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How to root Lenovo B (A016a40)?
I am trying to root my Lenovo B (A2016a40), but I absolutely cannot find a working method. Here are some specs of my phone as a screenshot:

I have tried several apps (desktop and Android) such as KingoRoot, Framaroot, and so on, but nothing has worked so far. I have found this way:
Kingo Root - How to Get Root Access on Android 6.0/6.0.1 Marshmallow devices with KingoRoot but I am not sure if this can be applied to my phone or not and I am scared to brick it.
Can anyone help?

Look here (translation using Google works fine): http://lenovo-forums.ru/topic/21625-lenovo-a2016a40-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B8-%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0-twrp-%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8/ Please note that there are different builds (and the link only works for an early build).

@Bob Ah right I had come across that forum post before, but unfortunately it's in Russian and I don't speak any Russian, so I did not want to do something on a Google Translation. Besides, how would I know whether that would work for my phone, with my firmware and stuff? If there is someone who figured out how to root it, why can none of the Kingoroot, Framaroot or whatever-root-apps do it also and make sure it would work before I brick my phone? Long story short, I didn't dare to do it.

Similar series here :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aLpy1qbn8s Is on spanish but is comprehensible

Regarding rooting apps: Why are the rooting apps not working anymore?

I am recommending you to use KingoRoot application because this app is very great for rooting devices and it won't put your device in brick. If this app failed during root, it automatically closes itself and notified you.
In the end, it is your decision and you are responsible for your work.

Yeah i keep trying KingoRoot but according to the site it doesn't support Marshmallow (yet). I have good experiences with KingoRoot, because I rooted my wife's Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with it. I just wonder, how come until now none of those rooting apps support Marshmallow. Or is it something phone specific? I mean if it's personal towards my Lenovo B?

OP has mentioned "KingoRoot" on the question and it failed though.


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Does WhatsApp duplicate media files?
Whenever I receive or send a media file via WhatsApp, it is stored in WhatsApp/Media/.
Is it ever stored anywhere else as well? (perhaps depending on configuration of WhatsApp)
I want each WhatsApp chat media file and document to be stored only once in the whole directory structure (for a cleaner administration, and to save space). I am not referring to the same file sent/received many times.
Following instructions in https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/android/30031687, I placed a .nomedia file in each of the directories in WhatsApp/Media/ (WhatsApp Images, etc.), and in the respective Sent subdriectories.
With that, they do not show up anymore in the Gallery, so this suggests that the answer to my question is No.

Whatsapp is using peer to peer networks and hence its duplicating files to ensure its availability even though its deleted for one user. But its a bad concept and it junks your mobile. A mapping method should be used to avoid duplication.

At the time of writing this comments, whatsapp doesn't make duplicates. It maps to single original source and all the references in the form of sents and forwards are mapped to it. For instance a same media is sent to two people and than from second person chat it is forwarded to third person, than there will be single file in WhatsApp/sent folder. You have to remove all the references of that image in WhatsApp in order to remove it from sent folder. If you resend an old picture that is already send in the past, guess what you wont get a duplicate as it's already in sent folder

@SamiullahKhan in whatsapp, do we get the duplicate file in case someone sends us the same image multiple times ?

The way WhatsApp is programmed, you will create multiple files of the same media file every time you send it to a new user.
.nomedia file in android just makes sure that the folders (and it's subfolders) are not SEEN in the gallery app. Doesn't at all mean they aren't being created at all.
I am afraid there is nothing you can do to STOP multiple files of the same media from creating when you send the same media file to multiple people.

Can you specify the directories where the copies you mention are created?

Plus, you only mention Sent media files. What about received media files?

If you send to multiple people the same file, all will be in sent (like if you send the same video to multiple people, all those copies will be in WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Video/Sent). Same is for received. Example: If you received the exact same file from a person on personal chat as well as multiple groups, you will see all those in that respective file (so if you got a photo, it will be in WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images folder).

You were refering to a different case from what I had in mind. Your point is also interesting, but I had already found out about it. I had rewritten my question to clarify this.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Page Down and Page Up Don't Work
So I have an external keyboard plugged into my android device that has Page Down and Page Up keys but they don't work in anything but I think the Chrome web browser.
Is there a fix for this?
This is related but doesn't tackle the same issue Page up and page down in web pages and elsewhere

So I have experimented with this a lot and basically have concluded that Android devices were not intended to be operated this way.
Even Chromebook's running Android apps don't support the PageDown key.

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


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How can I access veryfit app database on my device?
I have installed VeryFit2.0 app on my mobile.I want to see previous days heart beat data but there is no option.Is there are way by which I can get in to the database of the app as I know its an offline app ?

In my version, the database is located at /storage/emulated/0/veryfit2/log/db_veryfit2.db and I have been able to copy it to my computer and examine it with sqlite3. But the HEART_RATE table has only 4 data points in it! Even though current heart rate does display on the main tab.

Responding about the database location:  The database on the sd card looks like a backup of sorts.  The real database is found in the system : System/data/data/com.veryfit/multi
I found it using android studio.  However if your phone is not rooted you can't access the directory.  But if you use adb you can create a backup of that folder on your computer: adb backup -noapk com.veryfit.multi
Once you have the backup.ab you need to unpack it.  I used Android Backup Extractor .  That will give you a .tar file that you can open and explore the database using sqlite3
Links where I found this info:
access data inside data/data/ https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13006315/how-to-access-data-data-folder-in-android-device
extracting an ab file https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18533567/how-to-extract-or-unpack-an-ab-file-android-backup-file

From the Reference Guide PDF:  You can also select to see a previous day’s activity by selecting the “Down” arrow below “Today”. This will allow you to then select a previous day to review those stats. To close this option, just select anywhere on the screen for that information to go away
Another option would be to use the "Share" icon in the upper left to send the data to an external source for later review.
http://www.ktipromo.com/Fitness_Activity_Tracker_Reference_Guide.pdf

It only tells steps count for previous days not heart rate

Also if you use the "Details" button at the bottom of the app it allows you to scroll back thru several weeks and view all the data points along a graph.

@TryThis - the Detail tab only offers "Activities" (steps) and "Sleep" views. Where are you seeing the heart rate info?


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Resoldering charger cable
My tab (Samsun Galaxy Tab 2) has a 30 pin to USB cable (similar to old apple cable).
I had soldered the wires a while back because the wire broke. Recently I decided to resolder them and now there is something wrong with it, now the moment I plug the charger it turns to 100% in a matter of seconds.I have taken good care to solder the Red Green White Black wires to the right place. Have I gone wrong somewhere?
Edit: It seems that the green and white cable have a short between them when I connect it to my tab , is that normal?
Here is the dmesg output if that helps

Most USB cables have only 4 wires (< USB 3.0).  Faster ones have more (>= USB 3.0).  But I do not think any have 30.  Are you talking about an old Apple 30 pin port?  I think there are some USB pins in that port but most of that port is for sound, video, legacy power and control.

Yup 30 pin port on one side (of which only 4 are connected) and USB on the other

I think Apple cables from that era did not have DRM chips.  So I think you only need to test the 4 USB wires for conductivity.  I am not down voting you but have noticed the score.  A good stack exchange question is clear, has a single goal, might have pictures or diagrams.  Your question needs to be edited.  At the very least, you need to state that this is an older 30 pin Apple USB cable you are having problems with.  Try to remember you need to edit your question to make it easy for others with the same problem to find your question and use the answers you receive.

Thanks for the suggestion, I have incorporated that in the OP. It seems that the green and white cable have a sort between them when i connect it to my tab , is that normal?

I can only guess at this point.  Please keep that in mind when considering your next steps.  Usually a USB cable has 4 wires.  Black might be ground, red might be +5 volts, green and white might be the balanced pair for data communications and might be labeled D+ and D-.  When not plugged into anything at either end, data wires are unlikely shorted together as this would prevent communication.

Hi! Over from Android AE (Just seen this in chat, thanks Nick!) And it seems to be a software issue. I say seems because I tried replicating this an had no issues, and e first line suggests batterystats.bin is broken.

Alright! Its migrated. See my above comment on why I asked for that close to be overturned, then migrated here. Now, what OS are you using? Its pretty clear to me that its not running stock.

Ah cleared batterystats.bin and it seems to be all right now, thanks. Would you mind adding it as an answer .

Done! Just accept it when ready.

Ah, The Tab 2.
I've hit this problem more times than I want to count. It's an easy fix though- Just empty out batterystats.bin and plug it back in. Should be fine!


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How to sync all emails for all labels without individually going to each label and selecting sync all?
I switched from the native email app to the Gmail app because I could finally have separate views for my Starred folder. But now I'm faced with another issue: I can't seem to find a way to sync all emails for all labels without individually going to each label and selecting sync all? Is this possible?

That shouldn't be a problem at all!
Go to settings>accounts>Google>tap on Gmail (to untick the sync), and tap on it again to sync right away.
Alternatively, you can also tap on 'Sync Now' option, which will sync all your Google apps.
Note: make sure you don't have sync only on WiFi option enabled, if you do, either be on a WiFi network, or disable the WiFi only option! :)


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Linux Mint 18 freezes after a while with connected Android Nexus 5X
I am developing Android apps using Android Studio 2.2.3 with my Linux Mint Cinnamon 18 laptop.  After a while of having my Nexus phone connected to my computer the laptop will hang and I can't click on anything or initiate any action (on laptop).  Simply unplugging my Nexus fixes the issue but I would like to know the cause and solution so I can just keep the Nexus phone connected when I am using it as a development test device.
Under Developer Options on the Nexus running 7.1.1 I have "Stay awake" checked.  USB debugging is checked. USB configuration MTB.
Error messages during the time this happens:

Jun 11 10:09:34 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3387]: ** (process:3692): WARNING **: send_done_cb: No such interface 'org.gtk.vfs.Enumerator' on object at path /org/gtk/vfs/client/enumerator/3 (g-dbus-error-quark, 19)
Jun 11 11:18:11 -Satellite-L55-B cinnamon-screensaver-pam-helper: pam_ecryptfs: seteuid error
Jun 11 13:45:21 -Satellite-L55-B dockerd[2204]: time="2017-06-11T13:45:20.879600451-07:00" level=error msg="libcontainerd: failed to receive event from containerd: rpc error: code = 13 desc = transport is closing"
Jun 11 14:20:23 -Satellite-L55-B kernel: [   17.770092] EXT4-fs (sda6): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro
Jun 11 14:20:34 -Satellite-L55-B nm-dispatcher: req:2 'up' [virbr0-nic], "/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/01ifupdown": complete: failed with Script '/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/01ifupdown' exited with error status 1.
Jun 11 14:20:35 -Satellite-L55-B NetworkManager[1189]:   [1497216035.7009] dispatcher: (3) 01ifupdown failed (failed): Script '/etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/01ifupdown' exited with error status 1.
Jun 11 15:01:34 -Satellite-L55-B systemd-sleep[7962]: Failed to connect to non-global ctrl_ifname: (nil)  error: No such file or directory
Jun 11 15:01:34 -Satellite-L55-B systemd-sleep[7987]: /lib/systemd/system-sleep/wpasupplicant failed with error code 255.
Jun 11 15:19:22 -Satellite-L55-B systemd-sleep[7962]: Failed to connect to non-global ctrl_ifname: (nil)  error: No such file or directory
Jun 11 15:19:22 -Satellite-L55-B systemd-sleep[8086]: /lib/systemd/system-sleep/wpasupplicant failed with error code 255.
Jun 11 15:19:48 -Satellite-L55-B cinnamon-screensaver-pam-helper: pam_ecryptfs: seteuid error
Jun 11 15:59:25 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 15:59:25 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error
Jun 11 15:59:28 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredError 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 15:59:28 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error
Jun 11 16:02:29 -Satellite-L55-B libvirtd[1405]: nl_recv returned with error: No buffer space available
Jun 11 16:18:55 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredError 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 16:18:55 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error
Jun 11 16:18:55 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 16:18:55 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error
Jun 11 16:22:23 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredDevice 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP).
Jun 11 16:22:34 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredDevice 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP).
Jun 11 16:23:30 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredDevice 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee2) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP+ADB).
Jun 11 16:38:11 -Satellite-L55-B cinnamon-screensaver-pam-helper: pam_ecryptfs: seteuid error
Jun 11 16:50:58 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredDevice 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee2) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP+ADB).
Jun 11 17:47:07 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: PTP: reading event an error 0x02ff occurredError 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 17:47:07 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error
Jun 11 17:47:07 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: PTP Layer error 02ff: Error getting friendlyname.
Jun 11 17:47:07 -Satellite-L55-B org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[3308]: Error 2: Error 02ff: PTP: I/O error

That might rather be an issue on the Linux end. Have you checked the logs? For example, /var/log/syslog on the Linux machine? Checking the Android logs might bring up something as well (see our logging tag-wiki. I cannot speak for Android Studio (which might have its part in it as well), but I never experienced that here (also running Mint, and have some of my devices attached for longer time). If there are logs created by Studio, check them as well. Then [edit] your question and update it with your findings. Fingers crossed!

Process '/usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxCreateUSBNode.sh 189 133 00' failed with exit code 1.  org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[2197]: Device 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee2) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP+ADB).
Mar 19 14:31:14 org.gtk.vfs.Daemon[2197]: Error 1: Get Storage information failed.  // these errors occurred around the time of freeze

here are more errors during the time the computer froze with my android connected:

As I wrote, that rather seems an issue on the Linux end (here: libmtp), so you might have better luck at our corresponding sister site (most likely Unux&Linux, as AskUbuntu doesn't like Mint AFAIR). OTOH: I'm using Mint 18.1 as well, with multiple devices, and never had that issue. You could try setting your N5 to PTP (if it's on MTP currently, otherwise to MTP) or "charge only" (and in the latter case hope that ADB isn't switched off as well in case you need that – but if your Mint freezes, it doesn't help to have MTP or ADB if you cannot use it anyway).


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Change Touch Sound on Samsung Devices
This sounds silly, but it has been driving me mad for years.  I do not want to disable the touch sound, I want to change it.  This is not an option in the sound settings.  You can only disable the touch sound.
I have tried rooting my devices with no luck, and I can't find any up-to-date information about rooting either device (S7 Edge on Verizon, and Note Pro 12.2 (SM-P905V).  Every guide I've come across seems to have been copied and pasted from the same source, and it involves using Odin, but fails every time I attempt it.
There simply must be some way to change this sound!  The Samsung sounds are horrible 'nature inspired' crap, but I like having interface sounds.  I've wasted far too may hours trying to figure this out a couple of times a year.
Can someone confirm that it is currently NOT POSSIBLE to root the above devices?  My understanding is that Samsung aggressively patches to make rooting dificult or impossible, but I'm hoping I'm wrong.
Thankyou.

Your fault if you want to tinker and bought Verizon devices... It's not Samsung but big V who enforced the lockdown.

Ok.  I wasn't aware of that, so thanks for the additional information.  What is Verizon afraid of?  It isn't like you can get free service with a rooted device... Or maybe it's because they charge for tethering (Sakes fist).

Yes, tethering. You see how Verizon often uses their own tethering/hotspot implementation to enforce more strict checks... Anyway at this point I think the fight is lost. You can probably wait for root to come out for S7E (many users and relatively new), but P905V certainly isn't gonna get anything new.

Cool.  Well, now I have yet another reason to move away from Verizon once I start to feel like my devices are ready to be replaced.  Not sure that I'd get another tablet though.  I'd rather have a Surface running Windows, which I can set up however the hell I want.  I'd mark your comment as the answer if I could.  Thanks.

I'll move it to answer later.

Unfortunately the sound files are placed in /system/media/audio which is out of reach without root. One reason why this is done is to prevent killing camera noise in regions where camera noise is required by the law.
Not being able to root the phone is purely Verizon's fault - they enforced locked bootloaders on almost all their devices. Furthermore, one can probably wait for root to come out for S7E (many users and relatively new - still has some hope), but P905V being a 3-year-old device certainly isn't gonna get anything new in the near future.


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Configure storage of WhatsApp media files
I want to configure whether WhatsApp stores media in my phone.
I found many links like
this
and
this
which point to
Main Chat Screen -> Three dots -> Settings -> Chats -> Media auto-download,
 or the like.
But I do not have such menu.
I see what is shown in the image below.
What can I do to select WhatsApp media storage?
PS: I am currently dealing with a WhatsApp account setup in Parallel Space. I have no main WhatsApp account setup, and I cannot set it up now to test it. But I doubt this affects the menus available in WhatsApp.

Chat Screen -> Three dots -> Settings -> Data Usage -> Media Auto Download


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"A Better Camera Unlocked" question
I'm using a Galaxy S5 Android with version 6.0.1. I like the app called "A Better Camera Unlocked" but it is baffling me because sometimes it saves photos to the internal storage of the phone and sometimes to the micro-SD card, which is where I want them ALL saved. Any idea how to get it to save ONLY to the SD card? TIA for any help.

I tried this app，It can set the file save path，in the main activity，click the arrow ，and than click more settings--save&share，now you can set it。


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Disable Google cast
I'm having a problem where my phone will ask me to connect to a non-existent chromecast when watching something on YouTube or Netflix. It'll show a popup asking me to enter a pin and when I close that menu it just opens another right away. It seems to be triggered by hitting the volume buttons.
My phone is an S7 edge and I'm running Android 6.0.1. I don't have a chromecast connected to my internet so it shouldn't be automatically trying to connect to one. I've cleaned my phone's screen and removed the case, but it's still happening.
How can I fix this problem, or just disable connecting to chromecasts entirely?

This appears to be caused by Netflix. I didn't use it for about a week and no chromecast popup appeared in any app. I opened it recently and then it started happening again.

I've had this problem too when I was a guest in an apartment complex; I guess somebody nearby had a chromecast. It was super frustrating because there is no option on the box that pops up to not connect! How stupid is that.


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Google widget got disappeared each time after reboot
I am using Google Now launcher as default launcher on my Lineage 14.1,Redmi 1s. After installing a nightly, or after reboot, I can see that Google widget is got disappeared. I cannot see any widget(4x1 sized google widget) in widget settings. I have set home screen with some app shortcuts. To replace Google widget, I need to clear Google app content. It resets, home screen app shortcuts and clears Google data. Any solution?


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Formatted phone, including system
I was going around TWRP recovery and tried a few things and then I accidently wiped my entire android system. Now I am left with the custom recovery and a phone that gets stuck at the bootloader warning. I can't seem to flash any stock rom to the phone. I am using a Moto G3.

You need to either restore a TWRP backup, flash a custom ROM and Gapps, or use fastboot to flash a current factory image.
Moto factory firmware images are unzipped and flashed with fastboot, they cannot be flashed with TWRP. The best source for instructions and firmware images is XDA, do not use the ones on Moto's website, they are older images and will likely fail with a "Preflash Validation Error" due to being older than what is already installed in the device.
XDA - Moto G 2015 - Factory Firmware Images
XDA - Moto G 2015 - How to flash factory firmware images with fastboot
Be sure you have the correct image and version for your device. Flashing an incorrect image can cause the device to be completely non-functional (bricked), and flashing an incorrect or old version will fail.
Be aware that Moto has recently released several security updates and patches for this device, especially outside North America, and some of the firmware images are not available yet.
Flashing a custom ROM and Gapps is nothing more than copying the ZIP and gapps to your device, flash them with TWRP, and reboot. ROMs can be found at number of sources.
Of course, the best way would be to restore a TWRP backup of the system partition, if you have one. If not, one of the above methods is necessary.

Thanks! Just made a backup of the system, better safe then sorry. Never going to do these things without a backup again.


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Why is zygote asking for superuser permissions?
I have a OnePlus One running the latest version of OxygenOS which is rooted for the sole purpose of running CF lumen. I have not installed any other root apps, and only use the Play Store for downloading apps.
Recently, I got two superuser requests in quick succession from an app called Zygote.
As another answer had suggested, I checked for any rogue apps with adb shell ps | grep zygote but only one process was listed. So there doesn't seem to be any malware masquerading as zygote.

Scans from Malwarebytes and Kaspersky didn't turn up anything either.
I haven't got any other superuser requests from zygote since this first happened about a day ago.
What's going on?

Can someone elaborate as to why my question was downvoted so that I can learn to structure it better?

It’s a system service: https://anatomyofandroid.com/2013/10/15/zygote/ // This question is more or less off-topic on Super User, but on-topic on [android.se]. It will be migrated soon, you don’t have to do anything.

Possible duplicate of Why are Zygote and Whatsapp asking for root?

Do you have Xposed Installer and various modules installed? As I understand it, several xposed modules will use the zygote root process and most likely benign.

"Zygote" is the root process of all app processes in Android.
When you start an app, Android forks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(system_call)#Overview) this process instead of creating an entirely new process for this app.
There is often a "soft reboot" option in custom ROMs, which doesn't do anything else than killing and restarting the Zygote process and therefore killing all other processes as they are only forks of the zygote process.
To come back to your question: I don't know which super user app you use, but maybe it contains a bug or has been unproperly configured, because zygote should normally get root access without confirmation.

I use SuperSU. When I first got the Zygote request, I first suspected malware, but now I think that it may be an isolated bug in the SuperSU app that pops up very rarely. Since that one time I haven't got any other superuser requests from Zygote. Is it possible that this is just a bug?

It is possible that this is a bug. But it's possible that this is malware, too. It's hard to say. I would revoke the Root request of Zygote and update SuperSU to the latest version.


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Folder becomes invalid after trying to create a nameless folder inside it by mistake!
My first post on stackexchange.
I was trying to change the name of a folder inside another folder in my extsdcard. I cut the name. But unfortunately pressed the rename button before inserting  a new name for the folder. Now the parent folder becomes empty, only a file named "invalid " (0.0 byte) is in it.  Other files & folders are not there.
Is it possible to recover the files?

You should try to put your SD card into a linux computer.
Then make as soon as possible a dump of your SD card using dd. In this way you'll get an image which you can use for recovery trials and avoid to brick your original device.
Then you can use this image (or a copy if you modify it) for your trials.

First try just to mount it and see, if it possible to access it and the relevant files.
If this does not help, you should use fsck to hopefully recover your lost files, results are typically stored in the directory lost+found.
If this all does not help, you should use a tool like testdisk to recover all kind of lost and deleted files. (However, this method will be most likely have a chance to be successfull, if there have not been to much write operations on the SD card, as every write operation might overwrite any lost files).


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Swipe pattern for broken screens?
I had a swipe pattern lock set on my LG G3 phone. It felt down and the glass broke, so I cant use the touch screen any more.
Is there any way to connect my phone to a kind of a screen emulator, so that I can enter the pattern on a emulator and unlock my phone?

I bought a new  for a few bucks, unscrewed my phone and connected that with my phone. startover and entere swipe pattern and copied all my stuff.. DONE!

I'm afraid not, you now have to enter your boot menu and wipe all data. This will remove the lock.
This URL might help
Boot Menu


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Firmware update
Ok so I've been waiting for the android 7.0 update for over 3 to 4 weeks now. Should of got it last week of January but because I'm on Three they have to test it which I think is stupid because my s7 is the g930f. So it should be unlocked & I shouldn't have to wait. How can I bypass this lock so I can get the firmware update thanks

You can bypass this lock but you shouldn't unless you want to loose warranty.  To install unofficial software not provided by Samsung you would have to root your phone and install a ROM. But as I said I wouldnt suggest that. In your case its better to wait a little longer.

But it should of been released by now. I can install foreign firmware


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s7 edge in download mode
I just got the Samsung Galaxy s7 Edge like 2 weeks ago. Right now as I am packing up to school and I charge my phone plus turn it on I get in this "Download Mode". It has been stuck in this mode for about an hour. Did something happen to my phone or is it an android 7.0 nougat update? This is what it looks like:

Thanks for help!

Try holding the power button for like 5 to 10 seconds to force a reboot. There is no indicator showing any progress of an update so I think you accidently booted into the recovery mode (holding volume down +  power button while booting up).

@benjamin oh. I thought it was an update :(


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How can I uninstall this app which keeps getting reinstalled?
Hello I'm running android 4.2 Samsung rooted. There is an app which always appears on my data/app folder and always runs at start-up. When I go to app manager I can uninstall it however the next time I reboot it's still there. I cannot change its permission and I suspect it's malware since it's not in system/app folder I do not consider it a system app.
How can I get it off my android system? It always reinstalls during reboot.

If you have a root access how it is even possible that you can not change it's persmissions?

I can't I even tried using the terminal

What is the app in question?

Calls itself auc.orp.bgj.apk

Sounds clearly a malware. In such case, there is always another app/scripts that reinstall it whenever you uninstall.
Download ES Explorer, open it.  Enable hidden files in its settings, also enabled root explorer.
Now navigate to the data folder, or even /system/app or system/priv-app and see if you can find some weird app names and look also for folders which names start with . (dot) and delete them.

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


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Google Maps navigation popping up eratically
Whenever I'm using Google Maps to navigate to a destination, Maps keeps popping up. It doesn't matter which app I'm in, Maps comes up on the screen and ALWAYS restarts (!) navigating to the last destination I specified.
Sometime it even pops up on itself, asking "do you want to stop the current navigation"
This happened about 2 weeks ago. I used to be on the beta channel for maps, but I quit that. Same with the current stable. I already tried removing the app and clear all app data, to no avail.

I'm having the exact same issue on my Nexus 6P.

I'm on a LG G5 stock rom

Same here with 6.0.1 (stock) on a BQ X5 Plus.


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How to give a SU privileges to an app
I change the custom ROM from CM to RR, but now some apps can't be granted with a root access. Even when i type "su" in the terminal no question is prompted to grand root access to the app. I have update the SU binaries to the latest version also, but this didn't help.

In a terminal, issue su and then whoami, and please do tell us the terminal's response.

Have you enabled root access in developer settings?
Go to:
Settings > About phone

Then tap on the build number 7 times.
Afterwards, return to settings and enter
Developer settings

In dev settings you will find this option:
Root access

Click it and choose either apps or apps and adb depending on what you want to do.
I also use SuperSU for SuperUser rights management.

Yes i have enabled this, i know that in the CM based rom's this is feature in the Developer Setting's. Some apps have root access, but in some that i need and they support root access for example SD maid, when i use it there is no window from SU that prompt's to allow root access.. And the same is with the terminal emulator like i said later.

Do you use any SU rights manager?

Yes and i know how to use the SU app. But in this case i don't know from where is coming this problem.

Now the problem is gone..Maybe it was some error in the system itself.

Glad you somehow got it working

Does not work in Android 8


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Switch between soft keyboards easily while using bluetooth keyboard
In Android 6, there is a close relationship between software and hardware keyboards. The features and behaviors available from a hardware keyboard depend on which software keyboard is in effect.
For that reason, it is sometimes desirable to switch between different soft keyboards while using a hardware keyboard. However, the obvious way is awkward:

Pull down the notifications.
Scroll down to "Select Keyboard" (near the bottom, where else) and activate it.
Oops, all the choices are greyed out in the menu; to enable them, you must slide the "Virtual Keyboard" setting to On.
Oops, now the entire menu disappears just because you used this slider. Like toilet paper, it's single-use only! Anyway, the software keyboard appears. You must pull down the notifications again and activate "Select Keyboard". This time the menu items are enabled.
Pick the soft keyboard you want.
Activate the menu again, and set the Virtual Keyboard to Off.

There has to be a better way? Ideally a hot key, like the very convenient Ctrl-Space for changing the hardware keyboard layout.


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Will Cyanogen 13 update to Lineage 14 and preserve apps, data etc?
I have an S5 with TouchWiz (i.e. standard rom) I want to change, but I don't want to have to wipe and reinstall everything twice over.
There is a stable Cyanogen 13, and an experimental lineage 14, for my device. I don't want to install an experimental build.
If I install Cyan 13, will it be able to update to Lineage 14 when it becomes stable, without me having to reinstall everything? Or should I just wait till Lineage 14 becomes stable?

Going from stock to lineage/cm is not going to work. But if you want to go from cm13 to lineage 14 without wiping /data you must use experimental build of lineage (they will be out for limited time) so.

I know I have to start again at least once, my point is will I have to do it a second time when upgrading from stable cm 13 to (future) stable los 14?

From cm to lineage os you must wipe or use experimental build (they are made because of that). You can go from cm to lineage without wipe but that will probably cause many bugs if it even boot

OK, thanks. Looks like I'll have to wait for stable los.

Why wait? You still can't directly update to stable when it's out. The transition to LOS is a fundamental upgrade to database and other components.

Because i don't want to go from a stable build to an unstable one

If you install CyanogenMod 13 then you cannot install lineage OS 14 without wiping the device.
If you install CyanogenMod 14 then you can directly install Linage OS 14 without wiping the device, but it is not guaranteed.
If you install CyanogenMod 13 then you may install Lineage OS 13 without wiping the device, but it is not guaranteed.
Lineage OS web site as more clarification.
http://lineageos.org/Update-and-Build-Prep/

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


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Is there any way to programmatically turn on airplane mode on non-rooted Android?
I used to use Tasker tasks to turn airplane mode on and off automatically when I needed it. Now, it seems, this requires root. But rooting my phone bans me from using Android Pay or any other SafetyNet-locked app. (The latest updates to SafetyNet even detect the new systemless root, and may even be triggered by an unlocked bootloader even on an unrooted phone.)
Is there any way I can reliably turn airplane mode on and off with Tasker or some other automated tool, without losing access to Android Pay?

Have you tried Automate plugin? Some folks have had success with it? I think it can drop-down the notification tray and play pre-recorded gestures.

@Firelord AFAIR toggling airplane mode was moved out of user-space with some JellyBean version (4.2 IIRC), so I doubt any automation app can do that without root. But I might be wrong.

@Izzy true, but Automate provides an option to record user's activity and play it as an automation. That is to say, you can record dropping down notification tray, going to quick tiles and toggling Airplane mode tile. That Automate can record and play.

@Firelord I've missed that part, true – it's rather "macro recording and replay", that might indeed work. Which makes that stupid "security protection" look even more stupid (I never understood why that decision wasn't left to the user).

This is not programmatic, but I set up a routine in Pie so that when I'm in bed I say "goodnight" and Google Assistant turns on airplane mode for me. The routine command can be any normal English phrase like "turn on airplane mode" or "airplane mode on". You don't need root either.

Using Tasker and AutoInput plugin, here is the procedure:

First, create a profile that suits your needs (i.e. when to trigger airplane mode e.g at a specific time, etc)

Task

Create a new task "New Task + "
You can name this Task Airplane_mode or anything.
Click "+" to add new Action

A1: Settings  ➡ Airplane Mode Settings
We need to add a task Wait action for just about 1 or 2 seconds (to allow the screen to load in time).
A2: Task ➡ Wait [Seconds:2]
A3: Plugin ➡ Auto input ➡  Action [ Go to the "Airplane Mode Settings" screen in your Android settings.

Swipe down on the notification bar and touch the "Add" button in the AutoInput notification.
Touch the "Airplane Mode" setting
Touch "Accept" in the notification and go back to Tasker. There select the "Airplane Mode" text and accept (tap on tick) these settings.

A4: (Going back to the original screen) Add an "AutoInput Global Actions" Tasker action. Plugin ➡ AutoInput ➡ Global action [Select the "Back" option]. Accept the setting (tap on the tick)

Tap back to exit from this task
Save this task and exit

NB: This requires the screen to be unlocked.

Note: AutoInput has a built-in option to unlock the screen if it is disabled in Tasker. Simply add this action to the top of the task:
A1: Plugin ➡ AutoInput ➡ Unlock screen (note: some screen lock options are still not supported e.g fingerprint, but it is worth a try)
Acknowledgments

Toggle Airplane Mode At 1:20 PM

I tried basically the same with the Automate app and "Interact" blocks.
It was very hard to set up, and in the end did not work for me because I want to switch on airplane mode when the screen is turned off, but then replaying user input fails.
Luckily, I found the MacroDroid app, which gives rather simple access and can make use of the "Default assist app" privilege for being allowed to switch airplane mode.

You can achieve that with Tasker + Auto input combo or another third-party application called Airplane Mode PRO ($1.78). Alternatively, get Schedule Airplane Mode.

Airplane Mode PRO allows you to set up various automatic triggers for Android's Airplane Mode. This app is the only one that also works on Android versions higher than Jellybean 4.2, such as Jellybean 4.3, Lollipop 5.0 and Marshmallow 6.0 and still does NOT require a rooted device.
Features:

Support for automation and third-party launchers
Separate shortcuts for toggling, enabling and disabling
Toggle via a notification
Enable airplane mode while a specific app is running
Enable / Disable at a specific time
Toggle when charger is dis/connected
Enable when a certain battery percentage is reached (Any percentage
can be set)
Enable when a certain battery temperature is reached
Toggle via a home screen shortcut (One click only)

Note: The workaround requires the screen to be on

Disclaimer! I am by no means affiliated with that application(s) but came across it, so I thought it was a good workaround to the addressed problem.

Without root access, one needs the "default assist app" privilege for being allowed to switch the airplane mode. It works for instance with the MacroDroid app - see also https://macrodroidforum.com/wiki/index.php/Action:_Airplane_Mode_On/Off.

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


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Long term battery capacity degradation
I've had a Nexus 6P for about 14 months now and recently I discovered the app AccuBattery, for those not familiar one of the features is to estimate the capacity of your battery by taking measurements on every charge (percentage indicated by your device and the charge measured in mAh). With using this app based on 122 charging sessions it estimates a full battery capacity of my device as about 2,300 mAh or about 68% of the originally designed capacity (3,450 mAh).
So my question is this: Is this amount of capacity degradation considered "normal" or "acceptable"?
The real world implication of this is that now I'm charging my device almost twice every day, which I suspect probably only amplifies the problem of degrading it faster. When I first got the device I could go roughly 2 days without having to recharge and I don't believe I changed my usage patterns since then.

Very similar question on this site. Whether such degradation in your case is normal or not can't be answered since it depends on so many things- usage, charging practices, battery performance as per OEM of battery ( not made public) etc. Having said that, if you have to charge twice a day, its probably time for replacement

It seems that the battery indeed passed through enough cycles to degrade. However, I don't think that there is a "normal" or "acceptable" level. If you feel that you are not satisfied with the battery, probably the time to change it has come


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By Mistake i deleted system folder from root file and my mobile was rooted from then my mobile not working what can i do?
By Mistake i deleted system folder from root file and my mobile was rooted from then my mobile not working what can i do ? usb debbug is off flah file not found "reach cogent colours" plzzz help me ........

What is the phone specifications? Please provide further details regarding the phone.

lollipop, 1 GB ram, 8GB Rom, 4 Inch Screen

Phone make, model?

Reach Cogent Colours

The only thing you can do in that situation is to flash a ROM. If you can flash the same ROM you just were using, you could even do a "dirty flash" (i.e. without wipe), so your settings and data stay intact.
For details, please see our rom-flashing tag-wiki and follow its links. What tools you will need depends on your device (which you didn't name). If you don't know where to find a ROM for your device, please refer to Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?


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consuemd power for Android phones in adhoc mode
I want to know the following information:
1-The consumed power by the smartphone when send/receive beacons when connecting with other device in adhoc mode.
2-Is the consumed power is the same for all kind of smartphones?
I tried to search for the required information, but I didn't find a clear answer, I found some general information such as the consumed power when wifi is on.
Thanks in advance,

You can refer to this answer. And yes, it is hardware specific :)


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What is this CyanogenMod 13 icon symbolising

Thanks in advance for those who will help.
:-)

The widget in question is Power Control, one of Android's default widgets. The icon you're asking about is Sync. As described in the page I linked to:

Press the Sync icon, second to the right, to cut the power to your Droid's Sync functionality. Sync keeps your contacts, email, calendar and other features readily available and constantly updated, which saves you time and effort when you're using your phone.


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Can all android devices be rooted?
Out of curiosity, in theory can all android devices be rooted? It's my understanding that a root exploit needs to be found based on a vulnerability, and these vulnerabilities can be patched. So is it possible for a phone not to be able to be rooted?

Tough examples: Verizon variant of many devices, Blackberry phones, and the Blackphone. The latter two don't have a user base big enough to interest developers/exploiters either.

@AndyYan I didn't know blackberries could be rooted

I guess you mean like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY8QV47/ref=psdc_2407749011_t2_B0169SNI3C

It's not possible to prevent someone with physical access to a device from arbitrarily modifying that device, no.  That's ultimately the same thing.

@Celeritas Nah, what I said are negative examples. Anything Android from BB, including the oldest Priv, can't be rooted.

Theoretically all Android systems can be rooted. Rooting is, basically, introducing an su executable to the system, mostly done under recovery environment. The basic rooting process is simply putting an su under a specific directory, while advanced rooting gives a complex su executable as well as a GUI application for you to manage root permission management, to grant and to revoke. Besides, an engineering build of Android OS has root already enabled (stock su), so there shouldn't be an 'unrootable' Android OS.

There exist systemless root too

@Celeritas Systemless rooting is forging a su.img into and modify the boot image to let su mount correctly. However su still requires other stuffs (like system calls) that can't be done without a system.


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Possible to install unbranded android on HTC ONE?
I am so sick of stone old android version HTC installed on my smartphone. While the phone is still super after several years HTC do update the Software anymore. So I d like to remove the branded garbage and install a fresh secure android on my device. Can some one point me to good docs or tell whether this is possible?
How to find device model number or version on the phone?
Where or how to find the correct image for my phone and how to install it?

Finding off-site resource is off-topic here. Nevertheless, to help you a bit, please enter HBOOT mode: power off completely (disable Fast Boot in Settings-Power), then hold VOLUME_DOWN + POWER simultaneously until a white screen with text comes up. Capture that screen and upload here. It contains all info I think necessary for figuring out what your device is, software and HBOOT version, etc.

What are you asking for, a custom ROM? These are plentiful depending on your variant of One you have. If this is the One M7 it can even be converted to the GPE (Google Play Edition) of pure Android, but this isn't the place to ask, search your specific device on XDA or Google.

It would be either very difficult or not possible at all.
Since Android is an Operating System, it is designed to fit varieties of devices, which differ in all kinds of modules that require specific drivers for themselves. Therefore if you want to create a clean Android build you must gather those drivers (and some additional configurations) to make it work properly on your device. Meanwhile, almost all 3rd-party ROMs are either manipulated from the official ones, or have extra configurations pre-applied, which both don't meet your requirement.

I don't think one needs to go as far as "non-manipulated, clean Android" to just unbrand...

Unbrand! This sounds interesting!


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How can I block an app from accessing my contacts?
An app that has access to the list of contacts is capable, without further notice, to upload that information to a server. (If it has internet access, that is, but most do.)
I am concerned of the breach of trust to my contacts that this entails.
For example, someone on my contacts list may have gone into some trouble to remain unlisted in any phone book, and yet their phone number could become near-public, depending on the privacy policy of the app, which I, like many, never bother to read.
I'm here not even referring to app(s) that exist with the sole and express intent of making contact lists public.
Is there any way to be in control by choosing whether a given app has access to my contacts list, similar to how an app can have access to notifications, but I can disable its access to notifications while continuing to use the app?
To be clear, a messenger app becomes meaningless if it doesn't have access to contacts, but, for example, an app showing me the nearest grocer or coffee shop has no need to access my contacts. Please do not suggest "Just don't install an app that gratuitously asks for permission to access contacts." Doing so leaves users in the stone age. I'd like to be able to use any app, but to remain in charge.
Edit:
For comparison, here is a link to a companion question for iOS.

Yes.  Newer versions of Android let you easily select which permissions to allow.  You can also use the Xprivacy plugin for Xposed on older versions (requires root).

Could you provide details? Starting from which version, and under which path in settings?

Here a step by step guide working since Android 6.0+ (Screenshots from Android 7.1.1).

Go so Settings via the gear wheel icon
Select Apps
Select the gear wheel icon
Select App permissions
Select the permission of your choice
Disable the app's permission

By the time you do this, couldn't they have uploaded all your contacts already?


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Stock Android Shortcuts
So I believe the Android keyboard shortcuts vary among version, but what are the stock android shortcuts?
I have not found a complete list anywhere.
I think this should be a community wiki.

I believe Android Keyboard Shortcuts: Typing may be global haven't tested yet http://www.pcworld.com/article/184656/android_keyboard_shortcuts.html

For completion I am posting the typing shortcuts here.

• Alt + Spacebar: Insert a special character
• Shift + Del: Delete the character to the right of the cursor
• Alt + Del: Delete an entire line
• Shift + Shift (press it twice): Activate caps-lock; press shift once
  more to exit
• Alt + Trackball-Left: Move cursor to beginning of line
• Alt + Trackball-Right: Move cursor to end of line
• Alt + Trackball-Up: Move cursor to top of page
• Alt + Trackball-Down: Move cursor to bottom of page
• Shift + Trackball-Left/Right: Highlight text for cutting or copying
• Menu + X: Cut text (will cut all text on-screen unless specific
  characters are highlighted)
• Menu + C: Copy text to clipboard (will copy all text on-screen
  unless specific characters are highlighted)
• Menu + V: Paste text from clipboard
• Menu + A: Select all text in the current field


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How to allow a specific "unknown source"
I would like to be able to install applications from a specific "unknown source" (it's our company continuous integration server).  Is there a way to do that?  (Using a Samsung Galaxy 7 if it matters).

No... Unknown Sources is all or nothing, you allow everything outside of Google Play, or nothing. Best to enable it, install your app, then disable it.

@acejavelin Mostly yes, but not exactly. Make the "installer" a system app, and it would be able to install even with "unknown sources" unchecked. Example: Make the F-Droid app an system app, and you could use F-Droid as "trusted source".

No, you can't do that.  As acejavelin says, "Unknown Sources is all or nothing, you allow everything outside of Google Play, or nothing."
Depending on your phone, you may be prompted to allow for just this install (for example, Samsung Galaxy 7), or you may have to enable, install, disable (for example, Sony Xperia Z1).  The former is obviously safer.


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No more badge notifications on Google Pixel?
I just replaced my Verizon Galaxy S4 (Android 5) with a Pixel from the Google Store. On my old phone, Snapchat and Facebook, for example, had badge notifications on their home screen icons.
My Pixel doesn't have that though, it appears that no apps have badge notifications anymore and so if I clear out my notifications from the pull down bar I have to open each app to see if they have new items.
Is there a way to change this? I'm aware gmail never supported badge notifications with the default launcher, but what about the other apps? What happened?
Facebook's options just list vibrate, LED (which LED? On the back?), or sound. Snapchat has similar options.
Or is this just a Android 7 change?

This is a because Pixel (and also Nexus) devices do not support app badges. More specifically the launcher does not. It is the launcher that must support them rather than the app itself. Your Galaxy S4 supported this because Samsung built support for them into their launcher.
You could install a new launcher (Nova launcher supports them via an additional app, and Action Launcher has recently added them).
Chris Lacy (the developer of Action Launcher) has some useful insight into why he resisted adding them for as long as he did:

Unlike iOS, Android does not have a system wide API to fetch unread badge counts for all apps. In short, unread badges are only ever going to work so well on Android. For example, unread badges can be reliably fetched for SMS messages, but there remains no bulletproof way to fetch the number of unread Hangouts, Allo or Facebook Messenger messages.

Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. I had no idea Samsung was using a custom launcher--now I realize most of my phones have been Samsungs, and so I was assuming it was the default behavior.


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Nexus 5x came with preinstalled android 7.0.0
I've recently bought Nexus 5x from amazon and it came with android 7.0.0, but official specification says that it comes with android 6. So question: does it mean something wrong with my device (used, refurbished etc)?

It's most definitely refurbished.  Android 7 doesn't come preinstalled on the Nexus 5X brand new.

I did mean 5x sorry.

Yes, I've think about it, but I need to know for sure.

There are several ways for testing whether an Android phone is refurbished.
How to tell if your phone is refurbished gives a list that you can try, to begin with. It is not guaranteed to work, but it is worth trying.

Ok, I will test it and let you know.


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Nearby wifi networks causing notification
I am using a brand new Blu R1 HD android phone running 6.0.
On my way to work this morning I was listening to a podcast over bluetooth in my car.
Every once in a while a notifcation would sound on the stereo. I would open my phone and it would say "wifi networks nearby".
I have never experienced this on an Android phone.
How can i disable notifications sounding when a nearby wifi network is detected (barring shutting down the wifi).

Go to Settings -> Wi-Fi -> (3-dot menu near top right corner) -> Advanced
Turn OFF Network Notifications

Uncheck or toggle notify when public network available (from settings> WiFi> advanced)- that may be the reason

My thought as well. Alternatively (and that should work for sure): disable WiFi whenever you don't use it anyway. There are lots of automation apps to help you with that. I e.g. use Tasker, and have it turn off WiFi whenever I leave home – and turn it back on when I return.


text:
Is it possible to combine two Google Maps timelines?
I was on a trip with my wife, we both have Android phones connected to Google. Her phone had data enabled so she has a very precise timeline for her trip. Mine did not have data so the information is sparse and not precise.
Is it possible to combine (or better - replace) my timeline with hers?

I don't think It is possible being specific account related . Think of privacy concerns if one could that. If your end aim is to have a precise map for future use answers here May help http://webapps.stackexchange.com/q/97919

And next when you do the same trip, use Google maps and the trip should be recorded correctly in your timeline


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Cannot log into my Google account, with any app
I cannot log into my Google account in any app, like Play Store or Google Map. Whenever I try this, I get an error stating (see figure below)
Couldn't sign in

There was a problem communicating with Google servers.

Try again later:

My phone is not rooted. So what should I do?

Try 'forgetting' the current WiFi network, and then reconnecting to it. If this does not work, then the Google servers may be under maintenance, and you may need to wait for a while. (From 30+ mins to 2+ days.)


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Gallery pulling pics from Hangouts even when Hangouts has been disabled
I have an old Samsung Galaxy Victory running Android 4.1.2 that I want to let my son use for specific things only (camera, calculator, clock, etc.).  As such I have been disabling everything I can on it that will not be needed, and am using a lock program on everything else.
However, for some odd reason, the Gallery app is filled with pics that I sent via Hangouts a long time ago.  They were never on this phone to begin with, and the phone has been wiped.  I even made sure that I did not login with my Google acct before apps like Google+ and Hangouts were disabled.  Still, these pics appear and they do not have an option to disable.  They all appear in the gallery as Hangouts followed by the names of the people that were in the conversation.
Is there anyway to remove these and keep them off?  I hooked the phone up to my computer and located/deleted the cached pics (they were all sans extension).  Removing those kept you from browsing them in the albums (temporarily) but all the albums were still there, and eventually they came back.  I have also gone through all the apps I can think of in the Application Manager and cleared the data and cache, but the pics still remain (or immediately return).

I figured out that the pics were coming in independently of any specific app.  Instead, they were coming from the Google Account Sync directly.  To disable this, I went into Settings -> Accounts -> Google Account and unchecked all the sync options.  Then I could clear the data from the Gallery app and all the pics and thumbnails went away.

This is not Google Hangouts that is creating the problem, it is Google+ photos. When Google+ photos is enabled, it automatically stores all pictures posted on any and all Google services.Try accessing the settings of Google+ photos to attempt to disable whatever autosave setting may have been enabled. If the instructions above were no help, try disabling the Google+ photos app.

The pics were definitely coming from Hangouts, but the Hangouts and Google+ apps were obviously not what was pulling the pics in, since both were disabled in settings before I logged into my Google account.  No Google+ photos or Picasa apps on the phone, and no general settings in my Google+ account said anything about photo syncing.


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Android gallery images all grey
So I'm not sure or what causes this but in my gallery, a lot or most of my images and videos turn this grey color and only some can be opened, it's as if they have become corrupt.  Does anyone know why this happens or does anyone else ever run into this issue too?  I have g3 us990 running marshmallow Oct os

Clear .thumbdata files in DCIM folder. Also clear cache and data for media storage and external storage form app manager and reboot

it worked to show the thumbnails again but if I play a video or sometimes go into an album and back out, they go grey again and I have to close out of the app and reopen it to where it just repeats itself

Maybe is app the problem try with some other app

Yeah I have tried it with multiple apps and they all seem to do the same thing

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Google Maps Navigation Icons
I'm trying to get hold of the icons used in the step-by-step view of Google Maps

I've extracted the APK from my device and scoured through the drawables folders etc but cannot find them anywhere. They are also not listed on the Material Design Icons webpage.
Does anyone know where they are stored?

Although not exactly what I was after, I have found a way I can get hold of them for now.
Stupidly, I didn't even think to have a play with desktop Maps. I followed the image URL for an icon when using directions on the desktop app which gave me a PNG with, what seems to be, all of the icons - maneuvers-2x.png
May be of use to anyone else interested

Also available 4x version... :
https://maps.gstatic.com/tactile/directions/text_mode/maneuvers-4x.png

I have no idea where they are stored but below are sources to obtain
Google Navigation Icons has  some them. See material design navigation icons on GitHub- perhaps this is what you are looking for
For other icons
Google Earth/Maps Icons has

a useful cheat sheet showing all the standard icons to use in Google Earth, Google Maps, and other map related applications. All icons are PNG images and include standard symbols for weather, highway, roads, numbers, arrows, etc.

Source: Google Product Forum

Unfortunately none of the links are what I'm looking for. The first two links relate to navigation in the context of app navigation - menu buttons, refersh buttons etc. The third link is (or at least looks) very old and I had already looked on here. They do not provide any of the icons in the screenshot I provided.

Interesting, but not answering the question.

I am not sure this answers directly the question, but it can help. Actually, I think you asked two questions.
1. How to get hold of the icons?
The JavaScript API can get hold of the maneuver icons for specific directions. See the links below. I do not know if this will provide a straightforward access to each icon, but in the worst case you might get them by "brute force", by requesting directions that you know the icons they will get (perhaps one at a time).
a. Google Directions API question has very useful info.
b. This answer to Google Maps v3 Direction Icons is probably the most useful.
c. This answer to Get between streets in Google Maps.
d. This is also interesting.
2. Where are they stored?
The location you are looking for is apparently not yet documented.
See for instance this.
One place to get them is tt3.png (similar to what you found).


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While updating LineageOS, do I need to update Gapps too?
I'm flashing a new nightly version of LineageOS. I'm just gonna flash it without wiping data/system since I already have it installed. However, I also use Gapps (stock variant). Do I need to flash an updated version of it too?

You normally don't need to re-flash GApps as most GApps installers will install an addon.d script which restores GApps automatically after flashing a new ROM that supports addon.d (LineageOS does so).
If you are using Open GApps (http://opengapps.org/) you are on the safe side.

@timoschwarzer already described the persist function of (most) GAPPS packages, so I'd approach this from a different side:
You are still advised to update GAPPS from time to time (in orders of months), due to Google introducing new functions, APIs, etc. in updated versions of their apps, but not doing this usually doesn't affect working aspects of your device.
When you do it, make sure you do a nandroid backup prior to manually flashing the new GAPPS package, and test out updated apps that you often use to find out whether the change is to your taste, so that you could roll back if it turns out unsatisfactory or causing issues (e.g. Google App updates often cause battery drain).

recently i am update lineage 17 on Pixel XL (Marlin) through built in updater app. After reboot all gapps will broken with contionous error "this app won't run without Google Play Services" and cannot fix it without wipe data. after this i am want but fear install updates. what i miss?


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How to Install OEM USB Drivers for my LYF phone?
I'm a newbie. Recently, I have installed Android Studio 2 on my PC. Run my first "hello world" project on Emulator. But the Emulator is taking too much time to load. So, I thought I would directly install Apk on my Lyf phone [Model no: LYF_LS4006]. So I checkout this site https://developer.android.com/studio/run/oem-usb.html#Win7.
I don't where to find its drivers. Please help me.

I have a LYF Phone (LS-4005) which I wanted to connect with Android Studio to debug apps on real phone in place of emulator. So I searched for endless hours on Google Search for correct ADB driver of this phone but didn't get succeed because I was searching at wrong place.

Google already facilitates developers to download generic USB drivers
  which are compatible with most of the Android phones through the
  Android SDK Manager itself which comes bundled with Android Studio

Below mentioned are the steps to get the drivers directly from Google.
So here is the step by step guide on how to connect any LYF handset with Android Studio for testing apps on original hardware in place of emulator:
[Please make sure that your LYF phone is connected with usb as Media device (MTP) before continuing]

Enable USB debugging on your LYF phone (refer to this post for how-to: https://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp/running-app.html)
Open Android Studio and go to SDK Manager (Tools > Android > SDK Manager)
Install Google USB Drivers by checking it if it is unchecked and click on Apply button.
Once Google USB Drivers are installed, open device manager (click on Start button and type: device manager, click on first search result) and follow these steps:

Locate and expand Android Phone (or Unknown Devices) in the right pane.
Right-click on Android Composite ADB Interface (or ADB Interface) and select Update Driver. This will launch the Hardware Update Wizard.
Select Install from a list or specific location and click Next.
Select Search for the best driver in these locations; uncheck Search removable media; and check Include this location in the search.
Click Browse and then locate the USB driver folder. For example, the Google USB Driver is located in C:\Users\{user}\android-sdks\extras\google\usb_driver. where {user} is your Windows User name.
Click Next to install the driver.

Now after installation is successful, you will see a prompt on yout LYF phone asking for permission to 'Allow USB debugging' request from computer. Simply accept it by clicking on 'ok' button and you are done.

LYF phones are basically developed by Chinese manufacturer named ZTE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LYF#Production) So try choosing ZTE OEM's USB drivers for LYF handset. Let me know if it helps.

Please add links to ZTE Drivers.

@GokulNC you shall try my second solution I posted below. Installing default usb drivers provided by Google has worked for me like a charm. Don't forget to upvote the answer you found helpful ;)

@RahulDhangar gave a great answer to this post but in case if you would like to read official post by Google developers on this topic, here are the links to consider:

https://developer.android.com/training/basics/firstapp/running-app.html
https://developer.android.com/studio/run/device.html

Again, this post also shows some useful tips to follow on the same topic:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21947834/how-to-test-android-apps-in-a-real-device-with-android-studio
Hope it helps!

Hi Anjali. This does not suffices as an answer but more of a comment. Link only answers become unhelpful once the link dies. Even Google's older links can give 404. Please [edit] and mention the relevant info in your post.

Thanks @Firelord for pointing this out. I will definitely keep it in mind while answering questions next time.


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Forward port over key-secured ssh connection
I run a personal web service on my desktop. On my laptop I use ssh -L to open a connection to it like so:
ssh -L <port>:<remote host>:<port>

That works just fine for Mac and Linux. How can I do the same thing on Android?

You use an SSH Client. JuiceSSH is a very good one (which I'm using myself).


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Your Devices Software is out of Date adware
I keep getting popups from everywhere taking me to the play store saying I need to download Super File Manager. I recently installed an APK from the web. I knew it was a virus after I installed. The app doesn't show in the "apps" section in settings. Im trying to uninstall it, but I can't find anything. On a Moto z unlocked Android 6.0.1

It detects nothing even after I install it and waited for another pop-up. Btw it's not a toast, it's a full screen ad

@beeshyams Kaspersky didn't work. I'll try malwarebytes

Good. You can post that as answer


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One M9 flash system image
Situation
Device: HTC One M9
Recovery: TWRP
Custom ROM: Android Revolution HD (Android 6.0)
Problem
I want to flash the stock rom without wiping anything (I don't want to lose anything). I can flash the stock recovery. I have extracted the system.img and boot.img from the official RUU in order to flash the system image to get rid of the Custom ROM.
When I use fastboot to flash the boot image everything seems fine.
However, when I flash the system image which is about 4.5 gigs big, it again says OK but it only takes around 30 seconds to flash.
When I try to boot after flashing the images, the htc logo appears but nothing more happens. Trying to install an OTA with the stock recovery fails with
"system partition has unexpected contents".
I assume that the flashing process wasn't really successful.
How can I correctly flash the system partition?
Or is there any other way to get back to the stock rom without wiping userdata?
And NO, it's not acceptable in any way to wipe (I know that aprox. 98% of android enthusiasts would answer: "Just wipe".)
Btw. the reason for all of this is that the custom rom might not be updated to android 7 so i want to install the ota.
[edit]:
I use htc's fastboot version since the system image is 4.5g big and it cannot be flashed with normal fastboot.

Just wipe, lol. The remaining data from custom ROM might not be compatible with stock ROM anyway, unless they're of the exact same version.

What remaining data do you mean? Isn't nearly all data in the system partition which i want to completely reflash? Probably some data in the cache (since I wont lose anything by wiping the cache I tried that already but did not help)? It should also be the nearly exact same version. The custom rom is based on that exact system image and does not feature that many changes...

App data I mean. Also, I'm baffled by the fact that a system image can be that large...

Yeah I was very surprised by the 4.5g. What app data does a custom rom have which might interfere with a new system? Anyway I'm pretty sure not even wiping would solve my problem, since I cannot really flash the system image. I don't think it's possible to flash a whole rom in just 30 seconds. Even the boot image which is ~20mb takes 15secs to flash...

Downgraded ROMs with downgraded apps usually can't accommodate to data generated by new versions - this is what I'm talking about. Have you considered the risky dd approach? That's the only one left that I can think of.

The custom ROM is the exact same version as the stock ROM. There are also nearly no modifications done to it, so it's pretty much stock except for no updates. I will try dd later. I still don't understand why fastboot isn't working properly.

Usually large images are flashed in sparse (parts). Probably fastboot isn't ready for such large chunks.

I have the system image with multiple parts (5 parts) but I don't know how i can flash them and I haven't tried since copying the image with dd worked! Thanks for your help!

Usually large images are flashed in sparse (parts). To flash a full image that large, consider using the dd command in a shell to directly write the image to /system - that's the only approach I can think of that doesn't seem to have size issues.
[edit]:
dd worked (booted to twrp and opened adb shell):
dd if=/external_sd/system.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p66
where mmcblk0p66 is the system partition (in /dev/block/platform/<something>.sdhci/by-name you can find a list of all partitions)


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How to force stop/block/blacklist UC News and 9apps from installing in my android phone for whole life
I am annoyed of the unwanted apps UC News, 9Apps and some other apps from automatically installing on my android phone. I have disabled  install unknown source applications, but everytime I restart my phone this is automatically enabled and then my internet is automatically switched on and then nearly 10 to 20 apps are automatically installed in my phone.
I have factory reset my phone many times but even after factory reset same thing occurs and all apps are installed. I suspect this is because of UC browser being an inbuilt app. In UC browser their shows some related apps in which UC News and 9apps is also showm. These two apps are the first to be installed whenever I restart my phone.
My phone is Xolo Era 4g. Plz tell me:

How to block/blacklist xyz app in android permanatly so that it never installs again in whole life of phone.
How to not let andriod switch unknown sources option on when phone is restarted.

I do not want to root my phone to forego the gaurantee. So plz tell any way without rooting the phone, even if it requires downgrading android version or using any other possible OS.
If there is no way then plz tell the method with rooting the phone.

Thanx.

One way to avoid all such issues is by rooting your phone.
That gives you plenty of control on it (it becomes essentially a Linux box), and you can install one of many possible flavors of Operating System (custom ROM).
Judging from this Google search, rooting your model is something already worked out.
Nevertheless, you have to be careful, since it may "brick" your phone, i.e., make it useless. For many phones, there are very detailed instructions available on how to do that.
PS1: A few links in this Google search (e.g.) report users which did not get rid of auto-installed apps, even after rooting. Whatever these users did, it has to be taken with a grain of salt, though.
PS2: UC Browser has been under some criticism for its lack of privacy/security and invasivity.

Used to have a similar problem on my Samsung galaxy s6 Verizon. Candy crush, and clash of clans, In  total 5 to 7 apps. After a pile of reading I got a hint, I ended up doing a Google search of Samsung and Verizon malware apps. Took a while but that path took me to the information. In my case the culprit was DT ignite. I disabled it. I also disabled peel remote app. I had a little trouble with sync issues at first but playing around with the settings for them before or after I disabled them fixed it and my phone has ran better then it did the day I turned it on brand new. Hope this leads you in the right direction. First identify your carriers malware, begin tampering with it trying to do as little as possible to achieve your personal goal. Good luck.


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Bush Android phone
I am having trouble answering calls on my Bush Android phone. I slide and press green ok but when I put it to my ear it touches the big red phone on the screen and ends the call


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Some applications won't connect to the internet via 3G after rooting my phone
I have initially a Motorola moto g xt1039 with Android 4.4.4
I have rooted the phone by following this guide.
The phone works normal, I am able to connect to the internet via Wi-Fi.
Some applications such as Google Play and Twitter are able to connect since I can install apps and refresh my Twitter feed by using the 3G connection.
I've been also able to ping to 8.8.8.8 and to www.google.com by using the terminal emulator.
Furthermore, sharing the 3G connection through Wi-Fi works as well, I've been able to use the shared connection from my Laptop PC.
The very confusing problem is that some applications such as chrome, firefox, Gmail, and Youtube are unable to connect when using the 3G connection.
These applications start, keep loading for a while and then show an error message, usually "unable to load" or "connection timeout".
What is going on here, how to troubleshoot this issue?

The problem was that a bogus proxy was set for the Mobile Data Connection I was using.
Removing the bogus proxy configuration solved the issue!
Here is a guide to Mobile data connection proxy setting.


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Run C-executable from SD card on Termux
I have just installed termux in my Android 6 phone and have given storage permissions so I can read, write or compile from the terminal in the folder /sdcard/myC/ by using clang -o birthday birthday.c -lm. However, when I try to run the executable, I get -bash: ./birthday: Permission denied.
I have tried compiling and running in multiple places, i.e. /sdcard/data/com.termux, and have tried the command termux-setup-storage that ensures the permissions are granted to read/write. I have tried to chmod the program as well.
I should be doing something wrong because apparently, the app is really good.

You cannot run programs from the SD card, as it is mounted with the noexec flag. See e.g. this answer.

Finally I got it to work. Programs can only be run if they are located at the home directory of termux. That is, run pwd to know where the home directory is and put the source files there, then compile and run, enjoy!

It is not necessary to put source there, just the binary. Of course you can just copy the binary afterwards.

Files store on /sdcard cannot have execution permission on android.
You can copy the binary generated to /data/data/com.termux/files/home/directory/of/your/choice.
Then make it executable by using chmod
Or, you can use this program to do that for you.
Usage:
binrun <your executable> <arguments...>

Ps: I made that program


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Which ffmpeg command allow me to record sound?
ffmpeg can be installed through termux by installing the package mpv:
$ apt-get install mpv

Now, on linux, I record sound with the command
 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 2 -i plughw:0,0 recording.mp3

This commnand does not work on android for me. What would be the right -f flag argument?
What is the ffmpeg command to record sound from the terminal on android?

Does this help? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skvalex.alsamixer (you need to be rooted, and I've never needed it, so I can't say whether it works, hence a comment instead of an answer).

The above is actually meant to work with CallRecorder, but it's not entirely impossible that ffmpeg recognises it, once it's installed and configured


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Clean Data of an Android App
Sometimes we need to do Clean Data for an android app.
And to do Clean Data of a specific app, we need to in that app. For cleaning data of more apps, we need to go all apps individually.
Is there any way so that I can do Clean Data on one page/ place for all installed apps?

No, you cannot do it through the Settings - Apps menu, however  you can do it via an adb shell with
adb shell pm clear packageName
Where packageName is the name of the actual package (not the application), such as com.android.browser for the built in Browser app.
Shouldn't be too hard to create a script to do this for multiple applications.

Do you mean to say, I can create a script one time for all required apps. And just after running a single script, Clean Data will be processed for all required apps? Will that work on all android platform, irrespective of hardware specifications and android version? And does it require root access for its execution?

It should... you would create a Windows/Linux script to send each line individually, this would be run from a computer and NOT from the device. I would say it would work with Android 4.x and up that has ADB Debugging enabled and you have the proper drivers installed on the PC.


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How can I run apps in an isolated environment on my smartphone?
I have apps that I don't trust or that I just want to try.
The problem is that even after deleting them they might leave files/spyware/malware/etc.
What are my options?
I have Xiaomi mi4c on MIUI with google apps but will soon format it and might replace the ROM.

"Shelter is a Free and Open-Source (FOSS) app that leverages the "Work Profile" feature of Android to provide an isolated space that you can install or clone apps into."

Xiaomi MIUI has a feature called SecondSpace. It sets up a completely isolated 2nd instance of Android similar to a VM. You can have completely separate settings there and not affect your "real" phone.

Alternatively run the app as a completely new user (Settings->User). But getting the account setup might be too onerous.
As Xiaomi's SecondSpace was mentioned, I'll throw in Parallel Space for those not on a Samsung or Xiaomi device. It is an app for virtualizing other apps in one account.
Commonsware put up a blogpost explaining what is going on under the hood with this virtualization with a caveat:

However, this sort of virtualization technique – Android apps running inside other Android apps, for an Inception-style experience – requires that you trust the virtualization engine. After all, by definition, it can see all I/O between the app and Android, as it proxies all of that I/O. It is a MITM attack on the app.

So if you trust the makers of Parallel Space (or don't care) it is a option to consider.

Besides Xiaomi, Huawei and Samsung also have similar types of virtual space environments, that they brand as Private Space and Secure Folder, respectively. All 3, of these, Second Space, Private Space and Secure Folder, are based on an Android OS feature for supporting multiple user accounts, but with some customizations so that these virtual spaces are like an anonymous user account, and only the user in the main account can switch to this (and back), besides switching to/from any of the normal user accounts.
NB: this is different from the "multiple accounts" some might associate with Android phones, which is being able to sign in to more than one Google account at the same time. Here, we are talking about Android OS-level accounts.
These virtual space accounts are one category of isolated environment. The other is the app-based isolated environments available from apps like Parallel Space, Dual Space, and dozens of related apps. The main concern about app-based isolated environments is security risks. You would be trusting the developers of such apps, that they are not malicious. Also, you would be trusting that they haven't included vulnerabilities that could be exploited by others even if they themselves do not have malicious intents.

I see app "Secure folder" that claims to put an additional sandbox around apps. When I install an app in a secure folder, will this provide protection of my privacy from the app?

Not necessarily every aspect of privacy protection, but some. It is like a virtual phone inside your phone, with its own home screen, etc. So it has a side effect of providing some privacy protections from the app, e.g., when run in "Secure folder", an app may not see some things that it could see in the main space. But if you have very stringent privacy protection requirements, it may be better to use a physically separate device rather than just "Secure folder".

For a a while Android natively has a feature called work profile, that gives you a second profile that is UX integrated into your launcher with separate data and clearly marked icons.
Google's Feature Documentation:
https://support.google.com/work/android/answer/6191949?hl=en
First FLOSS Workprofile Provisioner:
https://github.com/PeterCxy/Shelter
First freely available Workprofile Provisionier (not fully FLOSS):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oasisfeng.island
Island is partially free software but includes many proprietary blobs.
A fully FLOSS fork of it exists:
https://gitlab.com/secure-system/Insular

Are multiple workspaces/profiles possible? Strictly for the use case one wants to isolate 1 or more apps, are there any advantages compared to "Secure folder" offered by Samsung?


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Bypassing mobile detectability from the browser
First of all, I know that there is a "request desktop site" in the Android browser, but it doesn't solve my problem.
I have this site and they have an Android app as well. Because of that, they want users to play videos from their app and not from the Android browser. But "for reasons", I want to play it on the browser. Defining user agents as chrome/windows didn't help either.
Do you guys have any idea how to do it?

How did you change the use agent in Chrome mobile?

Alright, so a file named chrome-command-line needs to be put in /data/local/chrome-command-line.
Download that onto your PC and then use
adb push chrome-command-line /data/local/chrome-command-line

If you get couldn't create file: Permission denied, run adb root and then adb push chrome-command-line /data/local/chrome-command-line.
Proof:

You can download the chrome-command-line file or you can make your own. First, make a file that contains: chrome --user-agent="<stuff>". The stuff is here: https://www.whoishostingthis.com/tools/user-agent/
Example: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/55.0.2883.87 Safari/537.36

It still doesn't play videos from the site. It no longer asks you to play from the app. The site opens but doesn't play the video on mobile device. Can it be detecting the screen size and disabling the playback?


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Unknown apps taking over tablet
My son's tablet is suddenly over run with apps we don't know about trying to gain information (such as location, password, permission to load). Not sure what he downloaded or did to start this. I did see a warning the other day that the "phone app may seriously damage tablet" but I can't find the phone app to delete it. Any thoughts on how to stop it?

You probably taped on some phishing ads or you getting those. Phone app is usually dialer app and if you delete it phone will became unusable. However I see you aren't into android so the best solution is to flash stock firmware. And be carefull what you install and don't tap on ads that saying you have x viruses on phone or such things, use your brain.

It is just a text that is shown in place of Advertisement. Don't take it seriously.Just delete unwanted applications from tablet

This "Phone app may seriously damage your tablet" is just a scam.
If you are concerned that there might actually be malicious programs on the device, I recommend to download and run a scan using MalwareBytes for Android .

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


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How to keep text and icons at normal size but use tablet mode?
Just rooted my tablet the other day. Running Android 4.1.1. This is stock Android except for a different launcher.
My tablet's resolution is 1280x800. It was running with a density of 213 for several years. Recently I wanted to try tablet mode, so I shrank it to 170.
I'm perfectly happy with this setup, but would like to know if it is possible to make the icons on the launcher (and other text) the original size, while forcing the UI to tablet mode.

Try finding some app for that, there was some xposed module I can't remember the name. Of course that changing of denisty will make icons and text and everything bigger/smaller..

Get rooted, install Xposed framework and then this module called App Settings. Lets you tweak density, font size and a bunch of other properties on a per-app basis.
Disclaimer: rooting and using Xposed comes with their own risks and it's your own responsibility to do backups.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


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Setting alarm ringtone on Google clock on Marshmallow
Earlier (actually ... I do not know when that stopped working) when I would try to change the ringtone of my alarm from the Google clock app, I would get to choose which "source" I would get the tone from, there was a default list, and I could also choose a file from my own library.
Now I can only use the said default list. I have a tone that I had set by the described method in the list but I have no way to add anything to that list.
Are there solutions?

Install ES Explorer
Play the tone using ES and follow steps to  set it as ringtone, notification or alarm. Selected track would be added to default options panel of ringtone/ alarm

Note: ES Explorer has privacy and security concerns, so if you are not aware of how to sandbox it and use it, uninstall immediately after this operation of setting ringtones

By sandboxing , I mean block it's internet access using firewalls or other apps


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How to block all messages and calls from any numbers?
I want to block all kinds of messages and calls from any numbers that come into my tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, rooted), but I still want to have mobile data available. What should I do?

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/65649/disable-calls-and-sms-and-use-only-mobile-data-with-active-sim-card

The question you gave me doesn't mention about SMS blocking. Any idea?

Use blacklist app that mentioned here : http://droidlessons.com/how-to-block-unwanted-calls-text-messages-on-android/


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Device administrator can not be deactivated
I installed a security app on my Samsung phone and it blocks the device from going to Odin mode (bootloader) so I can not update the software. I can not remove this app because it is a device administrator. Also when I navigate to device administartors in Settings I can not deactivate it (deactivate button is grayed out). Can anyone help me and suggest any idea on how to get rid of this app?

If you installed from Play Store, go to play store and deactivate and uninstall

No, I installed it from APK file.

related- you can try those solutions

It might have become the device owner.


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Was I hacked using my android build number and baseband?
I had someone ask me for my Android  build and baseband number in an effort to help me root my Samsung 6S. Shortly afterwards my phone got really slow as if the CPU was processing large amounts of data. In an hour I checked my mail,  and a few were sent back to me that I was not sending. As if a malicious bulk mailing came from my phone,  and the old addresses of contacts that were invalid,  sent the mail back to me.
Is this unrelated malware or and actual attack perpetrated (theoretically)  by this person? Thsnks.

No.  Simply put, that is just information as to the build/version of the OS and baseband.  You weren't hacked from that information alone.

Thousands of people likely have the same build and baseband as you do.  It's common to the ROM, not to your individual device.
To uniquely identify your device, they would need a globally unique identifier like IMEI.  However, those identifiers are also completely useless for hacking you — they don't provide any kind of magical access; they can only be used for identification.
Likely you either installed a bad app in the past, or used a malicious rooting tool, or are simply incorrect about what's happening here.

Probably all three of those last causes,  not necessarily in that order.


text:
I need an idea for recovering my data

after I tried for 4 hours, I really need your help. Let me tell you my story:
I dropped Moto X 2nd Gen (running Android 6.0) some days ago, the screen is shattered and only shows some kind of green mud. The only 2 activitys I can recognize trough the screen are the android animations when scrolling or switching between and (for sure) if the screen is turned on or off. ADB is turned off and there is no way to enable it. I attached a keyboard via USB-OTG and am able to unlock the phone, but when I connect it to my pc, I can't access my data because the phone is in Charge-only mode (THANKS for making this default, Android! -.-). So my only hope is the keyboard. I borrowed the exact same phone from a friend, attached the keyboard and wrote down the keys I need to press to enable Wifi. The reason for that is my Chromecast, as soon as I mirrored my display, I can use my mouse to upload my data from the phone to my cloud. So I repeated the keys on the broken phone, and after MANY attempts I finally got wifi turned on using the keyboard. But now I keep struggling at the next step, starting the screen mirroring. My Keys are:

Type 'Settings' on the home screen
  4 times down, then enter to select
  4 times down again, to the 'display' settings, enter
  All the way down, hit enter to get to screen mirroring
  Wait a moment so it can find devices
  Go all the way down again and hit enter to select my chromecast

These steps work just fine on the other phone, but when I use it on the broken one, I always get stuck in a big block of text which is scrollable. I have no idea what it is, and the only way to get rid of it is rebooting.
Any ideas how to get that damn screen mirrored? My goal is SO close!
Thanks in advance!

It would also be interesting why the first line is gone...

You can use Vysor chrome app for screen mirroring, if your device's debugging mode is enabled.
Things you needed is a USB cable attached to PC with chrome installed.
or you can try any of the below,

EaseUS Android data recovery software.
MHL to female HDMI adapter, to connect to TV

Debugging is disabled and the phone doesn't support MHL. Does EaseUS have any requirements?


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Unable to install ROM with adb sideload or other methods on LG G3 d855
I have an LG G3 (d855) phone on which I had Cyanogenmod 14 and which I wanted to upgrade to LineageOS.
I booted to recovery, wiped everything and tried using adb sideload to load the image, but it failed at 47% with cannot verify whole file signature and cannot load volume /misc errors.
I verified the md5sum of the image, tried the other images available and also an AOKP image, and the symptoms are always the same.
I don't seem to have access to another way of loading an image on the phone, I was not able to enter download mode (I only get either a black screen or a battery picture), and the recovery mode seems to accept adb connections so I cannot push an image on it (I get a adb: error: connect failed: device unauthorized. This adb server's $ADB_VENDOR_KEYS is not set error). And of course having wiped the system, I cannot do anything from here.
Edit : I've been able to start the phone in download mode by using a different USB cable. However, I cannot find a tool on Linux to upload an image to it. Some sites say that heimdall should support it but it seems they are misleading as heimdall itself only claims to support Samsung devices.

Do you have TWRP installed? Can't you just use it's MTP mode to copy the ROM and Gapps to internal storage and flash from there?

No, I only have the Cyanogenmod recovery and it doesn't have many features, all of which I already tried.

So I was finaly able to solve my problem :

Apparently the failure of adb sideload at exactly 47% is a known bug on TWRP, so I would assume that it's the same bug bitting me on Cyanogen recovery.
Anyway, if the recovery doesn't allow to install a ROM, there is the download mode (volume UP and plug in an USB cable).
If download mode doesn't work, try it with another USB cable (such as the one that came with the phone)
Have a Windows install available either physically or in a VM as LG couldn't bother supporting other OSes.
Follow this tutorial to reinstall the original LG ROM, but at step 7 tick the "Board DL" box as not to get stuck on "Factory Reset Status 2" such as explained in this reddit thread (doesn't seem to be a problem for everyone).
Reroot the phone and reinstall a ROM that isn't full of LG bloatware.

(Note for self : next time buy a device that hasn't been designed to work against it's owner)


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Battery drainage is pretty high
Ok so, my screen battery draining stats is 122%, Android system 52%, Android OS 27%, Media Servers 25%, and suprising ly my games 25% or below. How to fix this? Cause if you combine all the percentages in my Android Lollipop 5.0.2 tablet,(It is a Samsung Tab 4, and it is NOT rooted). it would be over 300% battery drain stats. So... again, how do I fix this?
Edit: Every minute a play: -3% battery percentage on average.

It looks like Android mess up. Suggest flash  ROM again after taking backup. Also add to your question details of device, Android version and root status

If you watch closely you will see it states: Use since full charge. This means it counts from the time the battery was at 100%. Charge your device to 100% and the numbers will be fine...


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Oneplus 3T Chrome/Downloads app on Android - "Can't open file"
When I download a doc or docx file via Chrome, it often happens that I can't open it directly. Where with, say, a pdf, the file will open in e.g. Acrobat straight after i tap 'download', doing the same with a doc/docx just brings up a notification on the lower half of the screen. Tapping this opens the system download manager. If I tap on the file, I see the dialogue "Can't open file" appear.
Opening the file through file manager works fine.
Also, downloading the file via Firefox shows the expected behaviour of opening the docx file straight away in MS Word/Google Docs/Libreoffice Viewer.
Should this be understood as a Chrome issue or a Downloads app issue? Either way, I need an urgent solution to this for work reasons. This is not just an inconvenience for me - i work for agencies where several ppl are offered the same job, so if I am slowed down by just a few seconds, I can miss out on a job.

I had a very similar issue on Android 6.0.1 with a Nexus 5. It also occurred with various viewers.
I solved it by going to:
Settings->Apps >Microsoft Word>Open by default and then selecting the box clear defaults.
Potentially you should repeat this for the other viewers.