text:
Can android device issue adb commants to itself?
I made a simple shell (actually windows batch) script that automates a task on android phone. It can be ran on any computer. I thought that if I convert the batch to linux sh script, I could issue the commands without adb shell before them.
So this (.exe added for clarity):
adb.exe shell sleep 1

becomes this:
sleep 1

Well it works with sleep in particular, but not with sendevent. I made a script to press and release focus button:
#!/bin/sh
# Simply send two key events to see if it works (spoiler: it doesn't)
sendevent /dev/input/event0 1 212 1
sendevent /dev/input/event0 0 0 0
sleep 1
sendevent /dev/input/event0 1 212 0
sendevent /dev/input/event0 0 0 0

But I cannot execute the sendevent commands:

That's ridiculous. Obviously my phone is capable of executing the commands from external source, so why the hell not from itself? Am I going to need a computer to work with the shell?
What can I do to issue adb commands to my own phone? (I am not using rooted device. Android developers made it too much painful to achieve.)

Whatever you use to execute that shell script does not have the appropriate permissions to open the event0 device file. This has nothing to do with whether or not you can execute a command. This is special to that single command and can be solved by requesting appropriate permissions (root permissions in that case).

@GiantTree Well it cannot be resolved the way you propose, because my device is not rooted. Does bold text display properly on your device? Solution I'm looking for is somehow connecting to the adb service on my device to send those commands there, since as you correctly say my used doesn't have access to the required resources.

I saw that you don't have a rooted device. This does not mean that those permissions are not required on your device. Ideally a permissive kernel would suffice, because on my device, that exact file you posted runs perfectly without any errors.

I don't understand now. Are you saying the permission can be obtained without having rooted device?

Sorry, I try to explain: There are 2 modes a kernel can be in: enforcing (locked down, high security) and permissive (somewhat open, medium security). Most/all devices ship with enforcing-only kernels. To get the needed permissions you need to either root your device and run the commands in a root context (after su) or by flashing a custom kernel compiled for permissive mode (most of which root your device or need root for management anyway). There might be another way around your issue, if so, please open a new question stating what you want to achieve.

@GiantTree Why would I open a new question? What I want is to issue all commands that work on ADB from computer directly on the device. I expected there's a way to start ADB client on the device and make it connect to itself.

Most devices don't ship with an adb client, so you can't connect back to yourself. I get what you try to achieve. My idea was, that what you try to achieve with arbitrary commands, might be possible without using those input commands. Remember that adbd (the ADB daemon on the device) runs with system permissions but does not carry them on to child processes, that's why you can run commands from adb but not from within a shell script.

@TomášZato As GiantTree pointed out, even if you were able to launch adb on the phone and make it connect to itself, you will not be able to access that event0 device. This is because the file is owned by root and is readable and writable only by user root and group input. Any other user can do absolutely nothing, and there is no way to circumvent the issue, but root your device.

@DeathMaskSalesman I do not understand. What is the difference between connecting to adbd from PC and from the phone itself? It's still the same process, isn't it? Please can you explain it more or give me some links?

@TomášZato It's basically the same thing, but it's utterly painful to force it and useless as well. Did you try to issue the sendevent command from your computer via adb?

@DeathMaskSalesman Yeah it works perfectly well from computer. But I don't want to need the computer to create the events. I still don't understand why is it not possible to connect to phones own adb daemon service.

@TomášZato Still researching it, but it appears that you won't be able to start the client part of adb without root permissions, as it couldn't bind port 5038.

@TomášZato You definitely need root. The commands to set the port for adbd to listen are setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555, followed by a stop adbd and start adbd. Only then you'll be able to adb connect localhost:5555 and finally get your device connected to itself.

@DeathMaskSalesman And could I first set the port from computer, making a backdoor that can be used later? Thansk for all this help :)

@TomášZato I didn't test this procedure from a computer. You could implement it, and tell us the outcome.

Related: Run adb command inside the terminal emulator or programmatically without root. Note: as long as you've the adb client in the device and is connected in loopback mode, you can run any shell command that you were able to execute using a PC and adb.

Adb is a two-part system, the "ADB" command that runs on your computer, and a daemon that runs on the device to receive the commands you send to it.
To run it on the device you need a version of ADB that is compiled to run on the device. There are several of these on the play store (Search "Adb Shell") on Google Play, such as Adb Shell.
There is also an "ADBLib" by Cameron Guzman on GitHub that can be compiled into an Android App and allow run Adb Shell commands from there.

on a rooted phone you can do this by download linux deploy
termius and any adb over wifi app on the play store
all you have to do is set up linux deploy on Debian with root as the user name and  ssh access. connect to it with termius run sudo apt-get install adb
when that finishes turn on the adb over wifi app
go back to termius adn type adb devices
it should come up with emulator-5554 device
during this prosess it may ask you to athenticate the rsa key just say yes ass well as tick the box that says always
then you can run your adb commands


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Power button functioning as volume up key
I just want to know if it is a software or hardware problem?
What I think is If the key is working fine and performing different function, It must be software problem but I am afraid that I I tried anything I might not able to turn it back on again. neither I would be able to enter recovery mode

Two possibilities; First: A kernel problem, your phone thinks you push the Vol Up button. Second: A physical problem. When you push power button, it triggers the other button on phone's chip.

TL;DR It's most likely a software problem
Check for incorrect ROMs or button remapping root mods
It sounds like a software problem. Do you have custom ROM installed? Is your phone rooted? With either of those two cases, you likely have some software setting that overrode the button mapping of the hardware keys. Perhaps you installed a ROM that was designed for a slightly different version of your phone.
In any case, the functionality of the power button cannot be rewritten at the hardware level. I feel confident in telling you that you should be able to turn off your phone, and the power button will act as a power button to turn the phone back on. That's built in to the hardware, and only after the ROM boots should it be able to act as a different button.
If you want to test it safely, I suggest pressing and holding the power button for 15 seconds, (don't use the Android power menu to turn the phone off). Almost all Android phones will force shut down if you hold the power button down for long enough, including the Zenfone 5.
In the case that it's only a software problem, your volume will turn up (as if you are holding the volume up button), but then the lower-level hardware will still shut the phone down after you continue to hold the button down. Since the phone detected the power button and shut down, you can be confident that it will detect the power button to turn back on.
If holding the power button down for 15 seconds doesn't power off the phone:
If, on the other hand, the phone does not turn off after holding the power button down, and it only acts like a volume button, then you may have some bizarre hardware problem.
Perhaps the phone got wet and the contacts got shorted. The Asus Zenfone 5 has the power button and volume buttons next to each other (are you sure you are actually pressing the power button and not the volume button?). In this case, if holding the power button down for 15 seconds doesn't turn the phone off, then try the rice bag method to dry out the phone. Normally, these methods tell you to turn the phone off, but if you are already out of warranty, I suggest keeping the phone plugged in and on, or else it may never turn on again if indeed the power button is completely broken.

Yes that's exactly what happened my phone got wet, But I opened the cover  and dried it out before turning it on. After It switched on it had this problem. Do you think it will solve the problem if I replaced the button flex.Or will the rice bag method work ? And also it's not rooted.

Also the power button and volume up keys(not volume down key) turns on the screen when it is locked, but once the screen is on they both work as volume up key

I did as you said, and holding the key down turned phone off. But I wasn't able to turn it back on. So instead I connected it to charger while holding volume key and it switched to fastboot mode and I issued command from my system after connecting it with usb to simply reboot it and I turned it on

I tried factory reset too, It didn't work

I tried enabling the setting to disconnect call with power key and I observed that It ends the call and then increase the volume too.

Could you just tell me if changing the power button flex would fix it or not ? I can buy it online and replace it on my own

O is there any way to check button mappings ?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Getting text to speech to write a . (period)
I have just started to use Googles speech to text on my Sony Xperia Z3+ and it is very precise, both in English and Danish. But I cannot get it to write any punctuation in either language.
A period would be just fine, but if I dictate in English and say "period", it writes the word "period". I have also tried "dot" and in Danish "punktum". There is a settings button, but no option to fix this.
The funny thing is, that if I pause, it will capitalize correctly, like there were a . but I still have to add them afterwards.
The most frustrating part is, that when I search for solutions, the solution is to say "period" or replies to people who want to have the literal word written.

Maybe it is your inflection, that is, the rise and fall of tonal character. Saying the word "period" works for me.
I say "PEER-Ee-uhd", falling in tone as I say the word.

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


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How to customise directions path rendering in OsmAnd?
OsmAnd+ 2.3.5
Is there a way of modifying the look of the directions path? There is too much going on there to my liking so I would like to:

remove the yellow arrows (not sure what they signify but they obscure the road names)
remove the black arrows (they are less intrusive but still obscure road names)
change the colour and transparency of the purple path

It still remains a mystery to me where the black arrows are hiding but I found a way to address the two other requirements.
First I went through a renderers primer which prepared me nicely for the task at hand. Once completed the solution turned out to be quite simple, albeit a bit hackish. I also made the fat purple route a little slimmer. For completeness, here is the entire renderer consisting mostly of my comments:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<renderingStyle name="Decluttered directions path"
    depends="default" defaultColor="#ffffff" version="1">

    <renderingAttribute name="route">
        <!-- for some details on 'whatever_DIGIT' named attributes see: -->
        <!--
            https://github.com/osmandapp/Osmand

            OsmAnd/src/net/osmand/plus/render/OsmandRenderer.java
            OsmAnd-java/src/net/osmand/render/RenderingRuleStorageProperties.java
            OsmAnd-java/src/net/osmand/render/RenderingRuleProperty.java
        -->
        <!-- strokeWidth="a:b" -> a initial value, b extra when zooming -->
        <!--
            route described by:         color and width
            skinny arrows described by: color_3 and width_3
            black arrows described by:  ?
        -->
        <!-- first two hex digits of a colour specify opacity: 48 ~= 30 % -->
        <!-- disabling skinny arrows by setting opacity to 0 -->
        <case color="#4800cd0a" strokeWidth="10:8"
            color_3="#00ffde5b" strokeWidth_3="7:6"/>
        <!-- set it up in a similar fashion for the night mode:
        <case nightMode="true" color=.../>
        -->
    </renderingAttribute>

</renderingStyle>

And the before/after pictures:


text:
adb version says 1.0.32 but droid-explorer says its 1.0.29 and won't start
Using win7 64bit.
I downloaded just the commandline tools from developer.android.com; the zip not the installer.
I copied everything to c:\dev\android\sdk\ and ran the SDK Manager and updated everything. When I run> adb version it reports a version of 1.0.32
I installed the most recent droid-explorer, using DroidExplorer.0.9.0.4.x64.Setup.zip .. during the installation it asks me to specify the android sdk directory, which it detects correctly as c:\dev\android\sdk\
After installation, I run droid-explorer wherein it states adb version is 1.0.29, minimum supported version is 1.0.31 .. I cannot launch it properly.
I added c:\dev\android\sdk\platform-tools to the Environment Variable PATH but this did nothing.
Any insight in to why the adb version is being incorrectly reported would be appreciated. I tried copying 1.0.31 binaries overtop as well and this did not solve anything.
Thank you.


text:
Phone no longer sees computer connected
Even yesterday afternoon I was being annoyed by Android File Transfer reopening lots of times while the phone was USB connected to my computer. This morning, all of a sudden, my phone seems to not notice being connected to the computer: it's as if I connected it to a charger, it doesn't show the usual "Connected as media device" notification or any other sign of it thinking it is connected to a computer. Except it is. And I have tons of files to get onto that computer. So how can I get that mobile to see the computer?
Update
I tried working my way around this by Bluetooth, but when I click "Browse device" on My computer it goes This device does not have the necessary services or the likes. What does that mean? Is there a way I can send a file from my mobile to the computer?
Update 2
I forgot to mention I would like a way that doesn't lose the metadata (Date Modified, Date Created) during the transfer, as happens with Airdroid (which I have already) and Xender (which I just tried following the answer). Sorry, answerer, but I don't think I'll be using that solution…
Update 3
Magic magic, the mobile is now connected as a media device, or at least says thus. Except Android File Transfer doesn't find it. What can I do now?
Update 4
Magic magic once again, the phone only connects as media device when the earphones are connected to it, and Android File Transfer doesn't see it, earphones or not. So summing up, the media device connection is mysterious, AirDroid and Xender both lose timestamps, which I'd rather preserve, so my files are stuck on the mobile, and trying other ways (Bluetooth and FolderSync) has failed. Here are screenshots of the chat, 1 2 3 4 5 6. If anyone has any idea how to solve my problem of keeping timestamps, or how to get AFT to see my mobile (and that mobile to connect as media device), please comment/answer.
Update 5
I changed cable and everything works fine. I don't think it was just leaving the phone dangling from a 4cm-long cable, but rather the twist I gave it on Thursday that might have caused the problem. So my 4cm cable works for charging but not for USB connection. However, I can't use the other cable instead, because -- nonsensical as it may seem -- I run a (statistically) greater risk of losing a longer cable in Uni than I do with the micro-one I have now. So the problem persists. And even the hypothesis of that twist being the culprit doesn't convince me, since the effect was delayed by at least a disconnection of the cable. Ha-ha! Surprise surprise, I twisted it again, and voilà, everything is fine now! How did that happen?
Update 6
Seems that whether the Computer sees the mobile or not depends in some pseudo-random way on how much I twist that cable :). Not only how much, but like, in what direction I twist it. THis is so strange.

You could try the FolderSync app (via SMB or SFTP, depending on the OS on your computer). As for the "necessary services": it most likely misses the "OBEX" stuff (Bluetooth FTP); but using that, you#ll most likely lose the timestamps as well (and it will be pretty slow, too).

@Izzy just downloaded FolderSync Lite (non-Lite was to be paid) and how do I use it?

setup an "account" (SMB/SFTP) to access your computer, 2) setup a folder pair to be sync'd (i.e. one folder on your computer, one on the device), then 3) sync them. You can have one-way sync (to xfer only files from the device to the PC or the other way around) if you just want to copy in one direction. See the FolderSync help page for details.

@Izzy that help page seems only to deal with the wrong type of account. I'm trying to set up an FTP account. What do I put into the "Connection", "Login" and "Advanced" fields of the account setup?

I tried putting my computer's IP address as obtained from the Finder into "Connection" and leaving the rest empty, the account was created, but then the Create Sync Wizard won't let me select the Remote Folder…

Do you have an FTP server running on that computer? If not, that cannot work. Your computer must of course provide the service you want to use. On Windows, that would be a Windows share, on Linux either a Samba share or an SSH service allowing you access. Or an FTP server, etc.

Apparently I do. @Izzy I have an SFTP server which is now enabled. But still, what do I substitute to hostname and port in the sftp://{hostname}:{port} I see under "Connection"? Should I maybe ask this on AskDifferent (aka Apple SE)?

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Try "Xender Web"

Open Xender App in your Smartphone
Now see top-right side of the app carefully and click on button to open Connect PC Page
Click on “Scan” button and hover your camera to the below given QR code.
Note : Use Wi-Fi whenever possible, because using it with Mobile-Data will consume your data quickly.

See edit. Can Xender keep the metadata someway?


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Nexus 5X stays awake after charging
Nexus 5X running 6.0.1 shows awake after disconnecting charger cable.
Reboot helps but later the awake state persists if I connect charger back.

I think its a issue with the dose system

Thx! Any ideas on how to fix? Later I could try complete reset but it would be better to know the root cause.

Turn off doze and try

As far as I remember there is no such control in Settings. If you mean "Battery saver" - it is OFF by default.

Factory data reset helped but didn't help to know the root-cause.

I've found the root cause for awake state - it is Viber.
To detect this I've completely removed all third party software and left only one came from Google (my Nexus 5X comes only with Google and no bloatware).
So adding apps one by one I was checking the issue appearance after every.
The issue back after adding Viber and immediately has gone after removing it.


text:
Cannot add owner info to Lock screen - HTC One M9
In my other Android devices, I've always been able to set an "If found" message on the Owner Information shown on the lock screen.
Settings -> Security -> Owner info
But for the HTC One M9, this configuration item does not exist. I have not been able to find an alternate setting.
Apart from writing the owner info on the lock screen image, is there any other way to display a message on the lock screen?

Do you have a search option in your Settings app?

Yes, looking for 'Owner' finds nothing

Can you try this: http://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/543755-owner-info-android-5-0-2-a.html (Last 2 posts)

The Android 7.0 Nougat release has added the lock screen message functionality.

There isn't a direct option. You could probably create your own lock screen wallpaper with your "if found" message on it.

"Apart from writing the owner info on the lock screen image, is there any other way to display a message on the lock screen?"


text:
Youtube/Netflix randomlly pauses and displays pause icon after rooting/deleting apps
I fear I may have damaged my samsumg galaxy s4 android 5.0 phone by rooting and deleting some unwanted bloatware. Now when I am watching youtube/netflix at random intervals (2-10 minutes) it will pause and I have to hit the play button in the middle of the screen to continue to watch the video. This is extremely annoying if I have it a couple feet away playing a video or audio. Is there a way I can fix my stupidity by restoring the apps on my phone? Is there a fix for netflix/youtube randomly pausing? Thanks.

Just commenting to say that this happens for me as well on my rooted Sony Xperia E3 Kitkat which is also rooted. This used to happen before I rooted though.

Did you not make a backup before rooting? If so, just restore from there.. :)

Have you enabled Smart Pause? That automatically pauses the video if you look away. (Or cover the front camera).

@MichaelNancarrow No I did not sadly. I was new at this and didn't realize the consequences of my actions. Is there no other way to repair the specific modules that i uninstalled?

@SuperThomasLab I believe I did, that was a suggestion i saw elsewhere, did not help. I had it on before I rooted and deleted some software and it worked great in the same environment I am using it now.

Then I guess you can just reflash your firmware. You can find the correct firmware on http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/. This will not wipe /data, but make a backup just in case.

The problem may be that Smart Pause is not being smart
In the gesture settings menu see if smart pause is enabled, and disable it. Smart Pause is a feature that, using the front facing camera, recognizes (or tries to) when you look away and pauses your video automatically. This would be my first guess at this problem, with the given information.

Turned this off but I still get the issue. Seriously considering reinstalling the firmware/os but afraid of doing more damage.


text:
Unsuccessful Encryption
I began encrypting my Xperia Z3 and as soon as the process started, the phone turned off and I was greeted with the following screen:

The phone was rooted beforehand and I still have access to a custom recovery. Is there anything I can do to restore all of my apps? The phone is still reading that space is being taken up on the internal Memory.

Boot into recovery, and try restoring the data with ADB.


text:
adb devices -l not showing USB qualifiers?
I've read in several places that calling

adb devices -l

will return the both the serial numbers and USB qualifiers for the attached devices. However, when I issue the command I only get the serial number and product information about the device. What can I do? This is important to me because I'm trying to target two of the same phone, which both have the same default serial number (0123456789ABCDEF).

I think it's more limited on Windows, but will getting the port info actually help?  AFAIK you can only specify the already connected device (with -d) or a serial number.

That's what I thought too, until I read this: http://stackoverflow.com/a/29966699/2953069

Interesting.  I'd suggest trying to change the serial numbers -- I found this method that might work if they are rooted.


text:
Unable to Update HTC One M8 to Android 6
My HTC One M8 phone has just gotten the Android 6 update (like a week or few ago). I successfully downloaded and unzipped the update. However, I was the confronted with this screen (sorry for the poor resolution, I took it with my iPad since I couldn't screenshot):

I tried to do this multiple times (including recently, which is when I took the photo), and the same thing kept happening. I contacted HTC support, and someone told me to download a ROM onto my laptop and update from my laptop. However, to do so, I also needed to download HTC Sync Manager.
HTC Sync Manager had trouble connecting to my phone. It would start a sync process, but then say that there was an error. After an hour of fruitless research, I tried to update anyway. After a bit of updating, it would say that the update failed, and it would just revert back to the old OS. Frustrated, I said that I would try again later, and uninstalled/deleted everything that I had downloaded.
Trying it again now, I'm getting the same thing. What can I do to circumvent this and successfully update? Everything I've tried, I've tried twice.

SOLVED: OK I couldn't get this update either tried moving as much as I could to the SD card had over 16GB free still wouldn't work till I wiped the cache.
Here are the steps to wipe the cache
1) Hold power button
2) Press restart
3) As soon as you see the HTC logo, hold the down volume button
4) If done correctly you should be met with a white screen, from there go down to recovery and press power button
5) Within a minute, you should be greeted with black Android System Recovery Page
6) From there click Wipe Cache Partition
7) After that is done, go to reboot system now and once in android again, download update.
You must have battery at least 35% charged to install the update.

I tried it but got the same error as before.


text:
Recovering Information(Contacts,Messages) from the Android Backup file
My Android Phone Micromax a99  canvas got locked due to unknown number of trials by My kid's friend.I was left with two options
- Restore factory settings
- Delete/wipe user data
I preferred second one , I also took the backup of the user data by booting into recovery mode( volume up/down powerbutton combination) and then copying the backup into my PC.
Now I did restore factiry settings and then tried to restore from my backup file but to my amazement(but thats likely as well) after restoring the phone I again got the same phone lock issue , since it was the part of my old user configuration.Now I am left with just one option
- To recover my contacts/messages on the PC and store it on My phone manualy.Oks thats not a problem for me ,  I just want few important contacts.
Is there any free/opensource tool I can use to  extract the contacts from my .backup Android Backup file.
I just need to get my Contacts !!!
Thanks in Advance !

there are some ideas to restore backup and reset screenlock without flashing anything.
if still interested please come back to forum.xda-developers.com and answer my question regarding solution C.
solution A is easiest way, but i have not tested
1. create userdata_20160208_095026.backup
2. root the phone. don't flash custom recovery
3. factory reset
4. copy /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db to /cache
5. install some shell script to copy back settings.db on every boot
6. restore userdata_20160208_095026.backup with stock recovery
solution B, tested on MT6582 Jelly Bean, works!
(because some phones dont have fastboot and its difficult to flash)
1. use my script to convert stock backup to cwm backup
2. root the phone. don't flash custom recovery
3. install stericson.busybox and jackpal.androidterm
4. insert sdcard with ext2 partition
5. mount ext2 partition
6. copy /data to sdcard
7. unmount /data partition and symlink sdcard to /data
8. mount /data partition to /cache/data
9. unpack cwm backup
10. replace settings.db
solution C (with flashing) tested on MT6582 works!
1. use my script to convert stock backup to cwm backup
2. replace settings.db in cwm backup
3. root the phone
4. flash custom recovery
5. restore cwm backup
currently i am writing a shell script for solution B. it works at moment for cwm backup only, try to fix up some errors regarding stock backup...


text:
which APK for Google play services?
On my Sony Xperia Z1 Compact running CyanogenMod, I had the Google Play Services installed as an APK. At the time I must have thought that this was better than installing GApps - for being able to pick packages myself.
Since a recent update (of either Google play services or CyanogenMod) I get the error "unfortunately Google play services have stopped working".
Google play store also requires these services because it relies on these services. In the end I removed both the Services and the Store.
I have tried installing the a number of versions of the Services (from 7.3.xx to 8.3.xx) but they also report the same error message after a while.
Does the app need some sort of reset before it will work again? Each time an APK is uninstalled then its cache etc must be removed?
Or should I install a very specific version of the APK? my build is cm_amami_userdebug 5.1.1 LMY49J d8f66af955
EDIT:
For flashing GApps, I would choose Open GApps pico for Android 5.1 on ARM(32), does that sound right?
EDIT 2:
Flashing the GApps above worked. I would still like to know the answer to the first question - whether an APK could have solved it (and which)

why do you think GApps is not a better option?

Technically -- no idea, I would like to hear your thoughts! For ease of use and flexibility, APK looks the better choice. No need to boot to recovery, ability to remove the whole lot if it says "unfortunately ...". The end result should be the same?

I recently flashed my smartphone with cynogen mod 13 and GApps, and it was a lot easier and works perfectly. Finding a right version of play services and play store apk  is really a painful task.

I've used GApps before and it works well. But until recently I had APK-installed versions of both GP services and store that also worked well --same end result. And removing GApps after flashing it when it doesn't work is impossible. So I was hoping to find an APK that works, or the reason (+cure) that GP services had stopped working.

The APKs for Google Play Services can be found on APK Mirror, along with explanations of the build numbers and how to determine the right build to install.

It says "download Play Services info or go to Settings -> Apps -> Google Play services, and look at the last 3 numbers in the parentheses" but option 1 does not work: play services info says: nothing installed. And then option 2 does not work either. In settings -> apps, there are no Google play services.

Tried the latest one just for luck. Still getting the "unfortunately ..." error and nothing running.


text:
Phone Factory Reset without carrier apps
I am trying to reset my phone (Samsung Galaxy X Cover 3) to factory defaults, using "Settings->Backup and Reset->Factory data reset".
However, there is a step that the carrieer (Orange) has added, it installs several applications (Games, TV, Voicemail, etc) during the first boot.
A black screen without any botton appears and say "installing applications", when the installation is finished the android welcome screen appears.
Is there a way to avoid this step so that no Orange applications are installed ?
(I have tried to interrupt it, restarting the phone during the app installation step, but it is re-run after the reboot).

Change your firmware :) You might be able to flash a non-carrier-specific rom from sammobile

No, it is not possible to skip the "Installing Applications" screen.
However, you can disable these applications in Settings. If you have root access you can also uninstall them completely.
You can also change the firmware to a non carrier one with Odin. Be careful, because this can brick your device if not done correctly.
Firmwares can be downloaded on Sammobile. (An official firmware will not void warranty)


text:
emulating permission access for apps
While installing apps in Android, it asks for lots of permission to run.
Sometimes I just want to check out how a app is and not interested in sharing any info with the app.
Is it possible to install a app in a "jail" kind of environment and just emulate whatever permission it ask for and not actually sharing it ??
I hope the question is clear..it may not be exactly what I am asking for ..but if there is any way to accomplish this, let me know.
Thanks!
PS:
Not related with any specific version..although I have JellyBean.

For a starter, please take a look into our permissions tag-wiki. Whether what you want is possible or not a.o. depends on whether your device is rooted, and what permissions you want to block.

You should try out XPrivacy or Protect My Privacy. Both of them require the Xposed framework
Jellybean comes with an in-built hidden permission controller called App Ops which is accessible by using AppOps (open source)


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Getting to the bottom of excessive logs?
I'm a fairly new Android phone user and I have a question about excessive logs.
My phone battery is pretty awful (Elephone P9000) so I thought I'd hook it up and look at LogCat. In just over 20 seconds it logs nearly 5000 lines when idle with the screen off. That sounds like a bit much to me? Most of the log is filled with the same pattern repeating:
    05-31 13:26:40.559: I/fanzhuan(980): onSensorChanged front----> 0.361  0.497  10.07
05-31 13:26:40.571: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18369600), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.591: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18369920), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.612: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18370240), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.631: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18370560), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.651: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18370880), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.671: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18371200), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.691: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18371520), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.711: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18371840), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.731: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18372160), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.751: D/AudioTrackShared(293): front(18372480), mIsOut(0), mAvailToClient=0 stepCount=320 minimum=320, FUTEX_WAKE
05-31 13:26:40.758: D/SettingsInterface(980):  from settings cache , name = turn_silent , value = null
05-31 13:26:40.758: D/SettingsInterface(980):  from settings cache , name = callsilent , value = null
05-31 13:26:40.759: D/SettingsInterface(980):  from settings cache , name = alarmsilent , value = null
05-31 13:26:40.759: D/SettingsInterface(980):  from settings cache , name = musicsilent , value = null
05-31 13:26:40.759: D/SettingsInterface(980):  from settings cache , name = mediasilent , value = null

Is this normal? I've had a google and I can't see may people talking about this. Also, how do I go about finding what's causing this so I can kill it?
Maybe it's totally unrelated to my battery drain, but this amount of constant logging sounds little excessive to me.
Thanks for your time and help :-)
P.S. Running Android 6.0

This is a common symptom of phones having poor-quality system integration, but the amount you have seems ridiculous.

The D/ entries show the log level is set to "DEBUG" – which of course generates quite a lot of logging, and shouldn't be necessary for "production use" (though it's quite helpful if you want to debug some misbehavior). For normal use, log level "INFO" should be sufficient.
As the default log level usually is defined in the init script, there's not much a "standard user" (without root-powers) can do about it, though. You can filter the output, though, as described on the logcat help page: so adb logcat *:I should only show messages using log level INFO or above. You could try run adb shell setprop log.tag.* INFO, but I'm not sure if that works; and even if it does, it would be reset at boot.
Apart from that, I can't say whether that would improve your battery life noticeably. For that purpose, you probably find better hints in our battery-life tag-wiki.


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I can't boot to custom recovery directly
Good day to everyone. I have a problem with my SKK Lynx (rebranded Ulefone be Pure) phone. I've installed a custom recovery on it (Philz Touch) via RashR. I am able to use it successfully but I have to use an app to boot directly to recovery like quick boot because when I try to boot to recovery via the power + vol down button, it goes to the stock recovery which is in Chinese characters.
I want to be able to booth to the custom recovery directly because I don't always have access to the quick boot. Can anyone help me? What do I have to do? Thank you very much.
P.S The steps I've taken are:
try TWRP,CWM,and Philz which does the same thing
rename the recovery file in the data/etc folder to .bak

Sounds like the installed recovery is the stock recovery. So basically you would want to replace the stock recovery image with a custom one (TWRP/CWM). Are you sure that you've flashed and installed the custom recovery and not just booted into it? (like a fastboot boot recovery.img would do) I've never used Rashr but I believe it support both flashing and just booting up a custom recovery...

thank you for the fast reply! I believe I flashed it using the Rashr by choosing flash recovery from storage. The only other option is flash kernel from storage. Others are just reboot options.
here is a link of the instructions I followed, except that I used a recovery file from android cribs. (http://skkmobilelynxsupport.blogspot.com/2015/03/tut-have-cwm-custom-recovery-for-skk.html)

Mhm weird. Sounds like you've done exactly what every guide tells you to. So just a basic check? Can you confirm that you are rooted? Have you renamed the custom recoverys to "recovery.img" before flashing? XDA-Guide for Custom Recovery

Yes I did rename the file. I am sure I am rooted because I used an app and reboot app needs a rooted phone to work. By the way I rooted my phone with Kinguser app because the superuser doesn't seem to work on my phone. Also, I've just installed a new rom and the same thing happened.


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Nexus 5X, Gmail draining battery after may update
Ever since the may update, the gmail app has been consuming a crazy amount of battery.  My battery used to last like 16 hours, now it's only like 5 hours.
Anyone else experience this?

Update of what? Play store or OS- if  OS which one? How did you conclude gmail as culprit? Rooted Device? Are you using amplify? Please edit your question adding details and Screenshots that can help

Ok, I'll add more when I get a chance

If you are using Amplify, don't limit icing wakelock - that breaks a lot of things with latest  play store

Actually the issue went away after the latest app update (Sometime around June 1st).   Hope this helps!


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Whatsapp: Export pictures from certain conversations
Whatsapp stores ALL media files within ONE huge folder, i.e. I've got about 6000 pictures in it, including much trash ;-)
Now I would like to extract/copy all pictures which were send between me and a specific contact (i.e. my girlfriend) to another folder so that I can transfer them on to my computer.
Do you know any way? Couldn't find anything when googeling as my keywords gave much too many hits.
Thanks in advance!

Go to Whatsapp Settings. For me that the three dots button at the top right of "main" screen of whatsapp. From there go to chats, chat history, email chat, select contact, and it will prompt you to email it. You must say you want media files attached. If there are a lot of images it may fail.

NIce idea, totally forgot about it. I used it once in the past with my girlfriends chat, but it did fail with hundreds of images. But still, for small "vacation" groups it's a good idea to use it. Maybe some one will come up with another alternative :)

Ah, ok. No problem, it probably failed at the point where google attempted to attach so much data onto one email. I think the limit is 34 MB which can easily be used within 20 or 30 pictures these days, with high-res cameras and stuff.

For me, it failed to go past 11 photos and 2 videos, so it wasn't that useful.

I think there is no native way of doing that, and I have not seen any app that does it.
From my experience, the best way is via WhatsappWeb. I used this quite a few times.

Select the target conversation, on the left.
Click on the conversation name, at the top.
Expand Media.
Make sure all files are loaded, by scrolling/waiting.
Select all files you want.
You can Forward, Download, etc.

I found the same idea here.

The trouble with WhatsApp web is that you can't see old messages and images any more. But this is a great solution if the photos aren't too old.

WhatsApp doesn't want to give you this power (for legal reasons perhaps). The "export conversation" only exports most recent media. So I have elaborated a tidy 4-step solution to collect all media from a specific conversation group into my computer. Lets suppose you want the "Fishing Club" group media. Follow this steps:

Export the entire Whatsapp/Media folder to your computer (this may take a while).
Delete from your phone the entire set of media from the "Fishing Group" at once using WhatsApp's "Manage Storage" feature. For that, go to WhatsApp home screen, and navigate to the menu (⋮) > Settings > Data Storage > Manage Storage, find the group and delete all media from it.
Rename the Media folder in your machine to "Fishing Group", then repeat step one to backup a second copy of the entire Media folder again (but this time it won't have the media that is specific from that group, which you deleted in step two).
Now that you have the two copies side-by-side, use a file comparison tool in your computer to delete from the "Fishing Group" folder all unnecessary files which are also in the Media folder.

Done. Now the "Fishing Group" folder has only the medias which are from that specific conversation group. You may repeat steps 2-4 if you want to do the same thing with other conversation groups and free more space in your phone. When you are done, you can just delete the last Media folder copy if you wish.
Tip for the Mac OSX user:

For the file export steps, use "Android File Transfer" app and connect to your phone via USB, activating file transfer mode In your Mac, then navigate to /Whatsapp folder and drag the entire Media folder to your machine.

Tip for the Linux/Unix/Mac user:

To delete the duplicates (step 4) and also empty folders, you may just use this commands:

groupName="Fishing Group"

comm -12 \
<(cd "$groupName" && find . -iname "*" -type f | sort) \
<(cd Media && find . -iname "*" -type f | sort) \
| while read line; do rm "./$groupName/$line"; done

find "$groupName" -type d -exec rmdir {} 2>/dev/null \;

Tip for Windows user:

To delete the duplicates try this commands (not tested):

cd Media
FOR /d /r %%f IN ("*.*") DO del "..\Fishing Club\%%f"
cd ..

By last, you may also want to export the full conversation into a text file by entering the group then nativate to menu (⋮) > More > Export Conversation. This can be exported to many formats, but in this case I like to export to a folder in the sd card using the "Send to SD card" App, then move them to my computer. The generated text file will have the names of the files from each media that was in that group. Contact cards will also be exported in .vcf format.

Nice option will give a try

Ok, this does not answer the question directly, but comments on a feature that might be helpful to the same audience. This does not work for past media but for any new media from the moment you set it up.
How to sync whatsapp media for some conversations and not others?

You have to set for each conversation whether you want the media to
be visible, that is, that the media goes to the whatsapp media
folder or not.
If you go to any conversation, once inside it,
>> Three dots >> View contact/Group info >> Media visibility >> Yes/No

Once you set that for all the conversations, you can sync the
whatsapp photo and/or video folders, and only the ones set as
visible will synchronize.

Of course having to do this for every conversation is not very
handy.
Most likely you want to sync everything but some conversations (as
the groups where people send a lot of trash) or you want to sync
only some conversations, like your girlfriend and family (where only
pictures are being sent).
If you are in either of these two cases, you can set the default
visibility value,
>> Settings >> Chats >> Media visibility >> Yes/No

So you only have to change the ones you want/don't want to sync.

You mean sync in google photos?

Yes, but it applies also to any other sync engine that you use, because now that folder is 'filtered'.

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


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How can I make Android 6 quick settings show up in the same layout when the screen is locked?
Why does lock screen hide some of the elements from the quick settings? This makes intuitive usage of the device nearly impossible because I have to remember to look where the icons are and which ones they are. Like I could have a flashlight on the bottom left and on the lock screen its in the middle. Is there a way to fix this? Because "minor" inconveniences like this make me want to get off android. Too many little annoyances that users have to deal with day-to-day.

"Some" of the elements? Could you clarify which elements do exhibit this behaviour?

You can use GravityBox [MM] to have your favorite tile display at lock screen as well. Requires root access and Xposed framework installed.

The elements that have been hidden from your lock screen are hidden for a purpose. Sensitive toggles are not displayed in order to increase the lock screen security.
Due to this, your phone, in unlocked condition shows more toggles than in locked condition. This changes the position of certain toggles and hence your flashlight toggle is moved.
It can be a little inconvenient but you need to live with it since it is making your device safer. Safety by design.


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How can I use web.whatsapp.com on an Android phone with a broken screen?
My Android phone's screen died: no image, no touch, nada. How can I use http://web.whatsapp.com/ without being able to start WhatsApp and browse to the option Menu > Whatsapp Web so I can scan the QR Code on the web page?
This is obviously an interim solution until my new phone arrives.

Directly start WhatsApp with the correct activity intent via ADB:
adb shell "su -c 'am start com.whatsapp/.qrcode.QrCodeActivity'"

Then hold your camera in front of the QR Code @ http://web.whatsapp.com/.
Requirements:

a rooted Android phone (outside scope of this post)
working adb (like Minimal ADB + Fastboot or ADB for Chrome)
working SuperUser su binary

Found it with something along the lines of:
adb shell "su -c 'find /data -name *whatsapp*.dex | xargs strings | grep Qr'"

Are you sure you need root for this? am start doesn't normally need root, maybe unless this activity is not exported in the manifest.

It might not be needed, but as far as I could see, the shell user does not have the rights to start the com.whatsapp/.qrcode.QrCodeActivity intent.


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Wipe Android phone before selling
What is the smartest way, before selling a mobile phone, to be sure that no one will be able to access my data?
In my case we are talking about an LG G4.

@MarkStewart It indeed is a duplicate, however, I don't think that that answer is correct. A factory reset is not enough if you want to keep the data secure. With the correct tools, it is very easy to restore the data.

The first thing you'd want to do is simply remove the SD card if any in use. If you intend on providing an SD card, purchase a new SD Card.
As suggested, the first step would be to encrypt your data (you can read up on this here), then perform a factory reset of the phone - I'd suggest performing this approximately 3 times. (1 should be sufficient, but 3 will determinately just make it a little harder to recover the data). You can find a pretty neat guide/explanation on this website.
Just to add onto Jay's answer, here is a basic guide on using ADB to encrypt your device. Note that the commands are noted to be:
user@laptop # adb root
user@laptop # adb shell
root@phone:/ #
root@phone:/ # /system/bin/vdc cryptfs enablecrypto inplace PASSWORD

If you have rooted your phone (and intend to sell as is) you can install other applications that can encrypt certain directories, but I doubt you'll want to do this.

Why do you want to use ADB? Why not on the phone itself? And wiping the phone multiple times will not make a difference, the data is overwritten by the encryption.

ADB just as another option for the user. You're correct regarding the multiple rounds of encryption though.

A factory reset is not enough. It just "disables" your data and doesn't really delete it. Some data restore tools can still restore the data after a normal reset.
The best way I know of is to encrypt the phone and then do a factory reset. The encryption will overwrite the unencrypted data, so that will be gone forever. Then after a reset, if the new user tries to restore the data, it just gets the encrypted data. (=useless)


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Locking the speed of the cpu on an android phone
The battery life of my cell phone lasts for about 6 hours. About 2 days ago I downloaded the app CPUControl to reduce the speed of my CPU. This resulted in more than 20 hours of battery life. However I changed the settings and I haven't been able to achieve the results I had before. I have a 4 X ARM Cortex-A7 CPU with a top speed of 1.3 GHz.
When I change the speed to 600 MHz, the change only lasts about 2 minutes ant then the processor goes up to 1 GHz draining my battery life very quickly.
You can't tell the difference between the processor running at 600 MHz or 1.3 GHz, either way it's fast enough.
What happened, how come I cant lock the processor speed anymore?

Which CPU governor are you using?

I am not aware of CPUControl's settings but you can try some other applications to lock the speed. You can try KernelAduiter to perform this and many more operations.
You can change the CPU speed by specifying the minimum and the maximum and for best battery and if you're unable to do so, change the CPU governors.

If the CPU speed increases to 1.3GHz only for a few seconds randomly, set the governor to Conservative
If the CPU stays for long at 1.3GHz, check out which application is using the CPU so much.

2a. Open Terminal Emulator

Gain root access using su
Run top and let it display results on the screen
Press Volume Down + c to terminate the command
Scroll to the top and check out the process/app using the maximum CPU. If you find that process/app useless, terminate it

For some reason, the only governor that works is hotplug. All the others would work until the screen blacks out. So this solved the problem.


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Stuck on bootup screen from TWRP
I am following this guide to root my Samsung Galaxy Core Prime SM-G360T1(MetroPCS) using TWRP.
What did I wrong:

I went into TWRP recovery
I pressed on "Reboot"
I pressed on "Power Off"
A pop up came up saying "Your device is not rooted, would you like to download SuperSu now?"
I pressed yes

Phone restarts and now is stuck on metropcs bootup screen and the interesting thing is its vibrating in a pattern... 2 vibrates then 1 after a second later and does that again in 3 seconds.
I did not put SusperSu into the internal memory so im pretty sure thats why its like "Wtf bro, where is SusperSu?"
So how do i get out of this? Help please!!!

Are you running Android Marshmallow?

Getting out of a bootloop
What you want to do is to restore a working system partition.
You have two options available.
Option 1: Flashing a Custom ROM
Your first option is to download a custom ROM on the XDA-developers forum.
Make sure that the rom you've downloaded is for your specific model!
Mount your SDcard and copy your ROM to the device OR use adb and a command prompt to push the file to your SDcard
adb push rom.zip /sdcard

If you have copied the ROM onto your device, go into the Wipe section and wipe the following partitions:

/system
/cache
/dalvik cache

When you are done with wiping, choose Install and select your custom ROM. When done flashing, reboot your device without confirming the root dialogue. ;)
Then you should be good to go with a working system and a pre-rooted ROM.

Option 2: Installing a stock firmware.
Your second option is to flash a stock ROM (samsung).
Wipe the following partitions (should be automatically wiped when flashing with Odin but it won't hurt):

/system
/cache
/dalvik cache

You can download the STOCK ROM from sammobile and follow these instructions (which can also be found on the sammobile download page)
Extract (unzip) the firmware file
Download Odin v3.11.1
Extract Odin ZIP file
Open Odin v3.11.1
Reboot Phone in Download Mode (press and hold Home + Power + Volume Down buttons)
Connect phone and wait until you get a blue sign in Odin
Add the firmware file to AP / PDA
Make sure re-partition is NOT ticked
Click the start button, sit back and wait few minutes

After this procedure your device will be stock again.

So which method to use? I would go for the first option because:

You will be running a rooted custom rom
You don't have to reflash a custom recovery.
It should be done quicker

Just reinstall SuperSu the same way but hit NO at the PopUp.
It mentions this at the bottom of the install for SuperSU, I missed it at first as well.
One love :)

Installing a new ROM just because you toasted your supersu installation is not a a good idea
Before flashing a new ROM which is a lot riskier process [unroot][1] the superSu install.
-Download & transfer the UPDATE-unSU.zip file to your device.
-Boot your device into TWRP recovery.
-Tap the Install button on TWRP main screen » select UPDATE-unSU.zip file » and Swipe to confirm flashing the file.
-Wipe cache/dalvik from TWRP.
-Reboot phone.

I had this issue and did this 1st. As soon as you get lucky go back to TWRP and Backup your ROM - Stock rom 1st. Dont attempt anything before this . I suspect and I am almost certain the superSu failed because the bootloader was locked. 1st unlock the bootloader and then supersu ( assuming you backed up your ROM)

Best thing is to download superuser from chainfires website and flash it with twrp instead of trying to install the super user prompt by twrp. do a factory reset in twrp. hope u dont have important data. cause sounds like to soft bricked your device

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


text:
Successfully download app 100% but wont install after that
I have a rooted mobile device (running Android 4.4). Whenever I download or update any app from Google Play Store it will show the download bar and reach till 100% – but won't install after that.
I have downloaded using WiFi and with enough space. Moreover, I have updated Google Play Services but not Google Play Store. I have tried all the solution like clear cache, force stop blah blah but yet there is a issue.
I've also read Apps won't install (silently fail after 100% downloaded) and checked its offered solutions. However my problem is a bit different that the one described there: After installing neither it throws an error stating "download failed" or "installing failed" nor it installs. Just stuck there for an hour unless and until WiFi gets disconnected. Sometime when it reach 100% it again starts itself to begin from 1% to download and so on.
Are there any other solutions I could try?

I have the same problem. It get stuck at 100% and doesn't give any notifications.
Nexus 6p running Android 7.0 (not rooted).
After the app reaches 100% I close the play store (swipe it away from recent apps) and start it again, it'll install and download the next app and get stuck at 100% of the next app.
I am repeating the process to download the updates but it is by no means a fix to the problem. But atleast your apps will be updated.

I did what Temsah had done. after 100% closed play store on recent apps and restarted it. but the ap to be updated started all over from 1% again Im tired

Still works in 2019

return your playstore to it's stock version, then update it to the current version. This will temporarily fix this installing issue, which I've been having as well. Other than that, I'm waiting in the same boat as you.

after fully download wait 2 second, then restart the phone , you can see downloaded app is installing, temporary solved my problem,
my phn galaxy core duos androids v 4.2

Clear Play Store from recent apps when it reach to 100% and then open Play Store once again it will install the app.

Don't advertise your own site unless it's directly related to the question.

You're welcome to mention your website *in your profile, Jamil. But doing so in an answer without it being related to the topic is considered spamming, as Andy indicated.


text:
How can I prevent an application (Chrome) from opening another application (Google Play Store)?
So today Facebook Messenger declared a war against users of the mobile website. Of course we have been plagued for months with small header messages as well as overlays hiding all content and encouraging us to install Facebook Messenger.
But as from today, wherever I click in the messaging interface of Facebook's mobile website (and that includes the Message icon in the toolbar, clicking any conversation, clicking the Load more button, ...), each time it will open the Google Play Store application and send me to Facebook Messenger's application.
So I wonder if there is a way to prevent an application (in this case, Chrome) to open other applications (in this case, Google Play Store) via deep linking.
I don't believe that this is a bug that would be fixed any time soon so I am looking for a way to overcome this.
Installing any Facebook application is not an option for me.
I have searched for similar questions: answers suggested to clear Chrome's and/or Google Play Store's data, which I have tried but it did not solve the problem.

I can only think of using "desktop mode" in browser, because Facebook has been forcing their users to use their Messenger app on mobile (either web or FB app itself).

Degraded UX, yeah!

But @AndrewT. 's answer might well be the only working solution... (and I hadn't thought of it)

I have another solution. Download Firefox for Android and use m.facebook.com in Firefox. It is also a very good browser and does not open native apps, as Chrome does.

I investigated the issue and it seems that facebook detects if you use android and it redirects you to intent://threads/?vcuid=672877710&src=mtouch_diode&show_multiaccount=true. This evades the usual android configured rights "Open supported links": Ask every time. I don't know how this intent can be disabled.

So there's no doubt that this is annoying by design...

"Request desktop site" works (for now)...

So you also noticed the problem, it's not only me?

I noticed it too.... solution is not ideal but neither is installing fb messenger on my phone

That is just awful. Even installing FB messenger does not help - instead opening Google Play, FB website opens the conversation in FB messenger :(

This worked for me: Navigate to
https://www.facebook.com/deactivate/
and delete your account, then don't ever visit the site again.
Facebook never opened the Play Store ever since, so I suppose this workaround is just fine.

Please add the essential steps from that Facebook link.

Depending on what version of android you are on you can clear the defaults of the play store so that it won't open up the play store when you click on a google play link from anywhere in android.
The steps to do this vary by which version (skin and Android version) you phone/tablet is running.
Generally you have to:

Open Settings
Applications
Application Manager
Find the play store and remove defaults for opening web links

This approach will however still bring up the play store on your web browser.

Seems like the right approach, +1. Although, I found the setting but it did not work on my Nexus 5 Android 6.0.1. Seems like a bug.

Doesn't solve the issue with Android 10


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Is it possible to implement Android N (Preview Version) on new Lenovo Moto G4 Plus?
Is anyone tried to experiment to install Android N update in Moto G4 Plus ? or if it does installed successfully, then please guide us towards the procedures for that.

To be exact, there's no source code for Android N at the moment, so there's no way to port it to other roms, even to older Nexus devices. Installing ROM for other devices won't work as have been mentioned in the answer.

You can't install a firmware on a device that it isn't made for. This will (permanently) brick the device.
However, there is an Xposed module called Android N-ify that will make your phone look like Android N. Root access is required.

somewhere i seen in video, a guy using nexus 6P and showing features of Android N ? may i know what he actually did it to his device ? and also as lenovo company confirms that the new moto g4 plus will be upgraded to android N till O, so may i your opinion please, do you believe on that statements of future upgradation ? is moto g4 plus capable enough ?

@GovindTank sorry, I don't know if your device will get the Android N update.

Yes you can get Android N update in Moto G 4 Plus. Depend on your base band.


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Cannot root Mototola Moto 3G with Android 6.0.1
I am trying to root my Android device (the one in title) without success and I would really need it because of work reasons (in order to access app Caravel data and recover them in case the app does not start anymore).
I have followed many tutorial like the this and they all say the same thing. I have tried with many SuperSU BETA versions which I installed by flash from TWRP, as the tutorial say. The one which seems to work is 2.65; in fact, beta versions seem to block and freeze the device at boot. It just shows the logo and block. Instead, with 2.65 this does not happen. Then, superSU asks to be fully installed from play store but at the end I am not root. I checked with Root Browser and root checker and it seems that nothing worked.
What am I missing? Which is the correct procedure?

Try referring to this guide -
http://forum.xda-developers.com/2015-moto-g/general/guide-install-twrp-root-xposed-t3294588
It should work for your device.
1) Unlock your bootloader . for complete unlocking process go here.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sw675i...ature=youtu.be
IT WILL RESET ALL YOUR DATA.
2) Turn on USB debugging on
3) Boot your device into bootloader mode
4) flash TWRP recovery v2.8.7 r5. http://forum.xda-developers.com/devd...1051#downloads
5) Boot into TWRP recovery
6) Flash supersu zip v2.62-3. http://download.chainfire.eu/751/Sup...1211162651.zip
7) After succsesfull flashing wipe cache/dalvik cache . reboot system. If it asks to install Root. DO NOT INSTALL ROOT AT THIS STAGE.
8) wait till Boot finishes.
9) If you want to install Xposed Boot into TWRP recovery.
10) Flash Xposed installer xposed-v79-sdk23-arm.zip. http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=3034811.

This procedure is actually quite dated, although it still works. I will leave a more up to date answer that works on all Moto Marshmallow devices.

This guide covers ALL Moto G 2015 models (including the G Turbo) that can be bootloader unlocked, are running stock Marshmallow, and have TWRP available, it doesn't matter if it is the XT1540, XT1541, XT1543, etc., the method is identical. In fact, this method will work on all 2015 and 2016 series Moto phones running Marshmallow, including the Moto E, X, G3, G4, and Z.
Please read completely and make sure you understand each step and how to do it, if you don't get something search the thread or ask an open question.
tl;dr version for advanced users: Skip to "How to do it" section
I wrote this tutorial because there are still lots of failed root attempts using older "standard" methods that do not work on this device. I also do not like the "one click" root methods, because they can and do fail (KingoRoot will brick a Moto G3, regardless of what it's web page says), and when they do people have no idea how to fix it. The manual way is not difficult, and it teaches you how to work on, fix, and use your device on a level above that of the average smartphone user.
I will only cover the details of rooting, the prerequisites are covered elsewhere in detail and I will link to reliable sources for the information. Specifics of the prerequisites are outside of the scope of this tutorial, but are open for discussion in this thread.
Prerequisites:
1) Device must have an unlocked bootloader. See Moto - Unlocking the Bootloader for more info.
NOTE: Performing this prerequisite will give you all the tools (fastboot) and drivers needed to continue, and wipe your device, meaning erase all your information and programs. Make sure to backup any important data first. This step will also permanently void your warranty once an unlock code has been issued by Moto, it doesn't matter if you even use it, your warranty is done.
2) You need to have TWRP installed or one-time booted via fastboot. CWM and other recoveries will NOT work at this time. See TWRP for the Moto G 2015 or TWRP for Moto G Turbo.
3) You need a copy of the latest STABLE SuperSU ZIP from Chainfire's site on the internal storage or SD card of your device. As of this posting UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.76-20160630161323.zip is the current stable version.
NOTE: Version 2.77 BETA is intended specifically for the Note 7 and should not be used for rooting Moto devices, in testing it doesn't brick or stop boot, it just doesn't show up or work. Stable version are even numbered.
4) Reboot and start TWRP recovery, the method you use to do this doesn't matter (boot or flash).
How to do it:
Now, the procedure is the same whether you are trying to root the first time, or you did it the old way just flashing SuperSU and are now not able to boot...
In TWRP, go to Advanced and open the Terminal, in the terminal type this EXACTLY as shown:
echo SYSTEMLESS=true>>/data/.supersu
Now press enter (there is no confirmation returned), then exit and press the Home key. Go to Install and select the SuperSU zip file you downloaded from Prerequisite #3 and swipe to flash it and reboot. No need to clear caches or anything else but you are welcome to if you wish. You can install SuperSU updates normally through the app going forward (as of this posting).
Why do I have to do this???
For whatever reason, the install script for SuperSU does not recognize that this device (like many others) requires a systemless root installation. By creating /data/.supersu in the TWRP recovery environment, the SuperSU install script parses the file and sees SYSTEMLESS=true and ignores what it auto-detects and forces a systemless root installation.
Hope this is helpful to someone!
As always, if this is the first time you have booted TWRP or attempted root... BACKUP IN TWRP FIRST!!! Once the system is modified, it cannot be undone (easily) and you will always have a known good starting place if the worst happens.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for anything that happens... Your device, your responsibility, no matter what happens... Although all the information here has been tested and is known to work with no issues except where noted, things occasionally can and do go wrong and we cannot foresee every possible scenario or circumstance.
My original article


text:
How to measure sound decibel in Android?
Since Android device can play music using in-built music player or using external apps such as YouTube or TuneIn Radio, I wonder if it is possible to "measure" the sound being played by Android through earphones/headsets?
For example: I am using Google Music App to play music through headset/earphone. Is there a way(any tool or app)to know how much sound in decibel it is generating? Already checked Sound Meter, but it seems to be monitoring only the external sound/noice around phone , not really catching the sound output from earphone.
As discussed in this Health.SE post, there seems to be health implications (related to hearing loss etc.) if one hears the music at higher decibel volume. Hence, its better to check what sound level you are hearing your music at for safer media experience.

Measuring the speaker would be a possibility but the earphones, no, different earphones have different inherent values (impedance, resistance, material etc) that makes it impossible for the phone to know how loud the sound may be. How you wear them also makes a difference. In fact the area of the highest decibels is very limited. Earphones are inherently quiet but due to them being in the ear canal they give most of there sound directly to the wearer instead of the surrounding air, like ordinary speakers do.

Based on my understanding, it's almost probably impossible to do that, because I don't think Android has control over external output. At best, you might know the voltage of the sound before it goes through external output, but due to speaker's impedance (and probably external volume control), the volume output may not be the same as what you expected. Take an analogy on PC: I play an audio file on Audacity, the software shows/tells the volume in decibel. Then I turn down/up the volume on external speaker. The decibel indicated on the software is not the decibel I hear. (cnt'd)

So, the only possibility is to use external tool to measure the decibel just in front of the speaker/headphone/earphone itself.

@GiantTree Sound Meter which I linked in the Q seems to be doing it for external sound around phone, and may work with speaker sound. But as you may agree, most of us consume the music via earphones as it offer better privacy :) and hence I was more interested in knowing how much LOUD I am hearing.

@AndrewT. only possibility is to use external tool to measure the decibel just in front of the speaker/headphone/earphone itself. So, if I hold the music playing earphone in front of decibel measuring tool, can we assume this to be equal to what our EARS are receiving in terms of loudness?  As you said, except this awkward way, not much is there I guess to fall back upon...

I can't say for sure, but more-or-less, yes, though it might be under-measured due to the shape of the receiver (ear vs tool). There's an interesting discussion on Head-Fi forum regarding this issue. (though, now it seems this issue is outside of Android scope)

If you could measure the power output of the headphone jack then look on the spec sheet of your headphone/earphone for the sensitivity, you would be able to determine how much decibels you are being exposed to.

Could you please explain how to do such a thing ?

The easiest way by miles to do this is to borrow another Android phone and install the free (with ads) app Sound Meter on it. Then you can simply measure the decibel level using the borrowed phone's microphone.
You may also be able to install Sound Meter on your own phone and use that, but arranging playback at the same time as measurement seems like more of a fiddle (I don't use my phone to listen to music, so I don't know how to do this).


text:
Flashed my Android and now I can't display arabic, Hebrew
I followed this tuto to flash a zip to my phone (S3 mini - Android 4.4.4 )  using flashfire to show the new emojis. All seems to work well though I noticed Arabic and many other languages are not displayed I only see boxes.
Is there any way to fix it knowing that I skipped the backup step.

This is the reason you DON'T skip backups. Just flash the stock firmware back with Odin.

Yea I flashed the ROM again and everything works fine now. Next time I'll do a backup ! Thank you

Can you add your solution as an answer so it can help other people? http://stackoverflow.com/help/self-answer

I fixed the issue all you need is to flash the firmware ROM. I was using a custom ROM so I used CWM recovery to install it. Here's a link that could help but DON'T wipe data/reset factory, otherwise you will lose all your data.


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Disabling downloaded app
In Android, you can disable a built-in app so it won't run and will disappear from the app list. But it will still remain on the phone and
can be easily re-enabled.
However, there's no such option for downloaded applications, you can only uninstall it.
Is there, perhaps, a hidden way to do so?
A use case could be a public transport app for a city that you visited for
a while, and may visit some time again. You don't want to lose bookmarked routes, but you don't want it to update its schedules and waste
internet traffic and other resources, either.

You can use the pm command from either adb or a terminal emulator to enable or disable any app (package) by package name. pm is short for package manager and can do more than just installing, disabling or listing packages.

@GiantTree seems like pm disable is the answer. Why don't you post it as a proper anwser so I can accept it?

Requires root (at least on 6.0.1). System permissions (uid<=1000) is required but adb runs as userid 2000.
The Package Manager (pm) will do exactly what you want.
In either adb or Terminal Emulator (both require root), run the pm command and you can see its capabilities.
We look at 2 of them:

pm list packages
pm disable <package>

pm list packages lists all installed packages, this list is unsorted but if you know some easy bash, you can use grep to search for substrings in the package names:
pm packages list | grep google will list all packages with "google" in their name, effectively returning just Google's apps:
Sample output:
package:com.google.android.apps.unveil
package:com.google.android.gsf.login
package:com.google.android.apps.translate
package:com.google.android.backuptransport
package:com.google.android.apps.books
package:com.google.android.apps.giant
package:com.google.android.ears
package:com.google.android.keep
package:com.google.android.talk
package:com.google.android.apps.ads.publisher
package:com.google.android.apps.youtube.music
package:com.google.android.play.games
package:com.google.android.apps.magazines
package:com.google.android.apps.adm
package:com.google.android.inputmethod.latin

pm disable <package name> disables a single package you specified. Disabling the Google Keyboard would then be pm disable com.google.android.inputmethod.latin.
To find out what package name maps to what app try this url: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=<package name>
Replace <package name> with the package name you want to check.
Instead of using pm, you can use Titanium Backup, given that your device is rooted.
In Titanium Backup you can scroll through all your apps, filter that list and select the app you want to disable or in TB's case freeze.
This, however, requires the paid version of Titanium Backup.

+1 great answer. Maybe you can include further ways of doing this (for users who don't want to operate with a terminal). For example: Using a File Explorer with root privileges and browse to /data/app. Find the Folder of the application you want to disable, browse into it and change the file extension of the base.apk to base.apk.disabled. Or if someone is already using Titanium Backup they might want to use that. Does pm disable require root privileges?

@benjaminS well pm requires at least system permissions. Running it from adb will work but from a terminal emulator will require root permissions. I add more information to my answer.


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How do Android apps implement the share button?
I was wondering how Android applications and Android implements the share button and share mechanism. For instance, when I hit the share button on YouTube, a list off apps to share to pops up. How is this list determined? Is there a specific "share" intent, and then all spots capable of sharing the type of intent provided in the intent extras show up? What is the technical name of the design pattern used to implement this? Thanks.

Did you really mean "poops", or is that a typo for "pops"? In American English at least, the former is what babies do to their diapers.

You're right. I recently switched to the Swype keyboard on Android which lets me type faster, but occasionally it enters the wrong word for and I don't notice. Not sure what to do about it yet, I'm not a very careful person. Sometimes in in the sub and cannot even see the screen properly.

In the sub (submarine?)!  What to do: proofread before submitting.  And don't pollute your prediction list with embarrassing words.

Coincidentally my prediction list is filled with stuff from old emails, which Swype read automatically. Yikes!

There are two parts to this: the mechanism for the communication apps to say they can share things, and the mechanism for the apps with content to share. I'll deal with them one at a time, but first a quick note about intents.
Intents
The intent in Android is what's used to start an app. It can work like a shortcut, or like a Windows file association. The intent can specify the name of the app to start, but it doesn't have to. It can also specify the action to perform (e.g. "open your main activity", "view this URL", "create a calendar entry") and the MIME type of the object it will act on (e.g. that the thing you want to view has type image/jpeg). Some names of actions are specific to a particular app, but many are standardised by Android to allow apps to interact.
Intent filters and communication app
Each app specifies intent filters to say what kind of actions it can perform. e.g. an image viewer app would register an intent filter for "view this URL" where the MIME type is "image/*"; a web browser would register an intent filter for "view this URL" where the URL scheme is "http" or "https". To be able to share things, an app registers an intent filter for the "send" intent, either with a specific type (e.g. if it can only share photos), or for any type.
Content app
The app that wants to share some content creates an intent with the "share" action and a URL pointing to the content to share. (This is often a "temporary" URL that gives the receiving app temporary access to the file in the content app's private storage, or to a stream generated by the content app.) It doesn't specify the name of an app to handle the intent. Then, it gives that intent to the Android framework and asks Android to display the chooser dialog. Android compares the intent with the intent filters from all installed apps, and creates the list and shows it to the user. When the user picks a particular app, Android starts that app and passes it the intent. The app uses the URL to get the content from the original app.
New in Marshmallow: Direct Share
In Marshmallow, there's another mechanism called Direct Share. This supplements the intent mechanism so that you can choose people or groups to share to directly from the chooser dialog, skipping the extra step of "who would you like to send it to". This works slightly different: the communication app has to provide a service. When the app with the content asks for a chooser, Android starts the service for each relevant app. The service returns a list of relevant share targets, and Android assembles all those separate lists into the list that gets shown in the dialog.

But, I've seen apps show quite a few different chooser dialogs. Are they all really displayed by the OS, or can the app itself get a list of targets?

@grawity The built-in dialog has some customization options (e.g. to set the title), but it's also possible for the app to ask Android for the list of share targets and put them into its own dialog. My browser chooser bURLy is an example of this, but with the "open URL" intent instead of the "send" intent.

I'm not a dev, so I just can give a raw explanation: apps declare in their Manifest which Mimetypes they understand and willing to respond to on share actions. For this they define so called "intent filters", e.g.:
<intent-filter>
    <action android:name="android.intent.action.SEND" />
    <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
    <data android:mimeType="application/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="audio/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="image/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="message/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="multipart/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="text/*" />
    <data android:mimeType="video/*" />
</intent-filter>

So whenever you hit the "share" button, the content-to-share is evaluated and matched against apps having declared their willingness to receive the format.
Sources:

Intent Filter to capture all sharing Intents (StackOverflow)
Receiving Simple Data from Other Apps (developer.android.com)

That's pretty much it directly. The app (doing the sharing) it's self can filter some of the intent respondents, but most do not.

@HiltonShumway that's why I upvoted his answer. Other than me, Dan is fit in development and knows much better how things go together. So when I posted my answer, I was hoping he would post one as well – he didn't disappoint my hope :)


text:
turn off pitch correction in VLC when speed is changed
Is it possible to turn off pitch correction in VLC?  I cannot find instructions on this anywhere.

For VLC for Android, v. 1.7.5, the required setting is in the "Extra Settings" section under the "Performance" menu and is called "Time-Stretching Audio".

You should be able to turn it off in preferences, check https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?t=66188 . Hope this helps.

I think that's for the desktop version of vlc


text:
How to copy text on Android like on a computer?
I want to copy a string of text from an ASCII text generator, but whenever I paste the art, it turns into a line of text.
Example:
_ _ _ ___ ___ _ __ ___ ___ _ __ __ _ _ __ __| | ___ _ __ ___ | |_ _____ _| |_ / __|/ _ \| '_ ` _ \ / _ \ | '__/ _` | '_ \ / _` |/ _ \| '_ ` _ \ | __/ _ \ \/ / __| \__ \ (_) | | | | | | __/ | | | (_| | | | | (_| | (_) | | | | | | | || __/> <| |_ |___/\___/|_| |_| |_|\___| |_| \__,_|_| |_|\__,_|\___/|_| |_| |_| \__\___/_/\_\\__|

(This should say "some random text")

What I want it to look like:

It seems that when I copy the art, it automatically cuts out spaces and line breaks. Is there a way I can resolve this? Getting the art to paste properly is important for an upcoming project.
Edit: I am copying from Google Chrome into DroidEdit.

Possibly this is something to do with one of the apps you're using. Could you [edit] your question and name what app you're pasting from, and pasting into?

Do you take the width of screen into account?


text:
Unsync bluetooth audio volume control
After Android 6.0.1 update controlling the volume on my phone which is connected to a bluetooth device controls the volume on the bluetooth device. Before, when I changed the volume on my phone, the volume on the device still had his own volume control.
I understand, that for ease of use the merging happened - probably people disliked that they had to control two devices instead of one.
However, this means I lost a LOT of control over the fine tuning of the volume. This is a disadvantage for cases when you want to play through a bluetooth speaker a soft ambient in a low volume to fall asleep to. Now the lowest point of volume is high. Even though you can move the volume around in a non-discrete manner, you can hear, that only around 10-15 discrete volume values are used.
Is there no workaround, app, custom root modification or something I could do to switch back to two volumes instead of one?

Look for Fine Volume Control V2.0 in Google play.  I installed it based on earlier comments and cannot believe how happy I am with it!

Yeah, I used this and it helped me, but then I changed my phone and the problem disappeared. Don't know why I forgot to mention the app here.

App is not free.

Goto Developer Options, activate the "Disable Absolute Volume" toggle (see screenshot). Disconnect and reconnect your Bluetooth connection. Problem solved.
NOTE: This was done on Android 7.0. You can try on your own OS version.

To enable developer mode, go to Settings-> About Phone  and tap the Build Number 7 times. https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-l/general/enabling-hidden-developer-options-t2548353

It also works on androud 8.1!! Also thanks, it solved my issue.

I had to disconnect and reconnect my headset, but then it worked perfectly!

Android 9 on OnePlus allows this through Sound > Earphone mode > Bluetooth absolute volume.


text:
Extend app storage
Is it possible to expand or change app storage limit on Android?
In this specific case (see pictures below) it says that I have more than 1.4 GB free, but when trying to install apps message appears that there isn't enough free space. Why is this happening?
Default storage location is SD card.

Is this the internal or external SD card?

@SuperThomasLab External sd card 2Gb

Does your phone also have an internal sd card? That's the location apps will be installed to.

@SuperThomasLab edited the question with internal storage screenshot


text:
Device shows up as ????? in ADB
I am running Ubuntu on my computer and I plugged in my tablet to flash TWRP to it. I enter adb devices and here is the output:
juniorRubyist@juniorRubyist-iMac:~$ adb devices
List of devices attached
????????????    no permissions

...

Why is it doing this. I have a Kindle Fire 1st Generation, it says that it will ask to authorize ADB, but it will not. It has ADB enabled (I think) and everything.

It has ADB enabled (I think) How solid?

@SarpSTA I read on Amazon that it is enabled by default.

Can you check manually?

Is there a way to disable and renable ADB? Sometimes I have to do that and unplug/replug in the device to get the authorization dialog to come up.

It's because of the USB device permissions being insufficient. Try adding a udev rule and see if that allows you to communicate with it. You may also need to add some lines to the android_usb.ini, if you have one. Running the ADB server on your PC as root is also an option, but not considered ideal.

Please see How do I get my device detected by ADB on Linux? – and take care for the adb_usb.ini part. I had the same issue until then (also on Ubuntu). Also try to unplug/replug the cable (helped with some other devices here).

@Izzy That article was perfect. I would like to give you the answered question.

@juniorRubyist So it solved your issue? Shall we then mark your question as "duplicate" to that, redirecting there for the answer? // Yeah, unfortunately you can neither upvote nor accept the answer there, not enough rep yet. But you can upvote it later when you've collected some :)

@Izzy Ok, that would be fine with me. I could upvote it later, plus, I only have 1 rep and this isn't my main SE.

This is the same for me on Ubuntu. These commands should solve it:
sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb devices

This isn't helpful. I already got it fixed.


text:
Picture not geotagged altough GPS tag option activated?
On my Huawei P8 Lite running the stock ALE-L21C432B194 Lollipop 5.0.1 firmware, pictures don't seem to be geotagged although I have the "GPS tag" option activated in the camera's Settings:

When opening a file in either PaintShop Pro or IrfanView, no geolocation info are available.
Any idea why?
Thank you.

Not familiar with the icons on the top of your screen shot, but is your GPS turned on, high accuracy mode?

@Gulbahar does that mean your issue is solved? If so, mind to write an answer explaining how?


text:
Nexus 6P GPS location inaccuracies
I have a brand-new Nexus 6P, not rooted, running Android 6.0.1. I have location mode set to high accuracy (with GPS, WiFi Scanning, and Bluetooth Scanning all set to on). Almost all of the time, this works well: location detection is fairly accurate, and while navigating with Google Maps, the GPS has worked as it should.
However, once in a while (every day or so) when I am at home (and have been for at least 3-4 hours), my Nexus thinks I am at work. Not just one app: my IFTTT recipes set to go off when I reach work activate, Life360 (the family location tracking app) alerts my family that I've arrived at work, Google Now offers me the commute time to my home, and Google Maps shows my current location as work. A minute or two later, the issue dissolves and my phone thinks I'm at home once again. Note: my work is almost a mile away from my home, so it's not a minor gps error.
In a couple days of testing, the issue has not occurred when my location mode is set to "Battery Saver," which doesn't use GPS but rather approximates location with Cellular, Wifi, and Bluetooth. So, I think this is a GPS issue with my phone. Battery Saver location mode, however, makes navigating with Google Maps difficult (the bubble of where I might be is a little on the large side), and Google Maps constantly prompts me to re-enable GPS and high accuracy mode.
What should I do to fix this issue and what could be an explanation for this?

I don't have any issues with GPS on the Nexus 6P.

It's not plausible that a problem with a GPS receiver would make your location jump directly from work to home. It's a lot more likely to be caused by one of those other sources, which is just operating differently in Battery Saver mode.

I left my GPS on Battery Saver mode for a while (maybe a week or two) then turned it back on to High Accuracy afterwards; the problem went away.


text:
Can't Manual-Sync email after selectively disabling Auto-Sync - Android 5.1
So I have two Google Accounts linked to my phone. The first is my private account which I would like to auto-sync (IE push notifications as soon as an email is received). The second is my work's account. I would like this one to auto-sync the Calendar, but not auto-sync the email, as I get 300-500 emails a day and its draining on battery life. I DO however want to be able to manual-sync the email if I need to.
Disabling Email Sync with the checkbox in either the Gmail App or Settings -> General -> Accounts&Sync -> Google -> account@example.com prevents me from manually syncing the account at all. I receive a grey banner that says "Account Sync is Off, Enable Account Sync in Account Settings" and no email with that account syncs anymore.
Am I missing something or are my options really just "Auto/None" or "Only Manual"


text:
What is the minimum battery level required to start Android encryption?
The encryption screen reads "Charge your battery and try again".
What is the minimum battery level required to start the encryption process?

80%
// Minimum battery charge level (in percent) to launch encryption.  If the battery charge is
// lower than this, encryption should not be activated.
private static final int MIN_BATTERY_LEVEL = 80;

Source: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Settings/+/master/src/com/android/settings/security/CryptKeeperSettings.java#56 (as of android10-release branch)


text:
How can I get past somebody's password lock screen without them knowing?
My daughter changed her lock screen password on her phone. She has learned how to keep me from unlocking it. So I am asking, is there away I can get her password with out her realising it? Or can I get inside her phone without changing her current password? Her phone is a "METROPCS Samsung Galaxy Avant".

No theres no actual way of doing it unless you perform a factory reset from recovery mode which would be completely usless if you wanted to see things that shes got on there. Unless she has it all on an sd card.


text:
Couldn't communicate with Google servers
Does anybody know how to fix this error? My Android device is a tablet running 4.4 KitKat. I have Google Play Services but for some reason I still can't login or even add a new account. The app giving the error is Google Account Manager, and this all started when I deleted Chrome.Here is what the problem looks like... Except I don't know how to add images....

What app is giving this error?  When did it start happening?  What version of Android do you have, and what device?

Hey Matthew,how ya doing? Just more info is this all started when I deleted chrome because I only needed it to download Minecraft apk, then the dreaded com.Google.gapps started popping up

Hey, I didn't see your comment -- you have to use @name to notify someone (so @Matthew) -- but fortunately I stumbled across it again.  Thank you for adding the information.  A specific make/model for your device would be helpful.  In the meantime, check this out: http://android.stackexchange.com/q/106494/1465

@Matthew dude, I've seen that one before, I've literally checked almost EVERY forum I could find this is my LAST HOPE. My device is Maxwest and also I can't download anything from play store, it just keeps saying authentication required and I need to sign in, also I made a new account (before that ) but was having probs with that as well so I removed it and  i can't add a new because of the error and I don't want to remove my account cuz I won't be able to re-add it from the looks of things... And this ALL started because of deleting chrome..........WHYYYYYYYY?!

First of all, check of internet connection is reliable and stable.
Try re-logging in to your google account.
Try restarting your device.
If none of the above help, upload a screenshot, so ig is visible, what exactly the problem looks like. (A screenshot can be captured, by swiping the edge of your palm across the screen, right to left).

Please note that "swiping the edge across the screen" is only applicable to Samsung devices. On most devices, you have to hold volume down+power.

Sorry, I will know it from now on:)

This is a common issue n there are many possibilities to what could be causing it:

The date may be incorrect in the settings, causing syncing issues.
You can install the last version of play store from mirror siteweb

Here is a short easy tutorial I wrote:
Solutions for most major Playstore problems

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! While it's fine to link your own resources as reference, you must disclose your affiliation. I'll do this now for you, please do so yourself next time. Thanks!


text:
Entering very long Google password during setup
If I have a new phone how can I enter my Google password in a secure manner during setup without having to type it (it is VERY long at over 30 random alphanumeric characters and a pain to type).
Since the phone it not yet set up I have no way yo send it to myself from another device via encrypted email, messaging, PGP because I have no apps installed yet.

Well technically I don't think you need to actually setup a Google account right away. So what I would recommend is skipping the part of the setup process where you setup a Google account and then use a built in app to retrieve it (SMS, copy a file onto your phone or any method to read text).
Other than that I think the best thing would be to just temporarily change your Google password for a few minutes, than change it back right after (once you have methods to get the new password onto the phone without typing)

There is no way you can shortcut, without entering the password manually, since you cannot copy and paste it from elsewhere, or receive it from elsewhere, good luck with your typing!

Yeah, There is no way for that as told by @L_Pav.
But, In new phone you can always skip those settings and do it later on whenever you are free.


text:
How to run initial Android setup after skipping it?
So, as part of rooting my Nvidia Shield Tablet K1, I wanted to set some things up before running the initial setup, things like configuring the adoptive storage, that seemed to make sense before downloading all my old apps. I was able to skip the setup and do what I needed but then couldn't find a way to run the setup after the fact. Can I force the device to run the setup again?

Hmm. The linked question isn't quite the same question, but the question itself gives the answer to your question.

Some Googling later, I found that you can send this command to your device:

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n  com.google.android.setupwizard/.SetupWizardTestActivity

and it will rerun the setup. In my particular case it came up with an error several times to the point I was a bit panicked and decided to try rebooting. Once I rebooted, the error came up again but I clicked through it and then it said "Just a sec" for quite a while but eventually got on with the normal setup.


text:
Generating DTMF tones, when dialling a mobile number
Where could I turn on an option, which, when I dial a number, generates DTMF tones? I have full volume, so that is not the problem. Is there an option in settings somewhere? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3. Kitkat version 4.4.2.

No. DTMF  tones are not user configurable. See this answer for more details


text:
Voice to text: How punctuation works in Dutch?
I've seen a lot of post about the punctuation, but that was all about the English version of voice-to-text.
The Dutch version works pretty good, but it seems to be imposible to do things like 'new line', 'point' or 'comma'.
How to use the punctuation in Dutch?

It seems there is no support yet for punctuation marks in Dutch. Unless something has changed since this posting:
Spraakgestuurd typen met deze 10 tips en trucs
(Scroll down to "Tip 04: Leestekens")
I came across this while searching for Japanese punctuation in voice input. Try using Swype Keyboard app as a workaround.

So far these work for me (Dutch):

punt . of punt punt punt ...
komma ,
dubbele punt :
punt komma ;
uitroepteken !
vraagteken ?
slash /
back slash \
hekje #
apestaartje @
ampersand &
sterretje *
accolade { (of } daarna)
procent (alleen direct achter een getal) 1%
Euro (zoals: drie euro veertien) €3,14
nieuwe regel
nieuwe alinea

Welcome on the Android SE! I think your answer would look better with using some phonetic alphabet, too :-) No prob if you can't, possible a future editor will insert it.