanted to ask from where did you hear about this, but since you asked where can you find more info, I doubt you could provide more info :(

@New-To-IT WiFi & mobile network at the same time? Are you using custom ROM? Because I can't, with Nexus 4 since stock JellyBean until now (stock Lollipop).

They're both connected as I speak!  No custom ROM, just stock Android!

@New-To-IT interesting... so you can set which apps use WiFi and which apps use mobile data? You could try to answer this question then, since I never know about this. Edit: perhaps it's a specific vendor feature, as it seems Samsung Galaxy has it.


text:
nexus 7 (2013) adb connectivity issues Mac
The 5.0.2 OTA update soft-bricked my rooted but otherwise stock Nexus 7.  I tried several times to wipe/reset from recovery, but it kept boot-looping afterwards.  After a hundred tries or so was finally able to connect via adb to my Mac and sideload the update.  Booted up fine after the update but of course all my data is now gone.
Problem is that now I cannot seem to get any adb connection over usb so that I can re-root and restore my backups.  I am hoping this isn't a hardware problem as my device is a year-and-a-half old.  Maybe someone can confirm it's likely hardware related, or even better has a solution that I haven't tried yet.
Here is a list of everything I've tried to resolve the issue.
1) Cable/ports - I am using the stock asus USB cable that came with the tablet.  It powers the device just fine.  When I connect my Nexus 5 with the same cable, then adb works perfectly from my Mac (2009 MBP w/ USB 2.0, Yosemite 10.10.1).  I have tried another USB cable with the same result.  I have tried all 3 of the USB ports on my MBP with same result.  Running system_profiler SPUSBDataType from the Mac terminal doesn't show the N7 (but it does show the N5).
2) Windows - I don't have a Windows computer, but I do have Win7 running on VirtualBox.  I have the same connectivity issue there, the WugFresh NRT recognizes my N5 but not my N7.
3) Settings - I have disabled/re-enabled USB in Developer Options several times to no effect.  I also toggled the MTP/PTP connection options on and off (I keep them off as I transfer files using AirDroid in lieu of the crappy AFT).
4) adb - From Terminal Emulator running on my N7, I have killed and started the adb server several times.  I can't use adb tcpip (wifi) without the device being rooted.
At a complete loss here and really don't want to replace my N7.


text:
How do I stop some notifications but keep text notifications?
I have a Samsung galaxy s2 and I treats all notifications as the same. I want text notifications, but I want to stop the game notifications. I find nothing in the apps, or the system to stop this. Is there a way, or an app I can use to do this? I looked at the notification off app and it isn't compatible with my phone.

I don't know if this feature exists on your phone, but try open the app info of your game from the Android Settings > Apps, and see if there's a checkbox "Show notifications".

That option isn't there. I looked.

Its version 4.0.4.

So, am i out of luck?


text:
Is it possible to upgrade the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (GT-P5113) from 4.2.2 to a higher Android version?
I have an unrooted Galaxy Tab 10.1 (GT-P5113) running Android 4.2.2
I want to upgrade the Android version there, however, I have no idea how.
Right now the tablet claims it is up-to-date, but we all know it is not - Android 4.2.2 is old.
Samsung Kies refuses to upgrade the firmware with the message "gt-p5113 does not support initialising".
Is there a way to upgrade the Android version on this tablet (while still keeping it usable, obviously) ? Preferably without rooting, but I will root it if there is no other choice.
I am OK completely resetting it.

Looking on XDA Forum, it seems you could "upgrade" to higher version by flashing custom ROM. Some of the popular one are CyanogenMod. It definitely needs root though.

Well, nope there isn't any other choice other than rooting your device to flash your device with updated custom ROMs available. You are still running 4.2.2 means Samsung has abandoned your device and now the only way to remain updated is by rooting your device. Anyway like Andrew Said you can head over to the XDA Forum for knowing how you can do that !

Guys could you arrange a reply as an answer, so I could credit you? Also, if you target me to a specific "Rooting for Dummies" manual, that would simply be terrific. I am a pretty experienced Linux power user, if that can help.


text:
Clear user session on profile change
My wife's company want to loan android tablets (Nexus 7's with 5.0 in the pilot) to clients for the duration of a consultation.  Restricted profiles in lollypop make this more achievable.  Question : is there a way when the client has finished to wipe his/her data automatically?  Obviously an app would be ideal but writing something might work.  The use cases are basically privacy (obviously) but also ensuring that users don't leave anything inappropriate for the next user.
I currently write java apps on unix but am a novice with android.  Is it possible for instance to write something that listens for a profile change event?  A restricted user "template" with allowed apps prepopulated so the user profile could be quickly deleted and recreated?

Well, I don't think for doing the same if an app is available or not but the idea of creating an app that does the same thing is something in which I would say a big yes ! Like you sad that you  have the knowledge of Java means you can start using the Eclipse to get your own application developed! Writing a code over the Android environment is super easy and if you have working knowledge with java then I would say there's nothing much to worry about I am sure you can take care of most of the things give it a try and if you still ran onto trouble then you always have the option to developed...

I think Guest Mode is made exactly for this purpose:
http://www.androidbeat.com/2015/01/activate-guest-mode-android-5-lollipop/
As far as I can tell, when you exit guest mode, it deletes any data/settings they have entered.  The only downside is that you would need to reinstall any special apps you want clients to be able to use.


text:
How do I remove the Chrome menu button?
It appeared in Chrome 40 and occupies precious space in the address bar.
I'm using a Samsung phone, which already has a menu button.

You might be able to uninstall and disable updates in settings > application manager > all.  As chrome is a system app in Samsung,  to completely uninstall it you would probably need root permission and "uninstall system apps" from Google Play.

That reverts back Android to an old and insecure Chrome release. It doesn't solve the issue for the release mentioned in question.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 is not detected by fastboot under Ubuntu 14.04
When I connect my device in Download mode to my laptop, it is not detected by neither adb  nor fastboot commands:
fastboot devices and sudo fastboot devices returns nothing when device is connected in "Download mode".
fastboot device and sudo fastboot device returns < waiting for device > when
device is connected in "Download mode" and nothing occurs if i disconnect and reconnect the device.
cat /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules returns:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="04e8", ATTR{idProduct}=="6860", MODE="0666"
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="04e8", ATTR{idProduct}=="685d", MODE="0666"

cat /lib/udev/rules.d/70-android-tools-adb.rules returns:
# Udev rules for letting the console user access adb.
# Vendor ids
# Important product ids
# d001 adb recovery
# d002 adb system

# Applies to 18d1
# 2d00 accessory
# 2d01 accessory,adb
# 2d02 audio_source (part of libgphoto2-2)
# 2d03 audio_source,adb
# 2d04 accessory,audio_source
# 2d05 accessory,audio_source,adb
# 4ee1 mtp (part of libmtp-common)
# 4ee2 mtp,adb (part of libmtp-common)
# 4ee3 rndis
# 4ee4 adb,rdnis
# 4ee5 ptp
# 4ee6 ptp,adb
# 4e41 mtp
# 4e42 mtp,adb
# 4e43 ptp
# 4e44 ptp,adb
# 4e23 rndis
# 4e24 rndis,adb

ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", \
  ATTRS{idVendor}=="18d1", \
  ATTRS{idProduct}=="2d01|2d03|2d05|4ee2|4ee4|4ee6|4e42|4e44|4e24|d001|d002", \
  TAG+="uaccess"

# Applies to 04e8
# 685b mass_storage
# 685e mass_storage,adb
# 685c mtp (libgphoto2-2 libmtp-common)
# 6860 mtp,adb (part of libgphoto2-2 libmtp-common)
# 6862 rndis,dm
# 6863 rndis
# 6864 rndis,adb & rndis,acm,dm
# 6865 ptp
# 6866 ptp,adb
# 6864 rndis,dm
# 6865 ptp
# 6866 ptp,adb

ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", \
  ATTRS{idVendor}=="04e8", \
  ATTRS{idProduct}=="685e|6860|6864|6866|6866", \
  TAG+="uaccess"

cat /lib/udev/rules.d/70-android-tools-fastboot.rules returns:
# Udev rules for letting the console user access fastboot
# 4e40 grouper
# 4ee0 mako/manta
# 4e30 maguro/toro

ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", \
  ATTRS{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTRS{idProduct}=="4e30|4e40|4ee0", \
  TAG+="uaccess"

# Applies to 04e8
# 686d odin mode (Download mode, Bootloader mode)

ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", \
  ATTRS{idVendor}=="04e8", \
  ATTRS{idProduct}=="685d", \
  TAG+="uaccess"

lsusb returns Bus 002 Device 015: ID 04e8:6860 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd GT-I9100 Phone [Galaxy S II], GT-I9300 Phone [Galaxy S III], GT-P7500 [Galaxy Tab 10.1] if device is booted normally or in recovery mode.
lsusb returns Bus 002 Device 024: ID 04e8:685d Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd GT-I9100 Phone [Galaxy S II] (Download mode) if device is booted in "Download mode" (power-on device with Power Key + Home Key + Volume Down)
adb device returns 4dxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  device when device is booted normally.
adb device returns 4dxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  recovery when device is booted in recovery mode.
adb detects device and can reboot it in both normal mode and recovery mode by following commands: adb reboot and adb reboot recovery. But if run adb reboot bootloader or even sudo adb reboot bootloader just boots device in normal mode. To boot device in Download mode I have to manually press Power + Home + Volume Down keys simultaneously.
I tried restarting my laptop and device, but no success.
My android-tools-fastboot and android-tools-adb and android-tools-adbd versions are: 4.2.2+git20130218.

adb reboot download use this command for Samsung Galaxy

Samsung devices with Download Mode do not support fastboot.
adb is not supported in fastboot mode anyways (nor Download mode).
If you want to flash something via fastboot, you must use Odin or Heimdall (or another tool that works with Download Mode).

Thanks for the clear answer. Do you know if there is a way to boot a custom recovery image with the odin mode? The fastboot mode seems to support it (https://aubykhan.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/android-tip-boot-into-twrp-or-cwm-recovery-without-flashing/) but I do not know how to do the same with the odin mode :-/

@JepZ I don't believe so, I think you have to actually flash the recovery to boot it.


text:
some issues in moto g 2nd generation after lollipop version
After updating my Moto G 2014 to Lollipop I have started experiencing some issues as I don't know how to get it fixed. So the problems are:

Autorotate option isn't showing,
If I tried pressing and holding the power button, I can only see the power off option, I can't find the silent option.
While on the call, previously I have the ability to write a number on the dialpad which I can correct if I tap in the wrong number but now I can't find the backspace button to correct that !

Please help me out !

Settings -> Accessibility -> Auto Rotate.
Silent mode is now changed to Priority mode. Press the volume down button and you will find the priority mode
No easy solution for this. While on call press back button until you reach the homescreen. Now go back again to call screen from notification bar. Now the typed number will be gone


text:
How to transmit calls only (not the rest of the device's audio) to a bluetooth receiver?
When my phone is connected via bluetooth in my car, I'd like the Phone app to be the only one to output through the car's sound system, and let the rest going through the phone's speaker.
Right now the whole phone's audio goes through the car's sound system which prevents me from, for instance, listening to music from a USB key (plugged in the car) and listening to Google maps (running on my phone) instructions at the same time.  I have to chose between the bluetooth and the USB media.
Devices infos:

Phone: Android 5.0.1 on Nexus 4
Receiver: Volvo Sensus Connect (I think)

Perhaps SoundAbout is the solution ?

As far as I know, the sound protocol is A2DP and the phone is HFP, therefore, they are different. It should be possible to connect only one of them to the Bluetooth device (in this case, your car).
In the Bluetooth devices list, you should have a settings icon next to your car's name where you can disable audio. It should be possible to disable one without disabling the other. I'm not sure of that because I have never tested it and the labeling is quite poor in this place.
If the problem is Google Play Music auto-start, it is possible to force Google Play Music to disconnect from the Bluetooth by clicking on the "Cast" icon in the app itself.


text:
Xperia Sola- Whatsapp Web not being able to scan the Bar Code
I have successfully managed to chat on whatsapp web two times, but since yesterday it just won't read the bar code. I have tried it horizontally and vertically, placed it for minutes and also tried moving the phone throughout the code so that it reads at least somewhere, but it just would not work. Advise.

Also, my camera opens only in 1/4th of the screen space, rest is a black-shade area covering the camera screen. Although the camera is working fine.

Make sure your internet is working smoothly. As after scan it need to send data to server and then it get connected to web. I think your device is scanning clearly bt reason its failing is due to poor internet.. Let me know you succeed connecting??

I've got the problem solved today, while I was PRT SCRning the problem.
All you have to do is move your phone more Left, because of that black half screen bug it scans blank space near QR code.

when you are at whatsapp web screen on your phone that view on 1/4 of screen is wrong get a screenshot you will see where you really are and then center qr code due to screen shoots its a lot easier :D


text:
SMS message text absurdly large
My LG Optimus Fuel (running factory-installed, non-rooted KitKat) is displaying SMS and MMS message text in the Messaging app at a very large size, as seen below.

I have looked through the app's settings and System Settings, to no avail. System text size is set to "Normal", but this problem still occurs, and only in this app.
Any solutions?

Yes. Every other app works fine.

There's a post on AndroidCentral forum to try the volume button (no additional info on the device/app though, but it doesn't hurt to try)

I've found the solution. I was easily able to fix it by using pinch gestures on the screen. It works the same as viewing a webpage. Pinch apart to zoom in, pinch together to zoom out.

I was going to say this, you've pinched the screen to zoom in!

You could also just use the volume keys to zoom in/out.


text:
Why does bluetooth turns itself off
I have a Galaxy S4 (GT-9505) here where Bluetooth is turning itself off. Sometimes this happens after a few seconds. Other times it takes longer or even stays on. Also, if it stays on can't find other devices with turned-on visibility.
Here is the log: http://pastebin.com/MP3YyQxS I cut a lot of unrelated stuff out and it starts right before I activate Bluetooth and ends right after it deactivates itself
Does anybody have similar experience?

Seems like the system tries to read a non-existing file. Try to delete application data of the Bluetooth app (package name: com.android.bluetooth)

Check to see if Battery Saving Mode is ON.   By turning that function off on my phone, the Bluetooth issue was gone.

A long time ago I had this same issue, but with Bluetooth and WiFi; Turns out to be the Bluetooth & Wifi Card on the phone, it had been damaged... How? After letting my phone fall too much times.
That phone wasn't able to operate anymore, because the only solution was to brass the card to the motherboard again and it would work normally, but there was a risk of damaging other parts of the motherboard when doing this process. Finally I tried it and didn't work, so I also damaged the mb and the phone died.
I RECOMMEND CHECKING YOUR PHONE WITH AN EXPERT


text:
Get Rid of Google Play Services
I am using Micromax A80 with Android A80 from last two years. (Android Ginger bread, RAM of just 256MB)
From last two weeks Google Play services application is taking too much memory and phone gives error message like insufficient memory  to work.
How to get rid of this problem ?
Is it safe to un-install Google Play Service App itself ?

Whether or not it's safe to uninstall depends on how you use your device. Do you use any of Google's services?

What are google services ? Can you explain ?

Anything made by Google. Gmail, Google Maps, the Play Store, etc etc. Any apps made by Google will break if you uninstall Google Play Services.

Yes, i am using play store (not using maps, gmail).

So i cant UN-install google play services. Any other solutions to my problem ?

The only way to get rid of the Google Play Services app would be to root your phone. However,  before even going there, know that any Google App requires Google Play Services and would not work without it.  Google Play Services is essentially an API for all of the Google Apps.  Without the API, the apps would be useless.
A better solution than uninstalling such an important app is to buy a MicroSD Card.  They are extremely inexpensive and are only around $15.00.  Your phone supports up to 32 GB of expansion, so you would definitely have enough room for the app afterwards.  Then root your phone, download Titanium Backup and convert Google Services to a user app. After that, use Link2SD to move it to your SD card.

i have already 32 GB SD card, i have 16 GB free space in that, but phone memory is too low. Thats the reason for all the problems.

I know this was a while ago, but I just saw your comment.  You can transfer apps onto the SD Card once you root


text:
Cannot update to Lollipop on rooted Moto G 2nd Gen
I have rooted my device a few days back. Today I received Lollipop update for my Moto G 2nd gen. I downloaded the updates and clicked on install updates.
When I clicked on Install updates, it powered off my phone and then opened TWRP screen with all its options. I had no idea about what to do next so I just clicked on "Reboot". It rebooted my device and again due to Lollipop installation, got powered off again.
My device got in power off and TWRP screen loop. I rebooted my device a few times and then it displayed me the message that the "update was unsuccessful"
Now, when I check for updates, it shows me that my software is up to date. I still have KitKat on my device.
Please help me to upgrade my Android version from KitKat to Lollipop. Please also suggest what to do when I install updates and my device powers off and start with TWRP screen.

You can't get OTA updates while the phone is rooted.  What you need to do is un-root the phone, install the OTA update, then re-root the phone once you're done.
Also, OTA updates are best done using the stock recovery.

Thanks. I will try to do the same and post the result here.


text:
Nexus 7 2012 Lag: "mmcqd/0" process
I'm trying to fix lag on my 2012 N7 and recently formatted it's partitions to F2FS and tried two roms that are "All-F2FS", "SlimKat with All-F2FS support" and "BSZAospLP v1.5" but after I restore my apps with TB, which are around 100 apps, I get the lag and slowdown and the process causing it is "mmcqd/0".
Is there any way I can fix this and get rid of the lag?
I'm down to a point that don't care about customization and features of a Rom/Custom Rom, I just want a usable device.
Thanks.

try restoring a few apps at a time, one of them will be causing the lag
This question and answer may help: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/35603/sluggish-performance-due-to-mmcqd-cpu-usage

Thanks, I uninstalled most of my apps, didn't help.


text:
Galaxy S5 Battery Drain
Galaxy S5 (unrooted)
My battery drain isn't dreadful yet, but it isn't getting better.
I can't narrow down what is causing it.  I have tried keeping my sync turned off, keeping google location reporting services off, even keeping my data off.  I can't narrow down at all what is causing this.
Anybody else have an idea or in a similar situation?

Had the same situation, I rooted and installed some app management apps, and stopped autoruns of many apps like maps, games, etc. I also removed some stock apps that I don't use which runs in background like Samsung apps. I recommend "System Cleanup" app for this .

In the system settings look at the apps that consume the most of resources. But it is not always possible or desirable to remove these apps.
I have universal advice. Just reboot the phone sometimes. It reboots quitely fast and after the rebooting about half an day it drains the battery less than the phone which is not rebooted in weeks.


text:
Unzipping without an app?
This is a somewhat old phone running Android 2.3.6. My phone is not an English phone, so the below may not be exactly what an English phone would say.
I've downloaded a zip file to my phone that I want to unzip. When I click the file, the phone tells me no programs can complete that action. Which is true, as I don't have any apps that deal with .zip files. Except, I know the phone can do this without an app - I know this because it actually started to, and managed to unzip a few files before I hit the "back" button (on accident; I was trying to back out of something else when it popped the unzipping on me). I have those files in a directory next to the .zip file.
How do I tell the phone to resume unzipping?

You may not be able to resume but deleting the extracted files and trying to unzip again should do it.


text:
Nexus 7 32GB showing 8GB after flash
I had the no command boot loop when trying to enter recovery so I used the nexus root kit to reflash everything which did fix the problem and after a few days of use I noticed that there's only 8GB's available to me now. I presume that this is from the flashing as I had 32 before. To unlock/recognize my memory which part of my nexus will I have to reflash?
Model: Nexus 7 (2012) mobile 32GB

I found the solution to getting the correct size wasn't from the hardware identifying the wrong size, but the partition of the /sdcard/ being the wrong size. I solved this by formatting it with Clockwork. I lost my app data, but most apps remained installed.

In my case the problem was the same and happened after downgrading from the really slow lollipop to kitkat and rooting again. Formatting or factory reset did not help.
The solution was to boot into recovery (TWRP) after flashing a ROM and rooting, and there change the file system type. For example I switched from the recognized 8GB ext4 to FAT (this switched the capacity to 32GB) and then back again to ext4. This obviously deletes all apps & data.
Model: Nexus 7 (2012) WiFi, TWRP version 2.8.6.0
Detailed procedure:
On the TWRP home, choose the option "Wipe", then "Advanced Wipe". Now from the available partitions select only Data and tap "Repair or Change File System". The next screen shows the current file system info, where you can tap "Change File System", then choose the desired one and swipe to apply this change. According to my previous instructions you may repeat this procedure twice, once to switch to FAT, then again to ext4.

Though it should be obvious, a hint for the less experienced: This makes you lose all your installed apps, and also all apps' data.

Exactly. If performed right after rooting, the apps & data will have already been lost. Otherwise they will be lost during switching file system type, so use with caution.

"If performed right after rooting, the apps & data will have already been lost." – why that? Since when does rooting destroy data? Or is this specific to the rooting method you've used?

I was referring to the procedure above: "...after flashing a ROM and rooting".

Ah – then most likely yes (if that procedure included wiping/factory-reset, as it most often does – though there are exceptions ;) Nevermind, will not start hair-splitting now :)


text:
Stock Android 4.4.2 Stock Messaging App
I wanted to see how this other messaging app was going to work on my phone and Gear S.  To make it my default I had to go to default messaging app and turn off my stock message app.  But the new app doesn't allow me to respond to my text messages from my Gear S so I need to turn back on the stock app.  However it's no longer there.  My phone is not rooted I just simply turned it off.  Is there anyway to turn it back on?

What is your phone & what replacement SMS app did you use? Also, is this problem on your phone or the Gear S? If you have Hangouts, it comes with an SMS feature and you could try using that over the stock app. BTW, the stock SMS App is called Messaging.

This is Android 5.0.2, but the location should be the same on 4.4.2

Go to Setting -> Wireless & Networks -> More

Select Default SMS App
You will be able to select an SMS app to be the default.


text:
My android system and android os are consuming more part of my battery
this problem has been troublimg me from the last few weeks I reported this problem at the Flipkart service center and they changed my battery and software.I even tried a factory reset but to no avail. i charged my phone in the afternoon . it lasted for aday and ahalf .while i was going to sleep the battery was about 58%..when i got up in the morning the battery was only 5%. I am completely tired.Please help me resolve this deadlock
Ashish Tiwari

Which phone you are using? What is your android os version?

Well, what I can advise you over here's call down the place where you purchase it from and ask them for replacement or the better option would be walking down towards the nearest support and tell them to replace the battery as I am somewhere getting a feel that the problem is with the battery.

Disable the following services

Google Now (if you dont use it much)
Developer options (off)
Location Reporting (off)
Background Wifi Scanning (off)
Brightness - low
Remove unwanted apps

Once you have disabled these services, restart the device .

So the battery usage information is usage since the last time you unplugged at about a full charge. Something is going to use the battery. People worry too much about "why is using 40% of my battery" but that is not actually the case. It is using 40% of the about of power that has drained since you unplugged your phone.
So if your battery is at 90%, and the OS used 40% of your battery, it used 4% battery. while other applications are responsible for the other 6% of the drain. The phone is going to use battery, if you are sleeping or not. The phone still connects to the mobile carrier, gets its signal strength, apps like facebook, google+, etc, all communicate with their "host" and other mobile data related things.
The best thing to do, if you don't put your phone on the charger at night, is to turn on airplane mode. I do it when I can't put my phone on the charger, and when I wake up, it is only down maybe 1%.


text:
Is there any program to root my device without connecting it to PC?
I am looking for an APK software which could be installed on my Android device (Samsung S3 I9300) that root my device without needing to connect the device to PC during root process. Or any other way for rooting without need of connecting to PC. Is there any way?

Android version is 4.0.4

Framaroot, if you are running 4.2.2 or lower. I don't know about anything for 4.3 and up which works reliably on most devices.


text:
Installing TWRP on a Samsung device, no fastboot (using ADB or other ways)
My device (Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300) is not detected by fastboot in Download Mode, but it is detected properly by adb. I want to install TWRP as my device recovery. Is there any way to install it using adb instead of fastboot?
There is a question about the problem of detection of the device by fastboot on this site (which has no working answer yet). But my question is not how to solve that problem. If you like to answer that problem please see this page.

Why is everyone, who tries to flash his Samsung phone, using fastboot? Samsung phones need Odin to flash recoveries or stock ROMs. Then it's also detected properly (make sure you have your recovery in either .tar or .tar.md5 format or it won't work.

or Heimdall.....

@GiantTree Is there any Ubuntu version of Odin? I searched by Synaptic but not found it!

See samsung's comment or the answer.

There is no fastboot mode on Samsung. You must use the ODIN mode, which is an alternative to fastboot. On Linux there is a client application called Heimdall which talks to phones via Odin mode. So the answer to your question is ODIN or Heimdall. ODIN is the proprietary Samsung PC application, Heimdall is multiplatform open source alternative.
Alternatively, if you are able to root your phone somehow, you can put TWRP (or any other recovery) on your phone by rewriting the recovery partition via shell but this can be tricky and I wouldn't recommend it unless you know exactly what you are doing or willing to risk bricking your phone. If interested, I can write a generic how-to too but I'd rather leave it to someone with more experience on that - I only did it like 5 times.

Heimdall has a short help description and no manual or documentation. Should I ask my question about Heimdall on this site?

ODIN on the other hand has no documentation whatsoever. Personally, I consider Heimdall docs good enough, ymmv. Go ahead and ask about Heimdall if you have any specific issue though. Also try searching for Heimdall tips on XDA beforehand so that your question isn't too generic.

adb sees your device, so then you can just go from adb to fastboot:
adb reboot bootloader

Phone may ask if this is OK, voids warranty, blah blah
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

After flashing recovery, remove battery, then hold the appropriate button combination to boot into (new) recovery. Then reboot into system from the new recovery. Otherwise, unless we reboot into new recovery once, the boot snoopery may replace new recovery with old.

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


text:
ADB does not reboot my Samsung Galaxy SIII I9300 to bootloader (download) mode
My device is Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 and I did a complete factory reset. The device is NOT rooted yet. It works properly. I can do all of the following with my device:

Power off using device keys.
Start in recovery mode and download mode using device keys.
device is detected properly in normal mode and recovery mode by adb when is connected to PC through a USB cable
I am able to reboot the device using adb reboot command
adb reboot recovery works well.

The problem is that if I run adb reboot bootloader or adb reboot-bootloader commands, the device is booted in normal mode, NOT in download mode. The only way to reboot the device in download mode is to use the Power + Volume Down + Home keys

There is another problem with this device that my help to solve this problem. For more information please see this question: (http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/97115/samsung-galaxy-s3-i9300-is-not-detected-by-fastboot-under-ubuntu-14-04)

From my experience with Samsung devices this is not a bug but rather a feature. The "download" AKA "ODIN" mode on Samsung devices is a proprietary alternative to bootloader/fastboot mode and I don't remember being able to boot to this mode in other than the hardware way.

The command below works for my s3.
adb reboot download

Could you provide the output of adb help? download option is not supported with reboot. See source code here: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/adb/+/refs/heads/master/commandline.cpp#192

As far as I know, adb reboot is shorthand that does the same thing as /system/bin/reboot binary, whose syntax is usage: reboot [-p] [rebootcommand]. From testing, reboot commands for Samsung-based devices are recovery and download. Samsung devices have a proprietary implementation of fastboot/bootloader mode called download mode, hence download option.

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


text:
How to sync all photos on Android with Amazon Prime Photos?
Here's some background information:

I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Android phone.
I have an Amazon Prime account.
I have some photos stored in folders on my memory card.
I have some photos stored in my phone's memory.
I have some photos stored with the Picasa icon.
I can see all of these photo albums on the phone using the Android "Gallery" app
I installed the Amazon Cloud Drive App on the phone and set it to Autosave Photos.

The problem is that it only seems to upload the Photos stored in memory on the phone not the other locations i.e. memory card, picasa.
How can I get all of these photos (no matter how they are stored) copies to the Amazon Prime Photos cloud?

I just found the answer to my question in case any one else cares from the Amazon support page:

To upload your photos and videos:
   From the Android Gallery on your Android device:
  Open the photo, album, or video you want to upload.
  Tap the Share icon, and then select Cloud Drive.

Now you actually can just download the official app from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/photos/home
It does all that you need automatically and without any issues.


text:
Battery draining faster after recharging on Galaxy S4 Mini
I'm struggling with my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. Actually the battery is very good and since I don't use my phone a lot, it lasts pretty much 2 days when I let it die and full recharge it.
The issue is, everytime I recharge it when the battery is not dead, the battery is draining very fast even though I don't use my phone.

As you can see, after I unplugged it, even though everything was off, the curve is plunging whereas when everything was off before the plug, it's almost horizontal.
Does anyone have an idea how can I fix it?

Well, let us try running a check over this one: Try removing the battery from the device and then put it over the flat surface, and try spinning if the battery spins freely then battery may be swollen and needs replacement.

I've just tried, so far the battery looks flat and makes only one turn after spinning it. Since the battery lasts long the first time, i would bet on a software problem, no ?

Okay, @sebcarotte that looks like the problem isn't with the battery as only one spinning can be considered as non spinning at all ! I would say why don't you try recalibrating battery.

Thanks Peter, By recalibrating, you mean, full recharge the battery and let it go to 0% once or twice in a row?

Yes @Sebcarotte I am talking about the same full charge the battery let it ran to 0% and then again full charge the battery and let it ran dry. Sometimes it also helps !

All the best ! I'll be looking forward to hear back from you! :D

Draining a lithium-ion battery to 0 should only be done on occasion. It is not good for li-ion batteries to be drained fully.


text:
Can not update to lollipop due to TWRP recovery
I use Nexus 7 2012 wifi version. I rooted the device and installed TWRP recovery on it when it was on 4.4.4. Now the lollipop update of 5.0.2 is available to install, whenever I download the update and click install button the tablet boots in recovery mode and gives failed message. How do I get rid of this and install lollipop update successfully?

You can either upgrade to L via TWRP itself (some reported having trouble with TWRP 2.8 and suggested trying 2.7) or revert from TWRP back to stock recovery if you want to go the OTA way (I guess that's what you're trying to do, you're not clear on that in your question).
Also instead of TWRP you can try ClockworkMod recovery.
edit: typo

Yes I want to use OTA one. How do I revert from TWRP back to stock recovery?

To install OTA zip, shall one select ADB SideLoad or just Install?

I use the Nexus Root Toolkit for Windows by wugfresh, it will allow you to unroot and revert to stock with a button click. It also includes full instructions on any setup you need to do prior.
You can find it here: http://www.wugfresh.com/nrt/.
It will also allow you to choose TWRP or ClockworkMod if you wish and can help you install new ROMs too.


text:
Generic version of Cyanogenmod for any Android device?
Are there "generic" versions of the Cyanogenmod that would work on any device? (My device isn't officially supported.)
If not, why? (If Windows and Linux distros have images that work on any computer – as long you choose the version for the right architecture (x86, ARM, 32bit, 64bit) – then why not Android?)
EDIT
If the issue is mainly that drivers might not work, is there a way to save the drivers that came pre-installed on the device, and install them after Cyanogenmod'ing?

To answer your EDIT, I have no experience with these types of things, but it should be possible. Take a look at how to port CM: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Doc:_porting_intro Of course, that means, development work, and asking about how to build custom ROMs is out of topic here.

Linux and therefore Android too use a monolithic kernel that includes all the drivers. Hence extracting is not possible.

I think the WHY is a very interesting question!

To answer the why, mobile operating systems are much more dependent on the hardware. They don't have drivers to work with a lot of different combinations of hardware, unlike desktop OS's. This is primarily done to make them more efficient (which is a more critical issue for mobile OS's).
About your edit, you can't install drivers after installing cyanogenmod, because the OS itself won't boot up. Even if you are using fastboot/recovery, you can only flash whole partitions like system, userdata, boot, etc, and not one off drivers. Also, a lot of the OS code related to driver interaction isn't very generic, where you can just replace the driver and expect it to work You will need a ROM image where the drivers are modified and integrated properly, which is what cynogenmod versions for different devices are.

No, there isn't.
eldarerathis' answer on What's the risk of installing Cyanogen Mod on unsupported phone? explains the negative effects if you installed the incorrect CM ROM.


text:
Is there a way to change resolution on a Note 4?
Currently everything is huge, I would like to know if I can change my resolution.

If you have root,  you can edit your build.prop file. There even apps from the Play Store to do that for you. When changing LCD density (DPI), be cautious to what you change it to.  Lower the value too much and items will be unreadable, also making the system unstable with certain apps. The Play Store might fail to work. As with everything, perform a backup in case of instabilities.

Use DPI changer apps like Textdroider DPI, but you'd need root access for it.


text:
I locked my phone from android device manager, now i'm not being able to remove the lock screen password
I locked my phone from android device manager, now i'm not being able to remove the lock screen password, it says that, lock screen is disabled by administrator or encryption policy or credential storage
I tried clearing the credentials, but it didn't work

See if this helps: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/93750/how-can-i-unlock-my-phone-i-locked-it-using-android-device-manager-but-it-clai

Different Devices have different options to go into recovery mode. Specify your device I will tell you how to go into your device's recovery mode! After going into recovery mode try

Wipe Data/ Factory Reset
Wipe Cache Partition

And then reboot your device. It Will Work!!


text:
How to mount an ext3 partition from an external sd card on android
I'm trying to run Debian on the Android 4.4 (modded with cyanogenmod) that's installed on my nexus 10 to external sdcard. I'm reading this tutorial :
http://whiteboard.ping.se/Android/Debian
I've attached the Leef microSD microUSB Connector to the mini usb port of my nexus 10 as you can see here :

I've created two partitions on the sd card,as explained on the tutorial. The first is formatted with fat fs and the second one with ext3 file system. This is what I did when I've prepared the sd card partitions on the desktop computer :
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

When I attach the leef connector,only the fat32 partition is recognized by android,but not the ext3. This is the mount points that I see :

To proceed with the tutorial I need to mount the second partition where should be installed the debian OS. How can I do this ? thanks.

How have you formatted the 2nd partition? mkfs.ext3?

I've fixed the problem by myself with these commands :
mount -o rw,remount /
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda2 /mnt/deb

You could try mount -t auto ... for both partitions to see if it recognizes the correct fs type.

mount -t auto didn't work


text:
What can I do to stop the Lollipop update prompts if I don't want to update my KitKat?
I have some bad experience with my 1st gen Nexus 7, after updating to Lollipop. It made everything so slow, as to be completely useless as a device. I had to factory reset it.
My Moto G is less than a year old, and I have no desire to see it go through the same process. It is already a little slow on KitKat right now. However, the system update prompts shows up as many as 5 times within 1 continuous hour of usage. It says that it will ask me to set a time for future update prompts if I select 'No, thanks', but it doesn't.
How can I stop the update prompts from showing up all the time?

Yeah, I had the same experience with the Lollipop OTA on my N7/2013.  OTOH, my partner's i9505G Google Edition is running Lollipop just fine.  Of course, that's a more capable device, and it's Google's own test platform, I suppose.

Go into your device Setting--> Apps--> All (tab)--> Open 'Motorola
Update Services' & Disable it!
If 'Disable' Option is not available
in your device then you will have to root your device and then
install SD Maid app, And grant that application root permission so
that you can freeze system apps.
And I think so 2nd method will work 100%.

On Motorola Moto G (2014) 2nd Generation

Go to: Settings> App> All> ConfigUpdater
Uncheck 'Show notification'
Press 'Force stop' button


text:
google play store says "check your connection and try again"
Yesterday I got a Xiaomi Redmi 1s and I updated the phone to the latest OS version.  First I created a new Google account and then opened the Play Store.  It just shows "Check Your Connection and Try Again".  Other sites said to try clearing the data, but I had never used the Play Store before.

Have you been able to access the Play Store previously with another device in the same network?  Have you tried different Wi-Fi networks?

Hey I had the same problem but now I know how to fix it.  Set the device's date and time to Manual and 4 years in the future, then open the Play Store and you won't get anything.  Go back to settings and reset this to Automatic, then everything is okay!

This answer helped me. Except my phone was already not in automatic time mode. So, I checked the box to make the time automatically updated and opened the play store again and it worked!

I don't know whether to groan or laugh hysterically at the fact that this actually resolved the problem, so I think I'll do both. I started getting this message after clearing the Play Store app's data due to another problem, and this trick fixed it. How on Earth did you ever figure that out??

This actually worked and it also solved a 505 error I was getting when downloading an application. Thank you so much!

this doesn't work

didnt work for me too. the /etc/hosts cleanup worked (at least temporarily)

Worked for me!  Manually set time, and google play (and automatic downloads) came back to life.  Android 2.3.6.

Worked for me on Samsung Galaxy S2 that has been powered off for several weeks.

I usually resolve by removing /etc/hosts file (use an app like Root Explorer to access the file, Xiaomi phones are rooted OTB so you shouldn't have any problem). Sometimes I have to reboot the phone, sometimes it works straight away.
Better, instead of removing the file rename it to something else, so that you can restore it back if needed.

Thanks for advice. Cleaning the 'hosts' file helped to resolve the issue.

Thanx Jeffrey, it works for me too :)

Thanks. pretty quick work. I didn't need a restart.

This is happening more and more. If the time trick does not help, try to enter Google Maps (invoke something that makes heavy use of the Google Services API) and try Google Play again - this has fixed it for me in the past.


text:
Issue with SHAREit in ANDROID LOLLIPOP
I am trying to use SHAREit app, if I am in sending mode. It prompts to choose the user to whom u wanna share data/apps. After choosing the end user it keeps preparing itself for sharing data however it remains in same status, data transfer remains null. Pls help how to overcome this issue as this is a usual issue.....

Facing the said issue after moto g2 upgraded to lollipop

You should probably contact the developer of the app.

Are you both using same version of ShareIt?

authors: Николай Пекин


text:
System app was not signed correctly
My phone shipped with an outdated version of TouchPal. When I try to update the app through the Play Store, I get this error:

Package file was not signed correctly. Uninstall the previous copy of
  the app and try again.

The thing is: the app is a system app, therefore I can't uninstall it.
How can I get the app up to date?
My old phone had it preinstalled as well, and the update there went on without problems. What?

If you want, root your phone and uninstall it that way (deleting the .apk in /system/app/ is enough). Then you can install it. Note: you lose all settings/application data of that app.

@GiantTree That's what first came to my mind as well, but I'd prefer not to root.

Then you are not able to install the updated TouchPal. Unless you find a way to install an application with an invalid certificate.

@GiantTree That's what I asked for here.

Well, it's not possible without rooting. That's your problem.


text:
Can I backup my purchased android app
I need this information because,  if my data gets lost because of some reason I need to reinstall all my apps, but what about those which I've purchased.  Is it necessary to purchase those purchased apps again or else their is a way for backup.

Once purchased you can download them in any device, no need to purchase them again.

As @xangua said, you can install a purchased app on any device. Just a couple of notes though. You need to log in with the same Google account you made the purchase with, and there is a limit to how many devices you can install to simultaneously. I don't know the exact limit, but if you hit it, you can uninstall from a device you no longer use and then install it on another device.

You can backup any app you like, even purchased ones.
For your purchased apps: Make sure to log in to the Google Account you purchased it with. Else you might get "unlicensed" errors.

Every app you download/buy remain attached to the Google account you used to download/buy them. Even after wiping your phone, you can download your purchased apps from Play Store -> My Apps. Or just search for the app and download it.

Simply downloading might cause some apps to have their Installed by: value to be empty and ask for a reinstallation via the Play Store, so be cautious when "just downloading".


text:
How to mount an ext4 formatted external sdcard in stock Android 4.4.4?
I upgraded from the Note 1 with cyanogenmod 11 to the Note 4 (910C) with stock android (rooted). I want to use the ext4 formatted external sdcard, but Samsung does not added ext4 support for the extSdCard (WHY???????????), so it is not being recognized at boottime. Anyway, I managed to mount it, but I am only able to use it as root. Yes, the ooold permission problem.
I used this script for this:
REALMNT=/mnt/media_rw/extSdCard
mount -t ext4 -o rw,noatime /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 "$REALMNT"
sdcard "$REALMNT" /storage/extSdCard 1023 1023 &

This script does mount the card, but with the wrong permissions. I also changed the permissions in /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml, no luck.
Some permissions I get after mounting the sdcard manually:
# ls -la /storage (notice 1015 instead of 1028)
  ....
  drwxrwxr-x 13 0 1015 4096 Jan 29 02:52 extSdCard

# ls -la /mnt/media_rw
drwx------ 9 1023 1028 0 Jan 29 03:30 .
drwxrwxr-x 7 0 1000 0 Jan 29 03:30 ..
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveA
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveB
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveC
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveD
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveE
drwx------ 2 1023 1023 0 Jan 29 03:30 UsbDriveF
drwxrwxrwx 13 1023 1023 4096 Jan 29 02:52 extSdCard

Clues?
Thanks!

Permissions are used differently in Android. To my knowledge there is no simple way to overcome this problem save for using a permission-free filesystem such as FAT-based one.

@mikky: CyanogenMod has ext4 support by default, you don't need to do anything. It mounts the sdcard without any problem, as it should. As soon as CyanogenMod announces support for the Note 4, I will get rid of this Samsung ROM. That will also fix quite a few other problems.

Not true, at least not for CM11. Ext4 is supported but rights management isn't. vold doesn't expect the underlying filesystem to understand let alone enforce permissions. With ext4 and normal app use you will get permission problems.

Yes, I was talking about CM11 (more precisely, cm-11-20150119-NIGHTLY), but I've been using my ext4 card for months now.

Could you elaborate on the use cases of the sdcard? I've been trying to use ext4-formatted sdcard on CM11 too but always ran into permissions trouble when sharing data between apps or when an app asked to have a directory created on it's behalf.

In /mnt/media_rw/sdcard1 (the true mount point) I see everything with ownership 1023.1023, while in  other places, like /extSdCard/, I see ownership 0.1028. This is what the command /system/bin/sdcard does. One of the reasons I want to SSH as root is to avoid these permissions problems. But in the phone itself, there's no problem.


text:
Options For Samsung Galaxy S5 ACTIVE "SMG870W"- Users with Custom Rom compatibility?
I was wondering,besides any opinions based on the judgment of my decision to buy a Samsung Galaxy ACTIVE version of the S "SM-G870W", can the Samsung S5 Active be Flashed with any ROms, specifically Cyanogenmod or even lollipop, I would prefer to be able to access different choices, and would be very grateful for some advice,personal experience and/ or some ideas to allow for the most innovative experience in the function and user interface of my SM-G870W.
     My PHONE IS ROOTED, running 4.4.2 kitkat, 3.4.0-3084104 kernal build.I believe, I used Odin, as well as Helium to Backup previous, and the App SuperSU is in my app list and along with Odin's "success" sign and no obvious errors or malfunctions i believe the root is in good condition. Carrier is Bell Canada.

Here is at least one option, I am a noob so excuse me if you already knew this. the other answers didn't seem helpful. https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s5/development/rom-s5-active-complete-stock-4-4-2-t2855455


text:
Recovery that does not use touch?
I have an HTC M8 One.  The digitiser has failed.  HTC won't accept the repair since I have rooted the phone.  I'd like to unroot and return to stock but all of the recoveries I have found, or, the installers for stock ROMs, use the touch screen somewhere.
Does anyone know of a combination of recovery and stock ROM install that I can use?

ClockworkMod Recovery doesn't use touch interface. If you can flash stock ROM with it.. But you may have problem getting rid of CWM after flashing the ROM. It might be possible - some ROM's do a reflash of recovery partition before every reboot. You can try letting the battery run low to the point where the system shuts down automatically.

CWM even has "temporary versions", which are not "really installed". You'd act as if installing them, but they are not written to permanent storage – but only loaded to memory and run; after the next boot, they're gone again (comparable to a "temp root"). Not sure if such a version exists for this device, though.

Yes, these can be sideloaded via fastboot. Totally forgot about them :)

If you are trying to get your phone back to the way it was when you got it, I recommend flashing an RUU instead. It reverts your recovery and bootloader too. You won't even need a custom recovery to do this.
There are many RUUs available, like this one for the GSM HTC One GPE. Just make sure you download the correct package for your device and follow all  and instructions provided.
At the end of the process, you can even re-lock your bootloader security by running fastboot oem lock from a connected computer, while on your phone's fastboot screen ([Bootloader] > Fastboot).
*Note: Be especially careful when flashing an RUU because, while it reverts your recovery, bootloader, and system, it can possibly corrupt those files and potentially render your phone a brick.


text:
Why I cannot SSH as root into my android?
I set an public key auth SSH server in my rooted Note 4 through Dropbear (Terminal IDE). I am being able to log in as any user, except root. I get:
 [2085] Jan 31 20:05:21 exit after auth (root): child failed
 Connection to 192.168.nn.nn closed.

I've read that this is shell-related problem, but no idea which, or how to fix it.
I want to log in as root since I get constant permission denied when trying to look at the /sdcard.
This is the script that starts the server:
#!/system/bin/sh

base="/data/data/com.spartacusrex.spartacuside/files"
dropbear=$base/system/bin/dropbear

id="1023"
gid="1028,1015"
username="gato"
w="-w"
if [ "$1" == "root" ]; then
    id=0
    gid=0
    username="root"
    w=""
fi

$dropbear \
    -A -N $username -U $id -G $gid \
    -C jtkkRKJ6993irJTjRJ993irJTj8496j \
    -d $base/.ssh/dropbear_dss_host_key \
    -r $base/.ssh/dropbear_rsa_host_key \
    -R $base/.ssh/authorized_keys \
    -F -E -s $w -g -p 22 &

These are the permissions in $base/.ssh:
 # ls -la .ssh
 drwx------    2 0        0             4096 Jan 28 23:43 .
 drwxrwxrwx   17 10223    10223         4096 Jan 31 22:25 ..
 -rw-------    1 0        0              382 Jan 28 23:43 authorized_keys
 -rw-------    1 0        0              458 Jan 28 23:43 dropbear_dss_host_key
 -rw-------    1 0        0              426 Jan 28 23:43 dropbear_rsa_host_key
 -rw-------    1 0        0             1798 Jan 28 23:43 known_hosts

are you sure dropbear itself is in fact running with root privileges?

@mikky: Well, it's being started by root itself after a su -. Remember that I can login as non root even with pubkeys. This is a shell problem.

The error message suggests a permission problem - seems to me that dropbear cannot fork a shell with root permissions.
I just tried your script and it works for me (root can log in) but I'm using dropbear installed via different app. Using CM11.

Mmmm... maybe it's that... I'll try to find another dropbear app. Thanks!!

@mikky doesn't CM always ship with ro.secure=0 – i.e. you get a root shell directly when using adb shell, without any call to su? Could that have something to do with it?

BTW: anyone knows how to specify multiple groups with dropbear? Only the first one is recognized, at least in the version I have.

@izzy I don't think so, adb is a separate subsystem. In this case shell is forked from dropbear which tries to change the EID while with adb shell it's forked from adb itself directly. In CM the superuser settings differentiates between adb root and app root. That being said, I still have no idea what may cause the problem.

I was aware that there's no relation to ADB here, of course; I've just thought there might be a similar setting dropbear honors, for security reasons. ro.secure is (or should be) honored by adbd at boot time. There's a second setting (I forgot the name) for whether it's allowed to switch to root mode on demand. Dropbear might honor that second one as well. A helful article on our sister site might be: run dropbear ssh server from android as system user

Also worth cross-checking: How To Install SSH Server As Root On Android 4.4 KitKat

The main reason to use dropbear as root was to allow easy RW of the external sdcard. So I decided to go the secure route: to set proper permissions on everything (as I should have done from the beginning). I changed dropbear to use the same id as the one of terminal emulator, but gid=1028. With that, I am able to write both in the sdcard and in the external sdcard, rsync, etc.

@Izzy, I think I know what you're talking about with ro.secure. Can't remember the name of the other settings as well but I belive it is only taken into account by the su binary, not the others since it should be managed system-wide which a proper su in conjucntion with some kind of Super* app (SuperUser in case of CM11) takes care of.
It's likely dropbear already runs as root in Luis's case, the script seems ok, especially if he can log in as non-root user. Although this might need confirmation.
Empirically, the problem is in Terminal IDE's dropbear binary, since "it works for me".

"I belive it is only taken into account by the su binary": which is what apps invoke to get root privileges AFAIK. As for "the other setting": wasn't that persist.sys.safemode=0 for a "root-adbd"? Worth a try here as well, I'd say: including a setprop persist.sys.safemode=0 (and =1 to revert back – or better using getprop persist.sys.safemode to first figure the original setting).

@LuisA.Florit: I have the same problem: "Exit (root): Child failed". Did you finally find a solution?

@tokland: I start dropbear with gid="1028". I can write and read the external SD card. I was unable to use it as root.

@LuisA.Florit: Thx! got it working. While not shown in the options, -G is a valid option. As you, I can only use it with a non-root user, but I run "su" after and I have root access.

Yep, this is what I did. A pain, but safer.

I have dropbear v0.53.1 and i did not have -G option. Also, I don´t know where to download another dropbear binary for my samsung gt-n5110


text:
what is the path the file system location where SMS messages stored?
Where in the file system are SMS messages stored? plese list the path

In CM11 (Android KitKat) when using stock messaging app the database file is located at:
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
Note that it's not a text file, it's a sqlite database file which needs to be accessed via sqlite-capable front-end (such as sqlite command line client).

I would like to add that this database is application independent (.providers) and usually not readable without either an app with permissions (Message app) or root. It's also neither encrypted nor very well sorted, but holds every message you get (sometimes even hidden ones). Last thing: that path should be valid for all current Android versions (GB, HC, ICS, JB, L).

You're right it's application independent but as far as I know there are third party apps that use their own storage and sometimes even delete the messages from the providers storage.


text:
Add existing Google account without accepting Google Play agreement
I've received a new Samsung Galaxy S5.
I want to add my existing Google account to the phone, to be able to use Gmail and my calendar. However, when adding my account under Settings, the phone requires me to accept a bunch of legal agreements, including one about Google Play and its billing functions.
I don't want to be forced to accept a legal agreement concerning a service I don't intend to use just to access my email and calendar data.
How can I get around this?

I just made an account for that sole purpose of not wanting to give my information, if google wants to take it, I'll happily provide fake information. I knew I shouldnt have bought a smartphone, this was exactly what I wanted to avoid.
"btw, in order to use your phone, and get access to a bunch of things youll never ever want to use, we'll demand all your personal information, access to your phone and microphone (Samsung style) and synchronization of all gallery, but that will be all"

Indeed. These things should be sold with a warning: "WARNING: To be able to use this product even in the most basic way, you must accept 1,000 pages of arbitrary legal agreements subject to arbitrary changes."


text:
cannot open google now

I have Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus(GT-I9105) with rooted stock android 4.1.2.
So I thought of replacing touchwiz with Google Now Launcher. So, I installed Google Now from Play store. When I try to open it, It gives a message

"Touchwiz Home is currently your default launcher, go to settings, touch Clear Defaults and press the Home Button."
The problem is Touchwiz is not set to default (the button is disabled) as it is the only launcher I have.
Pressing Home button doesn't show Google Now Launcher.
I installed other launchers, and they work fine.Only Google Now has the problem. Is it a bug? Anything I should do?

I have same issue on lava x9 android 5.0. .... You got any solutions ? Have google search and now installed

Sadly, No solutions came up, I am using a different phone now, and it has Google now working fine...

You need to install the google search apk before the google now launcher

Google Search is installed by default. Its also up to date.

I had a Galaxy Tab 3 with kitkat 4.4.2 and Touchwiz with the same problem until I installed the Google app, the google app version is 4.1.24.1672412.arm from 12 jan 2015.

i have the same version of google installed..


text:
ROM on android phones isn't really "read only"... right?
I see the word ROM and internal memory used interchangeably in the context of Android phones. The OS seems to be stored in the internal memory itself, which is also used for installing applications. Which implies that it is not "read only".
So, just to clear my confusion, am I correct in understanding that in Android phones the OS is stored in the internal memory and word "ROM" is used for "historic" reasons, since ROM is where firmwares on non-Android phone were/are otherwise commonly installed?

It seems like you've been misinformed. ROM means Read-Only Memory and is used in Android as such.
The ROM is the part of your system that is: able to run on its own, write protected and thus not changeable.
Many/All manufacturers implement a way to bypass Linux' restrictions/file system permissions to be able to update their ROM ie. write to /system.
The normal user is not able to write to that /system partition, which is independent form the /data partition, where all your apps and data is stored (/data is not needed to run Android).
The only thing those two partitions share is (not always) the same hardware/memory chip.

The contents stored on /system contain all software needed to run Android on that specific device including: drivers, configurations, scripts, applications, frameworks etc.
  They are read-only for the user and only writable after remounting as a system user or superuser/root.
  Therefore ROM can be considered a valid and correct term for the Android system's /system partition/ROM partition.

Write restrictions on /system are not imposed by the filesystem and permissions, the partition is mounted read-only which is a kernel feature, not filesystem one. Also while updating the system partition is usually accessed from outside the operating system hence there is no "bypass" of restrictions since there are no restrictions in the first place.

ROM is just part of internal ssd-like memory which is, under normal circumstances, mounted read-only. There is no physical write restriction on the memory as it used to be on the original ROM chips a few decades before.
ROM memories used to be hardwired, the data was physically "fused" onto the chip. Then later these chips became flashable.
Today both "ROM" and "flashing" terms are used technically incorrectly but they carry a principle of how are these memories treated.

ROM means Read Only Memory. As we know in the world of technology anything is possible. So Read only memory on any device means that the user can only READ the memory, but if you are a superuser then you can do whatever you want to that readonly memory.
Long story short: ROM is where you bootloader/OS is installed, but is considered READ-ONLY because it is so hard to write over that data.