text:
What's the difference between a service and a broadcast receiver?
I keep hearing about services and broadcast receivers. What's the difference between them, and how do they affect the operation of my Android phone from my point of view?

You know instead of creating ports on TCP layer we always create broadcast-receivers to save the battery and lots of processing.. When some event happens in android.... the broadcast is sent within the phone to all apps..  And if you have broadcast receiver to that event written,,, it will be automatically called. Technically the event happened is called intent in terms of android

Android applications have three kinds of components. In general, users don't need to know about them: they're a way for app authors to program particular behaviours into their apps. But if you're watching your apps' behaviour closely such as with a task manager, or if you are automating things with an app like Tasker, it's helpful to understand how they fit together within the system.
An activity is the most familiar type of component: it's a window you can see: either full-screen or dialog-sized. An activity only runs while it's displayed on the screen. Once you leave the activity, Android will keep that app in memory ready to be started again, but the activity won't run, meaning it won't use battery or network. An app starts an activity using an intent. The intent can specify explicitly which activity to start, or it can specify an action to perform (such as opening a particular file). If more than one activity can "handle" the intent, you see the dialog asking you to choose one.
A service is another application component. Once another component (maybe an activity, or another service) has started a service, it runs in the background until it stops itself. This means that a service could be keeping your phone awake (using a wake lock), running down the battery, or using lots of network data, without anything showing on the screen.
Apps can use services to do long-running processes in the background, such as downloading files from a server, or checking for email, or checking your location. Although services don't show up or interact with you directly, they still show up in the "Running apps" list. From the Settings app, choose Apps or Applications manager, and then Running. You can stop a service that way, but it's not usually necessary. Because services aren't directly visible, Android considers them less important than activities, so they'll be the first to be killed when your phone needs more memory.
Broadcast receivers are the third kind of component. Like services, they only exist in the background and don't interact with you directly. But unlike services, they can't stay running or perform long tasks: they exist to respond to events. And unlike activities and services, more than one broadcast receiver can be started in one go.
A component broadcasts an intent, possibly to one app, but more often without specifying a particular app. In this case, the intent usually represents an event that's happened, such as the battery running low. The system finds all the broadcast receivers that have registered an interest (using an intent filter), and runs each in turn. Each broadcast receiver can react straight away, for example by creating a notification, or it can start a service or an activity to take further action. As soon as the broadcast receiver has handled the event, it is stopped and will not run again until another similar event is broadcast.
An example of all three components working together is when you download an app from Google Play. First, the Google Play activity provides the visual interface for you to choose the content to download. The list of apps might be one activity; clicking the "install" button starts another activity to show the confirmation or payment dialog. When you confirm, the dialog activity starts a service. The service will continue to download the content even when the activity has finished and is no longer running.
But perhaps the phone loses Internet connection while the new app is downloading. If this happens, Google Play's download service will register a broadcast receiver, with an intent filter to say that it's interested in network connectivity changes, and then the service will stop itself. When the phone connects to the Internet, the system broadcasts an event. Android will start the broadcast receiver the Google Play service registered, along with any other broadcast receiver waiting for that event. In this case, the broadcast receiver will start the download service again. The service will create notifications as the download proceeds, and when it finishes, it will send its own broadcast to inform other apps that the new package has been installed, and will then stop itself. In turn, this will start broadcast receivers from other apps, to update the list of apps in the launcher, etc.
In summary:-

An activity represents a window on the screen; a service performs a possibly long-running background task; a broadcast receiver runs for a short time, to handle an event.
All three are started using intents, but using a different mechanism. The launching app has to state explicitly which type of component to start (by calling a different method in each case).
When an app starts an activity using an intent, it only starts one activity (possibly showing the "Complete action using..." dialog to let you choose which), and the same goes for services, but broadcasting an intent may start several broadcast receivers, possibly from different apps.
As a user, you interact with activities directly; you don't interact with services, but they can slow down the phone and consume resources; you don't interact with broadcast receivers, and because they're short-lived you don't need to worry about managing them.

A very useful answer. I just want to confirm something: what happen to apps that are disabled by users? Does Android ever start their broadcast receiver for the intents they are registered for? Or can those disabled apps run their service in the background? Why is Force-Stop button not greyed out for disabled apps even after a reboot?   It is clear to me that their activities cannot be launched.

@Firelord If you have a new question, you should post it as a new question. Comments don't allow in-depth answers and don't make your question findable for other visitors.

great post, but in fact, there are four components. Content Providers are missing.


text:
Does enabling sideloading allow applications to be installed or run on the device without consent?
I'm concerned that enabling sideloading of applications may allow malware to be installed.  However, I'm aware that Android gives a "Do you want to install this application?" dialog while installing an APK, intended to prevent unauthorized software installations.  I'm wondering if a workaround exists that can defeat this security measure.
Barring unintended behavior such as security vulnerabilities, does enabling sideloading make it possible to install or run applications of any kind on the device without consent?

No. Installing packages is still a privilege reserved to the package manager, which is a system app (i.e. it's inside the ROM), and the package manager doesn't offer an interface to avoid the confirmation dialog. This is by design.
That said, if USB debugging is enabled (in the developer options), you can use adb to install an APK file from a PC, with no user interaction. This possibility exists regardless of whether installing apps from "unknown sources" is enabled. USB debugging is a so-called secure option: only system apps can change it.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Is there any camera application that can save photos on internal storage?
So my SD card reader is broke, and my only possibility of ever taking photos again is to use the internal memory.
The default camera option, says that no SD card was detected and if you press anything it closes. So I can't change path from there..
I have already tried camera360, but when I try to change the saving path, it doesn't do anything.
Other apps I've tried crash instantly.
If relevant, my device is a HTC Desire HD, rooted, with android 4.1 I think.

On the home screen, go to System Settings/Storage and change Default write disk to phone storage instead of SD Card.  This will solve your problem!

No option like this on System Settings/Storage.

Try Camera Zoom FX. It has an option of choosing the save location:
You can read from the "OTHER FEATURES section:

Select sdcard folder to save photos (incl external sd)

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


text:
Access Samsung Galaxy S4 storage and SD card directly
I bought a Samsung Galaxy S4 a while ago. One annoying difference compared to my previous Android device that I've noticed on S4 is that I cannot access the internal storage and SD card directly by plugging the phone into the USB port of my computer (I use a Macbook Pro with OS X 10.6). It seems that I need a Mac app called Kies developed by Samsung to access the storage and SD card on my Galaxy, which is very inconvenient.
May I know if there is any way that I can access the storage and SD card on my Galaxy S4 directly, as if from a USB flash drive? I was able to do this with my previous Android device. Thank you!

The closest solution I have found for Mac OS X is to install Android File Transfer (http://www.android.com/filetransfer/) on the computer. With this, I am able to access files on the internal storage and the SD card directly within an Android File Transfer window, and perform basic file management operations like copying and deleting. This app also supports some keyboard shortcuts as well as drag-and-drop to and from Finder. It isn't as convenient as Finder itself but it is the closest available substitute I have found for this device.

I have used the filetransfer approach. I had to have usb debbuging enabled to make it work. It actually works quite well but you cant view images etc without having to move them off the device or copying them to your pc. Its great for storage but not a true USB type of storage as you cant quite utilize it the same way.

I found this potential solution.  It says to download SG USB Mass Storage Enabler to enable this mode.

Thank you. It is worth noting that this solution requires the device be unrooted.

You mean the question - and this recommendation requires the device to be ROOTED.

What you are asking for is called UMS or USB Mass Storage. On newer devices, this often got replaced by MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) for several good reasons. Both protocols have their pros and cons. Unfortunately, in most cases the user is not given the choice which one to use (some devices offer this).
However, an article at device-recovery.com explains How to connect Android devices to PC with USB Mass Storage Mode for different Android versions and devices, including your S4. I will list a basic exceprt here with no warranties: I have no S4, so I cannot verify this.

Go to Settings→About Phone/Tablet.
Go to “Build Number” at the end of the Scroll list.
Tap on “Build Number” repeatedly (7 times). On your third tap you should see message indicating that you only have 4 more taps to go to ‘become a developer’. Keep tapping until you are a developer. (a toast message will tell you so)
Now Developer Option will be included in setting list of yours now. Go to “Develop Options” to check USB debugging > OK. Done.

According to the article, that should have done the trick. I do not see how the two are connected, and doubt it a little. As an alternative, the very same article mentions a USB Mass Storage APK you could try as well.
For devices running Android 4.0/4.1, the steps are a little different, and sound convincing to me:

Go to Settings→More
Search then Tap on “USB utilities”
Check the option: “Connect Storage to PC”

Unfortunately, my Optimus 4X running 4.0.3 doesn't show that option -- so again, I cannot guarantee this will work on any device.

A different approach is presented at this website -- again, explicitly for the S4:

Attach your Samsung Galaxy S4 to your computer (PC or Mac) using the USB cable. If this is the first time you’ve connected your device to your computer, it will install the necessary drivers on your computer.
On your Samsung device, touch Applications > Settings > Wireless and network > USB utilities.
Remove the USB cable from you Samsung S4.
On your Galaxy S4 touch “Connect storage to PC.” You will see a warning: “USB utilities / Connect USB cable to use mass storage.” Insert the USB cable into your Samsung device while the message is still on the screen. Do not touch “Cancel.”
The screen will change to “USB mass storage” with a picture of a green Android and a message that says “USB connected.” Touch “Connect USB storage” at the bottom.
Your Samsung Galaxy S4 is now connected to your computer. The device’s internal storage will appear on your computer as an external drive. If you also have a microSD card installed, this will show up as a second external drive.

Plenty other web ressources I've found on my search simply state: that's not possible without rooting. But it cannot hurt trying above methods: they might fail, but should not break anything.

As you suspected, turning on USB debugging doesn't enable USB mass storage on any device. I think the web page you linked to is misleading.

I suspected that, as it sounds too weird (you rather often read that USB Debugging interferes with USB data connections) -- but I wanted at least to give that option. What about the second procedure?

I don't have an S4 to test on, but I can tell you there's no such menu item on the S3.

That might be normal, as the article is explicitly for the S4. OK, let's wait for Han to respond. I'd say he has a S4, or at least knows somebody who has -- otherwise he had not asked :)

@Izzy I do not see the menu item "Applications > Settings > Wireless and network > USB utilities" on my S4. But thank you all the same!

OK, sorry for that -- I could not verify as I have no S4. Thought one of those tuts should do :( That leaves the USB Mass Storage APK -- if you dare :)

I've been trying to figure this out for a while now and I stumbled on to your question. I tried turning off the debugging option and it didn't work, but when I plugged my phone back in I noticed it flashed that it was connected as a camera. So I pulled down the status bar from the top of the screen (sorry, can't remember what it's called) and saw that it said I was connected and to press for other usb options. I pressed it and was able to switch modes so now I'm in the mass storage mode. Hope that helps, I feel kind of dumb having it be such an easy fix that I have missed for the last 2 weeks.

It is pretty easy from Kies. I recommend doing so through Kies itself.
Just connect the s4. On the first window, click the round shape with the folder image on it. Then, drag any file you want to transfer to it.


text:
How can I automatically connect my phone to the stronger Wifi signal around it?
I have a Google Nexus 4 and have two wi-fi networks that I use in my home. Since they are in some range of one another my phone stays connected to the router that's farther away from the one I'm closer to. Is there a way or app that can connect me to the stronger wifi signal around me when I move around my house?

Are those wifi networks sharing the same channel?

Unfortunately, there's no native method for this (at least to my knowledge). But WiFi Switcher does exactly that. According to its description:

The tool checks the registered WIFI networks every 20 seconds. If one of these networks has better signal strength than the currently one, the tool changes the WIFI network to this better one.

But it's not that well rated (3.2 with 75 ratings). The alternative WiFi Jumper has a better rating (4.1@194), but is not free:

Automatically connect to the strongest available WIFI (scaninterval configurable)
Even unknown, but unsecured networks can be used automatically (configurable)
Optional: create Wifi Zones based on one or more Radio Cells to automatically start and stop Wifi Hardware.

This also might be a battery drain due to the inherent inreliability/fluctuations of/in Wi-Fi strength measurements. It can differ based on a lot of factors, so doing this at all might be a bad idea to begin with, but I'm not sure.

@bigbadonk420 +1 yes, continual scanning can suck the battery juice, wait and see if Android 4.3 resolves this, as apparently it's supposed to be able to scan without activating wifi...

You can do it manualy by using Wifi Analyzer and then connecting to the strongest wifi around you. I don't know an app that could automate this for you.
Link to app

You might want to correct the first sentence of your answer -- see mine :)

There is another third-party method using "WiFi Connect" as a plugin for Tasker. There is a tutorial on YouTube, described as follows:
Switch to Strongest WiFi Signal on Android

Based on a request from a viewer, in this lesson we create a profile
  and task to test the strength of the current WiFi signal and switch to
  another one if it's weak.  Best utilized in a house or business where
  there are multiple hotspots/connections, we cover several new topics
  including Splitting Variables, Testing Text to see if it contains a
  word or character string, Flashing variable info, and Reading/Writing
  files.  (This lesson also makes use of a Tasker plug-in called WiFi
  Connect.)

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


text:
How are SetCPU frequencies formulated?
Are the frequencies suggested by SetCPU for each device based on a certain algorithm or was it worked out device specifically or are they just arbitrarily formed upon extensive testing?
I have an old HTC Wildfire which has a maximum frequency at 768MHz
The steps of frequencies show by SetCPU itself is 176,264,352,518,576,614,633,652,672,691,710,729,748,768 all in MHz.
I eventually created a setcpu.txt file which I put in the root of the SD-Card. The thing is when I had a frequency of 800MHz SetCPU still read it but the max frequency it could obviously touch was 768MHz.
I repeat, my question is how are the frequencies listed by SetCPU formulated?

The answer lies in the kernel source for that HTC Wildfire - look in arch/arm/mach-msm/acpuclock.c to see the table of the accepted frequencies. Since the WildFire is based on MSM-7x25 chipset here's the excerpt of the frequencies table hardcoded, assuming its a GSM handset:
/* 7x01/7x25 normal with GSM capable modem */
static struct clkctl_acpu_speed pll0_245_pll1_768_pll2_1056[] = {
    { 0, 19200, ACPU_PLL_TCXO, 0, 0, 19200, 0, 0, 30720 },
    { 1, 122880, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 1,  61440, 1, 3,  61440 },
    { 0, 128000, ACPU_PLL_1, 1, 5,  64000, 1, 3,  61440 },
    { 0, 176000, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 5,  88000, 1, 3,  61440 },
    { 1, 245760, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0,  81920, 2, 4,  61440 },
    { 1, 256000, ACPU_PLL_1, 1, 2, 128000, 1, 5, 128000 },
    { 0, 352000, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 2,  88000, 3, 5, 128000 },
    { 1, 384000, ACPU_PLL_1, 1, 1, 128000, 2, 6, 128000 },
    { 1, 528000, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 1, 132000, 3, 7, 128000 },
    { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, {0, 0, 0}, {0, 0, 0} }
};

First column, indicates that the frequency can be scaled, if it's a 1 in there, that chipset frequency can be scaled up or down, think of ramping up the CPU when there's a processor-intensive app running and that is done by the kernel dynamically within the confines of a safe threshold without burning down the chipset - please note: This is only for the kernel to use, further on in the answer, that shows the overclocking table, that is "end-user" responsibility - not the kernel!!!!!!
Second column, the normal frequency in KHz as dictated by the what I think is called the a11 clock (somewhere within the bowels of the chipset itself)
Third column, not exactly sure but is specifically related to chipset itself
Fourth column, the selector used for the normal frequency setting
Fifth column, the divisor used for normal frequency setting
Sixth column, the overclocking frequency in KHz
Seventh column, the overclocking frequency selector
Eighth column, the divisor used for overclocking frequency setting
Ninth column, not sure either what that signifies

There's actually in fact, 12 fields used, the remaining fields are filled in at kernel boot-up, perhaps adding guards and ensuring that the conserved values are not explicitly over-ridden, a "gate-keeper" if you like, read on...
Further on in the source, there is usually a conservative over-clocking frequencies (the common MSM-7x 01 / 25 / 27 ) chipsets supports it), again same layout as the "conservative values" as highlighted above, notice every single one of the frequencies can be scaled up/ramped down for each overclock frequency That is how SetCPU can adjust those values as it has a 1 in there in the first column
#ifndef CONFIG_MSM_CPU_FREQ_OVERCLOCK_AHB
/* Conservative AHB overclocking */
    { 0, 403200, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 2, 134400, 2, 5, 122880 },
    { 1, 480000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 1, 160000, 2, 6, 122880 },
    { 1, 595200, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 1, 198400, 2, 7, 122880 },
    { 1, 604800, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 1, 201600, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 614400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 204800, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 633600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 211200, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 652800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 217600, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 672000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 224000, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 691200, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 230400, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 710400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 236800, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 729600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 243200, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 748800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 249600, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 768000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 256000, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 787200, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 262400, 2, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 806400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 268800, 2, 7, 200000 },
//  { 1, 825600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 275200, 2, 7, 200000 },
//  { 1, 844800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 281600, 2, 7, 200000 },
#else
/* Agressive AHB overclocking */
    { 0, 403200, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 2, 201600, 1, 5, 200000 },
    { 1, 480000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 1, 240000, 1, 6, 200000 },
    { 1, 595200, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 1, 297600, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 604800, ACPU_PLL_2, 2, 1, 302400, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 614400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 307200, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 633600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 316800, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 652800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 326400, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 672000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 336000, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 691200, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 345600, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 710400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 355200, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 729600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 364800, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 748800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 374400, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 768000, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 384000, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 787200, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 393600, 1, 7, 200000 },
    { 1, 806400, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 403200, 1, 7, 200000 },
//  { 1, 825600, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 412800, 1, 7, 200000 },
//  { 1, 844800, ACPU_PLL_0, 4, 0, 422400, 1, 7, 200000 },
#endif /* CONFIG_MSM_CPU_FREQ_OVERCLOCK_AHB */
    { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, {0, 0, 0}, {0, 0, 0} }
};

Depending on the table lookups, and depending on the chipset, only the max is specified, and is re-inforced by the kernel (in the remainder of the fields of the record that the kernel reads from and process it - as mentioned above!)

I eventually created a setcpu.txt file which I put in the root of the
  SD-Card. The thing is when I had a frequency of 800MHz SetCPU still
  read it but the max frequency it could obviously touch was 768MHz.

That is why you can never override the maximum as dictated, as in the OP's case, to prevent thermal damage to the chipset and clock frequency!
Random reboots, random freezes, battery overheating quicker than normal (normal as in within the regulated CPU clock frequency threshold) are all symptoms of a overclocked chipset.
This is a big give-away clue when someone asks about random reboots but does not say that it is probably overclocked!

tl;dr version: it depends on the kernel :)

@Chahk not true - kernel from device manufacturers (that is, if they comply with GPL!) actually has that as default - acpuclock.c is actually designated for qualcomm chipsets, there will be variants for ARMv7 chipsets such as acpuclock-7x30.c, acpuclock--8x50a.c or even acpuclock-8x50.c, these are for qualcomm chipsets, there will variants in the other kernel subdirectories underneath arch/, furthermore, to actually use the overclocking requires root!


text:
How do I make sure that a custom ROM will fit my HTC Desire?
After rooting your phone and setting S-OFF you will probably want to flash a custom ROM. One thing to consider when flashing a new ROM is the size of the partitions. This is especially important for phones like HTC Desire which has limited internal memory. I will use HTC Desire as an example here but the same principle should apply to other HTC models as well.

The HTC Desire by default allocates 250 MB of its internal memory for the /system partition, 40 MB for /cache partition and 147 MB for /data partition.
The ROMs are usually packed in ZIP files and are usually about 155 MB in size. However, they do get bigger when unpacked. Here's how to verify that you will be able to flash a custom ROM on your phone.

Download the ROM you want to flash. I will use SuperNova ROM here as
example.
Unpack the ZIP file. In my case, this is
Supernova_2.4.0.1_signed.zip.
Right click on the system folder and click Properties. Note the
size of it. In my case this is 203 MB.
Right click on the data folder and click Properties. Note the size
of it. In my case this is 17.9 MB.
Compare the found sizes to the reference sizes above.

If your system folder is less than 250 MB and your data folder is less than 147 MB then it's all good. You will be able to flash the ROM using the stock HBOOT image. This is true in my case for example.
However, if you find that your data folder is bigger than 147 MB (which is unlikely), OR if you want more free space for things like apps and user data, then you will need to flash a different HBOOT image first which will layout the partitions differently so that you get more memory allocated to the /data partition. One such HBOOT image is called "Bravo Oxygen r2". For more information and to download a differen HBOOT image, go to the AlphaRev website.
What is contained in the system and data folders is what will get copied to the corresponding partition once you flash the ROM.


text:
Nexus 7 won't boot up after the colorful X
My Nexus 7 will not boot up past the start-up animation (colorful X)-it's not a power problem as it charges up OK-just will not get past the X. I've powered it up and down several times but it hasn't solved the problem.

I had a similar issue - only seemed to happen when power had got really low and wifi was on. the way I got around it was:
Connect to charger
Shut down nexus
Hold "volume down" and power button until it wakes up
On the bootloader screen, press up until it says "recovery mode"
Press power
You should see the Android logo with a red exclamation mark
Press and hold power, and then press "volume up" which should take you to the recovery menu.
Once in recovery mode, leave plugged in and fully charge (several hours).
Once fully charged shut down and restart and it should get past the X.
Good luck!


text:
fastboot doesn't see device
I've read a lot of articles about this problem but I can't resolve it. I decided to install my developer application on phone using wifi. To do this I need to do some things with my phone. The first step is to unlock bootloader. I stack on step 8, fastboot oem get_identifier_token shows info < waiting to device >. adb sees my device but fastboot can't. An idea?
My phone is HTC Wildfire S and these are steps which I am following:

I restarted phone and entered into FASTBOOT USB mode
I tried to run fastboot oem get_identifier_token command but without success.

I use Windows 7 Professional and my phone is recognized as HT1CSTR05155.

What is the phone model, and what instructions are you following? Did you reboot the phone in fastboot mode (e.g., by using adb reboot bootloader)? What OS you are using on the computer, and how does it recognize the phone at that time?

Did you update the bootloader? You should see ***LOCKED*** on the phone screen after you boot into the bootloader, otherwise you do not have the proper bootloader version for unlocking. Also check that the phone appears in the Device Manager without any question marks when you invoke fastboot oem get_identifier_token — seeing the question mark there means that the fastboot driver is not installed properly.

Problem solved. At the end I saw that drivers for android were not installed. I installed drivers from this site http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2126036 and device is visible by fastboot. One thing I don't understand is why adb saw device and fastboot not.

This is because the phone presents different device identifiers to the computer in these modes, and different drivers are needed, so it is possible to have proper drivers installed for one mode, but not the other. The fastboot program is simple and will just show the < waiting for device > message forever if drivers are missing. However, the same message may appear if the drivers are installed correctly, but the phone is not in the proper state with fastboot device IDs.

For moto phones, get it from here https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS88481

Linux/OSX
Run fastboot as root or with sudo.
Other OS: credits

if sudo fastboot oem unlock isn't working, login as root with sudo -s, then run fastboot oem unlock.

Are you rebooting the device into the bootloader and entering fastboot USB on the bootloader menu?
Try:
adb reboot bootloader
Then, look for on-screen instructions to enter fastboot mode.

ADB and fastboot require different USB drivers.
Whilst you may see your device under adb when your phone is on it will not be detected by fastboot until you install the driver for it and hence will show "waiting for device".
You can follow the steps below to do so:

Open your device manager and reboot your device into fast boot by pressing volume up, down and power button simultaneously
You will notice that device manager refreshes and now your phone has a yellow icon
Download the Google USB driver, it is a zip file so go ahead and unzip it in your local directory
Right click on the yellow triangle for your device and update driver, select the option update from local storage and select the folder "usb_driver" under extracted files in previous step
You are good to go now, fastboot oem unlock will detect the device now

Followed these instructions to the letter, and it always fails.

Issue: adb and fastboot modes for the same Android device are recognized as separate devices under Windows
Scenario: the device is visible with adb devices but is not detected with fastboot devices and the other suggestions here don't work; you still end up with "waiting for device" on Windows and aren't able to choose a driver to install via rahul pandey's answer using the Google USB driver.
Possible Solution: manually update the driver for your device in Device Manager while it's connected in fastboot mode
Steps:

Download and install the Android USB drivers for your device. For example, Samsung drivers for Samsung phones or the (venerable) Google Galaxy Nexus
Reboot device into fastboot mode using adb reboot bootloader or by pressing Volume Up + Volume Down + Power buttons simultaneously
Open Device Manager
Unplug/plug in your Android device so you can easily find your unrecognized device in the list
Under Other Devices find your Android phone with a yellow triangle
Right-click on it and select:Update driver > Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer
Look for the driver you just installed and select it. For my Google Galaxy Nexus it was Samsung Android ADB Interface.

With any luck that will solve your problem. Now you can use the bootloader unlock method for your device (or, in my case, flash an OEM ROM).
Thanks to: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/106468/52235 for pointing me in the right direction.

I didn't realize it right away, but there are different ADB drivers and Fastboot drivers.  I had installed the google usb drivers with the SDK extras and ADB worked great but I got the "waiting for device" trying to flash in fastboot mode.
I went to device manager from the control panel and saw the "Android 1.0" device with the yellow icon showing it wasn't working right.  I had to update the driver and pick from the list of existing drivers which had a fastboot entry.

I had the same problem described by 'pepuch' on my HTC Desire S. I tried different drivers on relatively new computers running Windows 8 and Windows 10. In the end I found a link suggesting that I should try the (same) procedure on an older (desktop) computer which I did and the computer managed to detect my Desire S in fastboot USB mode and I managed to read the ID token. The link which steered me to the solution follows:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-rooting-roms-hacks/345350-htc-one-pc-doesn-t-recognize-bootloader.html
The only thing I did before starting in fastboot USB was to install the HTC drivers for the phone on the Windows 7 box and verify that the phone is detected when Android is up and running.

If no drivers work on Windows 10 or 8.1/8 and your goal is to just use fastboot to flash boot.img (Probably because you have S-ON), there's the way of the Linux:
Get a USB stick ready and use Live Linux Creator and install a Live Linux like Ubuntu or Lubuntu onto the stick. Boot to the Live version (maybe you can use VirtualBox VM on Windows, not sure). Open Terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T.
Type (without comments with // ofc):
sudo apt-get update //updates apt get
sudo apt-get install android-tools-fastboot //installs fastboot
sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb //optionally get adb
sudo fastboot devices // should show the device, don't forget the sudo!!
sudo fastboot flash boot ~/pathto/boot.img //sudo is doing the trick here, which is missing on Windows !!!

This is the only thing that worked for me.

try reinstalling fastboot driver
while in fastboot

open device manager
expand android
there should be one device
right click
uninstall
uncheck "delete driver software"
click on pc with magnifying glass (in toolbar)
if not fixed, repeat, but check delete driver (you may need to download it)


text:
My SGS2 got stolen and I want to reset it through a PC - how?
My phone got stolen and I want to reset it through a PC how do I do that?

Did you have Lookout or another security app installed? Most of them have remote-wipe features. If you didn't, there's also Lookout's Plan B from Google Play. I don't think Plan B allows remote wipe, but even still, it's likely your best bet.

A couple more options that may be relevant: (i) if you registered your phone with Samsung you can wipe it from their site, (ii) some mail servers with high security requisites will have this option.


text:
How to save an image displayed in the stock browser without downloading it a second time?
I am trying to save a scanned image from a printer on the local network with the stock Android browser. The browser interface looks something like this:

As soon as I click "start scan", the printer begins scanning the image. When complete, it is displayed in the little box on the right and a message pops up near the bottom instructing me to right-click the image to save it.
Now, in the stock Android browser, long-pressing on the image displays a menu which provides an option for saving the image. Unfortunately, the download always fails - and I think I know why. The printer does not keep a copy of the scanned image and immediately deletes it after the browser finishes loading it. This is a problem because the Android download manager will attempt to download the image a second time.
How can I save a copy of the image that is already displayed in the browser? Chrome and Firefox for Android both use the built-in download manager, so using them made no difference.

Have you tried Dolphin Browser

@t0mm13b: I just gave it a try - sadly I get the same results. The download fails.


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How does the Android estimate the battery level without a current sensor?
The BatteryManager class doesn't have the metric for current: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/BatteryManager.html
And then I have found this post: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2439619/getting-the-battery-current-values-for-the-android-phone  It seems that the author also found it was not possible to get current value from the Linux entry.
I also downloaded the widget called CurrentWidget into my Nexus 7. For the current value, it shows "no data".
So probably a current sensor is required to get the current value and some android systems just do not have such sensors. Then how can the android system know the current battery level? Maybe it will just use the voltage of the battery to infer that(voltage will decrease during the discharge)? But then it would be very coarse-grained. Someone says that there is some 'trick' used to estimate the battery level without current values in Android(probably based on Voltage?). Is there any reference?
PS: for some reason, I know current value can be recorded on iphone 3GS

How does the android OS estimate remaining battery time?

Battery level estimation is usually performed by a special “fuel gauge” chip; different phone models use different chips. E.g., Samsung GT-I8150 (Galaxy W), according to the kernel config, uses the Maxim MAX17043 chip, which, according to its datasheet, does not have any inputs to measure the current — it has only a battery voltage sensor. According to the manufacturer's description, this chip uses “a sophisticated Li+ battery-modeling scheme, called ModelGauge™ to track the battery’s relative state-of-charge (SOC) continuously over a widely varying charge/discharge profile”. Some information is available in the datasheet, but details of this “ModelGauge” scheme do not seem to be publicly available.
BTW, the driver used for Samsung Galaxy W seems to apply some corrections to the charge level returned by the MAX17043 chip, so probably the estimation performed by the chip is not ideal.
Other fuel gauge chips (e.g., MAX17047) measure both voltage and current, and sometimes also the battery temperature. Such chips can probably provide a more precise estimation of the battery charge level. Again, the datasheet does not provide all details of the used method.
However, even if the fuel gauge chip used in a particular phone can measure the current, accessing that information from Android might be impossible for several reasons:

The chip might just use the current measurement internally and not expose it to the outside. This is not the case with MAX17047 — it has registers holding current measurement values, which can be read over the I2C bus.
The kernel driver for the fuel gauge chip might not have code to expose the current measurement information to user applications.
Even if the kernel driver makes the current measurement information available (e.g., through some sysfs file), Android does not have a standard API for such sensors — neither BatteryManager nor Sensor have anything appropriate for an electrical current sensor. Therefore the CurrentWidget app that you have found may work only on some models for which the developer has information about accessing this nonstandard sensor.

Hi,thanks so much. Your information is very helpful! I am very new to the android source code and kernel. Could you point me to the place where the driver for the chip of Nexus S is located....? So I can take a look and try to find out whether there is a way to get the battery level with higher resolution than using the Android API. This is just what I want to achieve. (From the document you provided, it seems that I can do this by reading the SOC register of the chip..)

CONFIG_BATTERY_MAX17040 → max17040_battery.c; datasheet shows that this chip measures only voltage and not current, like MAX17043.


text:
Time server for Android
If I have an Android device that has no internet connection and I would like to use a PC as a time server. What should be the right procedures?
Is it that I should install a NTP server on my PC and then .....? How can I set the Android device to detect the time from the time server on my PC?
Thanks!

SimpleRT allows you to share your PC's internet connection with your Android device.

That should be the correct approach. As you noted, time sync needs a source -- so setting up a NTP Server on the PC will provide this source. Now you need to have some NTP client on your Android device. Searching Google Play for "ntp" brings up two of them right on the first page: ClockSync (I use this one, and am quite happy with it; still running it with the default NTP server configured -- but in your case, you will have to change this: as you can edit the time server used, this should be no issue), and NTPSync - Time Synchronization are two examples running in the background. If you prefer something permanently visible, Atomic Clock Wallpaper seems to be a candidate. Just follow the search link for more candidates :)

thanks!.... but I don't know why it didn't worked for me.... I set up the PC server as http://windowsitpro.com/windows/how-can-i-enable-network-time-protocol-ntp-server mentioned... and then in the ClockSync app, i modified the NTP setting to listen to the IP address of my PC. Both PC and the Android device are linked to the same wireless network....

plus... the app will need the Android device to be rooted?..

I cannot help you with the Windows part. As for the Android part: Yes and no. On a non-rooted device, apps can only adjust differences of 30s and higher (according to the ClockSync dev). If that's enough for you, the device does not need to be rooted -- otherwise it's a pre-condition, unfortunately. Not my design, and I cannot understand the reason for this limitation...

@Izzy The reason is that Google refuses to allow user apps to set system time (so ClockSync without root just helps the user set the time manually), and there is no way to set seconds when setting the time manually (on some devices seconds are reset to 0, but this behavior is manufacturer-specific).

@SergeyVlasov Thanks for the details! If user apps cannot do that at all, it gets understandable again. I just would not have understood if apps generally could set the time, just not that accurate :)


text:
Forgot login pattern on my tablet
I have forgotten the Patten to get in my tablet. It is an Android system. The brand is IMPRESSION, model no.: i10-LE.

Sorry, but this site does not work like that (sending you emails in a specified format). We are a Q & A site, that means we hold both parts together. Besides, your question has already been answered multiple times here, see e.g. Cannot unlock tablet as have no internet connection?

Oh, I did not know that. I have never used a site like this before.  Thank you anyway.

You're welcome. Though I recommend at least having a look at the [FAQ] of our site(s). Might save you some headache :) And won't take that much time, as we tried keeping it short to not scare people away #D

Suppose your tablet is in WiFi or in airplane mode? And you can't unlock it without? There's a way to solve this:

Windows PC
Install android SDK (http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html)
Connect the device with USB cable
Install USB drivers

Open CMD:
Change directory to the android SDK platform tools (for example C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools)
Type following commands in CMD:

adb devices (verify device is identified by pc. If not reconnect
device and try again. it should display “device” with a serial no)
adb shell
cd /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases
sqlite3 settings.db
update system set value=0 where name='lock_pattern_autolock';
update secure set value=0 where name='lock_pattern_autolock'; (for
some devices update “system” is enough but I had to update “secure”
too)
update system set value=0 where
name='lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';
update secure set value=0 where
name='lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently';
.quit
exit
adb reboot

Now your device should be unlocked. If not do this step too:

adb shell rm /data/system/gesture.key

For Readers: Root access is required to run some commands.


text:
Can i flash indian rom in korean galaxy note?
I got the Samsung Galaxy Note shv-e160l (Korean version) as a gift, running the stock ICS 4.0. I want to flash official indian JB ROM (of the GT-N7000) on it. Is it possible if I root my device?

No, do not try to do this, or you will brick your device. SHV-E160L and GT-N7000 have completely different processors (Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 for SHV-E160L, and Samsung S5PC210 for GT-N7000); e.g., see this comparison.
There are some custom ROMs for SHV-E160L in the xda-developers section for AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717 (this device is closer to SHV-E160L, but also not 100% compatible, so look carefully and use only ROMs which are made for SHV-E160L).

Thanks man but i want something to be clarified."This device is closer to SHV-E 160L" does that mean if i can't find any custom roms i can flash a rom for the AT&T version on my device ? Is the chance of bricking low ?

The problem is that there is currently no special section for the SHV-E160 series of devices on XDA-developers forums, therefore discussion and ROM releases for SHV-E160 are in the section for I717, which has some common hardware with E160 devices, but is not exactly the same. So you will find ROMs for SHV-E160 and I717 in the same forum, but this does not mean that ROMs for I717 will work on E160 series devices. Use only ROMs which are explicitly described as compatible with your device model.

No, you can't run the Indian ROM. Both are different chipsets, and forcing it might brick your device.
Many users requested the SHW-M180S Firmware. I have uploaded it here.
It is only for the SHW-M180S tablet.

It's generally a bad idea to download ROMs from dodgy file-sharing sites. Only install ROMs from sources you trust to be genuine.


text:
How to upgrade android market to Google play
I am using Micromax Android A60( version android 2.1 ) phone since two years ago.
Now the Market app is not working. When I download any other app it gives error download unsuccessful. Even the Facebook app which is already downloaded to the phone is also not working.
Is this problem because of Market is not upgraded to Google Play?
Why is my mobile is not upgrading Market to Google play? How can I upgrade it?
On Google I got following steps to upgrade Market App but not able to do 3rd step.
Follow these steps to upgrade it manually on your Android device:

Go in to Settings in your Android device and then Apps.
Look for Market under the "All" tab and then press clear data.
Now open the newly updated Play Music app (Google Music). (This step not found)
Hit that little Market icon in the bottom tray.
Confirm Google Play upgrade.

Google Play requires Android 2.2 or higher.  Since your phone  has 2.1, it won't run.  You'll either need to upgrade Android (which may not be possible with your phone) or sideload any apps you want to install from now on.

Google play is working on my phone. I have done restore factory settings and its working :) Thanks a lot for your response

That's good, and interesting - are you sure your phone is running 2.1, then?

You can download from Softpedia. Before that, however, you will need to make sure you have selected the Unknown Sources for installing applications.


text:
Some Android contacts with phone numbers are missing after update
After I updated my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro from Gingerbread to ICS some of my contacts went missing. The strange thing is when these people call me, the phone recognizes them and displays their name, but I still can't view the contact. When I touch-and-hold on a name in the call log and choose "View contact" nothing happens. Touching once though calls them right away.
Also in the contacts list ("Contacts with phone numbers" is checked), where the rest of my contacts are listed, nothing happens when I touch a name. It should open up the contact. So now I can only call people who are in the call log.
Can anyone help me?

Are the "ghost" contacts present in your Google contacts? Do you sync your contacts to Google at all?

Hm, we had that issue before... Looks like Why are some contacts missing in some views after an android update followed by restoring the contacts?

@bigbadonk420 I do sync Google Contacts, and no they are not visible there.


text:
what is a bootloader unlocked phone?
What is a bootloader unlocked phone?
How we can make use of it while creating or flashing ROMs?
What are advantages of unlocked bootloaders over locked bootloaders?
Why does not any OEM generally make bootloader unlocked phones?
I am pretty naive in this topic. Thanks in advance.

Check out Fairphone - that is pure unlocked handset, there's another IIRC, NeoRunner, and also, as per Google IO 2013, Samsung Galaxy S4 will be unbranded as Google nexus (?) that will be unlocked.

Every Android phone has a bootloader that instructs the operating system kernel to boot normally. But you need to understand one thing here that as Android OS is an open source OS and is available on a variety of different hardware, every manufacturer has their own version of bootloader specific for the hardware present in its environment. (...) A bootloader is usually locked on an Android device because although it’s an open source OS, still the manufacturers want you to stick to their Android OS version specifically designed for the device. In order to apply this concept, manufacturers lock the bootloader.

(Source)
Essentially, the advantages of having an unlocked bootloader for your device is that the manufacturer of that device has granted you the right to modify the operating system (Android) present on the device.
It's interesting to note that the term "unlocked" bootloader would seem absurd if we were talking about a PC; the freedom to boot any OS you want has always been taken for granted on that platform, but because locked bootloaders are so common in the mobile world for many different reasons, it has become something odd for the bootloader to be "unlocked".
The reason that bootloaders are locked on some devices are fairly obvious: the manufacturer of the device wants to be in control of what software is running on it. Since devices are often locked and tied to a contract, having control of what code runs on the device is essential. It's also a question of support; if you were the manufacturer, you wouldn't want to handle support calls from people all over the world who had accidentally bricked their phones by flashing corrupt software onto their devices. In a sense, locked bootloaders protect (some) users from themselves. Depending on your point of view, this can be good or bad. For a corporate customer buying devices for employees, access to the bootloader probably would not be high on the wish list.
Please let me know if there's anything in this answer that is unclear and I will try to elaborate.

I also want to know that when a new phone launches, some developers try to root it by finding some flaw in hardware or drivers something. When they succeed, its like a big news. How its related to unlocking the bootloader? In PC if they have unlocked bootloaders by default why cant we easily install Macintosh easily (need to use Hackintosh), OS is locked here?

Yes, sometimes reverse engineering is used to find ways to open bootloaders that were not created to be unlockable. Jailbreaking iPhones is a good example of this. It's big news because it usually takes a lot of work and some pretty smart people to do it. The reason you cannot run OSX on your PC is different; OSX is made for macs, the only reason it doesn't run (or runs badly) on your PC is that Apple never bothered to make it work there. It does work on some PC:s obviously (the one you call Hackintoshes), and technically Macs are PCs ;)

I am sorry the comment thread is turning to discussion but its helping clearing my doubts.So while rooting phones or unlocking bootloader how is it possible that hardware breaks(bricks) its just a software process right? Ideally any software operation should not break hardware permanently!

I think the best explanation would be this: Flashing your BIOS with a bunch of junk (say, only zeroes) is a "software process". However, you just erased the software that helps the most basic functions of your PC start and function! Your OS will not even start. Technically, the hardware isn't "broken", you just need another way to write a working BIOS to wherever it's stored, which isn't easy. The same way a USB isn't "broken" if everything is deleted from it; it's just that this special "USB stick" isn't exactly easy to read and write from when you messed it up.

If you "brick" your device, its hardware is still fine -- it's the software part that's broken then. A real "hard brick" (which means there's no way to recover from) is quite unusual -- but imagine you flash your PC's BIOS with something completely broken. You didn't damage any hardware -- but still the PC wouldn't boot up as it no longer knows how to address its hardware. That's about what "bricking" means. Even to flash a new ROM, you will need a basic system running to do the job; break that, and you have a "brick".

I don't mean to derail this comment thread further, but I just want to point out that a "soft" vs "hard" brick really depends on your point of view. I would call a bricking that requires the BIOS to be reflashed with extra equipment and the phone to be opened to be a "hard" brick -- otherwise, replacing resistors could be a soft brick too :)


text:
Isolating pocket casts from scrobble for last.fm
When I play a podcasts on my android phone using pocket cast 4.2.3 I notice that the details are scrobbled to last.fm. It is happening because I have set my last.fm app to scrobble. I want to scrobble every music playing app I have but I do not really view pocket cast as a music app. How can I stop scrobbling from pocket cast?
In last.fm scrobble settings I see that there are various categories of apps to scrobble from

Scrobble Android Player: Scrobble the built-in Android music player
SLS support: Scrobble apps that use the simple Last.fm scrobbler API
ScrobbleDroid support: Scrobble apps that use the ScrobbleDroid API

Where does Pocket Cast fit into those options?

Last.fm picks up the intents apps like Pocket Casts and Google Music send to bluetooth devices, and hacks that into their scrobble implementation. I guess they figured Google were never going to support them explicitly so that was their only way in. To stop Pocket Casts from scrobbling you'd un-tick the Google Music option in last.fm.
The fine people of Pocket Casts (read: us) are planning to put in a setting that turns off that bluetooth data, which would also turn off scrobbling. We looked into the last.fm API and there's nothing extra we can send to tell them to ignore us, which would be a better solution, since it would mean keeping the blue tooth meta data as well.

For the past few months or years last.fm on my android has been scrobbling my various music players but not my pocket cast. Something happened on or just before Wednesday 2013-05-22 15:00 (Eastern Time in the USA) that put the pocket cast data into last.fm for the first time. Did a recent release from you put the data in the bluetooth data which then enabled last.fm scrobbler to see it?

Yes, in v4.2 we added bluetooth meta data, as the release notes say in the store ;)

Farrel, the only way I've found to allow Google Music to scrobble to Last.fm but not Pocket Cast is to stream podcasts rather than downloading them — that seems to work. I realise that this is not always ideal.
Don't forget you can delete tracks from your last.fm profile/library but I'm not sure if that is persistent. Again, not ideal.

Alas, I am wrong — streamed podcasts can be scrobbled. Sincerely sorry for reporting otherwise.

I guess I am pretty late to the party, but Pano Scrobbler no longer relies on the traditional music intents. It checks for media sessions only from specific players, which are enabled in settings.

Last.fm app only scrobbles if the device tells it to. So i think in you Pocket Cast, if you go in to it's settings then i think you would find something about Scrobbling, and you should have there an option to disable it.

I want last.fm to scrobble my music player (such as Google Play) but I do not want it to scrobble my podcast player. Pocket cast does not have a scrobble setting.


text:
How to automatically use SKYPE when calling international number?
I'd like to program my phone such that if I call an international number it'd automatically use skype (or ask me to connect to skype if not connected), and if I call within the US it'd just use my phone.
Examples:
+1 -> always use my phone
+56 (or other international codes) -> always use Skype.
Any suggestions?  I think tasker could help but I am new to tasker so I am still looking on how to program this kind of flows in tasker... I am open to other software/ideas as well.  Maybe it could be even more general, instead of using skype it could use any other VoIP good service (I am mostly familiar with Skype but I am sure there are other great services).
Thanks in advance!

I have to check that as well, as I never tried such. A good ressource on this is the Tasker UserGuide. Hm, strange: all phone-related events seem to be about incoming calls only. So this might need another plugin -- and here comes the second ressource: mine. Hm, but it looks like there are only plugins for incoming calls, or SIP, or GoogleVoice. Wait: Maybe Call Monitor Locale Plug-in?

Great Question... It can really be useful to all calling international number..

@Izzy, thanks a lot! i am still trying to figure it out but I think we are in the right direction

Keep us updated, please, once you've got that working. You know, you can answer your own question :)

On Android => 2.3 there is an option in phone settings under Internet Call Settings to add VOIP accounts as well as option Use Internet calling with the following options:

For all calls when data network is available
Only for Internet calls
Ask for each call

Using the third option is the closest you can get currently to your required way of doing this, using a regular SIP instead of Skype.
*Note: Some devices might not have these options even though they are later versions.

With a launcher such as Nova Launcher, you could use a custom activity launcher and use the activity witch is the dial pad of skype. That will allow you to launch the right dial pad when calling a foreign number.

Tasker cannot help. Neither can android. Because android cannot differentiate between international and local numbers. You can however make your own app if you can code ;)


text:
Turn off cell standby?
I have a Droid Charge, but I live overseas and it's not an international phone so I can only use it for wifi. It is constantly searching for a signal that doesn't exist and it's eating my battery up! Is there a way to turn off the cell signal while keeping the wifi on?

I don't know for the Droid Charge in special, but on many phones you can turn off the radio separatly. And even if that doesn't work, in your case it should be fine to simply enter airplane mode, and then activate WiFi again (plus Bluetooth, when needed) -- which eventually has the very same effect.
I remember having used Dazzle Configurable Switcher for this on my old HTC Wildfire (to turn off radio separatly), and it worked like a charm. On my Motorola Milestone 2, however, I was not given that choice -- but could use the work-around described.

Most Android devices I've owned don't allow Bluetooth in Airplane Mode. (That's a LG Optimus V, a Motorola Triumph, and a LG Nexus 4.)

Admitted, I rarely use BT -- but that's new to me. Will check with my LG P880 and Motorola Milestone 2 to verify -- it definitly works with my tablets (Android 4.1.1).

I meanwhile tried: I can enable BT while in airplane mode, on all devices I checked (including a Motorola Milestone 2 running CM7.2 and a LG P880 with stock ROM). Strange that you can't...

Just tested my Nexus 4 and it worked. I swear it wouldn't let me do that before. I definitely had to tweak a setting on one of the older phones to make BT work with Airplane Mode on.

The trick to turn on airplane mode and then switch back on wifi works but if I go in the battery settings, the cell standby still shows up with 41% of battery usage.

Toggle Cell worked for me. When turned on, the Cell standby goes down to 20%.

@GuillaumeBois sounds interesting, but not always desireable: that app switches off the cell antenna when connected to configured WiFi networks. That means, you can no longer receive or make calls, and no longer receive or send text messages until you leave the WiFi. Heavy trade IMHO – unless you're using a solution that does VoIP anyway.

Set airplane mode.
Under phone setting, enable airplane mode. When this happens your phone's WiFi will turn off, but you can activate WiFi again.
Airplane mode ONLY disables your phones radio. It usually turns off other communication features such as WiFi and Bluetooth but these can be turned on again.
There is also a detailed article on using an Android phone as a WiFi only device (no cellar connection).


text:
Can I adjust a car radio volume by Bluetooth?
I have a Bluetooth radio on my car but the volume wheel is broken. I am wondering if there's a way to make my Android act as a remote control for the radio, allowing me to increase its volume. I don't want to play music from my phone, only control its volume.

It depends. Usualy when you would pair a device to you car audio player, the player would only want the files on it. But that depends on the player and what type of connection it makes with it's paired devices. So basicaly I think you will have to try and see if it works.


text:
Change the size of unlock pattern grid
On some of the screenshots I've seen the pattern unlock use a much larger grid instead of the default 3x3.
I can't find any way to change the size of the grid in the settings.
Can I somehow change the grid size on the stock unlocker or is that some custom stuff? The screens look like they're from a stock ROM.

The bigger pattern lock is a Cyanogenmod feature that was introduced in 10.1 late last year.  I do not believe it is currently included in stock android.
https://plus.google.com/+CyanogenMod/posts/eHpv1QCoRuc


text:
Can I use tasker to override "lock on power button"?
I have the app Tasker, I want to know if there is a way I can create a task that changes the state of the lock screen setting "lock screen when power button pressed" from on to off and vice versa?

Would it be enough to turn screen locking on/off altogether? In that case, you could toggle keyguard. For finetuning, also take a look at the Secure Settings plugin. Always good ressources: Tasker UserGuide and my Tasker ressource collection :)

I wanted it to lock on power button when im not connected to wifi but just stay on a timer when im connected.  Ive tried enabling keyguard on display off but it doesnt seem to do anything, when I push the power button again it just goes back to the unlocked state

That should be the normal behaviour with keyguard off. As for your "timed keyguard", AFAIK that's made easier with the Secure Settings plugin. But OK, you gave some background -- let me try to put together something matching with Tasker. As I didn't yet work with Secure Settings, I can only include hints to that.

Here you go! Sorry that it took a little longer -- I was interrupted by a longer phone call...

I'm not sure if the following will be a perfect match for you, but you always can adjust it once you've got the idea. In my example, I will refer to Tasker only: not having worked with the Secure Settings myself, I can only tell things about it from the hear-say and what I've read.
Basic Tasker knowledge assumed:

Conditions:

State → Wifi Connected, parameter: SSID set to your WiFi's SSID
State → Display is off

Task:

Display → Keyguard off1

This is with plain Tasker, and should solve half of your problem: When connected to the specified WiFi, and the Display is turned off, turn off Keyguard. As soon as you turn on the display, the condition is no longer met -- and Keyguard would automatically be activated again. Problem will be: if you do not take any immediate action, that probably locks your screen again (first action of keyguard). To prevent this, you could try adding an exit task:

Exit Task:

Tasker → Wait, parameter is the time interval (start with e.g. 10s)
Display → Keyguard on1

This would cause the Keyguard re-activation to be delayed by the given time interval. I did not try this -- it might very well be that keyguard still would lock the device, even though you already might do something in another app. But you have already noted the "footnote sign", so let's go for that:
1 Instead of handling Keyguard directly, let Secure Settings do that. I know it has the ability to e.g. have Keyguard only come up once (initially) when a condition is met. This would simplify things greatly: the Task then would be Plugin → Secure Settings, and the Secure Settings parameter should be to set Keyguard as described: "only needed once initially, then no more until the condition is no longer met". Also drop the "Display off" condition: when the display is off, you cannot unlock it either (you see where your problem most likely was). So it should work as you have intended -- after the first unlock.
Not exactly what you wanted (one-time unlock is still needed), but almost. The Exit Task would not be required in this case, as Tasker automatically reverts back once the condition is no longer met. Play a little with this, maybe Secure Setting even allows for something better.


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Why are some USB chargers slower than others?
It seems with USB chargers for my android phone, not all are created equal.
The first pic is the official charger which came with my phone (galaxy nexus).  It charges quickly, from 0 to 100% in a couple of hours max.
The second pic is a cheapy I got on ebay to use at the office.  It works but it's slow as a wet week, can take 6+ hours to charge and if I use the phone while it's charging, it seems to drain faster than it's being charged.
The two chargers below seem to be the same spec (5V / 1A) and from my limited understanding that P = V*I they should provide the same power, right?
What else do I need to look for when buying a charger, and is there any way to tell in advance if it is going to be slow or fast (apart from testing them out)?

(click images for larger variant)
ps:  I'm aware that charging from a computer USB port can be much slower than using the wallwart, because the computer USB ports can sometimes be current-limited to 500 mA.

A related question to anyone who knows more about this than me: Is it true that the USB cable can have more or less "contacts"? I've heard that the cable needs an extra one or two contacts to be able to charge at full speed (i.e. sending extra power as well as data). Could be the cable that is the bottleneck rather than the actual power plug.

@bigbadonk420 - Yes, there are more or less contacts, but they don't have anything to do with charging speed.  Micro USB connectors have a 5th pin called ID used in USB-on-the-go to determine which device is supposed to act as the host.  USB 3.0 adds 5/7 new pins (2 differential pairs for SuperSpeed, a signal ground for those, and on the Powered-B connector, a reverse power pin (allowing the host to draw power from the device), and a ground for that new power pin).

Do not forget that P = V*I (1) can also be rewritten as P = R*i^2 (2) and P = V^2/R (3). Let's say that C is the charge of battery, C = P*t (4), so with (3) and (4) we have C = t*V^2/R (5) => t = R*C/V^2 (6). R is the resistance of cable (thin wires are more resistant, so time to charge will be longer); V is the voltage given - more voltage, less time; if you are using those 'xing-ling'-generic-power-adapters, they would rectifies AC network voltage improperly, so effective voltage given would be less than original power adapter voltage and time would be larger...

E.g. I had a LG phone that had a good cable I use since now. Newer phones I bought (Samsung) comes with thinner cables, so I saw that charging with other cables than the LG one result in more time to obtain 100% of battery charge. One time, I bought another cable (from those Chinese ones) and using it phone discharged instead of charged. That Chinese cable was longer (2m), so resistance R = r*L/A that depends on length of cable L was bigger than other cables...

Lies, damned lies, and equipment specs.  I can print up a lovely sticker that says it'll output 1000A.  Doesn't mean it'll output that.
It's significantly cheaper to make a low-power supply than it is to make a high-power power supply.  Making the latter means you need a bigger transformer (with heavier windings), larger capacitor(s), larger inductor(s) and higher current rectifier(s), all of which add up to more money.  If you're trying to make stuff on the cheap and aren't worried about pesky things like ethics, you'll go with the lower end components and massage the specs (by testing at low temperatures, etc.  This is especially common with computer power supplies which specify output at 25C, even though they would actually operate at ~40C unless you're using them inside a refrigerator), use theoretical values rather than actually testing the product (saving money on QA), or just outright lie about the specs, the latter of which is probably the case with this charger, for reasons below.
One big red warning light that your charger is substandard is that the CE mark (which is used to indicate conformance to EU standards) is fake.  The shape of the letters and their spacing is wrong.  A real CE mark should have the letters each forming a half-and-a-bit circle and should link up if you continue the arc, as shown below.  A cursory glance at the mark on your charger shows it looks nothing like this.

The CCC mark (indicating compliance to Chinese standards) is also fake.
Other warnings signs include having no manufacturer listed and improper capitalization (should be mA, not MA, unless they're claiming is can supply a billion amps.).
In essence, to determine if a charger is likely to be substandard, apply the same thoughts as you would for determining whether a product is counterfeit.  The only real difference between a substandard product and most counterfeits is whether a manufacturer's label is forged or not.

It's definitely cheaper to construct adapters from cheap parts that may not actually meet the stated specifications. It's also cheaper to construct an adapter and ship it without testing to be sure whether it meets the specs.

Nice details about the CE mark.

Aside from the actual power provided, there's another variable: Whether the device RECOGNIZES that the charger is capable of putting out the rated amps.
Devices have some different strategies for recognizing what rating a charger has. Now when connected to a computer, it's easy - the numbers come across during USB enumeration. But when connecting to a dumb charger, it's harder, and you don't want to try to draw too much, as that will cause the charger's over-current protection to kick in and cut it off.
I know that Apple uses a specific set of resistors in their charges to produce specific voltages on the USB data lines. Their devices then look for those voltages and take them to mean that they can draw some larger amount of current.
The problem with this is that there don't seem to be a lot of standards on this detection - different devices seem to do different things.
I'd guess that your cheapo-charger doesn't do whatever the galaxy nexus requires to recognize that the charger is capable of 1 amp, so it doesn't try to charge at the higher rate.

Actually, now there is a standard — USB Battery Charging spec available here. In particular, a Dedicated Charging Port must have D+ and D- lines shorted for detection, and the device is allowed to draw up to 1.5 A from such port, while the charger output voltage during operation must not fall lower than 2.0 V.

Same as @SergeyVlasov. The USB charging standard has been around for quite a while, every charger you get either follows it, or the standard that iphone uses to ensure you buy their chargers as often as possible. They are different and a charger can not be complaint with both. If the device is "iPhone compatible"(or whatever their term for it is) then it wont be USB compatible and your phone will barely trickle charge from it.

@Kortuk - The Apple thing isn't in the charger.  It's the cable that has the resistors in it.  If you've got the right cable, all quality chargers are interchangeable.

@Compro01 this does not match my knowledge of how it is implemented, but are you possibly talking about the new design cable?

It's not just "USB charging spec vs Apple spec".  There are several other configurations as well.  See the datasheet for the http://www.ti.com/lit/gpn/tps2511, which tries to interface with all of them, and http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html, which reverse-engineers several.

Just like resistors, chargers have error margins, it's just not written on them, simply because it should be negligible in the case of known brands. Your phone will not even charge if the charger is deviating a lot from the designated voltage. It's not even supposed to harm your phone because modern phones have fail safe measures in them. Now if the charger is having the right voltage, the speed of charging is dependent on the amount of current it passes. And here is where the problem lies with cheap chargers. Cheap components affect the amount of current passing through them.

If smartphone is taking longer with cheapy charger for full charge, it means that the cheapy is giving less power. There's no exception or loophole with that. Grab a multimeter and measure the output by your own.
In this case, the printed specs (5V/1A) may simply be wrong or there may be other things like cable, connector etc which are screwing the output.

There can be one or two components to a charger; either you have a detachable USB cable or you don't. If you do, this might be caused by the cable, which means the printed specs could be 100 % correct. Both chargers look like they have detachable USB cables.

In addition to @bigbadonk420, if the device does not have data lines shorted your phone should only draw 100mA.

@Kortuk Not applicable here. Mind it, device is charging faster with one charger..

@SachinShekhar it is if they use a 1.8A usb spec charger and try to charge an iphone or vice versa.

Even 10A charger will not fast that fast because Android recognized your charger as 500mah.
Workaround
https://dangerousthings.com/shop/android-fast-charge-usb-cable/
Or by shorting DATA+ and DATA-

Why should Android do that? 500 mA is the specification for USB 2.0. USB 3.0 can deliver 900 mA. And using a wall plug, 2.000 mA are not an exception. So your "because" stands very questionable. Can you provide any source for that statement? Moreover: Shorting DATA+ and DATA- sounds like a very dangerous idea to me, and might harm your device. What your linked cable does is simply "faking" A/C mode by letting the device think it's connected to a wall plug. Read the description there. The question is just comparing different wall plugs, so this shouldn't apply.


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Is doing a factory reset via System Settings the same as a factory reset via recovery?
Is doing a factory reset via System Settings the same as a factory reset via Recovery?
Via System Settings in Samsung Galaxy S4:
System settings > Accounts  > Backup and reset > Personal data > Factory data reset
Via Recovery:
Vol Up +  Home + Power > ...
I'm not sure about the exact procedure; Recovery seems to have disappeared from my phone.
Will these clear the same set of data, or are there slight differences?

Considering the fact that the phone does reboot when you do that in the Android GUI, I think it's reasonable to assume that it does the same thing -- i.e. it only reboots with some kind of flag that activates the FR functionality in the bootloader.

I never heard there's a difference: factory-reset is factory-reset (which is why both methods are often mentioned alternatively to each other: if you still can power up your device manually, you can use the corresponding item in the Settings menu -- otherwise, you can go via the recovery-mode).
Usually, the menu item in Settings says something like "Reset to factory defaults", while the corresponding entry in recovery says "Wipe data and caches".
Now, what is a factory-reset, in technical terms? Resetting all settings to the defaults of the currently installed ROM, while deleting all data and user-installed apps.
How is that done? By...

wiping /data (user-apps and data, plus Dalvik Cache) and
wiping /cache (app cache)

Now comes the circular reasoning: Isn't that what the corresponding entry in recovery says -- "wiping data and caches"?

depends on the device. for some recent models (that i work on) this two aren't same. after i pinpoint that, i will try to add a detailed answer.

That would be interesting. All I know is that on some devices/ROMs the factory-reset menu entry offers to also wipe SD cards (internal and external) with a factory-reset. But I couldn't find out whether in those cases the recovery manu didn't offer the same.

i just asked a question, http://android.stackexchange.com/q/57814/20859 where i have detailed a scenerio

That does not necessarily mean the two factory reset methods are different. There are multiple reports around of "incomplete factory-resets", where the first run seems to have not done its job completely, but a second run (from the very same place) finally did (see e.g. here).


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Install from unknown sources on Nook Tablet
I am using a rooted NOOK Tablet with Android Gingerbread, and am installing an application from an email. I am using the NT Hidden Settings application to enable the installation of apps from unknown sources. I check the box and click OK knowing the dangers of 3rd party applications. I go back to the email, click the attachment, and when I hit the installation screen, after I had just checked it, it says install blocked. I returned to the setting and the check box I had filled in was now empty again, and I am caught in the loop forever. What can I do to make the app install?

Is your tablet rooted?

Usually that shouldn't need a separate app to enable unknown-sources. Have you checked in Settings->Applications for the corresponding checkbox? Sometimes it also hides in the Settings->Development section. Maybe it's just the fault of your "NT Hidden Settings", e.g. that it doesn't save your changes.

@Izzy The Nook tablet doesn't expose that setting out of the box.

Oh -- another "closed environment" (or "apple-ish Android"). Well, that leaves at least the possibility to use adb install some.apk, which doesn't require that setting to be enabled (see Is there a minimal installation of ADB? for how to get ADB working)

As I wrote in my above comment, one way would be:

Get ADB working on your computer (see: Is there a minimal installation of ADB?)
Download the .apk file to your computer
Switch on USB Debugging on your device, and then connect it to your computer via USB (order is important here: first enable the option, then connect)
Use adb install <file_name.apk> to install the app

For subsequent installs, you of course can ommit the first step, as ADB should already be set up then :)
Alternative approach (untested):

Install some terminal app on your device (e.g. Android Terminal Emulator)
Save the .apk to your SDCard
Start the terminal app, and run pm install </path/to/filename.apk>

Again, the first step is only needed once. I've not tested that second method, so I'm not sure whether it requires root or the "unknown sources" option. As adb install only seems to be a wrapper to pm install, the latter is not that likely.


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Kindle Fire's actual name on the ADB Devices List Not user-friendly
When I connect my Kindle Fire and give the "adb devices" command this is what pans out:
aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb devices
List of devices attached
D026A0A0305501NC        device

If there is no other USB device online, I can get away by simply typing adb -d followed by the command, as say developer.android.com, or if there is no other device online, no issues at all!
If there is more than one USB device online, then I have to type the name to uniquely specify the device to operate on. The name is some combination of upper-case characters and digits as seen above. Can anything be done to make it name the Kindle Fire in a more user-friendly manner, the way it names emulators?
Any help is greatly appreciated!

What is really your question? You want to send commands to more than one device?

The adb devices command lists all attached devices together with their serial number IMHO (or how else would you know what to specify with the -s parameter if you have multiple devices attached) -- so sorry, but a serial number is not friendly (also not to the user).

I think the only reason you think this is not user friendly is because you are unaware of tab completion :) It was quite the discovery when I came upon it the first time: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command-line_completion

What makes this easy is using tab-completion to complete the device ID. Type
adb -s D0

and press Tab. The plugin in your shell will run adb devices to find the full device ID and complete it on the command line for you. You can then type in the rest of the command.
adb is a tool for developers, and even developers don't usually run it by hand from the command-line: both the main Android development environments (Eclipse-based and IntelliJ IDEA-based) have GUI wrappers. There's not really a need for it to be any more user-friendly than it is.

For some programs, such as screen in a linux environment, auto completion is done in the software as well. Could be worth trying if adb -s D works, assuming there is only one device beginning with D.


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Extracting data from a backup file (.sbu) made by Samsung kies
I had made a back up file containing contacts, , calender, memo etc with the help of Samsung kies which was saved in .sbu format when I owned a Galaxy ace plus. But now I have a new phone galaxy grand quattro and have updated the kies software.
Now the kies software does not show any calender, memo etc which can be restored on my new device.
please help me out with this problem.

Possibly related: Samsung Galaxy - Import contacts from sbu file

Try Smart Switch with this you can easily transfer your backup from your old device to new device with ease.
Check this link.
You must have the old backup folder in your C:/ drive under the Kies folder/backup.
Note-If you deleted this wanted/accidentally done then you have lost your backup and cannot transfer any backup.
Next time onwards please store your backup files in a folder known to you in this way you can open the folder and directly send the backup anytime you want.

I found that running Kies Restore does a seemingly complete .sbu file extraction to a temporary directory such as:
C:\Users\{LogonName}\Documents\samsung\Kies\sbu\te mp\{NumberID}\{Files Extracted}
One can copy the files from there.


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Samsung Galaxy Fit firmware update fails
I have a Samsung Galaxy Fit, model GT-S5670B.
When i connect the phone to the pc, Samsung Kies (version 2.5.3.13043_14) identifies that there is a firmware update available.
I agree to do the upgrade and follow the instructions which basically are not turning off nor disconnecting the device and wait. At some point, after downloading the firmware files i believe, the update just throws an unexpected error and stops. I have the option of trying and restoring my device and thats it!
There is no feedback nor message whatsoever about what the error was and why it happened. And also, even if i don't restore my device and just reboot it, it is okay as if nothing had happened so i believe that the installation of the firmware didn't event begun.
Anyone knows how i can upgrade my Galaxy Fit from Android version 2.2.1 to 2.3.6? Or what the problem with Samsung Kies is?
Already tried to uninstall and reinstall Samsung Kies but nothing changed.
Thanks in advance!


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My Nexus 4 always recognised as ADB device instead of MTP
I plugged in Nexus 4 to my windows machine(XP Service Pack 2) and it didnt recognise or install any software automatically. I downloaded some ADB drivers from google and now it shows up as recognised device(that is ADB device) in the Device Manager, but it is not recognized as MTP . because of this i am not able to tranfer data into my phone or vice versa...

Settings > Wireless & Network > USB utilities

From here you should be able to change to MTP.

You can also transfer files in ADB mode -- see e.g. QtADB :)

Uninstall the device from Device Manager, then plug it out and in again :)

What Device Manager? If you're referring to Windows's add/remove hardware tab page on the System Properties dialog box, then I suggest you re-edit your answer to include more information as its currently lacking details.


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TecTiles and applications
Samsung promotes NFC via its TecTiles, which is a very interesting concept but i cant find lots of information about it, especially the need for an app.
Do you know if a user that just want  to "read" the tag needs an app (probably this one) on his side to be able to execute the action?
Does someone have experiences/feedback with this product?


text:
Make Sent folder show email recipient instead of sender
I am new to Nexus 4 and have a problem. My SENT folder in exchange server mail shows the sender (i.e. me) and not the list of person(s) to whom the mail has been sent. Any help?

Did you ever get an answer? Or did it just "correct itself"?
The reason I ask is...........the bullshit is starting over AGAIN!!!
Sent folder shows ME as sender! I THINK I already KNOW that, Google!!!


text:
Apps install on their own
Every night for the past few days my phone installs a new app that I never saw/wanted/heard of before. It all started with AppCaster (Which I never installed on my phone, it just showed up one morning).
I have uninstalled AppCaster and every other app that was installed without my knowing, and new apps are still showing up on my phone over night. I have downloaded and installed Avast which shows no issues after a scan.
I have checked the sites with access to my google account and I don't see anything that looks suspicious.
Has anyone else solved a similar issue? Does anyone have any ideas of what could be downloading these apps to my phone? How can I make it stop?

Does it really install apps -- or do you just find new icons on your homescreen? You might want to use AppBrain Ad Detector to see if there are any AirPush-like apps on your phone (which do things like placing new icons on your homescreen or push stuff to your notification bar). If you do find such an app: Leave a comment on its Playstore page, then uninstall it. Remember it's developer to never install one of his apps again. That's privacy intrusion, not "proper advertisement".

I get a notification that says the app is installed and I uninstall it. I don't see icons on my homescreen.

installed AppBrain Ad Detector and didn't see anything with push notifications.

OK -- so we can rule that out. Was just the first thing coming to my mind. That leaves, maybe, someone with your Google credentials initializing those installs via the Playstore web interface. To rule that out as well, you could change your Google/GMail password.

I have been using 2 step authentication and I don't see my account being accessed from any other locations, so I doubt this will help, but I changed my password anyway.

Didn't know you were using 2-factor -- but OK, cannot hurt. If that didn't help, I'm currently out of ideas (unless you're sleepwalking :) Maybe someone else can come up with what we might have missed up to here.

No new app last night. So i'm not sure what did it, but between uninstalling a lot of the apps I rarely use, changing my password, and installing anti-virus software it seems to be fixed.

As I doubt it was the Anti-Virus shocking away unwanted installs, this leaves the password. Do you need two-factor for a web-login to Google Play's web-based content as well? And: Do you want to answer your own question, or shall I sum up from all the comments?

Play store does require 2-step auth. I answered the question. Feel free to add anything else.

Today another app showed up Dark Summoner. So the password didn't fix it.

No more ideas here, Mark. The only thing I could come up with now is to factory-reset the device, and install no additional apps for a few days. Then, one by one, add back the apps you need -- until that behaviour starts over again. I would wonder if it does right from the beginning -- but if that would be the case, I'm completely out...

Does anyone have physical access to your device? And do you have a lock code of some sort set?

Also, may I suggest revoking account access to EVERYTHING, then re-adding one by one?

Revoked access to everything.... Still getting random apps. Guess I'll try a factory reset. No one else has access to my phone.

Here is a possible solution. My son had recently unwittingly installed AppCaster on our home PC, and this was causing the apps to be pushed to my phone. I uninstalled it from the Programs and Features under Control Panel, where AppCaster goes by the name "Mobile App Sync".

Mobile app sync WAS installed on my computer. Uninstalled! Hopefully that does the trick.

Mine has been clear since I uninstalled it from my PC, so hopefully it will you you too.

That seemed to do it! Thanks. I never would have thought to look on my pc

I had the same problem. A while ago, I didn't have access to my new Android phone, so I asked my friend to login with my Google credentials in the Play Store app to buy some apps on sale. So after a while, when I downloaded new apps, the phone of my friend got that apps and the other way around.
So, now my question is, did you entered your Google credentials into another android phone like I did? Did you install some apps on that phone? Try to remember if you did like I did.

I have a phone that a lost a while ago that is still registered in the settings of the play store under my devices. However, the date that it was last used, according to that same page, is over 6 months ago.

@MarkB42 I don't know then. I saw the reviews of the AppCaster app that they have the same problem like yours, unknown installs on their device, so maybe is a malicious app that caused this.

Yeah, I just wish I knew how to get rid of it. I should do a factory reset, but I'm dragging my feet at having to set everything back up... :/


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Read/Unread email option does not hold, reverts to Most Recent in Galaxy S3 4.1.1
I like to sort my email by read/unread on my Galaxy S3.  I could set that option in the sort by before I upgraded to 4.1.1.  It worked great before the upgrade.  Now it just reverts back to the Most Recent (by date) option.  I have to set it to sort by read/unread everytime I read my mail now.  Any ideas how to set a sort option which will stick?

It works fine on my S3 with Android version 4.1.2 (build number JZO54K.I9300XXEMC2). It might be a bug in Samsung's email client, which they fixed in the 4.1.2 update.


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Can I make Phone Calls with my Xtouch X709 Tablet?
I am getting an Xtouch X709 in a few days. It is running on Android 4.0.
Can I insert a SIM card in this tablet and use it to make phone calls?

That spec page does not indicate anywhere that it has a SIM card slot (meaning also that it has no cellular chip), so how were you intending to use it? It says it supports a USB 3G modem, but those generally don't make phone calls directly; you'd need VoIP.

Without cellular service, you're going to need a VoIP client that can hook into the plain old telephone service. Skype and Vonage arose two such clients, but you'll generally have to pay for access to POTS. It's usually not that much, though.

I guess you have to insert  a sim card and try to call because I have x708 tablet  .

Do you mean, it works on your tablet? Or are you trying to say that it doesn't work on yours?


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Google+ Photo Backup Failed
I have an HTC Inspire and I'm trying to use the new Google+ auto backup. All the photos say "Backup Failed". However, it is uploading the videos.  I have checked every setting that I know of and it looks like it is setup right.  Any ideas?

Did you set your photos to be uploaded when there is Wi-Fi or mobile data or just when there is Wi-Fi? Do you have a good Wi-Fi connection? Are you trying to "Back up all" to backup your previous photos?

This method seems to work for me: Try deleting Google+ data/cache, then start Google+ app. It will log you in and then you can choose Auto Backup setting. You can then go to Sync settings, untick "Sync Google+ Auto Backup" and then tick it again. You can also go to the Google+ app settings and get it to upload all your photos/videos to start the sync.

Taking advice from this post: http://productforums.google.com/d/msg/google-plus-discuss/d3s4VKI3yWo/bq39QiqknWoJ

Another solution that worked for me was turning off Standard size in
the Auto Backup settings altogether. When taking a new 8MP jpg using
my camera and when Photo Size was set to Full Size in Google+, all the
photos seem to be successfully uploading without error. This further
confirms that the error is arising when Google+ is trying to convert
larger jpgs to standard size.

I tried taking pictures at different resolutions, from 1.9MP - 8MP. 3.8MP and below uploaded without a problem. Anything with a higher resolution still failed.
So, the solution for now seems to be:

take pictures at a lower resolution
or

Change the Photo Size setting in Auto Backup from "Standard size" to "Full size"