text:
"Charging paused. Voltage too high" on Samsung Galaxy S2 after upgrading to ICS
I am keep on getting this pop-up every 30 sec. I searched on the internet, and most of the solutions are to play with the charging pin.
It's also showing it's charging when it's not.
My phone thinks it's charging
I think this has to be a software issue.
Does anyone have any solution?

Granted the timing is coincidental, but have you investigated the charging pin as you and the linked previous question mention? That seems to be the solution for many people, OS upgrade or no.

@Mr.Buster I have observed the same thing, replacing the USB resolves the problem, but I do not see any point in doing that, because software upgrade triggered it so I suspect that it should be software problem, and Stack Exchange is the place I can trust people. Hence, question.

Short answer:
That's no doubt a software issue, reported across forums after an upgrade to ICS 4.0.x.
Some users reporting this can be found here:

Galaxy s2 charging port problem - xda-developers
Re: ICS 4.0.3 Charging Paused, Voltage Too High an... - Vodafone eForum

Don't know with certainty if you've upgraded the firmware to ICS 4.0 or any other variant, being the latest ones 4.0.3 or 4.0.4
Nonetheless, you either roll back and wait for a new version that doesn't cause that issue or you can try some of the suggestions provided below (all reported to have worked without problems by other owners of a Samsung Galaxy S2).

Extending the answer:

First and above all
Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you are not going to lose anything either by rolling back or trying a new/different firmware.
e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, etc...

You can go with one of these suggestions:
Once the backup is concluded, the following solutions are documented as to have solved that particular issue on your phone. Solutions ordered from the simplest to the most complicated:

Clearing cache data
The problem you're facing can be related to old files still in cache. Follow these steps to clear your cache and see if it solves it:

Boot your phone in recovery mode, to do that press and hold VOLUME UP and MIDDLE KEY, while holding both press POWER ON;
You will see your phone booted in recovery mode , in recovery mode touch screen will not work so use Volume UP and Volume Down to navigate through options and MIDDLE KEY to confirm;
Choose “wipe cache partition” from menu;
It will clear the cache data;
Now select reboot system now;

Factory Reset
Samsung has a master reset code used to factory reset your phone. You can try this as to cleanup your phone and wait for a better ICS version, or try another ICS version (see suggestion n.º 3):

Make sure you have a backup of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, etc).
Take your SIM and memory card out of your phone
Turn your phone back on, and wait for the dial pad
Dial the factory reset code: *2767*3855#

This will wipe, reset and then correctly format the internal storage. After the process is completed, place your SIM and memory cards back on the phone.

Firmware Flash (Odin)
Download the Latest Samsung Odin here, and install either one of the latest ICS versions or a previous one that can be found on the links at the very end of this answer.
3.1. flash your firmware to the Android 4.0:

XXLPQ — Update Galaxy S2 to Android 4.0 Official Firmware Manually

This firmware and the guide below is compatible only and only with Galaxy S2, model number i9100. It’s not compatible with any other device, including US variants of S2, the Epic 4G Touch, T-mobile Galaxy S2 and AT&T Galaxy S2 along with Skyrocket. Check your device’s model number in Settings » About phone.

3.2. Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware Update:

Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S2 GT I9100

Here is another tutorial how to Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware Update on Samsung Galaxy S2 GT i9100. Samsung Galaxy II got the Official XXLPQ Firmware update recently. But the Firmware had some bugs and users reported it. Samsung revived the Android 4.0.3 and added some other latest features

3.3. flash your firmware to the Android 4.0.4:

XXLQ5 - Download & Install Official Android 4.0.4 ICS Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S2

Finally, you can download and install latest official Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S II now. Yup, there is a leaked official Android 4.0.4 ICS Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S2 ~ XXLQ5 Firmware (Europe region).

Update Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 to Android 4.0.4 ICS XXLQ5 Leaked Firmware

Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 has been running on the Android 4.0.3 firmware and recently there were rumors that said that it won’t receive the Android 4.0.4 ICS update. However, all these rumors were shattered today because there is a new leaked firmware for I9100 that is based on Android 4.0.4 ICS and with XXLQ5 firmware, which means that Samsung should eventually launch the new update in the near future.

Useful and related links:

The official Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) website.
A very extensive list with Official i9100 Firmwares LPE/Q/7/2/F/S/4/7/G/9/W/D/F to Download and an how-to guide to flash your firmware with Odin.
Android Firmwares.NET - Samsung Galaxy S II Firmwares.

I'd recommend Heimdall instead of Odin - Odin is leaked software and Heimdall (it's Free Software clone) is available in source code form.

@Broam I did not know Heimdall! I like it already, is cross-platform, available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Tks for the recommendation :)

@Broam I've only used Odin and with no issues so far! I'll give a go to Heimdall as soon as an opportunity arises.

@Zuul, thanks for the detailed answer! I am going to try that today, will let you know the feedback!

It got fixed by itself!

Definitely not a software issue for me. Cleaning lint out of the charging port with a pin fixed it completely. Perhaps the "fix" just disables a new feature that detects abnormal voltages?

I don't own a Galaxy SII. However according to this thread it seems the problem lies in the USB port as when it is replaced the issue has been resolved.

I had the same problem with the charge error being reported incorrectly. I bent the USB port slightly upwards towards the screen and the charging problem disappeared. A temporary fix until I can replace the port.

I went to Sprint yesterday because all of a sudden I'm having this frustrating problem.
I was told that it is a software issue and nothing more. An email from the higher-ups directed techs not to switch out phones because the problem is going to persist (until Samsung fixes the software).

With mine, clearing dust out of the USB port with a pin and then plugging a charger in and out a few times fixed the issue.
So it's not necessarily a bug in the software. Perhaps Android OS 4.0.x has a new feature to detect and report voltage problems when charging, while previous versions did not (and any software "fix" will just disable this feature).

+1, Cleaning the USB port with air and a pin worked for my wife's phone as well.


text:
How to switch Input Method / keyboard?
I recently upgraded my Galaxy S2 from Android 2.x to 4.0.3.
I had, and still have, two keyboards installed & enabled - MultiLing Keyboard, and Swype.
In my previous ROM, long-pressing an input field let me switch keyboards. This method now stopped working, and the only way I found to switch them is via the setup menu.
Has the method to switch inputs changed in ICS?

Once you've activated an input field, you should see a keyboard icon in your notification area. Drag the notification bar down and tap on the notification saying Select input method and you should get the menu.
If this doesn't work, it's due to Samsung's modifications. At least the vanilla ICS has this option.

Thanks. I would never have searched there ... too bad they removed the hold-to-switch method.

In all of my HTC phones, press & hold in the input area (text area) will show a "Input Method" prompt for switching IME.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
face recognition as password
Looking for an application that use face recognition of the cellphone's owner wnen you are powering on your cellphone + activating the phone after being stand by with black screen.
Where can I find it?
I'm using Galaxy SII with android 4

Is it face unlock you are asking about? If so, there is a handy guide here. It requires your phone to be rooted and have ClockworkMod Recovery installed. Here are the installation instructions from the link:

Installation Instructions
Before you proceed with setting up Face Unlock on your Galaxy S2, make
  sure that your phone:
is rooted, has ClockworkMod Recovery installed, and is running Android
  4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich firmware build XXKP8.
If your phone meets those requirements, you can follow these steps:
1.Download the Face Unlock update file to your computer and then copy the downloaded ZIP file to your SD card. Get the file here.
2.Turn off your mobile phone and reboot it into recovery mode. You can do this by pressing the Volume Up and OK buttons. Press both buttons
  at the same time and then press the Power button.
3.If you are already in recovery mode, proceed by selecting “Wipe data/factory reset” and “Wipe Cache partition”.
4.Reboot your device by selecting “Reboot system now” from the recovery menu.
5.Reboot your device again into recovery mode.
6.From the menu, select “install zip from SD card”, then ” choose zip from SD card”, and then choose the Face Unlock ZIP file which is on
  your phone. After you have selected the file, installation will start.
7.After installation, your device will again display the recovery mode screen. Select “Reboot system now” to reboot the phone. Take note that
  this time, restarting your device will take much longer. On the other
  hand, you can also opt to update this package from ClockworkMod
  Recovery.

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


text:
Locked out of Android Vortex MID *permission denied with ADB
Here's the back story:
I bought an used Android tablet. The guy said the power connector was broken so the tablet wont be charged. I took it apart and figured out the battery was dead. I have an adapter from the wall powering the device.
My problem:
There was a pattern lock. My daughter thought she would help me, and exhausted the 20 attempts, so it's now only giving me the option to use the Google account to unlock. I emailed the guy and he gave me his Google account info, but it didn't work on the tablet. It is the correct info for Gmail, as I tried it on my PC.
I have been trying to use ADB to get in to the tablet to no avail... I'm denied permission when I try to use wipe_data. I can't understand what the problem is.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Maybe exploits like those used in SuperOneClick might help in this case?  Or adb-based fastboot?

What model is this? Do you have a link to the product page at the manufacturer site? Does it have a working internet connection (3G)? There's 2-3 possible ways depending on the device: 1) If it has Internet, use Google Play to install an app to remote wipe. 2) If it has a recovery mode with wipe functionality, that's also a good way to go 3) Does it have 'fastboot' mode where you could also gain access via starting a crafted boot.img?

I think I know why the google account unlock/recovery procedure doesn't work: It need's a working internet connection. This tab only knows the guy's wifi (and maybe more like some hotspots or his friend's wifis). You'd need to mock one wifi (that the tablet already knows). Either drive to his location to get his wifi service or sadly: You have to ask him both ESSID + Passphrase and set up your home wifi accordingly (and  hope the tab connects). If successful, you could then  unlock it using the gmail method.

One more question. What doesn't work when trying to get into the device: 'adb shell' already or that 'wipe_data' command on the device' shell?

the data wipe command doesnt work. It relies with "access denied"
I am going to go to his house and hope I get a good wifi signal outside of his house. That makes perfect sense. I never thought it would be trying to match to online info...

Also, just for information's sake. I dont know the specific model and make, and I cant find the same one online anywhere. I'm relying on pictures which I know arent always accurate for the chinese websites.
I'm also going to look into this "crafted boot.img" I am brand new to android, thank you for your help. I'll keep you posted

Have you tried adb reboot bootloader > wipe from there?

I know I'm a bit late, but you can remove the lock by performing factory reset.
To do that:

Shut down the tablet
Hold volume up key and power button at the same time
Recovery boot menu will open. With volume keys select wipe data and press power button.
The tablet will do a factory reset, all data will be lost and pattern lock will be removed.

You probably got denied permission on ADB because debug mode wasn't on.


text:
HTC Incredible 2 clearing "App Associations" on reboot - why?
My Friend has an HTC Incredible 2 that is clearing all app associations whenever the phone reboots. Does anyone know what is causing this? I couldn't find anything on google, or my phone (an HTC Thunderbolt) that would lead to a setting or something.
Thanks!

What do you mean exactly by "clearing all app associations"?

My guess is that it's about the 'default application' for a particular file type/protocol.

Has your friend modified the Linkify app that implements the App Associations? Typically both the Linkify app that actually performs the association and the Settings app where you set them are signed by the system signing key. If the Linkify app was replaced with a modified version not signed by the system signing key, which is possible if you unlock and root your device, I imagine it would have trouble accessing the settings.


text:
Add functionality to home button?
What application will let me allot a certain functionality to the home button? Currently, I want to make it so that pressing the Home button twice will activate Voice Actions. Do you know of any app that does that?
I'm rooted.
EDIT:
Okay, while doing some further research, I found out that one of the ways to achieve this is via a launcher app. I'm currently using ADW Launcher Ex. Is that modifiable via theme to do something like such?

doubtful. The system was built specifically to disallow applications from doing anything with the Home button. Even with a launcher app I don't think you could get it to recognize a double tap very easily / consistently. If your device has a camera button that is much easier for applications to add functionality to.

What about rooting does that change anything because that app has some really bad reviews.

There is an app in the Google Play Store called Advanced Home Button. Although this app won't allow you to directly configure Home button's single press, this may allow you to replace the double-tap which is configurable.
However, this app does mean replacing your default launcher (in your case, ADW launcher). You, may, though, try it out whatsoever and see if it helps your issue.
Edit: There have been  many negative responses on the app saying the app causes issues with the home button. So you need to be careful while installing such an app.

Seems to be the closest around.


text:
Google Listen doesn't register Play/Pause commands after upgrade to ICS
I have been using Google Listen as podcast player on Samsung Galaxy SII paired with Plantronics BackBeat 903. It worked well until I upgraded to ICS and now the play and pause buttons won't be registered by Google Listen. The play/pause button only unmutes/mutes the sound while the podcast continues to play. This was not the case prior to upgrade. Anyone else noticed this and have a fix for this?

It gets even worse on Jelly Bean: Listen has become totally unusable after the upgrade, pressing play only skips back 3 seconds. I haven't found any way to get it to play anything at all.

After trying a few apps, I settled on KiesCast by Samsung.
Pros

Simple intuitive UI.
Has almost all settings that one would generally need without being overly complex.
Play speed from 0.5x to 2.0x.
Skip interval is configurable.
Very good podcast search.
Plays videos as well.

Cons

Sometimes CPU use goes thru the roof.
Loses the play position sometimes after the podcast is stopped.
Ad supported. Can't complain as it is free but company like Samsung should be able to support it without ads. Moreover, while listening the screen can shut off and thus no ads. In video play mode I haven't seen any ads as I usually watch video full screen.


text:
How to upgrade Samsung Galaxy S2 to ICS?

Possible Duplicate:
Upgrade Samsung Galaxy II OS to android 4.0?

I want to know if there is any official documentation on how to upgrade Samsung's Android enabled devices?

Can we get region and carrier information, in order to answer this more effectively? Basically the three easy options are OTA, ODIN or Kies, though.

I'd consider only OTA and Kies as "easy", especially as the question is this vague. Plus, he's asking for official documentation, so warranty might be a factor.

I assume your device is not rooted since you did not mention it. For non-rooting device you just have to wait for the Over The Air (OTA) update from Samsung or your network provider.

Official documentation can only come from your carrier, or if you bought it sim-free, then from your country's Samsung website.

Ota is definitely going to be the "easiest" but you aren't guaranteed to ever get the update. If you want to get ICS as soon as possible, I'd recommend flashing CyanogenMod (full update guide for the S2), downloads are here. Believe version CM9 is ICS 4.0.4, and CM10 (aka. Jelly Bean) is also available as nightly builds. I've heard some great things about it.
But... that may not be what you are looking for if you are trying to go completely stock...


text:
How do I upgrade my Galaxy i5510 2.2 froyo to 2.3 Gingerbread?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I update the OS on my device?

can any one tell me how to upgrade Samsung galaxy i5510 2.2 froyo to 2.3 Gingerbread

I have done this on my Samsung Galaxy I5510, just follow these steps:
Required: phone's USB driver should be installed

Run Odin_Downloader_v4.42 software
Select "CALLISTO_ops" file in "OPS"
Check "one package" in the options menu
Select "I5510XWKPH_I5510XEZKP2_XEZ" file in "One Package" (last button)
Switch off phone, then press T + the power button to go to Download mode
In the Odin_Downloader software window, check that "COM Port Mapping" is YELLOW
(if it's not yellow then it means USB not recognizing your device)
After making sure it's connected, click the "Start" button and wait until it finishes
(all of these process can be checked in "message box" left side)
It's done!

For more information, go to this link.

How to Update Galaxy 551 I5510 to XWKP5 Gingerbread 2.3.4 European Firmware
Update Samsung Galaxy 551 I5510 to XWKP5 Gingerbread 2.3.4 ... Video-Guide on Youtube
I5510XWKPA Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread Stock ROM Download
How to upgrade samsung galaxy i5510 from android 2.2 to 2.3.4? - Pls give me the link for downloading these files and the steps or procedure for how to do it :: Ask Me Fast hm, was that all you?

Well, and a bunch more, e.g. for India and other things. Due to missing details in your question, this could become a rather long list -- which is not much loved here, so I'd better stop at this place. Hopefully, one of the above links works out for you -- otherwise, please re-formulate your question as suggested :)

Not cool, dude.


text:
How can I see a list of my unrated apps?
It's important to me to provide feedback on the apps I use.
However, I don't remember which apps I already rated, and I find myself checking my apps one by one to find the ones I haven't rated yet.
Is there a way to see a list of my unrated apps?
I have a Galaxy S2 with ICS, but I think this question is relevant to all Android devices.

This will give you a list of all apps per device, but no rating info: https://play.google.com/apps

You cannot currently get that list.
You may want to temporarily:

Disable Auto-update Apps in the Google Play Settings menu on your device.
Enable the Notifications checkbox.
Choose when to update each app manually, once you see an update notification. Your existing review, or lack of review, is evident right there 1 inch down the app page if you are in in portrait mode.
Two weeks later, you'll have reviewed those developers who are updating super-regularly. Keep this up for as long as you can stand to, and all of the developers who aren't dormant are reviewed. Then switch your settings back.

Each manual update will occupy about 30 seconds per app of your time, or less. And it's not perfect. There will be apps who never update before you decide to re-enable Auto-update Apps.
I stay in perpetual Manual update mode and I've never failed to give feedback on any app I've installed.

Create a list in your office/organizer of all your apps, then, as you rate your apps go back to that list and mark them as rated. I know it's not automatically calculated for you thus not super convenient but hey, it has to be better than searching one by one. :-)

Yeah it's better than searching one by one, but still not good enough. Until there is a better solution, I rather do neither.


text:
Recommended Modem for Israel/Middle East with CM9 for GS II
My connectivity randomly cuts out - and after searching the CM9 discussion threads - I understand my modem is likely incompatible with my region.
I couldn't find a sticky or thread in XDA about recommended modems by geography - so I was hoping to get some advice here from your experience.
I have a Galaxy S II.
Thanks!

I think you might need to let us know which device you have before anyone can recommend software for it.

Which model is it? i9100G or the original i9100? Both have very different internals, just be aware of that.

Identify the Correct Modem
The Galaxy S II modems files usually contain a reference to the zone where they best apply. In your case, the first reference letter should be "J", that appears just after the phone model.
Official Firmware: July 2012

Middle East

United Arab Emirates XSG - I9100JPLPF/I9100OJPLPC/I9100XXLPX ICS 4.0.3
Israel Cellcom CEL - I9100TJIKG3/I9100TCELKG3/I9100TJIKG1

You can also find out your modem version by accessing the "About phone" menu option. The value of "baseband" is your modem version.

Modem File
The file Modem_I9100TJIKI2.7z should be the most appropriated for your location.

References

Samsung Galaxy S2 Firmware Updates via Kies Official Releases compiled list
Galaxy S 2 Shipped Modem Collection


text:
Could you indicate me a PDF reader for android with a fit visible feature?
Could you indicate me a PDF reader for android with a fit visible feature? It's the same feature that's built in on foxit reader.

I am not sure about Foxit Reader, but I am using the paid ezPDF Reader.
I am really amazed about its ability to show and fit the content to screen when reading columns of text (like in newspaper). It has other super features like horizontal scroll and automatic scroll to next part.

ezPDF Reader in fact is the most recommended PDF Reader for Android. Other PDF readers worth a look include RepliGo and Aldiko, the latter being an eBook Reader with PDF support.

I am not exactly sure what you mean by "the fit visible feature".
Give a try to qPDF Viewer, it's a free Android PDF Reader that does have a text reflow mode accessible (under View menu from the action bar).
A simple double tap fits the document to the screen size – which is pretty useful on tablets.

Gustavo. I had similar problem. I am using eBookdroid. It is free and it crops and splits pages. Good luck.

Please provide a link to the app. :)

Link added to answer.

Did you try SmartQ Reader?
In my opinion it's the best PDF reader for Android. The interface is clean and intuitive, it has all main features that you are expecting from a eBook reader (Bookmarks, Pager, Chapters, etc..) and the transition between pages is very smooth and pleasant. And the most important in your case, the crop feature is so intuitive and practice. In my opinion it's the most comfortable eBook app you could find at this moment. I love it so much!!
Actually, I have been testing all eBooks apps available on Play store, keeping in mind the points I consider more important in this kind of app.
1) All basic features: Bookmarks, Pager, Chapters,
2) Interface + Page transitions
3) Crop feature
4) Read PDFs (I don't like ePub stuff)
Then here is my classifying of all I found meeting all these points:
1) SmartQ Reader
2) ezPDF Reader - The problem with this app is that the transition behavior is not much pleasant as other apps, and sometimes you need to swipe 2,3 times to finally turn the page, which is very annoying (mainly when you cropped your pdf). And another little problem is that the crop feature, really crops the file. I mean when you open, then, the same file with another pdf reader, the file is also cropped as you have done it on ezPDF Reader! Which can be disrupting.
3) Moon+ Reader Pro - Interface much better than ezPDF Reader but less features too.. The crop feature is also available there but it's not very well designed. Plus when your file is cropped (actually is more fitted than cropped there), it becomes difficult to turn pages (a little bit as ezPDF Reader Pro)
4) EBookDroid - It works as expected but the interface and global user experience is very poor. It's not pleasant to use. By cons, the crop feature is very well imagined (much better than in Moon+ Reader Pro). I was not able to find if Chapters + Bookmarks feature are implemented. Sorry but it was so painful to test this app.
There is a last option, that requires two applications. This approach is the more constraining but you will have the best reading experience like that. Actually the really best PDF reader (in terms of interface, user experience, page transitions, etc..) now is Google Play Books (Since you can now add your own PDFs in this app by checking an option in settings). The problem is that app hasn't any crop feature, which is so annoying. So the main idea is to crop the file first with ezPDF Reader (Trial version it's enough), and then open it on Google Play Books app. Like this, you will have a wonderful reader experience thanks to Google app, and your PDF will be cropped as you want thanks to ezPDF Reader
*Sorry, I can't post more than two links, I wanted to link all apps mentioned there but I am sure you will find them by yourself..

authors: Тимур Гатауллин


text:
How to make an Android device to display complex rendering of Indic characters?
Please excuse the length of this question. I need to explain all this to help others and to avoid helpful contributors to provide answer without asking clarifications.
My requirement in one line: "to enable an Android phone to display Tamil characters properly".
Elaboration:
Tamil, like any other Indian language has complex character rendering system. Unlike English or other Latin based script, it has glyph (what you see in screen) composed of more than one character.
Android does not have ability to render such complex scripts (with exceptions). My aim is to know how I can provide such an ability to an Android phone or tablet.
Little background that I gathered so far:
To display a glyph in screen, Android first needs a suitable font file.  Android device has a folder /system/fonts which has few of them.  The most interesting file in that folder is the DroidSansFallback.ttf.  As the name suggests, when Android's system fails to find a character in system fonts (that could be DroidSans.ttf or DroidSans-Bold.ttf etc) it falls back to search it in DroidSansFallback.ttf.
By replacing a suitable font file from PC (Latha.ttf or Lohit-Tamil.ttf - these are fonts for Tamil) and DroidSansFallback.ttf will enable to display Tamil characters in the device.
It is not so easy to replace and it involves rooting the device and mounting the system as writable.
In spite of those troubles, even if the DroidSansFallback.ttf is replaced, the Tamil characters that are displayed are not rendered properly.  The Tamil character "தி" is a conjunct of two characters and instead of getting displayed as "தி", it will be displayed as "த ி" without space in between. Though this is enough to read short messages, it cannot be used to read books etc.
From Android 4.0 on wards, Tamil and other few languages are supported through browser as said in Android 4.x API overview as seen below.
Support for Indic fonts (Devanagari, Bengali, and Tamil, including the complex
character support needed for combining glyphs) in WebView and the built-in Browser

The words to notice is "in WebView and the built-in Browser", which means that Tamil characters will be rendered perfectly if it is rendered as HTML content and will not be rendered otherwise.  Opera and other few browsers did this even before Android 4.0 by substituting image instead of character.
I noticed that in few devices that target Indian market (ex: LG Optimus One, most of Samsung phones and tablets) are able to display Tamil properly both in browser and even in places out of browser like in contacts, text messages, file names etc.  To my surprise they do this even in Android 2.3 onwards.  I also noticed that the same model targeting non-Indian country running same version of Android does not support Tamil character display.
This made me to investigate further and reached a conclusion that Android (as other Linux based OS) depends on a font rendering engine to display such complex characters.  The two engines that I came across are Skia and Harfbuzz. I noticed LG uses skia and Samsung uses Harfbuzz libraries in their devices to bring this ability.
I came across many websites suggesting to replaces these libraries and fonts. It did not work and results in freezing.  Fortunately I backed up using clockworkmod and hence I restored my phone.
Though I had explained this with Tamil, this is applicable for most of the Indian languages.
Here comes my question (if you are still reading;) )
Now, far sure it is clear that a TTF file should be present to provide characters and an appropriate libraries (libskia.so or libharfbuzz.so) are required to render them correctly.  Does any one know how these manufacturers are able to provide the ability? I am even ready to build my own ROM from AOSP (Android Open Source Project).

Cyanogenmod has capabilities to display right to left rendering of texts. Skia is standard for the rendering of the graphics. The results will vary, taking one Skia library from one ROM and putting it into another may be catastrophic as it would require building from scratch, by taking the AOSP source, and replace Skia with harfbuzz and recompile (You simply cannot "just" drop in harfbuzz into another ROM that is not built with that library - the libraries are linked in, so if the ROM's build is unaware of harfbuzz, it will not work)

@narayanan for some reason, the site http://m.oneindia.in/tamil/ renders tamil perfectly in Chrome on Android 4.1.2. What is this website doing correctly that the others don't?

Rooted Phone
Android under the folder /system/fonts contains a file named "DroidSansFallback.ttf" supposed to contain all the language characters. Currently it lacks support for many, including Tamil.
One can always replace the file with one that contains Tamil characters, thus allowing the usage of Tamil on your phone.
From XDA Developers Thread - DroidSans Fallback Indic Font, users have tried and successfully used Tamil on their phones.

Download the DroidSansFallback.ttf file
Download the original DroidHindi.ttf file

To acomplish this method, you need root access to your phone, in order to access the /system and change the Fallback file:

Read How do I root my device? if your phone isn't rooted yet.
Follow XDA Developers thread to see how to replace the file:
Using and Android SDK environment:

First Copy the DroidSansFallback.ttf file into your sdcard,
then issue the following commands:

adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /sdcard
busybox cp DroidSansFallback.ttf /system/fonts
mount -o ro,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
exit
exit

Lastly, rebooted the phone

Note: mount point isn't the same for all phones.

Android APP
While the above method may appeal to some users, I do prefer an APP when available.
Besides, Tamil has a keyboard with a total of 247 characters, while the English one only needs 26. So this becomes a major problem when typing:
See Wikipedia :: Tamil language - Writing System

The current Tamil script consists of 12 vowels, 18 consonants and one special character, the āytam. The vowels and consonants combine to form 216 compound characters, giving a total of 247 characters (12 + 18 + 1 + (12 x 18))

Thanks to Krishan, and is work on this subject, there's already an APP available to deal with both issues, the system wide usage of Tamil, and a keyboard that can be used to type Tamil Characters.
Read Krishan's post entitled Tamil Unicode Font for Android – Working for detailed information about the development of this solution.
To summarize
Krishan developed and published two APPs at Google Play that completely deal with the problem of having an entire Android OS in Tamil:

Tamil Unicode Keyboard

Tamil Unicode Font

I had already mentioned that replacing the font is only a partial solution which will display non-conjunct characters only and the conjuct characters will not be rendered properly.  And the second solution regarding the app is not an accepted solution for me. It provides way to compose Tamil text by typing in English and converting and quoting the web pages as example is not acceptable as I had already said in my expectation. Any way thanks for your efforts and time.

You appear to be describing issue 4153, a known bug in Android.
This issue has been reported as resolved in Jelly Bean. If this screenshot is correct, then the issue should be resolved. (I can't really tell myself, but I do have access to Jelly Bean and can make screenshots from it.)

Thanks, this appears not just a bug as I had stated that Tamil rendering is working even in Android 2.3.3 phones with some sort of intervention from the manufacturer.

On 20th July 2012, I attend Google's gDays and in which I witnessed Android JellyBean 4.1 did displayed Tamil characters even out of browser. Unfortunately I could not test anything more.

With a comment on the question http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/26797/how-can-i-replace-stock-download-manager-that-google-play-uses I would say I am able to read Tamil in web pages, text files, SMS, contacts, file names, DOCX files through ThinkFree Office Mobile Viewer. I observed that this should be same for Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Hindi as well.

Install Opera Mini web Browser
In Opera Mini Web Browser type  "about:Config"
use bitmap fonts for complex scripts : Select Yes
You can view all sites in tamil font in any brand mobile phone
Regards

This is browser-internal bitmapping and is not an OS-wide solution (you won't be able to type or see Tamil or other Indic characters in SMSes, for example). Btw, what you've suggested has already been mentioned in the main post: > "Opera and other few browsers did this even before Android 4.0 by substituting image instead of character."

You do not need to root and replace the font on Android system.
Replace the firmware of your device with similar Indian region's firmware to render the Devanagari font correctly. Other regions' firmware do not render the Devanagari fonts correctly. Devanagari fonts correctly render on Indian Region's Android version 2.x.


text:
How can I access files on a Seagate GoFlex Satellite wifi or Kingston Wi-Drive?
My final goal is to programmaticaly access files on a Wifi/USB storage device, like a Seagate GoFlex Satellite wifi or Kingston Wi-Drive (preferred because less expensive).
The storage devices are made to be connected to a PC by USB and also can be connected to Android (and iPhone) by wifi.
Once connected, it is possible to put files on the hard drive over wifi using a custom Android application provided by the manufacturer (like Kingston Wi-drive or Seagate GoFlex Access™ app)? How do they do this? Can I access on my filesystem with program like Astro ?

I'm not clear what you're asking here. If you're looking for help with a programming solution, you'll want [so], not here. (Please read the [FAQ].) If I'm misunderstanding you, I think you're going to need to clarify your question.

not sure ... if you can access on that two device from astro or a file manager like this it means that you can access programmaticaly on that two device. If I put my question on stackoverflow, they will tell me that the question is android device oriented. So I'm not sure of  the correct web site

The fact that your question relates to Android doesn't make it off topic for Stack Overflow (nor does it make it on topic here). If you're trying to write a program to access the data then this is not the correct site. If you just want to access the data however possible (i.e. if "Use Astro" solves your problem) then this fits here.

well I don't know, my first need is use it with my application, but if someone has one of that device and he can access with an astro application, it should work

Well if you have two distinct questions then just ask one of them. "How do I access a wifi drive from Android?" seems perfectly acceptable here, and is an entirely different question than "How do I write an app to access a wireless drive?"

@P.Sohm I've edited your question to hopefully make it a bit clearer, as it wasn't easy to understand what you were trying to do. If I have got any of the details wrong, please feel free to correct them.

done. hope to be clear. feel free to correct it

According to this review Pocket-Lint: Kingston Wi-Drive review :

You are also able to access the files on the Wi-Drive on a PC or Mac
  by visiting it's IP address in your web browser. This, again, allows
  you to play any files that are supported in your web browser. MP3s,
  for example, play fine, but you might struggle more with video files.
You can also connect to the Kingston as a regular network drive. We
  were able to view it as if it was any network attached storage device.
  That means we could also copy files over wirelessly too.

This suggests that, the Kingston at least, supports something like SMB (the Windows file-sharing protocol). Many Android apps let you connect to an SMB shared drive to copy files on or off, I use File Manager to copy files from my Windows machines to my phone/tablet this way, and I'm pretty sure Astro supports it too.
To do this from your app, you just need to include SMB file access support in your Andoird app. How to do that is off-topic for this site, as that is a developer question.

well I know how to make a smb / cifs file access with jcifs. I already developed it. My need is only to know is how to access to that device and I think you gave me a good answer. thank you


text:
How can I sync Google Calendar to my tablet with Android 4.0.3?
I have tablet (Android 4.0.3) with "Android ICS calendar" and I want to synchronize it with my google account.
In "Accounts and synchronization" menu I have my google account, but in details i can only choose synchronization for Books, Gmail, Google Reader, Internet and Contacts.
Do I have to install some other tool?
EDIT:
Ok, Currently I have:

Android ICS calendar 4.0.3-eng.root.20120523.181717
Android ICS calendar 4.0.3
Business Calendar Free 1.1.9.8free
Jorte 1.4.6
Checkmark Callendar 2.4

And like @Christian wrote first one (first two) are unsupported by google. So which one is supported - i mean which on i have to install to get sync option in "Accounts and synchronization" menu?

Do you have a calendar app in the drawer?

Founded ugly workaround (link).
Add exchange account:
domain\username: is my aspmx.l.google.com\username@gmail.com
server: m.google.com

Now I can sync calendar - but only first one :/.
Still looking for a proper solution.

Install Google Calendar official app, available for devices running Android 4.0.3 and later.

Do you mean this app, Android 4 ICS Calendar?
If so, it's probably unsupported by Google Sync. Wasn't there any calendar app preinstalled on your tablet?

He didn't mention any apps?

Yes he did, "Android ICS calendar".

I meant third party ones, not preinstalled

Yes. This one was preinstalled. But i was able to install another version of this app. So now I have two versions: "4.0.3-eng.root.20120523.181717" and "4.0.3". But as I see any this app (and few others too that I tried) uses account defined in "Accounts and synchronization", and there a can't choose calendar sync.

It only works if you have a gmail account.

The OP says he can sychronize Gmail so I think he does have a Gmail account.

You have to download the Google Calendar app for your android default app can sync with your online gmail account.

The Google Calendar app cannot be downloaded, it's already integrated into the default app (as a calendar provider).

I found the solution here: http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/android-tablet-discussions/23013-solved-exchange-account-puzzle.html
Basically you use your gmail user name and password & when it asks for your server information use m.google.com.


text:
Update from app store stuck on "downloading.."
There are three apps that needs an update on my device, I've got an always-on 3G connection and it's working (I can use whatever app I need), but when trying to download the update from the app store the progress bar reach the end (100% downloaded, should have saved it entirely) but it won't install the new update and the page on the store keeps telling "Downloading..".
I tried clearing the store cache/data several times but didn't work, I tried clearing the app's cache too (the one that needs to be updated) but it wasn't useful.
How can I solve? I didn't do anything to my un-rooted semi-new phone (Galaxy S plus with gingerbread)

I noticed that you said you tried clearing the cache & data for the Google Play Store app, and the target app's cache. Can you try to uninstall the application and install it from scratch? That might help.

Do you mean the google store or the app that is trying to update? I have three apps: whatsapp, fb messenger and battery saver 2x battery by sam lu (I disabled this too but didn't work)

Possible related question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/103066/app-installs-get-stuck

I solved this by reinstalling the store update (i.e. switching it back to the basic market app and let it update again)


text:
Android Ice Cream Sandwich Performance on HTC Vision / Desire Z
I've got a HTC Vision / Desire Z (aka. T-Mobile G2), and I flashed a custom Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0 ROM on it. Unfortunately, performance leaves a lot to be desired.
I've tried the following so far:

Overclocking to 1.8Ghz (device locked up, so I reverted to the safer 1.4Ghz)
Limiting background processes to 2 (under Developer Options)

I'm wondering what the impact of enabling "Don't keep activities: Destroy every activity as soon as the user leaves it" is. Would that be a good thing, or would it hurt performance? Are there any other options I should consider for optimizing ICS performance on the G2?

It's not a good idea to have an aggressive auto-killer, as it means much more CPU work, because Activites always need to be recreated.
Which custom ROM did you flash? Do other users have the performance issues?

As I recall, it was this ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1492461
I was thinking that what you said might be the case -- activities would have to be recreated. I don't know if I'm running into my upper RAM limit though, which would be a performance problem in and of itself.
I'm not sure if other users have the same performance problems that I do. It's a fairly old, single-core device, so I'm just not sure if it's just going to run like crap in general. Figured I would ask.

Did you check if the RAM is filled and how it's filled with some Android app or by using top / htop, whichever is available in a shell?

Negative -- I was unaware of those commands in the terminal emulator. I'll try those.


text:
Droid X2 constantly changing USB mode to PC mode
So I'm trying to manually backup my SD card and transfer over files to flash the CM9 alpha4 to my phone, but it apparently decided to just start automatically switching to PC Mode. No matter how many times I try to switch to USB Mass Storage, it changes back to PC Mode before the drives can even mount.
The only thing I've done since I was last able to change modes was upgrade Titanium Backup to the Pro version and run a backup.

Have you tried a different USB cable?

I tried 2 factory cables and a non-factory cable.
Anyways, I just transferred the CM9 files with Dropbox and flashed. The issue didn't persist after flashing.

I transferred the CM9 files with Dropbox and flashed. The issue didn't persist after flashing.


text:
How to find out if my Device's Kernel has Loop Device Support
I would assume most all of you know why I am asking this, but for those who don't, Loop Device Support of a Kernel on an Android device is utilized to mount a Linux Distro IMG file (Ubuntu or Debian, & a couple others) to run the linux img in a Chrooted environment to run side by side next to your Android System.
So there is tons of information on what Loop Device Support is (if you need a good explanation see  Wikipedia's article.), and why you need it, but there is a great lack of explaination as to how you find out if your device supports it. The most information relating to it is that "most roms support it"...
So down to the issue, how would one discover if my device currently supports it? Is there some script I can look at or something in the kernel I can view to find out if my device supports it?

You could just try mounting a loop device.  The programming part is off-topic here though -- try [SO].

Okay thanks for fixing that. Id still like to know how to find what gives it the support

@insomnia: Like any non-trivial feature, a lot of things are required to make loopback device works, CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP is just one of them, the mount program also has support the appropriate mount options, recognize the IMG format, and find the correct driver to translate the disk image format to a block device. In short, the only reliable way to check for support is to actually trying to mount it.

You can verify by checking /proc/config.gz and search through it looking for the configure option - CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP=y.
To do that you need to do it this way:
cp /proc/config.gz /sdcard/kernel_config.gz

and
adb pull /sdcard/kernel_config.gz

Unzip the kernel_config.gz and open it up in a notepad or text editor and search it.
If its either # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP is not set or CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP=n all bets are off.

Thanks a bunch! Too bad I dont know what Matt edited. probably something that would of been useful to me. Rediculous how anal the whole entire stack exchange network is.. Who cares if its still on the topic, its useful information that many may find useful, but no, makes it so people have to search. And in fact that information that has been removed has probably never been posted anywhere else on the net. But it cant stay because you cant discuss Android Development on an Android Site.. Weird I just don't get it.. But thank you so much t0mm13b, exactly what I was looking for!

@insomnia: You can see exactly what was edited by clicking on the timestamp. He fixed the formatting on one piece of text. There was no information removed from this post.

@eldarerathis yeah I noticed. My bad. I was new at that point. But he also deleted a relevant comment which is what made me say it in the first place. But yeah sorry about that.

On Cyanogenmod 10.1, I don't have /proc/config.gz file. What to do?

@enedil: Build your own kernel am afraid... no can do, some elect to include the config, others don't.

Ok, my kernel supports loop devices, I used the second answer.

Addition: /proc/config.gz is available only if kernel is compiled with CONFIG_IKCONFIG_PROC. zcat /proc/config.gz | grep CONFIG_IKCONFIG

You can use the following command at the terminal:
export | grep LOOP_MOUNTPOINT

If there is a LOOP_MOUNPOINT, probably you can mount loop devices.
UPDATED
HOW TO TEST?
Download a freedos image (http://www.freedos.org/) 40MB ISO.
Make a loop device association:
losetup /dev/block/loop4 fd11src.iso

Mount a iso device
mkdir freedos_img
mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/block/loop4 freedos_img

And there is this the mounted iso at freedos_img

And if I find it, what? does it signify I have support for loop devices?

You can easily find out without searching for LOOP_MOUNTPOINT.
Just type this export | grep LOOP in Terminal Emulator. This will show the instances of LOOP_MOUNTPOINT.

Just came across this. I was having the same issue. You could just do zcat /proc/config.gz | grep CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP from a terminal emulator.
If you get a y, you are good to go.

Definitely the best answer.

How does one install zcat? zcat: not found

@Redsandro Install busybox.

Here is a shell function to check for loop support without creating a loop device. It should even work as non-root.
function check_loop_support {
    local tmp

    # assuming that losetup -f works ... to be checked somewhere else
    tmp=$(losetup -f 2>/dev/null)
    if test -b "$tmp"; then
        return 0
    fi

    # So far we haven't found any loop support. Let's check whether we
    # could load the module and assume that it would work.
    modprobe --quiet --dry-run loop &>/dev/null
    return $?
}

Note there exist losetup versions with different behavior of -f. Sometimes they would automatically load loop module if needed and possible. And some versions would even directly return 1 if no loop support available. Others just print "/dev/loop0" although there is no such device.
The function above tries to be safe for all known cases.
Note that you may still need to load the loop module to have usable loop devices available. If you are root you could also run a real "modprobe loop" before losetup to be sure.

You can use Loop device checker to check if your device supports it.

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


text:
Deleting Pictures through adb - Yet They Remain in Gallery
I'm attempting to write a script to test out a camera for long periods of time, and one of the issues right now is the fact that it runs out of space when pictures are taken. My initial approach is to remove the picture using adb after its taken. The issue is, even after I remove it from the location it is saved in, it remains visible in the gallery, and I assume it's taking up space somewhere. The properties associated with it (such as width, height, flash info, etc) all get deleted as well, except for the size.
What I'm currently doing is deleting all files in the DCIM directory (where the camera saves the pictures) after every time a picture is taken, using adb. Additionally, when I search throughout the phone using adb, I cannot find anything similar to the pictures anywhere in the file structure.
Is it possible to fully delete the pictures using adb? Is there a cache where the images are stored somewhere? The only way I can get the pictures to fully be removed from the phone are to either reboot, or use monkey runner to delete the pictures through simulated touches in gallery (which is tedious for a large # of photos).

Check the accepted answer in This Question for an alternative to mount/unmount manually

The reason the pictures remains visible in the Gallery is because the Android's MediaScanner is a bit weak in this regard. What happens is this - when Android boots up, it runs the MediaScanner, which goes off and checks all the images, ringtones, audio to sum up, and keeps tab on it. This is only done once on boot.
You can get around this, by unmounting the SD Card, do this safely (Settings > Storage > Unmount SD Card) this will take a few seconds, once its unmounted, you can pop out the SD Card, pop it back in again, this in turn will force the MediaScanner to run again, and then all the images that you've deleted are no longer there in the Gallery.
MediaScanner is a service that acts as a caching service in that it caches all media (images/audio). On some ROMs, there is a facility to force it to run again without having to do the above.

Try the proposed solutions in this post. In short, one of these may trigger media scan:

Send a broadcast Intent ACTION_MEDIA_MOUNTED. Note that it's possible to send an intent via ./adb shell am.
Run the Rescan Media app
Renaming a file
Taking a photo through the Camera app
Remounting SD Card
Rebooting

Unfortunately, 2-5 don't work for me, at least on ICS. I'm trying 1 now, but judging by the fact that 5 didn't work, I don't have high hopes for it.

While other answers have given nice workarounds for this issue, most of them seem to not work properly in ICS. The only sure  method of deleting all pictures was as such:

Delete all files in DCIM Folder
Clear Data for Gallery
Clear Data for Media Storage
Kill both Gallery and android.process.media

I've attempted to get these into a script, the issue is with 3 - as Media Storage doesn't give it's process name, and as such I can't clear data through 'adb shell pm clear processname' for it.


text:
Taking screen captures on Galaxy SII with ICS
After upgrading my Rogers Galaxy SII (I727R MODEL) to ICS. I cannot take screen captures of activities.
I've tried using home and power as with gingerbread as well as power and down volume together. Neither works.
Is there another way or has this feature been disabled by rogers?
Any help is appreciated.

Press and hold the volume down and the power button at the same time.
(Pressing the volume down slightly before the power and holding both..will not work)
Pressing them exactly at the same time and holding will work.

On my Xperia Play I have to hold Vol Down and Power for longer than I did on GB (it takes about a couple of seconds) before it will take the screenshot. Try the different combinations but hold them down for a couple of seconds.

I've tried it several ways. I either end up with the task manager opening or the volume control just turning down. I'm starting to thing Rogers just performed another bad update. After all it took them 6 months longer than most to finally release ICS.

Just figured it out. Still the home and power keys. It just won't work on home screen like before. You have to be in your browser, app, gallery etc. Thanks for the prompt reply :)

It's a bit stupid that it doesn't work on the home screen. I know it's not something you'd want to take a screen shot of a lot but still. Glad to see you got it sorted.


text:
Can Android phones restrict background syncing to secure WiFi connections?
Context:

T-mobile G1
CyanogenMod
No data plan

WiFi is available for free in many places, including my home, local libraries, and even at least 1 doctor's office. However, not all of them are secure. While I don't mind using insecure networks for Google Maps or simple Google searches, I don't want to transmit my Google account infomration/e-mails/contact list/etc. in the clear.
Is there a way to keep the phone from doing this?
Incidentally, I really don't want to turn off background sync completely because that would defeat the point of having a phone that's (more or less) always up to date.

In general, you should never assume that any internet connection is secure. Not even if you owned the hotspot. Internet is built under the assumption that intermediary links are unreliable and not necessarily trustworthy (not even your service provider or the backbone operators should be considered trustworthy). That's why we have developed various authentication and encryption protocols which can ensure secure communication through these untrustworthy channels.
In short, use HTTPS or SSL when accessing informations that you don't want anyone snooping on and do not use apps that do not use HTTPS/SSL. Gmail always uses SSL when communicating with Google servers, although last time I checked not for Calendar or Contacts, though this may have changed since then.


text:
Can I update my android system although the USB port is broken?
The USB port of my LG-p500 is not capable of exchanging data anymore (the device or any dmesg do not show up when connected to a computer). Charging still works, fortunately.
Due to some annoying software bugs (Android 2.2, original LG supplied), I'd like to update the operating system to a newer Android version.
Do I have any chance to upgrade?
---- EDIT ----
For completeness, I include a screen of the update notification screen (Menu -> Update notification). It says it is updated, but the version V10R_00 was the one supplied initially with the phone. Furthermore, it tells me to connect it to the PC suite, a LG software.

The non-idiomatic English in that notification makes it sound like a virus -- "set in version"?

@offby1 Or it could be a developer with bad English. There are more of those. (BTW I think you meant malware, not virus since currently the latter is not a threat on android)

You have lots of options. The easiest would be just to turn on your wifi and download the latest carrier-supplied update to your SD Card and update your phone that way (assuming that for some reason the OTA update isn't working).

Logos, thanks for your answer. I'm not sure how I would do what you suggest. Could you maybe link to a guide or be more specific? For completeness, I have now included the update notification screen in the question.

Sebastian: I can't link to a guide or be more specific without knowing what carrier your bought your phone from.  Each carrier has it's own method, which can vary from phone to phone. It would probably be easiest just to call your carrier's tech support and ask them, really - they can walk you thru updating manually.


text:
HTC Desire - where are my photos?
I was low on battery and my niece installed an app to assist (can not remember the name). However, she changed all my images onto my SD card. After that, I assumed I lost all my old images as I could not find them. :(
I removed my SD card to reset the phone and realized that one of the photos is showing under the gallery. Also, my screen saver is also an old photo now. However, I can not access the photo as it says to install the SD card. The problem is when I install the SD card, the images are not there anymore.
My niece does recall that she has changed something to say to save all the images onto the SD card, however she can not remember if it was on the phone or a part of the program. The issue is that I deleted the program when I realized I was still low on battery.
Is there somewhere on the HTC desire that I can change images from the SD card as I can not find it?

As you removed the sd-card, you could use a card reader to attach it to your PC, which makes a search a lot easier. Usually, photos are stored below a folder called dcim on the card. Depending on the camera app (I don't have a Desire, so I cannot check that myself), subfolders there are named differently. On my phone, it uses a subfolder called "Camera". But there should not be too much subfolders there, so it will be easy to find.
If that's not the place where your niece placed the "old images", but as your Desire insists they are (somewhere else) on the card, you can use your file manager (I don't know what OS you are running on your PC) to search for *.jpg on the card -- that might match a lot of other images, but your photos should be listed along as long as they are on the card.

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


text:
I lost my phone but need to find it's IMEI. What places can I look?
I had a Nexus S but lost it or it was stolen.
I need to find it's IMEI.
I don't have the box or documentation either.
I've checked exif data from photos taken with the phone.
What other potential sources are there for it's IMEI?

If you don't have any papers you're SOL. Also without any proof that it's yours, nobody will give it back to you, if it's found.

As it happens my reasons for finding it aren't to get it back. The weird thing is the day I lost it my device list in google play didn't show it any more. Google claim this isn't possible and that devices can't be removed from your device list. I haven't used any other account and have made purchases from the play store too so I didn't imagine it. I've even remotely installed apps from that account. Google say I need the IMEI for them to investigate further.

If you had facebook, maybe they know it? Many apps transfer this alongside with your other information, maybe you're lucky. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/technology/06iht-rawdata06.html?pagewanted=all Some smaller devs may really be helpful.

Harder to get that Facebook data now. http://www.europe-v-facebook.org/EN/Get_your_Data_/get_your_data_.html

Got it!
Sing into your Google Dashboard.
Here scroll down to the section titled Android devices. You'll see a list of all devices associated with your account. Choose the one that you're looking for and click on the expander arrow. This will bring up a nice block of text that contains your IMEI and a last-seen time.

+1 Nice one, didn't know about the "More data stored about this device"! Ps: I have log information going back one year!

If your phone is still on contract, you can contact the carrier, may be they will help you. However, without proper proof that you are the owner of the phone, I doubt they can do anything helpful.
So the first thing is to try if you can find some paper or receipt to prove you are the owner.

your carrier should be able to give you the IMEI of the phone, even if it is not under contract. If the device was on their network, they know the IMEI. This will not help get it back, but as stated, it will get you the IMEI.

@RyanConrad yes, carrier would keep record of all the devices using their infrastructure, however, they might not just give it to you unless you can persuade them...

+1 My carrier's online billing website and paper bills both list the model and IMEI of all the phones on my account (and the website shows all the phones I've ever had on the account).

Have you not thought about using Plan B and install it remotely, to email you back the coordinates. Even Locate My Droid is another option to find out if its nearby.
All of this a gamble - was there sufficient charge? did it have wifi? Furthermore, the sooner you apply that software the better result, as the minutes are counting, the chances of retrieving it back gets smaller.

Honestly, all of these apps, like plan-b, locate my droid, and any thing that is going to help you find a stolen device are useless. If I were going to steal someone's phone, the first thing I would do after I grabbed the device, would be to pop the battery out. Then once I got to "the safe house", I would take out the sim, put the battery in, boot it to recovery mode and wipe it clean. If i cared about the info that is on the device (not just the sdcard), i would boot without the sim and remove any apps, etc. I think you get my point though...

@RyanConrad not getting drawn into that debate as you'd be pretty surprised how thick some thieves can be...what would thieves know about rebooting, cwm, recovery, etc, just saying.... its the value of the handset not the inside of it.... ;)

oh, i wasn't posting to debate either. but you pointing out that the device is the value, not the data, so a thief should know how to wipe it (well, I would think). And if that is the case, it makes it easier, because wiping will be done ASAP. You don't need cwm, or even a recovery to wipe a device either, it can be done right in the device settings.

@RyanConrad what you stated in the reply to my answer, you coming up with what you'd do if you were to steal someone's phone, you're talking about yourself there! You have the knowledge, a thief would not have that knowledge! That's the point I am making!

@t0mm13b What makes you think that he's not a thief? Or that I'm not one? I've met some people with pretty questionable ethics and background who know a lot about computers and portable electronics.

+1 That "Plan B" App is a killer, good to know (one never knows if Richard or Ryan come around) ;)

@Ryan For your next theft: Don't just factory reset, but flash a new ROM you can trust. Many anti-theft solutions survive factory reset.

@Sachin: That's the reason why carriers insist on ensuring the bootloader is locked! And when/if the thief unlocks the bootloader, it wipes data upon reboot after a unlock...just sayin...

@SachinShekhar putting the anti-theft stuff in /system would be a good idea, if you have root. BTW, i have never stolen anyone's phone, nor would I.

You could try the following idea but it's a long shot.
There is an app for Android called AndroidLost . The best part about it is that you can install it remotely, register it and then send a command from their site in order to get the status of your phone (including the imei code).
On their site are guides how to install the app, how to send commands to the phone and a lot more.
I'm not sure if it will work because even if you schedule an install command on google for the app, it will be installed only when wifi or networking is on.
I said it's a long shot because in 2 days a lot could have happened to that phone, including a reset, sim change and so on.


text:
How can I automatically disable the onscreen keyboard when a Bluetooth keyboard is connected?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I disable the on screen keyboard? I have a USB keyboard attached

I'm using a 9.7" Bauhn Android tablet from Aldi running Ice CreamSandwich. I have a Kensington universal keyboard (and case) made for 10“ tablets including Android that I use with my tablet. Is there a way to automatically disable the onscreen keyboard when my Bluetooth one is connected?

Not automatic (per se), but you can use something like Null Keyboard which is a null input method you can enable when you have your Bluetooth keyboard connected so the soft keyboard quits from popping up.
Also, in my experience, Cyanogenmod9 ICS ROMs prevents the keyboard from appearing when an external one is connected. It might be worth seeing if they have a distribution for your device.


text:
Turn-by-turn navigation screen orientation
I had a question about screen orientation in the Google turn-by-turn navigation app. Previously the screen would orient as you would expect with the maps/arrows pointed in the direction of travel(with a 3D-esque view of what's coming).
However of-late(I suspect after an update or so), the maps are always oriented to point north and the app just plots your current location giving you a top-view of the map(as you would see in the normal Google Maps app). Is there any way to change this back to how it previously was?
I am using a Droid Incredible running Android 2.3.4(Gingerbread). Also, just to clarify the above post is about the turn-by-turn navigation app(which can be fired up from Google Maps or as a standalone - 'Car Panel' or 'Navigation') and not Google Maps, per se.
Any help would be appreciated. TIA.

Clearing the app cache (and data) seems to have resolved the issue for me.

Tap the red and white diamond icon in the upper left-hand corner of the map screen to change orientation/view setting in Navigation.  That should get you back to the "behind the wheel" turn-by-turn view you want.  (Just a note that the red half of the icon will always point north no matter what mode you're in.)  I was stuck on this one too and there's no option in the "Settings" menu to define the orientation view.


text:
Download Google Play Apps from Computer?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I download an APK file from the Play Store?

Can I not download the Google Play Android apps first in my computer and then transfer it to my mobile and then install and use it?

Afraid you cannot do that as that is violating the Terms and Conditions of Google Play.

3.3 You agree not to access (or attempt to access) Google Play by any means other than through the interface that is provided by Google, unless you have been specifically allowed to do so in a separate agreement with Google. You specifically agree not to access (or attempt to access) Google Play through any automated means (including use of scripts, crawlers, or similar technologies) and shall ensure that you comply with the instructions set out in any robots.txt file present on the Google Play website.

but I am not doing any automated work.

play.google.com opens in my web browser in my computer, I see the details of app, and I want to download it.

Its not about 'doing any automated work', its about being able to pull down the apks without using Google Play which is what you're asking for!


text:
Join/Merge external SD with internal SD card?
I have a Samsung device of 8GB with an SD card of additional 32GB.
I'm using many apps that cache data for offline use (mainly Google Play Music), these apps are not smart enough to determine the 32GB of available space and take advantage of it, but instead claim 'no space'.
I thought perhaps there is a workaround for it by merging the external storage with the internal so the apps 'think' there is 48GB.
I don't use several SD cards which means I'm not gonna switch SDs back and forth any time soon.
Do you know a hack for it? Or any solution to make Google Music store its stuff into all available space wherever it is?
I've read this link, but since I'm not so much into Android development, I didn't understand it, can anyone refer me or translate it into a more detailed guide (I'm not a complete noob, but I'm not a hacker).
P.S. My device is rooted.

Technically possible, by using a software raid (striping of both partitions). However: You cannot pull out the sd card any more, nor can you use usb storage. Such a merge is not feasible, without proper support by Android, so there's a high risk to lose data. Don't do it.

Instead of mergin your internal an external SD card, I think its easier to just bind the directories with high data to the external SD card. The idea is to link the folder were Google Music stores the offline cache with the SD card, so it will write it there instead of the internal memory. This is valid for any other app that writes to the internal memory, just follow the steps:

Go to Settings > Apps > Running and close Google Music.
Open your file manager and go to /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.music/cache and delete all files.
Create a folder in your external SD card, for example MyMusic
Create a file in your internal SD card with the mount options, for example MusicScript.txt
Insert the following in the file (check the directories path as it might change):
mount -o bind /emmc/MusicCache/ /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.Android.music/
Go to Google Play store and install Script Manager.
Open Script Manager, grant it root, open the MusicScript.txt file you've created and select Open As > Script/Executable.
Select su and boot and hit save.
Reboot your phone.
Open Google Music and click on Choose on device music. You should be able to see the total space available is the same as the space available in the external SD card.

As an alternative, if you have a kernel that supports init.d scripts, you can skip steps 6 to 8 by adding the file as executable to /etc/init.d/, that way it will be executed at boot.
How to find your internal SD card path:

Use ES File Explorer and it should display your SD card content once you open it. You can check the SD card path in the toolbar at the top.
Use any Terminal (e.g. ConnectBot) and type mount or mount | grep sdcard, the command should display the mount point or path of your internal SD card.

Doesn't look like it worked. Does emmc refer to the external card?

You have to check your phone layout, some phones or android versions reference the internal memory as either /emmc or /sdcard. You can check this by using any file manager and looking where is mounted your sdcard.

Nops, that didn't work. I copied the same paths as it appears in the device file browser for both internal and external memory card. How can I verify that script has run? Perhaps some other script instructions? Can you please be more specific in details, I'm not an Android expert at all.

I've added how to check your internal SD card path to my answer.

Thanks for adding the extra details. I still didn't understand what means ES, I'd also like to ask what terminal you'd recommend.

"ES File Explorer" is an app from Google Play (its a file explorer). For console I like "ConnectBot", also found in Google Play.

Are you skittles? >:P Anyway, this works great on my S3. Except the path was wrong to me. This is the right one: /data/data/com.google.android.music/files/

I couldn't make the init.d to work, can you expand more on this?

The problem is that SManager starts after GMusic starts caching the music, and internal memory is choking.


text:
App can't be moved to SD card
There was an app moved to SD card.
I did a factory reset.
Then I reinstalled the app. It was side loaded by Humble Bundle app, it's not from Google Play.
Now the app can't be moved to SD, getting error "Couldn't move app".
I am guessing there is this some type of Android's cache for this app on SD already that prevents it from moving again, but this is just a speculation.
Titanium backup couldn't move it either. Well, it said it did but it's still "on the phone".
Any ideas welcome.
The phone is HTC Sensation.

You most probably left some residuals of the (moved) app on your SD card.
The easiest way to remove that would probably to pull out the SD card and remove the moved app on your computer (it's not accessible on your phone easily).
For example, the full path to the moved tricorder app on my phone is:
/mnt/sdcard/.android_secure/org.hermit.tricorder-1.asec
Just access it on your PC and remove the appropriate .asec file in the .android_secure folder.
Background (why not to do it on the phone):
Moved Apps are located in a cryptoloop mounted container file which is stored at /mnt/sdcard/.android_asec/*. This is however not accessible so that normal apps cannot mess around with moved apps (there's a tmpf mounted over /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure with 0kb space to inhibit access). The original .android_secure is bind mounted to /mnt/asec/secure where the system can access the containers.
app_36@android:/ $ mount
# omitted unecessary stuff, only the sdcard, the bind mount and the tmpfs mount are shown
/dev/block/vold/254:1 /mnt/sdcard vfat [mount-options-omitted] 0 0
/dev/block/vold/254:1 /mnt/secure/asec vfat [mount-options-omitted] 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure tmpfs [mount-options-omitted] 0 0
# no output, tmpfs still mounted:
app_36@android:/mnt/sdcard/.android_secure # ls
app_36@android:/mnt/secure/asec # umount /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure
# umounted... now there's what we expect:
app_36@android:/mnt/secure/asec # cd /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure
app_36@android:/mnt/sdcard/.android_secure # ls
org.hermit.tricorder-1.asec

+'d, Exactly my thoughts on this issue! :)

Yeah, not tried it but it must just be this. PS: If you want to do it on the phone, you need root to umount the tmpfs mount (as shown above), then just remove the .asec file using any file explorer you have installed.

This was the right move. I deleted entire /.android_secure (since I reset the phone anyway). Now I can move almost everything I want to SD without an error. However the app in question still can't be moved. Since it solved the issue for most apps I'll go ahead and mark it resolved but I'd appreciate any further info. Thanks.

Good question. I have only less constructive ideas left. What say the logs: logcat. Else, standard procedure proposal: Reinstalled app and retried? Is it a paid (protected) app that cannot be moved?

@ce4: Thank you for this detailed answer! Not that I was affected by the problem, but now I better understand how /sdcard/.android_secure and /mnt/secure/asec work together, technically speaking.

Reinstalled app and retried - yes, a few times, same result. Logcat is awesome, thanks. Interestingly the log shows "Failes to unlink asec '/mnt/secure/asec/appname.asec' (No such file or directory)". Weird, of course it's not there. Tried to create an empty file with the same name, still can't be moved. Then there was this: "No content provider found for permission revoke: file:///data/app/appname.apk". I am guessing something is wrong with permissions. I'll look into this further. Thanks for a lot of useful info.

When I had an N1 that used to fill up on space quickly, I used to use an app called ModInstallLocation to move apps that weren't technically movable through Apps2SD.

As it turns out ModInstallLocation didn't help, app was still installed on the phone. Apps2SD opens the standard Android app info page that has the "Move to SD" button which fails with "Couldn't move app".


text:
swiping music player does not kill the process?
Swiping programs from the process-list should kill/shut them down, right?
I listened to music and then swiped the music player away but the music was still playing.
How come?
Does swiping not kill processes? if so, how can i close them correctly?

Is this ICS related...? Give Android time to do the clean-up of the memory... and also.. depending on how the application is coded, give that time too! BTW I think you should have explicitly stated that, the android version that is.

sorry, got that smartphone today (first smartphone).
the version is 4.0.4.
i want to be able to kill processes immediately just like a pc.
btw: giving it time to shut down? as a programmer i dont see a reason why a program needs so much time to shut down!

AFAIK, swiping apps out of the recent list stops its processes, but not its background services (which I believe is what the music player is using). This question may explain what you're seeing: What actually happens when you swipe an app out of the recent apps list?

perfect, thanks.
can u make this an answer so i can mark it?

Taking Google's Music app as an example (I would wager most others are implemented similarly), there are two distinct parts that constitute the app:

The foreground processes and tasks that the user interacts with
The background service that actually handles music playback

Point 2 can be verified in this Android Developer's blog post wherein it is stated:

Music playback runs in a service to allow it to continue operating after the user leaves the music application.

This distinction ends up being important when you remove an app from the recent tasks list. As covered in my answer to another question, the following is what happens when you swipe an app out of the list, as stated by Android engineer Dianne Hackborn:

Actually, removing an entry in recent tasks will kill any background
  processes that exist for the process. It won't directly causes
  services to stop, however there is an API for them to find out the
  task was removed to decide if they want this to mean they should stop.
  This is so that removing say the recent task of an e-mail app won't
  cause it to stop checking for e-mail.

In this case, that means that the foreground tasks of the Music app are being stopped, but the background service (evidently) chooses to continue running. This is a product of the way the app is implemented, so you simply won't be able to stop music playback by swiping the app out of the list. Instead, you can try the following from the recent apps list (also covered in the above linked answer):

If you really want to completely stop an app, you can long press on recent tasks to go to app info, and hit force stop there.

Please note however that killing processes and stopping apps should be none of your concern, Android does it all for you. See: http://lifehacker.com/5650894/android-task-killers-explained-what-they-do-and-why-you-shouldnt-use-them


text:
Facebook for HTC Sense not working
Somehow, Facebook for HTC Sense has disappear from my HTC Vivid.
In /system/app I've found HtcFacebook which is  com.htc.socialnetwork.facebook. When I try to install it errors with Application not installed.
I've tried to find this package on the Internet to install it, but could't find it anywhere.
How can I get the HTC Facebook back onto the device?

After many failed tries to reactivate the HTC Facebook, I've decided to reset to factory defaults. This fixed the issue. Now Facebook for HTC is working fine.


text:
Screen keeps black after official upate for Samsung Galaxy S3
A few days ago, the phone got an OTA update (build number: IMM76D.I9300XXALF6). After that the phone got unusable: Once the screen goes out, I cannot wake up the device anymore. The only exception is when it's connected to my laptop, then I can wake it up any time.
I already tried resetting it to factory defaults, but it did not help.
Any ideas? Or should I send the phone back?

Sent it back for repair. Main board was exchanged and now it's working fine with the latest version. Just bad luck I guess.


text:
How to migrate app configs from S2 to S3
I am asking this question because one similar to mine has been asked but it was specific to HTC rooted phone. Mine involves Samsung Galaxy S2 and S3. Similar thread for HTC rooted phones
I have an external SD card, KeisAir on my PC and Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3. Migrating contacts is easy, I need to migrate my app settings, sms messages, calendar entries ..etc.
As a note, I have disabled syncing to my Gmail account because I don't want my huge list of useless email contacts to sync to my phone. I have a samsung dive account and google (only Internet sync is enabled)
thanks for anyone who can help

First, you can decide what data you want to sync with google. In the accounts settings, you can disable contacts sync, and so only sync your calendar data, which would solve one of your items.
Concerning SMS, there are several Backup & Restore apps available on the market. The probably most popular one is SMS Backup & Restore. Second item solved.
As for your apps settings, and "etc" -- that will get a bit more difficult. If your devices are both rooted, it could be done using Titanium Backup. Without root it's almost impossible -- except for those few apps using the Google Backup API (you can decide to have your "data" backed up to Google servers in your device's settings). As each app runs in its own sandbox, without root no other app can access its data.

Thanks for suggesting those apps. I installed SMS Backup & Restore, quite nice.


text:
Can a non-rooted Android 4.0.3 smartphone’s ROM be backed up?

Possible Duplicate:
Full Backup of non-rooted devices

I am using a smartphone running non-root Android 4.0.3 and am also a desktop Linux user (Ubuntu 12.04 amd64).
In Linux/Ubuntu, I could backup my whole system (whole partition) into a file image and when necessary, restore my whole system (including MBR) back on my desktop computer. (e.g. using "clonezilla")
It seems that there are similar Android apps (e.g. ClockworkMod) for system backup (Android rom backup) on a rooted Android device. However, I am not sure whether there is similar system backup apps for a non-root Android device ? Could anyone tell whether it is possible ?
I have difficulties in using root-device rom backup apps such as "ClockworkMod" as my smartphone (ASK SP404) is not a branded smartphone and I could not find any rooting procedures for this phone, although there are good discussions on the web that talk about this, e.g. HOW TO ROOT your Android phone. (This thread talks about Android rooting procedures for many branded phones, but not my phone ! )
It would be great if anyone could suggest a rooting procedure for my phone, or some directions that I could try. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Every device is branded.

"not branded" here means the manufacturer is not a very big company and the manufacturer does not support user activities relating to rooting, update recovery and/or update rom.

To answer your first question, you cannot do a whole image backup from within Android without root, as no application or service you can run will be able to read the system partitions.
If the "recovery" console (a small, BIOS-like image installed on the device) contains backup support, it has access to the raw partitions and could create a "Nandroid" backup image (see About the android recovery mode).  If your phone's default recovery does not support image backup (it would be somewhat surprising if it did), you may be able to install a new recovery, without "rooting" the Android installation.  Booting into recovery is very device specific (e.g., hold down power and volume down), and its features (and replacability) are fairly specific too.
If you have a recent Android Development Kit (ADK) installed, you can use the adb backup (and adb restore) commands to backup your installed apps and (some of) your data.  But its not a complete image/ROM backup.  I can't find any official documentation, but this   XDA Dev Forum post goes over it in some detail.
To your second question, see: How do I root my Android device?  There are suggestions and pointers there that may work for you.

It seems "SuperOneClick" may do the job of rooting. However, I may try rooting later as it involves risks. Thanks for the suggestion.

The manufacturer/vendor theoretically could have provided such an option (called "Nandroid backup") in the recovery menu (that's where the Nandroid backup has to be placed). However, I've never heard of any vendor/manufacturer doing so.

You might also be able to replace the recovery without rooting.

Thanks for all the updated answers/comments. After some trials, I could now enter the Recovery Mode of my phone ("power on" + "home"). But unfortunately, there is no "Nandroid backup" option in this mode. There are only "Reboot", "Version" and some hardware test options there. I find from the "Version" option that "SW Ver. : HTC_A100_V401" and "Custom Build Verno : 1331982298". Does it mean that the Android rom in my phone is the same as that in HTC A100 phones ? Should I try the HTC rooting procedures for my phone ?

As suggested by Matthew, could I replace the "recovery" in my phone with one that has "Nandroid backup" without rooting my phone ? Is there any pointer for further information ? Thanks for any suggestion.

you could try 'adb backup' also, thats possble with android 4.0+

@user1129812 We don't have a good question here at SO about replacing the recovery on an Android phone.  Could you ask another question about that?  Ideally include the specifics of your phone's current recovery.

@ce4 added some notes about adb backup, though that's not really a "ROM" backup, it gets most of the useful data ...

Thanks. "adb backup" seems a workable solution for applications backup. However, for a more complete ROM backup, I think "rooting" / "update recovery" would be a necessary step. I have opened a separate thread : Beginner's questions on tweaking non-branded Android phone (rooting, update recovery, update rom) on this topic.


text:
How to do Factory Reset
I know the topic has been covered here. But this is something different. I got a Tablet in my workplace to work with. It has a primary email Id for which I don't know the password. So to remove this, I clicked on remove account, but it says it can't be done. Only a factory reset has to be done to remove this Id. I tried adding an alternate gmail id, but still it considers the same Id for which I don't know the Password. So I tried to look out for factory data reset option in Sdcard and Device storage. But there is no such option there. I tried all over the net, but couldn't find anything useful.
Can someone help me on how to do a factory reset without the factory reset option?
NOTE: The Tablet looks like an ipad with same kind of button. I am not sure about the name of it, but my guess is "MID".

Try these steps:

Turn your device off
Press both volume button and power button.
You should be accessing the boot loader by now.
Look for the option "Clear storage / Factory settings" using the volume button. Once found press the power button to confirm.

Hi, thanks.But doing the second step, it simply boots normal. Doesn't get to boot loader or anything.

Did you press both volume button and the power button? Don't let go till the boot loader appears.

um.. what do you refer by boot loader?

The screen which appears before your phone boots.

no. It just gets on with the booting. I have tried pressing the buttons, until it reaches the home screen. It didn't help..

That's odd. Those steps I provided are standard operation to get into boot loaders for any Android device.

In my tablet (Micromax Funbook a.k.a P300), it is option button and power button combination. So, try that as well.

Also, my Android phone (LG Optimus One a.k.a P500) has this option under Settings->Privacy->Factory data reset. Possibly check the settings menu for such feature as well.

It's called Recovery Mode, not bootloader. Also there's no standard way to access it; devices differ, some may not even have a key combination.

You simply looked in the wrong place in the settings. Factory reset is located in the privacy options. As for the "hardware way" described in the other answer: the key combinations are device-specific. As you didn't mention the name of your device, guessing the correct combination is like playing in a lottery ;)

there is nothing else in the Privacy also. It contains only,location option and back up my settings option.

@Andro_Selva again the wrong menu. I didn't write "location and security", but privacy. Please check again :) Hint: The symbol used for that menu usually looks like a fence.

+1, Worked for me on a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Steps For How To Do Factory Reset Your Smartphone

Open your device’s Settings. The Settings app can have varying icons
depending upon on your specific device, and may be also found within
the App Tray or by pushing the phone’s dedicated menu button.
Find your Factory Reset option. Depending on your device, the “Factory data reset” feature may be located in one of two sections within the Settings app.
Select the “Privacy” settings, and scroll down to “Factory reset
Select the “Backup and reset” settings, and scroll down to “Factory reset”.
Tap “Reset device” to delete all data and restore your device’s factory settings. The accounts that you are signed into will be
displayed on the screen. By default, all your phone’s internal
storage will be wiped.
If you want to erase all of the data on your phone’s SD card as well, check the box at the bottom of the screen.
Confirm the process by selecting “Erase everything". This will delete all data and restore back to your device’s factory settings.
Your phone will be as if it just came out of the box.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Y won't connect to the computer
I'm having problem connecting my Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 to the computer using via USB.
Whenever I connect it, it automatically charges. Before there was a prompt to connect it to the computer but now it just charges directly. I have tried downloading the Samsung Kies but it still won't connect.

Related, possible duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4319/how-can-i-get-kies-to-detect-my-galaxy-s-gt-i9000-on-windows-7

2 places to check:

Settings -> Wireless and Network -> USB Settings, and select "Ask on connection".
Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging [disable USB debugging]

Which version(s) of Android do these work for?

I can confirm it works Upto Gingerbread.

Thanks. I get prompted (for MTP or PTP) when I plug in an SGS3 Mini (with 4.1.1). It connects (but does not work) under Nautilus/Ubuntu 12.10. But for my Samsung Tab2 7.0 tablet (with 4.0.3) I have no USB settings (except enable/disable debugging). My PC does not even detect the device attached.

Oh!
This post has some solutions : http://askubuntu.com/questions/43086/how-to-transfer-files-from-to-an-android-device

I've tried most of these. They don't seem very stable ,and do not generally work for Samsung devices.

I have here a Galaxy Y with the default Samsung-provided GB image, and the first setting you list does not exist.

i still don't find the said options.Under the Wirless and network settings there is only usb utilities option and if i click on that there's USB mass storage with tap the button below to copy files between computer and sd card.With a connect storage to pc button.When i click on that there's a Attention pop-up with USB is connected.Remove the cable.How do i get the said option>

When I experience this, turning the phone off and on again with the USB connected seems to make it work.
I recommend you turn it on and off again.

You might have a broken cable and/or connector:
Install aLogCat and unplug the USB cable then clear the logs, then re-plug the USB cable. You should see something like this:
--------- beginning of /dev/log/system
D/Vold    (  132): USB connected
D/Vold    (  132): Share method ums now available
I/StorageNotification(  263): UMS connection changed to true (media state mounted)
D/Vold    (  132): USB connected
D/Tethering(  185): sendTetherStateChangedBroadcast 1, 0, 0
D/Tethering(  185): interfaceAdded :usb0
D/BluetoothNetworkService(  185): updating tether state
D/BluetoothNetworkService(  185): interface usb0
W/Tethering(  185): active iface (usb0) reported as added, ignoring
D/dalvikvm(  580): GC_EXPLICIT freed 6K, 53% free 2705K/5639K, external 0K/0K, paused 57ms
D/dalvikvm(  639): GC_EXPLICIT freed 24K, 51% free 2814K/5639K, external 0K/0K, paused 61ms

If it's just something like this, your connection is not detected (broken cable,...):
D/SettingsAppWidgetProvider(  639): Widget is from a previous version... Let's update
D/SettingsAppWidgetProvider(  639): No instances yet... Wait for at least one instance to exist before adding global settings
D/dalvikvm(  263): GC_CONCURRENT freed 332K, 49% free 3079K/6023K, external 911K/990K, paused 4ms+3ms
D/dalvikvm(  639): GC_EXPLICIT freed 17K, 51% free 2814K/5639K, external 0K/0K, paused 60ms

Just slide downwards and tap "USB Connected".
From there, you'll see the "Connect USB storage" button.
Just tap it, and wait for the android image to change from green to orange.
Now, you're connected.

Try removing and reinserting your SD card.


text:
Does modifying read cache on my SD card also affect the speed of reading my Ext3 partition?
I'm trying to make Link2SD work on my phone so I partitioned my 16gb SD to 4gb for the Ext3 partition and the rest for normal storage.
I'm noticing some slight lag on my usage of the phone and I read on this article that I can in fact, increase the read cache to speed up reading contents on the SD. My question is; does increasing the read cache also affect the speed of reading my Ext3 partition? Or does it only affect the "normal" storage?

As with normal disks, this should apply to the disk and not a specific partition. Some file systems offer additional caching, which then would apply to the specific partition -- but disk cache should always apply to the entire disk.


text:
How to disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Camera permanently?
Need to permanently disable Wi-Fi, bluetooth and camera for work on a few work only devices.
Can this be done through Terminal?
I've tried ifconfig to disable Wi-Fi but it just enables automatically after a few seconds.
I don't need something that literally "permanently" disables Wi-Fi, bluetooth and the camera, just something that isn't very simple for an average user to enable. For instance, I deleted the Camera.apk. I know a user could technically add it back to /system but in order to do so they would need root access as well as know to mount /system as rw instead of ro.

If the devices are rooted, then you can use Link2SD to "freeze" the apps, then you can unroot it afterwards so the apps are locked out. I haven't tried this yet for myself though. Just throwing out suggestions.

2021+ if a LineageOS supported device this might be possible although some work needed to research board details of your device.

The easiest way would be using a "profile switcher". As your demand is time-based, a good and easy choice would be Timeriffic (available for free and high rated). Here you could simply say: 24h/day disable these things.
An alternative would be ProfileScheduler, which also allows switching profiles by click (so you don't need to setup a schedule, just the profile).
Ah, btw: Needless to say that this does not require a rooted device ;)
Edit:
If your intention is to keep other people from tempering with certain apps, you might want to take a look at so-called "App Lockers" -- with which you can password-protect some/all your apps (including e.g. the play store app to keep them from installing something else). Here possible candidates include:

App Lock (free, high rated)
App Protector (free, good rating)
Ultimate App Guard (free, high rated)

and many more.
And btw2: using an app locker, you can also protect the settings menu (to avoid easy changes to e.g. bluetooth status).
Edit2:
If the devices are rooted, you could even bring a "local firewall" into play: Use Droidwall to define which apps may access the internet (via mobile and/or WLAN separately), plus an App Locker to password-protect Droidwall. This way the apps themselves would be accessible (unless you lock them completely as well), but their access to the net would be handled separately (by Droidwall).

The only problem with those apps is the user can just manually toggle the things we need to disable. I don't need something that literally "permanently" disables wifi, bt and the camera, just something that isn't very simple for an average user to enable.

Oh -- I missed that part. In this case, try an app locker... Will edit that into my answer.

I'll see if that route is sufficient.

OK. I just added a 3rd variant (available in case the devices are rooted) for even more flexibility.

Check out this thread to disable WiFi on xdadevelopers: Permanently Disable WiFi.
Author: shmshd12

First of all I recommend you to make a system backup with TWRP
here we go :

Open ES File Explorer and get Root access
Go to system folder and open Build.prop using RB Text Editor (i recommend you to backup original file)
Remove the below mentioned lines in Build.prop Code:

     wifi.interface=
     wifi.supplicant_scan_interval=

save it and reboot