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General difference in read/write speeds for internal memory vs SD card
I understand that read/write speeds are dependent on what the phone is, and what the SD card is, but since both are flash memory, I thought the read/write times would pretty much be around the same. I also understand from this question, why it's safer to keep apps on the internal storage: internal memory Vs SD card
But then I learned that “Flash memory speed is not tied to a maximum data transfer speed like USB standards.” source, which I guess is something I should have guessed from just knowing how the read/write speeds vary wildly across from devices. From reading a lot of other material online, I have also learned that apps generally run better from internal storage than from SD cards, except for cases where the SD card I/O speed is better than the phones'. However, looking at this article, it seems most of the phones' write speeds are slower than a Class 10 SD card's minimum write speed, and I couldn't find minimum read speeds for SD cards, so couldn't compare those, so I'm wondering why everyone's benchmark tests showed wild differences between the 2. My question is, in general cases with modern phones, is reading and writing files and media (not Apps) to internal phone storage faster than to an SD card?
On a thread on [XDA forums][3], I saw that rooting a phone allows one to increase the read/write speeds of a phone to an SD card. What happens to the phone that allows the jump in read/write speeds?

I understand that read/write speeds are dependent on what the phone is, and what the SD card is, but since both are flash memory, I thought the read/write times would pretty much be around the same.

That is a wrong assumption. While they're all flash technology, there's a very wide certain in the speed of the storage. A Class 2 SD Card has a minimum read/write speed of just a paltry 2MB/s, while an Ultra High Speed card can perform at 30MB/s.
With a suitable device that has a suitable high speed SD Card bus, it's possible that SD Card can be faster than the internal storage. This is usually not the case, as many people just buy a standard 2MB/s SD Card, as they're a lot cheaper and most consumers don't need the ultra high speed storages.
Another confounding problem is the kind of workload that a storage is optimized for. One fellow Stack Exchange measured the performance of his Galaxy S2 internal storage vs the external SD Card that he happens to have. What he found is that the internal storage is very fast at read speeds, close to an Ultra High Speed 3 Class card at 33MB/s read, but only manage a paltry 5 MB/s write speed; while his external SD Card are more balanced, at 11 MB/s read but 8 MB/s write.
What that shows is that if that device had been judged under SD Card Speed Class criteria, the internal storage would've been put up as a lower class storage than the external storage. However given that one of the most important work load of the internal storage is loading application to memory, the massive read speed of the internal storage is probably going to give it a real world edge at application loading speed.

On a thread on [XDA forums][3], I saw that rooting a phone allows one to increase the read/write speeds of a phone to an SD card. What happens to the phone that allows the jump in read/write speeds?

What happens is a lot of voodoo with an occasional grain of truth. People have been reporting increased speed when none exists all the time. Storage speeds do not just jump up because you are rooted.
Occasionally, manufacturers may ships the device with underoptimized drivers, and third party tweakers developed an improved driver that are better optimized than the one that ships with the device. Installing custom driver is only possible if you are rooted or if you are flashing custom ROM. It's not the rooting process itself that improves speed, but what you can do with the root power that may give you a boost.
More often though, what happens is that most major optimizations doesn't come free. What you gain in storage speed optimizations, you may lose in battery usage or storage lifetime. Manufacturers almost always optimize for the general case, and optimizing for the general case means trade offs that doesn't necessarily apply to your particular situation. For example, if you're the type to get a new device every six months, it doesn't make sense to optimize for storage longevity, so you might want to trade off using storage more aggressively to increase write speed in a way that reduces its overall life; another possibility is that you may have a good backup plans or do not store important data on device, so you may be willing to trade having the risk of a small chance of fatal data losses for a large speed boost.

What do the custom ROMs do that improves the speed? They optimize/replace drivers? So, an SD card has x read speed. But due to under-optimized drivers, it's only able to use a fraction of the maximum read speed, x/y.  Optimizing the drivers allows the y to decrease. Is this scenario correct in what happens when one increase the speeds after rooting?

And I detract from your 3rd and 4th paragraphs (not including my quotes), that comparing superiority of the storage devices is based on situation, since the need can be different, as something might need high write speeds, whereas something else would need high read speed. Lastly, since most of the time, it is reading that is done, generally whichever storage device has marginally higher reading speeds is better. Is my understanding correct?

@Abdul: Yes, there are thousands of knobs and toggles to tweak just on the Linux kernel and the device drivers that tweakers can configure without writing a single line of code. When you actually include modifying the code, the tweaks becomes a lot more complex. However, unless the manufacturers are really crappy, free boosts are very rare or are usually marginal. Most of the time, you will just be trading different trade offs.

Don't forget caching plays a good role here (read-ahead as well has write-behind – these are the settings mostly tweaked). Anyway: This is rather an Android independent question, apart from the settings. The real read/write speed of the hardware doesn't change unless you get a faster card/better controller or, in terms of software, a better (optimized) "driver" ;)


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3GB of internal storage is lost
I have a Sony Xperia SL with 32 GB internal storage from which 25 GB is available for user. When I bought the phone, everything was OK. but last month I found out that there is only 1GB left free, when sum of the files in the memory was only 21GB. I deleted some files and reduced the filled capacity to 10GB. However, I still have only 12GB free on my device. It sounds like 3GB of my storage is lost. (I have checked LOST.DIR and, for those who want to know, I have considered the thumbnail files when I summed up the files)

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Have you checked with our storage tag-wiki already – and especially followed-up to  My space used and free space doesn't add up? Also take a look at the questions in the linked/related section here and on that question. See if any of the solutions applies to your case (if so, please answer your own question; otherwise [edit] your question and tell us what you've tried and where you're stuck). Good luck!

Did you update the system anywhere in between?

You can use Periscope to look for folders and files which take the most space.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.karlhendrikse.android.Periscope

How do you calculate file size? Note that there are two different units that used to calculate storage size and file size: metric Gigabyte and binary Gigabyte (often rendered as Gibibyte). A 21.9 GiB for example is roughly equal to 23.5 GB.

How disk space is used on Android device?

Caching may be the problem. Cache and especially dalvik-cache sometimes can be really big. Cache can be deleted however dalvik-cache is can't be deleted if your phone is not rooted or you can uninstall some app anyway.

You should consider that applications can be space-intensive. Take the Facebook-application for instance. It consumed up to 2GB on my phone.

When things with storage go awry I use DiskUsage. It uses a graphical interface (hardware or software rendering), very intuitive. You can scan (look at) multiple areas. With this app you will be able to isolate (locate) the problem. After finding the space hog, you can delete within the app or use a file manager to perform more complicated tasks. Root will allow viewing system locations.

I don't work/publish/design/develop/etc. on this app, nor do I receive any compensation for anything related to this app. It's just very useful
As always perform a backup before deleting anything

Some times the dump files may eat up our storage space. Try using apps to clean up this space. I would recommend you sdmaid app which is free in play store. Its basically for rooted phone but works totally fine with unrooted ones too.

It might be some directories itself where the space ist lost. If you deleted a lot of files in a directory, the space is freed, but the space for directory entries is not reduced. You can help yourself with this (in a terminal):
mv dirname dirname.old
mkdir dirname
mv dirname.old/* dirname
rmdir dirname.old

This should give you back the lost space.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


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How to Delete a Contact's "Mark as Default" selection
In the stock Contacts app one can Mark as default one of the contact's numbers. I don't want to select another number as default, I don't want any of the contact's numbers to be default.
How can I delete this "mark as default" selection?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Lollipop 5.0.

All you have to do is the following:

Open the contact
There will be a check mark indicating the default number: Press and hold on that number
A box will appear. Select Remove Default
(this may also be Clear default)

You can also mark a number as default by pressing down on the phone number and selecting Mark as Default

I have no checkmark, but holding the number opens a menu with "Clear default". Thanks!

There is no functionality to "unmark" the default setting for a contact.  However this work around will remove the "mark as default" setting for a phone entry:

Edit the contact

Add a new phone number using the same number as the entry currently marked as default
Note:  You will need to temporarily choose a different phone number type (e.g. work) for the new entry

Delete the phone entry marked as default

Save the contact. When prompted to mark an entry as default, touch Cancel

Edit the contact a second time

Change the new phone entry's "type" back to its original setting

Tested on Lollipop 5.0 using the built-in Contacts app.

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


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Display slideshow on Android from files on PC
Ok, this has me frustrated. The good slideshow/gallery apps are already few and far between. But the wanted feature of having the Android show pictures that are stored on my PC, leaves the number of apps to, zero, it seems. I just can't find anything that works.
What I do is I run ushare on my Linux box. A couple of upnp browser apps confirm that they're seeing the ushare, and I can see the files being advertised. Then next, is any gallery app, that can actually access that available content and put on a slideshow.
My Android box is an Android TV box in the living hooked up to the large TV.
If I get fed up, I'll have to slap something together myself. I might concoct a network protocol myself, to give me good control over being able to only transfer what's need to show content...
Any thoughts?

... I'm absolutely flabbergasted at the low quality of the slideshow apps in general. There are a few "ok" ones, but it's all pretty poor in features, and most are very confusing and lacking features. It seems like a huge hole in the market to me. Wouldn't this be something that many people might want? People have big tvs, and Android sticks or boxes turning their tv into a smart tv? Plus a PC in the house with a all the picture content? So, how does one display a slideshow on that tv? I can't be the only one that thought of doing this? Weird!


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Error: Process aborted, when installing zip in Moto Razr XT910
I rooted my Motorola Razr XT910 already, then I followed the process and everything went excellent. But when I wiped my data, cache, and the dalvik cache, and then choosing install zip, I received the message that the process aborted!
I realized that I didn't backup and reset. So my ROM (the last one) was gone! I thought to transfer other files for the ROM I wanted to install, but everything said that it aborted! All of them.
Every time I plugged my phone LED color was white. I thought it means that there is no battery, and the computer isn't strong enough to charge the phone.

I plugged it into the wall and it turned on showing Motorola's logo (happens every time you turn it on) and remains stuck on that logo.
I plugged it out and the logo was gone.
I plugged back in and the logo showed up again, so I thought it's just the battery. After 12 hours and more the logo was still there.
I plugged out the phone from charging, and the logo stayed there.
I plugged it into the computer and the white LED light lit up.

How do I resolve this highly problematic issue?

Try downloading the correct ROM. It seems like your .zip file is not adequate.
To transfer it to the phone, enter recovery, and then tranfer either byadb push command, or by entering "ADB sideload" option (in recovery), and then using adb sideload command on PC.


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What is the front camera resolution for recording video on a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge?
Most resources I've found seem to say 1080p, but I found a Youtube demo that goes up to 1440p. Which is right?

Based on this forum post, which shows the below image, the S6 is certainly capable of 1440p video. It seems that it's not the default setting. It's unclear why so many review sites that I found have misquoted the resolution.


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Why am I unable to login to Play Store app after password reset when I can login with the same password in the desktop version?
It's almost an hour and a half I had reset my password on Gmail and selected log me out of all devices. So for which I need to re-login to Play Store in order to view my apps. But the problem is that the Play Store is not accepting the new password.
I can log in to Gmail as well as the desktop version of the Play Store, the problem is only with the app version. (When I enter the same password for the Desktop version of play store it even sends the PIN which is required for 2 step verification).
In the app version, it says the Email or password you entered is incorrect.

Password changes should apply instantly, as far as I know.

At first, I verified that I was entering the exact password by doing a copy-paste. Once done, I later head to Google Help and after reading their FAQ's, I chose Contact us and within a few seconds, there was a Google Technical help wherein for him also it was a strange situation and later with some research with the problem he asked me to do is Factory Reset + Account Recovery.
After doing the above, my problem got solved and I was back into Gmail with both the mail IDs online.

Try removing the Google account and again adding it using the new password. That should work out.
Go to Settings - Account - Google - now select from the options tab to remove the Google Account. After this, go to Settings - Account and select Google and then add the account using a new password.

Under the settings there is no Account there is only notifications,general,User control,about.

@user285oo6 He means the settings app of your phone. Not the play store...

@SuperThomasLab already tried that and then It was not accepting the password and now when I have completely removed the two accounts from Google I am unable to sign into any one of them

@user285oo6: what happens when you tried logging in to gmail/play store from the browser on the mobile?

@Rajat Appreciate for your trial

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


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SSHelper Server not reachable
SSHelper SSH server works very nice on my old Samsung S2. But it does not work on a newer device of my son.
I installed no firewall on the new device. Is there some restriction which does not allow running a server on the android device?
I can't reach the port 2222 and I can't get the device to answer ping requests.
For me SSHelper is the most simple way to transfer files between my linux desktop and the mobile phone.

Which "newer device" and Android version are you referring to?

@Firelord the new device is a motorola moto G.

sshelper works great on my Samsung S5.
In sshelper under the wrench icon you can increase the verbosity of the data logging mode, try increasing that and then pointing your browser to the listed 'ssh server address' and append the 'log server port number' (default :8080).  This might give you a clue as to why your having issues.

I am sorry for the noise here. It was a very strange bug in my wifi router. Some devices were reachable, some not. After rebooting the wifi router I was able to connect to the SSHelper server on the android device again.


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When should I use/not use '-w' for fastboot flashing?
When should I use/not use '-w' for fastboot flashing?
Say I were to be manually flashing each img in the zip of a factory image.
Why one way or another? Do certain .img's need to be erased first?
I recently had a misflash where my internal storage was reduced from 64gb to 32gb and I am wondering if it could have been avoided. I resolved my particular problem by using Format Data in TWRP.

You should wipe the data once, when you start.  This may not be necessary if you are (for example) only flashing a recovery, flashing a very similar ROM, etc.
You shouldn't need to erase images/partitions before flashing over them.


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How do I effectively use offline documents on a WIFI-only tablet and other connected devices?
This is more of a usability type question. I have a wifi-only tablet. I also have done a lot of documents online using Evernote, Google Drive, etc., and have tried to store them in various places like box.com.
Because wifi is not always available, I'm trying to find an effective way to be offline on my tablet, but have things sync up once I have connectivity again. I spend most of my time creating document either in M$ Office, or Google Documents. Evernote works okay, but I'd like something a little more full-featured; it just doesn't quite feel right.
I'd like to have quick and easy access to everything on my phone (sorry, can't hotspot), tablet, and desktop, regardless of my internet availability. What solution can handle all of these use cases? Does anything work well for anyone out there?

Are you saying a solution such as Dropbox, Google Drive or ownCloud would not work in this scenario?  Do you specifically need to be able to access the document on your phone immediately after editing it on your tablet without connecting to the Internet?

Try Autosync. There might be extra charges for syncing files larger than 8MB. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.drivesync
Another option is FolderSync Lite (no file size limitations as far as I know):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dk.tacit.android.foldersync.lite


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Unswipable notifications
On my moto G 2, in the notification area there appears to be a couple of notifications that whatever i do i can't figure out how to get rid of. One of them is an outdated voicemail reminder received weeks ago,  and it's there despite the fact that my inbox is clear.  The other is exceeded data limit. Is there any way to force the OS to clear these notifications? I have android 5.0.2

Screenshot (click to enlarge)

Try opening the application by touching on the notification. If this doesn't help, touch and hold on the notification, this would pop up app info tab open app info and clear cache memory and  force stop the application also if you can clear the memory of the app that should definitely solve the problem (this step particularly can clear all of the data from the memory)


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Move photos to SD card on HTC Desire 310
I have an HTC Desire 310 and my phone memory is full and can't update apps. How to move photos from my phone memory to an SD card?

Pretty much any file browser in the Play Store allows you to move files. Just download one. Find the folder. Long press on it, tell it to move. Then navigate to the folder on the SD card and off you go.


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Buying games for my kids, without me "attaching" a credit card
My child has his own email address and his own account on a tablet that we share. He wants to spend his allowance on a video game, and I wish to trade his allowance cash to me buying this game for him somehow.
I refuse to enter my credit card or use PayPal on that tablet, because, well, Android, as much as I like it, given the apps my child installs randomly at will, and given that Android clearly is not a secure system at all, I feel I'd be running a major risk entering any passwords on it.
So, I envision me on my secure Linux system, purchasing some sort of Play Store currency, which I can hand over to my child somehow, like through an email or something. I don't want to physically go to a store to buy a gift card which can then be redeemed. I want to buy something, once, online, that allows my child to then purchase the game he wants.
Is this possible?
P.S. I'm in Canada.

You can buy an application in the website version of the Play Store to remotely install application in the tablet. This way, you'll be entering your credit card details in a computer you can trust.
In the tablet itself, if the child goes to Play Store to purchase a paid application, the last 4 digits of your credit card numbers will be displayed on the device. When you use the default setup (which is to ask to reenter password for every purchase), he will not be able to make any purchase unless he knows the Google Account's password.
If him knowing your last 4 digits of your credit card number is a worry for you, you can detach the credit card after every purchase. I think this is probably unnecessary, if he wants to know your credit card number, it will be a lot easier for him to just snap a picture of your credit card out of your wallet if you live together.
I recommend using a dedicated account for app purchase rather than using your own personal account (you probably don't want him reading your emails) or your child account (he probably should know the password to his own account). You can attach multiple Google Accounts to a single device.
Another possibility is to just tell him to buy the gift card himself. He wants the game and he has the money, he can buy the gift card himself. This is assuming he's mature enough to go to a supermarket/store alone.

I've created a google account with a made up name, and I've logged in on it at both the PC and on my Nexus tablet. I had to install something and agree to the terms for things to become connected.
I'm able to browse the playstore on my PC and then tell it to install on the tablet. The problem I have is with the options I get: "Add credit or debit card", "Add a Paypal account". "Adding" a card to this account feels like I'm handing over my credit card for future use. I find that unacceptable. I'm ok with paying for a single transaction, but I don't want to fork over my card for the record.

... what I want is to buy credit towards the play balance. If I can physically buy a gift card in a store and redeem it which converts it to play balance, why can't I go a google web page and buy play balance using my credit card or paypal account? What is with this google accounting needing to become "attached" by me "adding" my card to this account? I'm not trusting this. Next thing you know, my child loses the tablet, and some hacker starts charging stuff to my card. I don't my card "attached" to anything.
When I shop in a store, I'm not "adding" my card to the store, so why with Google?

I see the option on the left hand side of the website to buy credit. https://play.google.com/store
I think its more of a convenience thing, that they store your credit card for future purchases. You could always add the card. Buy the credit. Then once you have the credit. Click on the gear in the top right of the site. Goto My account, Edit payment method and remove the card. Short of doing it this way or going to the store. I dont think there is any other way at the moment.

@Mike: merchants and payment processors that process/store credit card data must comply with PCI-DSS. This is a set of security standards that specifies how sensitive cardholder information are processed/stored. This standard is enforced by all major credit card providers. Any merchants or payment processor found to be in non compliance receives heavy fines, lawsuits, and loses their ability to process card payments. PayPal and Google Wallet are PCI-DSS compliant payment processors.

@Mike: If you link your card to Google Wallet or PayPal, the full card number is never disclosed to the device nor to the merchant, and you will be asked to enter your password for every transactions, even if the Google Account is logged in to the system. You will also receive an email for every transaction you made, which includes the merchant's name, item detail, and payment amount. Your stored card can only be used if the attacker also knows your Google Account password and you have an audit log of your purchases.

@Mike: if you do not trust Google Wallet, you can attach your PayPal Account to the Play Store. Play Store only stores your PayPal email address, so you'll have to go to PayPal.com to confirm every purchase. When using PayPal, Google never handle your credit card data, as payments are processed by PayPal. I hope these information can help you make an informed decision.

Could always send his account money from your account via Google wallet. Sign into the webpage on your computer. Send him the money that way. Then he can use the money for apps, in app purchases and etc.
Edit. Also I would install the Google Rewards app, earn money for surveys and that's saved to your wallet as well. Then you can use that as well for purchases.

It seems that Google Wallet is only available for US residents. I'm in Canada.

You might be able to send someone to buy prepaid Play Store cards with a certain budget in supermarkets, if they're available in Canada. Then give your child the card and it can only spend the amount of cash that you've paid for the card.

OP already mentioned this: "I don't want to physically go to a store to buy a gift card which can then be redeemed"

authors: قصي ابو جويد


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Can plugging a Galaxy S6 directly into the outlet short circuit it?
I just bought the S6 whch cost me $800 so I really want to know if the technology has advanced enough that I can charge my phone using a Blackberry travel charger without using a surge protector?  I remember reading that spikes in electricity could damage electronics right?  I usually use the Belkin mini USB travel hub but I don't have it right now and I really need to charge the phone but I don't want to risk damaging the phone in any way. Any suggestions?

In your area, how often do you have a power surge and how bad is it? A quality charger/adapter should level out most minor spikes. I have had a lot of electronics and phones and never seen one damaged by a power surge, but that may just be me being lucky. Nothing can really guarantee that it is going to be 100% safe, a sufficiently large surge will fry any surge protectors anyway.

@Lie Ryan I don't know how often. Do the lights have to flicker for it to be considered a "severe" surge?

With any power surge it just depends on how bad the power surge is. But yes. It is possible for a power surge to go through a charger and damage the phone. My suggestion would be, Buy a travel size surge protector to carry with you if you are really worried about it. Or buy one of those power banks and charge your phone off of it. Now a days you can pick up a 15,000 mAh one pretty cheap. With a 15k one, you should be good for at least 4-5 charges(since most banks arent 100% efficient) on the S6 since its battery is only 2550 mAh.

What do you mean good for 4-5 charges?   Power bricks only protect for a limited amount of time? Hmm, is "power bank" different?

Oh sorry, What I mean is the power bank would charge the phone 4-5 times before you would have to recharge the power bank. -Edit- Something like this, is what I am talking about. http://www.amazon.com/KMASHI-15000mAh-Ultra-High-External-Motorola/dp/B00JP8MZGK

Now if my battery pack is charging using the wall...will charging the phone at the same time connected to the battery pack be safe or can any surges go through the charging battery pack through to the phone?

With anything you plug into the wall there is the chance that a powerful enough surge can go through anything, Just depends on how bad the surge is. I am just wondering but do you experience power surges often?
But with those battery packs. They recommend that you dont charge it and charge your phone at the same thing. To much heat from charging and discharging can damage the battery.

You mean damage the battery back or the phone's battery?  How do I know when there is a power surge?

The battery pack. Cause you are sending energy to it while drawing energy from it. Causes extra heat. And heat is a battery's worst nightmare. At least that's what i have read on plenty of websites

Sorry didnt see the second part. This might help ya. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/everyday-tech/surge-protector3.htm


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How do I transfer app data/settings from Samsung Galaxy S3 to Samsung Galaxy S6?
I have Samsung Galaxy S3 on Android 4.1 and Samsung Galaxy S6 on Android 5.0. When I turned on the Samsung Galaxy S6 for the first time, it said by using NFC, it would transfer all my info.  I don't know if I did it wrong, but all the apps on my new Samsung Galaxy S6 are empty. The settings and levels completed in games do not appear on the Samsung Galaxy S6.
Is there any easy way to transfer everything from my Samsung Galaxy S3 to Samsung Galaxy S6? I don't have access to a PC. My Samsung Galaxy S3 is rooted if that helps with suggestions.

Since your Samsung Galaxy S3 is rooted. You could make app backups with a 3rd-party app, such as Titanium Backup, but to use Titanium Backup to restore them on your Samsung Galaxy S6, it would need to be rooted as well.
I know Google claims that its backup service saves app data and settings as well. But I think that only works if the app dev has added the option to store things in the cloud.
Personally, I can say that TB works like a charm for me. For non-rooted options (I assume your Samsung Galaxy S6 isn't rooted if you don't have access to a PC). It looks like Helium can back up to the cloud. The only reason I linked the paid one is because the free one doesn't allow you to back up to the cloud.

I can't root my S6 for sure. No computer and towelroot doesn't work. That's how easy it has to be for me.

Did you give the app I linked a try? Assuming you have a payment option, there is that window that google gives you to refund the app if you don't like it.


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Boot loop on Asus TF700T with Cyanogenmod 11 M12 and "Error mounting /data!"
My Asus TF700T with Cyanogenmod 11 M12 (20141112) and ClockworkMod Recovery v6.0.4, remains stuck in a boot loop after every reboot attempt. Earlier Cyanogenmod versions (I believe, it was 10.2 and 11 M7) had the same result.
Trying to install the Android firmware (WW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip) fails with
assert failed: package_extract_file("blob", "/tmp/blob")

and it seems the reason for this oddly unspecific error message is that it is unable to mount /data. I do not know why, but it seems this hints at a larger problem. "Wiping data / factory reset" fails with
Error mounting /data!

and
Error:unknown volume or path [/sd-ext]

Updating to some other Cyanogenmod succeeds, but it still fails to boot.
I would like to get the device to reliably boot some system (I don't care which) with which it would be usable again.
Some threads (on Transformer Forum) seem to suggest that in this case the system is pretty much broken and that only nvflash and/or wiping everything from fastboot might help. Following this thread for instance was suggested. It contains a "quick guide" which I do not understand (what does "run download.bat" mean if you run GNU/Linux, not Windows?), other websites (this and this) list some very complicated commands which require additional files (config, blob.bin, bricksafe.img) for which I do not understand where to get them from. It seems to be suggested that they have to be extracted from the existing Android installation - which might be difficult if its filesystems cannot be mounted (see above).
I am sure, I misunderstand something here but, having no experience with Android, I do not know what.
Currently, I just want to restore some system (Cyanogenmod, Android, or anything else) with which the device would be usable again so that I can sell it or give it away to someone who would not necessarily have deeper computer knowledge (and would therefore probably not have any more luck in repairing a broken Android/CM than I had). I appreciate any help in accomplishing this.
EDIT (further information): The Android firmware (WW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip)contains the following:
$ unzip -l WW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip
Archive:  WW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip
signed by SignApk
  Length      Date    Time    Name
---------  ---------- -----   ----
        5  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/com/google/android/resource
       24  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/com/google/android/rule
   893496  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/com/google/android/update-binary
      111  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script
820149641  2011-03-22 11:21   blob
     1619  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/com/android/otacert
      561  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
      614  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/CERT.SF
     1658  2011-03-22 11:21   META-INF/CERT.RSA
---------                     -------
821047729                     9 files

EDIT 2 (Jul 8; further information about inability to enter fastboot mode):
Following the suggestion by gruhlke I found that adb devices finds the device only if clockwork mode (recovery kernel) is booted (not while in the bootloader, not in cyanogen's boot loop):
# adb devices
List of devices attached
0166160e04480c05
#

Then (and only then) I can also do adb reboot bootloader (which I can also do manually by pressing VolUp while booting). Form there I select USB Fastboot mode; the device says
Starting fastboot USB download protocol

and that is the end of it. The device never comes online; doing
fastboot devices

from the computer never lists any devices.
EDIT 3 (Jul 12, more info on fastboot from windows):
trying fastboot from windows (with this tool) results in just as little success; "fastboot devices" never recognizes the device. However, there is one difference to fastboot from Linux: the message "Starting fastboot USB download protocol" is only shown with the cable unplugged; from this, I conclude that the device is trying and failing to build a connection with the windows-fastboot in yet another infinite loop.
EDIT 4 (Aug 4, repaired filesystem, problem persists):
I repaired the filesystem by reformatting /dev/block/mmcblk0p8 after discovering (inside the shell on the device, where I got using "adb shell" from the connected computer while the device was in recovery mode (Clockworkmod)) from /tmp/recovery.log that mounting /sdcard/ tried and failed to mount this block device (among several others which all did not exist). the filesystem is fixed doing
mke2fs /dev/block/mmcblk0p8

After the next normal bootup, cyanogenmod got to the point where the user should select the language, wifi etc - but it then rebooted automatically without the selection completed and is back in the boot loop.
The device also can still not be put into fastboot mode.
A new zip can now be put on the device using "adb push", but it can not be installed (installation fails with "(Status 0) Installation aborted.", no more detailed error description is given. Not even in the /tmp/recovery.log)
Obvious questions would be:

Is there a way to force installation of a zip (if the "(Status 0) Installation aborted." thing is just a quirk of clockworkmod) inside "adb shell"? (The "recovery --update_package=/path/to/.zip" command does not go successful either. There are error messages, but as the device reboots, they are shown too briefly to be red.)
Is there a way to force putting the device into fastboot mode from "adb shell"? (Some forums suggest something like "idme bootmode 4002" but this does not work as the idme command does not exist, I guess this existed in a past version of android(?) or in a different recovery mod (?) or only for different devices (?).)

EDIT 5 (Aug 4, still more information: /data partition inconsistent after every cyanogenmod boot attempt):
I found that in spite of reformatting the filesystem it turns out to be inconsistent again after every cyanogenmod boot attempt. I can only adb push and install zips immediately after reformatting (done that several times now), not any more after the next boot attempt. Trying to install android, not cyanogenmod (the WWW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip) results in a reboot to recovery during the installation process, it is evidently not successful and cyanogenmod is still installed afterwards.
Both parted and fdisk (in "adb shell") do not recognize the partition table. Perhaps, Firelord is right with the last (most recent) comment, that this should be treated as hard bricked and rebuilt starting with the partition table. (How many times have I wished that this was an Intel architecture that could be booted from a livesystem - none of this would be a problem!)
EDIT 6 (Aug 4, fastboot working after all, but boot loop continues)
It seems, for tf700t, fastboot does not respond to "fastboot devices" and all other commands require option "-i 0x0B05". With this, fastboot would presumably have been working all the time. I can now flash recovery (flashed twrp mod just to verify that).
So far so good. But the boot loop continues, /dev/block/mmcblk0p8 still goea inconsistent after every boot attempt with cm, android / WW_epad-user-10.6.1.14.10.zip can still not be installed. Fails with "Error executing updater binary in zip".
On the matter of flashtools for low level flashing as suggested by Firelord: I could not find any for this particular device. Actually, this xda-developers thread suggests using bricked tf700t as paperweights, others are along the same lines.
But hey, fastboot works - it must be possible to accomplish something from there.
Questions at this point would be:

How do I find an explanation of what's causing the boot loop and/or the damage to the partition that coincides with it?
Is it possible to flash some ROM that is not cm, if only to see if the boot loop is also present there?
If the reason for the boot loop etc is damage to the partition table: is it possible to repair the partition table from fastboot (or do anything helpful from there for that matter)? (However, the gentoo wiki says that on tf700t the partition table is proprietary which would explain why fdisk and parted can not work with it.)

EDIT 7 (Aug 5, spontaneous reboot from recovery to recovery with files vanishing (under twrp recovery mod))
in twrp mod it will from time to time reboot to recovery when I try to adb push things to the /sdcard/ share on the device. After this, the things previously adb-pushed there do not show up any more. I am quite certain that something is wrong with either the partitioning or the disk. Unfortunately, I do not know how to find out, which and/or what to do about it.

Have you looked at the commands listed under download.bat? You can post the file here if you have it. 2) The blog.bin, bricksafe.img and others probably can be found in fastboot type stock ROM for your device.

Thanks, Firelord. 1) I am not sure where I can find the download.bat. Should it be part of the firmware?, on the device?, part of nvflash? 2) I am not sure what stock ROM means in this context. If it refers to the Android firmware, the files are apparently not there (I added the list of the files in the archive as further information to the question).

Have you tried Option 1a here?

Thanks, Firelord. I did now. As far as I can see, no change (boot loop persists and I still can't get into fastboot mode).

The question is very long, and some people like to avoid very long text. Now that fastboot commands are working, I suggest you to remove the text which is now obsolete so that question's length can be decreased.

Following instructions worked for me:

I installed fastboot from here.
Then I booted the TF700T into fastboot mode, connected it to my Linux machine, and entered the command:
fastboot erase userdata

When the above command was finished I continued with booting into recovery. From there I followed the CyanogenmodWiki, and entered the command:
adb push cm-11-20150614-NIGHTLY-tf700t.zip /sdcard/

After this, it was possible to mount SD card in the Recovery Menu, and then I chose "Install zip from SD card".

Thanks for your answer. Unfortunately, I cannot enter fastboot mode (updated the question accordingly). I do not know why since there is no error message.

authors: إدريس علي الدرسي


text:
Bluetooth audio connection flutters
I have a rooted phone and I recently updated to Android 5.1.1.
I have a bluetooth headset device, and since the upgrade, the connection has been distinctly degraded. The device pairs, connects, and plays sounds no problem. But, every 30 seconds or more, the sound flutters, as if the connection is weak. It makes listening to music basically pointless.
The difference before and after the upgrade is clear, so I'm sure it's the upgrade that did it.
The question is, is this fixable or adjustable? Or is it just a bad ROM and I need to find another?

Might be a buggy ROM (did you dirty flash?). Try forgetting the device and repairing, otherwise you might have to reflash the ROM.

@Huey, thanks for responding. What does the term "dirty flash" mean?


text:
sch-i905 shuts off
Sch-i905 shuts off when I try to use camera and other apps. I have to plug it back into the charger to turn it back on. Does it have a virus or could a app be causing the problem. The camera worked up until a few days ago.

Backup your data, and factory reset your phone.

Try to backup all of your data and factory reset your phone. If that doesn't solve the problem, you should bring your phone back and ask for warranty.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S6 stucks at checking for updates after factory reset
My Samsung Galaxy S6 is stuck at checking for updates after factory reset.
I tried rebooting and resetting it again, but it didn't work. I also don't know how to flash using Odin.
How to fix it?

Turn off Wifi during the intial setup, it will skip that screen as all updates exceed 20-30MB which is deemed too large to do on a mobile connection.


text:
I want to receive SMS in two different phones simultaneously
The messages sent to one phone meant for it only should also be received by the other phone. What is the way out?

Afraid none. Similar to calls: As soon as you pick up a call on one device, the second (listening to the same number) stops ringing. Only thing I could think of is to look for an app that synchronizes your messages – but that question would be off-topic here (you could however ask it at SR).

I'm unable to understand your question as it's written here. What is it you're trying to achieve?

May be my question was not clear. What I wanted to know is there a way of receiving  messages by a second phone  instantly though the message was sent to another number.

It's easy.
You'll need to use an SMS Forwarding software,
I'm not sure if you want it to be visible however...
If you would like to forward calls,

Open Dialer
Open Call Settings in Dialer
Navigate to, and change the call forwarding number when unanswered.

If you want to forward SMS,

Download an SMS Forwarding software
Enable forwarding of incoming and outgoing sms or just incoming.

There is an app called Forward SMS texting w/ 2phones which allows you to forward SMS text messages & calls from one phone to another phone.
In order to use this app you need to also use the mysms SMS Text Messaging Sync app.


text:
Moto G2 internet connection switch from 3G to 2G network
I am using Moto G2 with Lollipop 5.0.2. And I am having this trouble that whenever I am using 3G service, it automatically switches to 2G and in between it gets back to 3G. This keeps on going and internet speed suffer. Please help if anyone has any clue.

This answer is what you need to look and follow. Reverse the condition in step 4.

The default setting provided in the Phone settings menus is
Setting > More > Mobile Networks > Preferred network type > 3G

Screenshot - Preferred Network Type selection(Click to enlarge image)
This is a WCDMA(3G) preferred setting and that means it switches to 2G network if you have a weak 3G signal recepition in your area.
For enabling 3G only mode follow these steps:
Firstly we need to define in which SIM we want to enable 3G. For this go to-
Settings > Dual SIM settings > Mobile Data > choose the desired SIM.
Now,

Open your Phone (Dialler) app.
Enter this code: *#*#4636#*#*
An app known as "Testing" will be launched.
Touch the first option "Phone information". (Don't touch other options)
You will notice a drop-down option above "turn off Radio" button. Tap on it.
Select the third option "WCDMA Only".

You will see that network has changed to 3G mode in the notification bar. If network doesn't change, touch the "Turn off Radio" button. you will see your phone's signal are lost. Now again turn it on by tapping on the same button. Your 3G/HSPA/UMTS must have been enabled now.

Note: If you set WCDMA only mode and if your 3G network is weak, then it will not switch back to 2G network as a fallback and you will eventually lose your connection until you get back the 3G network. So you might face some interruptions while downloading/streaming etc. Instead of entering the code in the phone dialer you can use this tiny app from playstore called Testing
How to switch back to default?
Select ‘WCDMA preferred’ from the above dropdown list and you will go to 2G/3G mode where your phone will connect to best network mode depending on strength.

authors: Александр Мардарь


text:
White screen while charging when phone is off
I'm using my phone (Lenovo A660) since more than two years.
Usually, I do not boot the phone to often (approximately once a month).
However, I recently realized when I turned of the phone, that the battery image is not shown when I charge my phone.
Instead the screen is completely white.
When I booted the phone again, the screen remained white all the time until I pressed 3 times the power button.
Then my standard launcher (Hola) gets started normally.
However, the screen remains white when I start into bootloader mode or into recovery mode.
Hence, I cannot select anything in a menu (e.g., to perform factory reset or to wipe cache etc...), as I have only a white screen.
May someone has already seen the same behavior and knows where I can search for a solution.
Many thanks in advance for all tips that get posted
Compact problem description:
White screen under the following circumstances:

Charging while phone is off
normal boot until I press 3 times the power button (has to be done after the phone vibrates shortly)
booting into recovery mode (either with the keys or with adb command)
booting into bootloader mode (either with the keys or with adb command)

Information about the phone:

Brand: Lenovo
List item
Model: A660
Android: 4.0.4 Rom: Stock ROM with build number A660_S025_121122
Recovery image: Stock image or CMW
Kernel version: 3.0.13 #1 Rooted: Yes with SuperSU v2.01 Fastboot: not supported

Approaches tried so far:

flashed recovery rom with CMW and with stock ROM. No improvement
Change /system/media/bootanimation.zip and /system/media/images/boot_logo. No improvement
added and removed again "debug.sf.nobootanimation=1" in the file /system/build.prop. Changes at least that at shutdown an animation is shown or not.
resetted the /system/fonts folder with a copy of the stock rom
physically cleaned display contacts according to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt2kMKLNxVA
performed a complete dd image of /dev/block/mmcblk0 in order to be able to restore all partitons if something goes wrong
so far I spent approximately 2 days googling for related problems. However, may someone can provide a key word that I was missing in my search

What I could further provide, if necessary, are for example the logcat, output if that would help to debug the problem or to point me in the right direction.
Once again many thanks for any comment and suggestion.

As you've got ADB etc. available and already explicitly mentioned factory-reset and cache-wipe: Are you aware you can do that using fastboot commands? fastboot erase cache would clean your cache partition, fastboot -w erase cache would be a factory-reset.


text:
Surprising problem to access Wifi Hotspot in Android 4.4 (Rooted)
I have uni proxy using NTLM authentication which I am sharing via hotspot created using this command
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid="NAME" key="PASSWORD" keyUsage=persistent
netsh wlan start hostednetwork

While my Android 4.4 (rooted) is connecting immediately, I'm unable to browse. I have tried,

giving the proxy in Wifi/proxy settings.
giving localhost:8080 and 3128 in Wifi/proxy settings.
giving WiFi IP in Wifi/proxy settings.

Also, LAN has auto-IP and auto-DNS. Hotspot has fixed IP and DNS is empty.
I thought it will take a minute, but one hour later, I'm still stuck.  What am I missing here ?

If you're trying to have one device sharing a WiFi connection using a WiFi hotspot, it won't work. You need to either use USB tethering, bluetooth tethering or an Ethernet cord.

I have LAN connection with proxy which I'm sharing via laptop hotspot and trying to consume in Android phone. Since, this is a pretty common use case, I think it's supported..not sure what I am missing though.

You might want to look into something like ProxyDroid to use proxy authentication in Android. It claims to support NTLM authentication.

I tried ProxyDroid. I can ping google from android terminal , but can't browse or chat.Not sure if the right place to ask,but  if my LAN proxy is A:portA, LAN gateway is  B:portB  and my hotspot IP is C:portC, which one should be given in ProxyDroid ?

The LAN proxy (A:portA)

Thanks ,I can ping google from android terminal, I have to fix apps and browser connection.


text:
retrieving and classifying Notes with time and date of creation
I wrote hundreds of messages in 'Notes' of my smartphone (the system app), and I would like to retrieve them and put them in a CSV file, (or Excel) with one column for the content of the message, and another with time and date of creation of the note. Is it possible?
My device is Huawei Y330-U01
Android 4.2.2

Maybe, maybe not. To give a good answer on that, we need a few more details: which device and Android version are you using? There are hundreds of "Notes" apps, and each manufacturer makes its own choice for each of its devices (well, almost). Also: is your device rooted? Can you use ADB? What OS are you using on your computer? These details help for "unconventional solutions". Good luck!

My device is Huawei Y330-U01
Android 4.2.2

Possible duplicate of Get notes created using "Notes" default app and export them to PC

It is possible (at least in my device)  and I've provided a generalized idea using my Mediatek device running Android 4.2.1.
The idea is very simple. Most of the notes apps I tried so far stores the notes inside a .db file located in their personal space under /data. We have to get the relevant .db file(s) and then export it into a .csv file.
For a non-rooted device

Find the package name of your "Notes" app. You can use ADB command by launching the app in the foreground and entering the following ADB command from PC:
adb shell dumpsys activity | grep mFocused | awk -F 'u[0-9]+ ' '{print($2)}' | cut -d '/' -f 1

The output shown for my device was:
com.mediatek.notebook

It is possible that the aforesaid command may not work for your device, so either you troubleshoot it by yourself, or install an app like OS Monitor → launch your "Notes" app → launch OS Monitor → locate your "Notes" app amongst the processes and tap on it to see the value corresponding to Process.
Suggested by Izzy -- If all else fails, then try App Browser or Adebar to find package name. I tried the former and it does the job nicely.
Take backup of your "Notes" app by issuing the following ADB command:
adb backup <PACKAGE>

where <PACKAGE> is the package name of the app whose backup you want to take. The file will be saved as backup.ab in the directory from where ADB is executed.
In my case, I ended up with the backup file backup.ab (~1.7KiB) in my Home directory of GNU/Linux using the command:
adb backup com.mediatek.notebook

This step is needed because I'm unaware (as a non-root user) of any other way to get my hands on an app's internal files residing in /data.
The .ab file cannot be opened in my PC so I used Android Backup Extractor (see usage in its README.txt) to convert into .tar archive which then can be opened by any archive viewer (like Ark, WinRAR, and so on).
Some other methods to unpack the .ab file are mentioned here.
Open the converted file (.tar for me) and locate .db file under apps→<PACKAGE>→db→<.db>.
Open that .db in an SQL viewer like DB Browser for SQLite. You can then export the file into .csv using File → Export → Table(s) as CSV file.

For a rooted device:

You can either follow all the aforementioned instructions, or copy the .db file(s) from /data/data/<PACKAGE>/databases/<.db> into your PC and proceed with aforesaid step 5.
You may try SQLite Editor to view the database(s) directly on Android if you only intend to see the content of your "Notes" app, since data and creation time probably would be visible in .db file.

We're good to go now!

My method works on user installed apps like Notes or Simplenote as well.


text:
authentication is required when I try having an access to the google play store
I am not able to install my favourite games such as ZOMBIES KILLER 3D. Whenever i ha ve tried installing this games the pla store send me a message and that is "authentication is required you need to sign in your google account"
I am kindly requesting you solving my problem.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Please check with our google-play-store tag-wiki, which holds a list of error messages and possible solutions. Then come back here and either answer your own question (when solved) or [edit] it to include what you've tried and where you're stuck. Thanks, and good luck!

PS: A little search revealed answers: Getting “Authentication is required” when trying to access the Play Store / Authentication Required

Try to clear the data for the Play Store app.
Navigate to Settings >> Apps >> Search for "Play Store"
Then Click "Clear Data"
Hope that helps!!


text:
How do I stop my Moto G from pestering me about Motorola ID related things?
I have a Moto G 4G (2nd gen?) running Android 5.1 Lollipop. I would like to disable or suppress the endless alerts I get from it about "Sign in problem"'s and "Motorola  ID unlinked" related to Motorola services, none of which I wish to use.
I thought unlinking my "Motorola ID" might do this but it just complains even more i.e. the "Motorola  ID unlinked" alert.
How do I do this?

Not sure, but someone back to 4.4  was done this: settings->security & screen lock->Device administrators and turned off "Motorola Device Policy". Next, settings->Motorola Device ID, tap the three dot menu control on the top right, and choose "unlink account".

@user3344236 - ok, have done that...how long until it starts repeatedly  complaining about the "Motorola Device Policy" being turned off, which it instantly did. :)

Can you anyway login in you google account while you receive this annoying prompt?

Just thinking aloud: if you can figure which app is throwing those alerts, you might simply "freeze" that (see: disable-app tag-wiki, bloatware tag-wiki). Which might require root, or might not – some system apps can be disabled without root, others can't.

@Izzy - I'll see how I get on with the Motorola Device Policy turned off over the next couple of days.

Uncheck the allow notifications checkbox in the Application Settings?

@user3344236 - your top comment seems to have done the trick. Make it an answer and I'll mark as accepted.

Seems we have to apply as back to 4.4 and do this: settings->security & screen lock->Device administrators and turn off "Motorola Device Policy". Next, settings->Motorola Device ID, tap the three dot menu control on the top right, and choose "unlink account". Restart (reboot) as a supplementary measure.

Long click the notification and you should be able to see what app is causing it; disable "device notification" from there or app settings.

I'm running Android 7 on a Moto G5, and a Moto 360 watch.
To disconnect the Motorola ID:

Open the Moto Connect app
Click "Change account"
Click the 3 vertical dots (top, right corner)
Click "Sign out".
You will be prompted with a checkbox to agree to the privacy policy. Uncheck this checkbox. You will get a message saying all data will be deleted. Accept.
Uninstall the app.

authors: ເສືອມືດ ໃນຕຳຫນານ


text:
Make phone running Android 2.3.3 re-download configuration settings from ISP
When I first inserted my SIM into my phone, it prompted to download configuration settings for things such as Data, MMS etc... It worked fine for about a year but I have started having problems such as:

After putting phone on flight mode and off, switch data on and off etc..., after scanning for and meddling with Mobile Networks, I managed to make it temporarily work with 2G, but then it automatically switched to 3G, even when having Manual Network Selection on. I also realized that a prefix has now appeared before the original network name.

Is there anyway to re-download these files (preferably the newest versions) without having to fully format my Android? I really appreciate any help ASAP as I am a little stuck without a constant connection.
Thanks.
PS: My provider is SRI Etisalat.

According to this page you can obtain your provider settings by sending an SMS with just the word "Five" to 2211. Most providers have a number you can send text messages to in order to receive the settings again.
If that fails, you can try to manually configure your access point to use the following data (taken from this page):
Navigate to Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks > Access point names, then press the menu button and select "New APN". Then enter:

Name:      Etisalat
APN:       wap
Proxy:     *not set*
Port:      *not set*
Username:  *not set*
Password:  *not set*
Server:    *not set*
MMSC:      *not set*
MMS Proxy: *not set*
MMS Port:  *not set*
MCC:       413
MNC:       03
Authentication type: None
APN type:  default,supl
APN protocol: IPv4

Then press the menu button and select save.
If that doesn't work either, you can find a lot of alternate configurations on this page.

Thanks, but "Five" doesn't work. Also, apn is EBB, which at the moment is not working and I am using "INTERNET" as the APN.

Have you tried deleting the exisiting APN settings and adding these APN settings manually?

authors: วิชญะ ไชยคํา


text:
WiFi is "saved secured" but won't conenct
This only happens with one particular network (my device (Samsung galaxy s4, on 5.01) connects to other networks fine), but I know the issue is on my end because other devices connect. My device connected to this network as recently as yesterday, but now it won't.
It shows "WiFi networks available" but when I press connect, nothing at all happens, it doesn't even flicker,still showing "saved,secured" by the network.
It is really strange that my device connects to other networks, and that other devices connect to this network, but I can't. Help?

Did you try forgetting the network and then connecting to it by adding credentials again?

Yes, I already did that.

Already restarted your phone?

Yes, I did that too

I have that too with some APs. In Settings Status I see one or more IPv6 addresses but no IPv4 address. I get over that with turning off/on WiFi.

I already tried that as well.

If it shows only "Secured", then it will ask password. But it doesn't ask password because it was already " Saved". Just Forget that WiFi network, turn WiFi off and Turn on & Connect. Enter correct password. Else it doesn't connect. Your problem may be in putting wrong password

Tap on connect, It will show authentication and also shows obtaining ip address. If it does not get ip address you can not connect to Wi-Fi. Resetting network setting and try again.

I feel your problem is because of mismatching frequency between router and device.
Try switching your router's wifi to a 2.4GHz band and then connect with your device. This should work.
Most older devices support only 2.4GHz WiFi. Considering the age of your device, you may have trouble even with a 2.4 GHz channel because of differences within commonly denoted by b/g/n. TBH, I don't know what the big difference is, except that it may not work properly.
Modern devices generally emit a 5 GHz band which is like a zagzillion times faster than 2.4 GHz WiFi. But older devices can't connect to it.
Check your router, there might just be a dual-band option. This means when you try connecting with any device to your wifi, the same name of WiFi will show up, but when you try connecting to it, your device will connect to either 5GHz or the 2.4GHz channel depending on your devices' capabilities and range.
I'm new here so I welcome all constructive criticism from the pros on how I can improve my answers.


text:
Begin learning to root/reflash Android devices from Linux
I want to take an (older) Android device and replace the Android system.
I understand that I will need to a) get root access to it, and b) install a new system image (ROM&kernel). I also suspect that's a simplification.
My problem is that I'm having great difficulty knowing where to start.
I have found lots of disparate bits of information on small aspects of this, but much of it seems to start either with "magic" software on windows, or at some point arbitrarily far downstream, but I don't know how far, and I don't know how to get there. It probably doesn't help that I'm trying to learn this using an old "I don't care if I destroy this" phone (LG Optimus 670)
I am a long-time programmer and Linux user, so I'm comfortable with technical instructions provided they're accurate and don't use new terminology without explaining it, and I'm even happier with an explanation of how the parts of a system fit together, and the tools that interact with it, from which I might extrapolate what to do, or why something hasn't worked.
Unfortunately, while I go to the point that I can use adb to get to a shell on my device, it's not a root shell, and anything I try to do (beyond simple "ls" or "ps" anyway) is generally met with a permission problem.
Partly perhaps because I run Linux, not windows, I've totally failed to find a way to root my device (it's an old LG Optimus 670 with a ZDJ "baseband"--what's that, btw, I thought baseband was a term referring to a way of using a medium to carry a single signal, as distinct from broadband, meaning you can encode multiple signals onto it! Perhaps this relates to the software controlling this behavior?)
I've also read that the ZDJ must be downgraded to ZDM before rooting, but I don't know where to begin doing that either.
So, can anyone suggest a good resource that might explain the fundamental structure of an Android system, so I can begin to get a better grip on it? And, can anyone tell me if there are resources that will help me hack this system using Linux as my host, rather than windows? (Or, if I just have to have windows, I suppose that's worth knowing, I could probably bring up a virtual machine if I must!)
Many thanks!

Take a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1197991 they don't list was baseband the root works for but it appears everything can be done on the phone. XDA, in my opinion, is the best place to go to to learn how to root, install custom roms and etc for any mobile device. Been using them for years. Hopefully they will have what you are looking for. =)

You're not restricted to Android. You can also try to install Debian on it. https://wiki.debian.org/Mobile/

Thanks for the input everyone. I have looked at the xda-developers site (it's part of what I've found to be rather overwhelming, but "lots of information" and "easy to find" are inherently incompatible, so it's not their fault :) ) I'll try the link you suggest Jeremy, thanks, I had not found that one (many others, but not that one)
I think the rooting failures have been the main source of trouble, but now I understand a bit better that all other discussions I come across are secondary to that, which helps make it more manageable.
Debian? Very interesting, but not what I want, thanks anyway!

Finally worked it out. Turns out that gingerbreak works on the hardware, but only with a downgrade to ZVD baseband (Froyo). Found a site that led me to the original Froyo update.zip on Sprint's site, and all is well.
Next I must find an effective / useful ROM/kernel
Thanks again for your time and input everyone.


text:
Missing storage on Tesco Hudl 2
I have a Tesco Hudl 2 running Android 4.4.2. I have 9GB of total storage. But little free, despite not using much.
It shows a few GB in-use and 0.5GB free. The usage bar shows 80% available, but the table shows 581MB available. I used to have many apps installed, now there are fewer apps, and no room for more.
Total space 9.12GB
    Avalable 581MB
    Apps 1.58GB
    Pictures 12.46MB
    Audio 496kb,
    Downloads 35.61MB,
    Cached data 59.51MB
    Misc 113MB

That is less than 2GB in-use, and 9GB - 2GB = 7GB ≠ 0.5GB
I have no idea what has happened to the rest of the memory. Can you tell me how to fix, or diagnose?
Note: I have read insufficient-memory wiki.

It has 16GB of internal storage, and according to various websites I should only see about 9GB of this. The storage tool shows about 9GB of total storage.
As requested, I ran Diskinfo & DiskUsage. DiskUsage shows System data of 6782 MiB, this appears to be the problem, but what is system data, and why so much?
Diskinfo:
--------------------------
 Internal Storage (MMC)
--------------------------
 * Cache [mmcblk0p11] (/cache) [ext4]
   Used: 87.6 MB, Free: 1.4 GB, Total space: 1.5 GB
 * System [mmcblk0p13] (/system) [ext4]
   Used: 1.3 GB, Free: 761 MB, Total space: 2 GB
 * Data [mmcblk0p15] (/data) [ext4]
   Used: 8.8 GB, Free: 582 MB, Total space: 9.4 GB
--------------------------
 SD Card
--------------------------
 * SD card [mmcblk1p1] (/mnt/media_rw/sdcard1, /storage/sdcard1) [vfat]
   Used: 253 MB, Free: 29.5 GB, Total space: 29.7 GB
--------------------------
 Memory
--------------------------
 * RAM
   Used: 1018 MB, Free: 862 MB, Total space: 1.8 GB

DiskUsage:
Storage card: 9342 MiB
    apps: 1245 Mib
        …
    media: 734 Mib
        …
    System data: 6782 Mib
    Free space: 581 Mib

I can not workout how to do a screenshot, but it is saying that /data is 8.8GB used / 9.4GB. It does no show detail like du it gives overview like fdisk + df. I can now see why the total is not 16GB (as advertised), but still have no idea what the 8.8GB is being used for.

Related: My space used and free space doesn't add up / Something is secretly eating up internal memory and I need help finding it / 3GB of internal storage is lost

I've got the same situation on my HUDL2.
8Gb of space lost in a black whole.
I did a web search and found one page where a user had the same problem. They had eventually rooted their HUDL2 and found this file "/data/IntelCPHS.log" taking up the missing space.
It's in the /data directory so it's protected and all I can do is list the size with a terminal emulator. It also doesn't show up in disk utilities because of the protected directory it is in.
I did a "ls -l /data/IntelCPHS.log" and found it was taking up nearly 8Gb.
Without rooting all I could do was a factory reset to remove it.
The only thing I've found that causes the file to grow is the All4 app. If I don't view anything with that the IntelCPHS.log stays nice and small.So not a solution but maybe a workaround.

I eventually fixed it by performing a system reset. So all data lost. Except what I copied off onto other devices.


text:
Music players isn't finding tracks on Samsung Galaxy S3!
The music player in Samsung galaxy s3 isn't finding my tracks. I tried different application like google play music but nothing seems to read my tracks at all.
This problems happened suddenly I don't know why.
I tried rebooting the phone but with no hope.

I solved this problem by going to Settings->More->Application manager->All->media storage.
I tapped Media Storage then Clear Data.
Then, at Settings->More->Application manager->All->My Files, I tapped Clear Data too.
Finally, I restarted the phone. And it worked.


text:
accessing internal storage of android device without powering on device
i own a canvas micromax. while experimenting with the motherboard i accidentally screwed with the power button. my device is as such fine but the power button has stopped functioning due to which i cant switch on my phone. i will get the thing repaired but meanwhile wish to access the internal storage which has important data.
my query is how to retrieve internal storage data without actually powering on the mobile. Can i opt for PC suite.? please guide.

You'd need specialist tools to connect directly to the flash memory, I doubt it's practical to do so and you're more than likely to cause some more irreversible damage to your device. See How can I physically remove the internal memory device from my Samsung Galaxy S2? or iFixIt's guide
On the other hand, you might have luck trying to power on your device by plugging it to a USB port, then using adb from there.


text:
Redo one-time setup?
Due to a flaw in the way that Android does decryption*, I setup my devices by skipping through all the first boot setup stuff provided by CyanogenMod and Android.
I then immediately go into the settings and encrypt the device. This makes it so that there's no accounts ever stored on the device in plain-text.
Is there a way, after I encrypt the device, to go through the one-time initialization again? Are there applications for which I can simply wipe the data which will trigger the next boot to run through first time setup again?

Very related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/67177/how-can-i-get-the-first-boot-android-welcome-screen-again-without-doing-a-factor (there's an interesting answer, but we couldn't get it work)


text:
How do I stop Play Store connecting to a specific WiFi SSID?
The WiFi network at an office I frequently visit has firewalled the Play Store, or some port that the Play Store uses. In any case, it is impossible to connect to the Play Store over that network, and this has been confirmed with IT. The error message I get if I try, is "background data must be enabled" -- which it is.
This would be much less irritating if the error message weren't persistent. That's to say that if I once try to update anything while in that office, the error message comes up -- and I then can't connect to the Play Store at all from anywhere until I scrub the cache and data from the app, even though background data most certainly is enabled. Obviously this is a bug in the Play Store software: a flag is getting set and then not tested again and unset. But my question is how do I work around it.
Is there a way to tell the Play Store -- and only the Play Store, not other apps -- not to connect to a specific WiFi network?


text:
How do I transfer one video file from a S6 to an S3 using NFC?
Both my phones are on the same WiFi network and I have NFC turned on for both but what is the qucikest way to select one 400MB file to copy to the S6 through NFC?

I personally recommend using Wi-Fi Direct for this. It's usually setting up a local hotspot/ connecting to one if it should receive the file and uses the fastest Wi-Fi speed that's compatible with both devices (150mbit/s for the S3 using 802.11n I think) so in your case it should take about 21 seconds (in the optimal case).

For starters, you don't actually copy media using NFC, because the transfer speed (just ~53KB/s) is way too slow to be practical for use in close proximity.1 NFC simply establishes the connection (usually Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct) and lets the system transfer the actual file using that connection.
Android's built-in NFC sharing interface is called Android Beam,  while Samsung's own take on the feature is called S Beam. The former uses Bluetooth, while the latter uses Wi-Fi Direct, which is up to 10x faster than Bluetooth.2
To share files between two NFC-enabled devices, you should first enable the necessary options in both devices' settings (enable NFC, Android Beam, and S Beam if available). Then go to the appropriate app (in this case, your videos app), browse to the file you want to share, and touch the devices back to back. Tap the screen of the device you're sharing from when it asks you to 'Tap to beam'.
(I have read that S6 devices do not have S Beam in the Settings app, but I can't vouch for that since not many people seem to be complaining about it, based on a Google search.)

So when I tap on my S3 to transfer to my S6, on the S6 screen it keeps saying "select file to transfer"!  Except I have selected stuff on my S3 so I'm lost.


text:
How to use "Sync" to transfer files?
The app "Sync" by Bittorrent claim to allow sync between devices without a cloud but when I click the "link device" on either of the two devies I'm trying to connect to the other I get a camera screen.  What am I missing?

Quick guess: the barcode created on the other device to be scanned, in order to "authenticate" the two?

Just like @Izzy said, Sync gives you a barcode that you can scan on other devices to share a folder.


text:
How to record a short audio clip as quickly as possible
I'm trying to figure out a combination of apps/settings that will allow me to record a short audio clip (think reminder note) in as few taps as possible. At the moment I am using the standard voice recorder app. If I'm in the middle of listening to a podcast and want to record a short clip, I currently have to:

hit the power button to wake up my phone
hit unlock
pause the podcast
launch the voice recorder app
hit "record"
when I'm done, hit "save"
resume the podcast

I'm looking for a workflow that will let me launch a recording app and start recording automatically (ideally right from the lock screen) then when I'm done save the clip without being told to and resume whatever was happening before (usually a podcast).
Can anyone suggest apps to look at, or settings that might help?

Might be a job for tasker, the most famous automation tool. Other automation tools might be capable of the same (think about llama) – but as a Tasker user I'll describe it this way (feel free to adapt).
The "task" to be exececuted would be:

Keyguard › Off
Disable screen lock. Might require the SecureSettings Plugin if the native variant doesn't work.
Media Control › Pause
to stop your podcast, music, or whatever media stuff might be running. This can be set as "toggle". You might need to experiment a little here; consider e.g. what would happen with "toggle" when no podcast is currently played – that would have the opposite effect then, so maybe better just "pause" here directly.
Launch App
Select your voice recorder here.

Note that manipulating app controls is more tricky (and might require root). I didn't play with that, so I cannot give advice on it. I just know theoretically that Tasker is capable of that as well. Another tricky thing is the "continue podcast" part, which might not be wanted if it wasn't played before – but you've got the idea, I hope.
Now, we need a trigger and assign it the task from above. Multiple choices here with Tasker alone – and many more with the tons of plugins available (see e.g. my collection of Tasker resources). So I only give an example here which should make sense:
Shake lets you define a shake-pattern. So e.g. "shake the device twice from left-to-right" could trigger above action.
Even limited to the steps I've explicitly described, this would minimize the steps you need to take: Shake the device, hit "record", hit "save", and then (optionally) continue your podcast.

Many thanks for this answer, I will go and check out tasker

Best start with our tasker tag-wiki. Tasker has a free 7-day trial available at their website to test it first, which you can prolong for another week by 1. exporting your config, 2. uninstall Tasker, 3. re-install Tasker, 4. import your settings (hint from the dev himself ;)


text:
Why do we need emulated sdcard?
Why is there an "emulated sdcard" in Android? I suppose it is located on the same internal flash memory (there is only on physical default memory, right? (excluding separate physical sdcards of course)) as Android itself, so why do I need to "emulate" it? Could we not just write to the "internal" storage?

I'm guessing this is related to Android's multi-user feature, which organizes each user's files in their own respective folders on the storage partition (/data/media/0 for the first user, /data/media/1 for the second, etc.) I'm not sure though.

Historically virtually all the early Android phones had a removable SD card and a very small amount of internal storage (by modern standards).  Apps were written expecting to be able to get access to the external storage and use it for data storage.  Then phones started shipping with more internal storage but no sd card and to keep these older apps working had to emulate external storage.  We now had the ridicules situation of real external storage with an sd card and emulated external storage being quite a common setup and some older apps not being able to use the actual real sd card.
If you were starting from scratch now and could ignore all the old software then things could be tided up but as it is it's a confusing mess for the consumer and the developers.

if it existed one and only one part of Android which was not "a confusing mess"...


text:
/data and /storage/sdcard0 seems to refer to the same place? Why?
On my "8GB" device (which I believe doesn't have an extra physical sdcard installed (I have to unscrew it to see that)) I have the following df output:
Filesystem             Size   Used   Free   Blksize
/dev                   402M    32K   401M   4096
/mnt/secure            402M     0K   402M   4096
/mnt/asec              402M     0K   402M   4096
/mnt/obb               402M     0K   402M   4096
/mnt/shm              1024K     0K  1024K   4096
/system                503M   297M   206M   4096
/data                    6G   344M     5G   4096
/cache                 495M   186M   309M   1024
/device                  7M     1M     6M   1024
/storage/sdcard0         6G   344M     5G   4096

I am confused though, because /data and /storage/sdcard0 are exactly the same (suspiciously the same!), but as I understand it though: /storage/sdcard0 should refer to an external physical sd-card, and not refer to the same place as /data. What is going on?

For device without external physical storage, /storage/sdcard/ still refers to external storage, but it's emulated. This question might be helpful, or even it might be a duplicate.

But then it should mount under /storage/emulated/ or something, no?

On my Nexus 7, /storage/sdcard0 is a symlink to /storage/emulated/0. Your device probably has something similar. I don't think the exact mountpoint matters (i.e sdcard0 vs emulated/0), as long as they all point to the expected location.


text:
How do I save a Google now suggestion so I can read it later?
Google now has started giving me suggestions to interesting articles, but I only seem to see them during the day when I'm working and don't have time to read them.
How do I save them for reading later, without going to the article and emailing it to myself?

Make bookmark of it in browser.

Thanks, unfortunately the result is still the same in that I have to visit the page or risk the card vanishing before I get to see it. Not great when I'm in meetings!

Or you can take screenshot of the card and later search for that article

There isn't official functionality for this. You're best off using something like Pocket/Instapaper or taking a screenshot like Ash-Ishh says. Anyway, the cards should stick around for some time.

you could raise a feature request for this

I don't think google has thought about this feature, this is the most needed feature. I have posted this in Google forums, please upvote the options request, so that Google finds it as more needed feature. Link here https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/37113615?hl=en&dark=1


text:
Having a different icon for a specific email in my Gmail App on Android
I have 3 different email accounts under the GMAIL APP on Android.
How could I have a different notification icon for one of the accounts so I know right away if I have email in that account?

As far as I can see the Gmail does not provide this functionality.
When getting notifications, the app itself decides on what kind of icon is displayed. So unless the app supports setting a custom icon  for notification of a specified account you are unfortunately out of luck.


text:
Custom recovery location in boot.img
I am using samsung galaxy y. I have installed a custom kernel and that kernel  has a custom recovery that boots automatically when i boot into recovery. I want to change custom recovery present in the kernel.
I unpacked boot.img and found zimage file & ramdisk.cpio.gz. Then unpacked ramdisk.cpio.gz and found many files. But I have no idea where is that custom recovery.
Please guide me its location and procedure to do so.

Could you mention the source which you followed to install that custom kernel including the links to the files? (I've doubts reserved for this question.)

Found the recovery location in /sbin directory.


text:
Does data reset wipe batterystatus.bin?
Does data reset delete batterystats.bin?
Location of batterystats.bin file is /data/system/batterystats.bin.
Note: NVRAM also remains in data partition but data reset does not wipe IMEI.
Can I calibrate the battery without rooting the new custom ROM?

What is a "data reset"? And what has the batterystats.bin to do with battery calibration (it only holds usage stats of apps)? To calibrate your battery, simply run it down to below 20% (but not below 5% if it can be avoided), and then charge it up to 100% in a single run without disconnect. Done.

If you wipe data/factory reset in ClockWorkMod or TWRP recovery, then it should remove it. The stock recovery probably will wipe it.
In general, to access recovery, turn off your phone and pull the battery (certain phones have a mode where they "hibernate" instead of powering off...)
Hold the volume up button and then hold the power button. When the phone vibrates release the power button but keep holding volume up.
Note: Factory resetting in Android may not remove this file. A research project by Cambridge University showed that there is a security flaw in some Android devices where not all the files are wiped...
This is because the recovery formats the data partition, so it will certainly be deleted.


text:
How does IMEI Survives Data Reset
NVRAM Remains in data partition. Then why IMEI is not lost after data reset?

Isn't the IMEI in /efs?

@SuperThomasLab AFAIK /efs is a Samsung specific partition. Never read about it for other devices (but didn't check either).

The IMEI is the International Mobile Equipment Identification, which you MUST have to connect to the cellphone network. If you don't have an IMEI you can't call anybody.
The IMEI isn't wiped by performing a data reset because it is being held in a separate partition called /efs, modem or modemst - the Name of the partition depends on your phone's brand. That partition is not touched by the reset-option.
It happens sometimes that the IMEI is lost after a Bad flash. But I wouldn't try to force it because your phone will refuse to connect to the network. Also IMEI hacking is illegal in some countries.
Cheers

Not every device seems to have an efs partition, not at least my Mediatek device has.

Then it could be that it is has a different name. I think /efs is Samsung related. My Z2 also seems to have no /efs partition

So where is it in different devices...

I do not know. But it could be in some folder called modem, modemst or something similar. Since I dont worry about my IMEI i dont care where it is. Also, as I mentioned above, IMEI hacking is illegal in some countries.


text:
When selling your phone, what steps should be taken to make sure that all personal data has been removed?
I am getting rid of my Samsung Galaxy S4 and want to know what steps I should take to make sure that private information has been deleted from the phone.  I have removed the SD card and cleared all of the gallery files as well as music.  What other steps can I take to make sure that the phone is as sterile as possible?

We have, on this stackexchange, found that Dropbox must be properly disengaged, otherwise a connected device will re-synch. See the answers to this question.

See: I have sold my phone on eBay. What should I do before I send it off? / What's the most complete way to erase all the data from my phone so it cannot be recovered? and check other questions tagged privacy for a start ;)

the guys tell you to overwrite  the storage, i don't know about android but I know about PCs and hard disks,  I've done data recovery with many tools available for anyone, free and commercial. and I can trace information back for like 5 years ago so I doubt that overwriting will work, so I won't even bother. one either knows how to do data recovery or he doesn't and if he does, chances are you're busted unless you physically destroy the  drive but then you won't be able to sell it

How to make a complete factory reset, without anyone being able to retrieve my data?

Remove the SD Card and SIM Card, and then do a Factory Reset.
If your device doesn't use full disk encryption, and you are worried about someone using advanced forensic tools to recover your data, you might want to overwrite the internal storage area with random data. You can do this by creating a file containing random data that fills up the entire free space. Once you've done that, do another factory reset.
If you've flashed and/or rooted your device, you would want to flash a stock ROM, and restore the default boot loader.

The tools needed to recover are hardly "advanced". If your device does not have full disk encryption, you really need to do a full wipe of all partitions of the internal storage except the bootloader, then reinstall stock 'ROM', but if you mess this up you could brick the device. Getting a professional you can trust to do this for you is going to cost a lot more than the device is worth, so honestly I would just recommend that privacy-conscious non-experts just destroy used devices rather than selling them... :-(

For example, this tool will recover a lot of data and all you need to know how to do is compile for Linux/ARM and root the device: http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec

Make sure you've deregistered your phone from e.g. Google (especially Play), Facebook, Dropbox etc.
Encrypt the phone, optionally create a file full of random data that fills up all available disk space1, then factory reset. Repeat as many times as you like.
1 dd if=/dev/urandom of=random.txt bs=1G count=2, replacing 1G with however much space is left (credit)

I doubt this suffices; personal information might be stored not just in free (deleted) space but also in files that don't get properly deleted.

Would filling up disk space with random data like that even work? Doesn't the type of memory used in phones typically use wear leveling? (E.g. Similar to an SSD?) So even if the disk is full there might still be sectors that haven't been overwritten.

@Ajedi32 I assume that (especially with multiple write cycles) most data would be overwritten. Without specialist tools it's presumably impossible to force all sectors to be written to and erased.

@JoshHolland  Is it possible to deregister a device from Google (especially Play) anymore?  If so, how?

@RockPaperLizard I thought it was under settings on the web interface, but apparently you can't.

@JoshHolland I believe Google used to allow you to deregister a device, but for some reason, they removed that functionality.  :(

Your best bet is to flash a factory image, maybe a more daunting task if you aren't familiar with it. However, check out sammobile.com for images and instructions, or YouTube of course.
In theory, with Android, a factory reset can tend to leave data behind: Ars article
With a system image, it effectively rewrites all partitions on the device, leaving it clean.


text:
Control a Windows download manager using an Android device
Can anyone please tell me if there's currently a way to use my Android device to get my Windows PC to download a file?
For example, maybe I could use the Android "Share" functionality (with a Pushbullet-like app) to send a URL to a download manager app on a Windows PC, which would then proceed to download the file.
Thanks!

Have you tried Chrome Remote Desktop or Microsoft RD Client apps? And look at this answer but in the comments its mentioned its dangerous advice.

Take a look at the uTorrent Web Client

You could just use PushBullet. If you configure it so your desktop PushBullet client automatically opens all links you send to it, and you send the specific download URL, it should begin downloading it automatically, assuming you have your browser set to download to a specific location every time.


text:
Got connection problems: How to reset wifi stack without factory reset?
I installed CM 5.1.1 and restored a ton of apps with Titanium Backup.
Now my Wifi is bugged: When I enter a known Wifi network the phone connects to the wifi but can't make a real connection (has a '!').
There might be a problem with tethering or priorities:
$ netcfg
rmnet_usb0 UP                              10.175.104.107/29  0x00000041
wlan0    UP                               192.168.2.126/24  0x00001043

I have to turn off mobile data to get a network connection.
Now I want to learn how to reset the wifi stack to get rid of the problem without starting from scrach. Where is the culprit?
My setup is a Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE with Optimised CM12.1 by AnteresOne. Xposed and Xprivacy as well as AFWall+ are installed.

So far I tried to delete wpa_supplicant and the whole /data/misc/wifi folder and even flash clean system and just restore /data.

Solution was in my case: Deactivate AFwall+ 2.0alpha2. The app caused connection problem.
A solution that didn't help:
Updating your modem/non-hlos to the latest version for your country/carrier.


text:
wifi hotspot client list does not list all wifi clients
I have an embedded device that I am connecting to a Samsung GS3 hotspot. It connects fine, but does not show up in the "Connected devices" list. It does show up in /data/misc/dhcp/dnsmasq.leases.
Can anybody point me to the right section of android code that creates and displays the "Connected devices" list? I want to modify the DHCP client in my embedded device so that it shows up in the list properly (it's the easiest way to get the assigned IP address). Do I need to change more than just the DHCP client?

I figured out my problem. I am using an ethernet-wifi bridge module, which means the wifi client mac does not match the dhcp client hwaddress. This is why it does not show up in the client list.
I have a static IP address assigned to the bridge, and when I use the wifi mac in my dhcp requests (and set the broadcast flag), then the IP address assigned to my embedded board shows up in the android client list.


text:
Is there a way to block the Immersive Mode prompt "Swipe down from the top to exit full screen"?
When an app uses Immersive Mode, Android will often issue a large prompt (on a blue background) instructing the user to "Swipe down from the top to exit full screen".
Is there a way to prevent Android KitKat from displaying this message?
I performed some research, and the only answer I could find involved installing an Xposed Framework module.  I would prefer not to install the Xposed Framework.
Answers requiring a rooted device are fine (please just specify in your answer whether or not your solution requires root).

Note that this is a security feature. Without the notification, an app can take over the screen and emulate parts of the system that you think are part of the system.

@LieRyan Thanks.  That's good info.  Note that it doesn't always appear, so, well, that's not great security!

The reminder bubble should only appears the first time the app goes to immersive mode or if the user goes into panic mode. I guess this is a fine balance between security and usability. Displaying the reminder bubble every time an app enters immersive mode would be annoying.

@LieRyan Yes, there seems to be a fine balance there.  I have an app that uses immersive mode as a lock screen, so turning off the screen after it starts is a normal activity (thus triggering panic mode).  So I would like to just get rid of the message altogether.


text:
Google Now in other languages?
What plans does Google have to support Google Now in other languages. This would be especially important for people who need to use the device without looking at the screen.
On my Samsung Galaxy SIII, Android 4.4.2 KitKat, if I change the Settings app | Controls | Language and Input | Language setting then the user interface language changes but the Google Now speaking voice is still in English.
I have also tried Settings app | Controls | Voice Control but those settings are limited to voice control for answering or rejecting calls, stopping or snoozing alarms, shooting with the camera or video software, or controlling the playing of music.
Also under Settings app | Device | Accessibility there are several useful user settings such as TalkBack, but nothing related to Google Now.
Finally, in the Google Now application there are several useful functionalities but nothing to set the input and output languages in Google Now.

It appears google already does, if you open the app Google Settings, Then Search and Now. Then Voice, at the top you can pick from a bunch of languages. I added Espanol (Mexico) since I know a little and it recognized my voice in spanish. Hope this is what you are looking for.

That's great, but what if someone cannot see the screen. There should be a universal Google Voice command to set the language. What is it? Thanks.

Note:  I would like to upvote you but I don't have enough reputation.

Hmm. I'll do some digging and let you know about that. And its all good. =)

Take a look at https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2940021?hl=en
If you scroll down to Way to use your voice. Then select android, it shows all(?) of the commands you can use. It does not look like you can at this time. Sorry. =(

@JackMaddington You may accept(no privilege needed) the answer if it worked well for you.

Actually your answer didn’t work for me, just wishing it would have worked. But then you said in a comment that the support I'm looking for is lacking. Perhaps, do you have a more modern device that has the functionality? If so, then what is it? Perhaps if you provide these details I can accept your answer. Aldo post the OS version.

Ahh I see now. Yeah you have an older device. I assume all your apps are up to date? I have the Samsung Note 4 running 5.0.1.
Edit: What version of android are you running?

I am running 4.4.2 KitKat. What's the minimum version of Android that supports Google Now in more than one language, and how many and which languages are supported?

I looked for a little bit on google and didnt return anything other than https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2839743?hl=en According to what I was reading, some options are only available for 5.0, Some for 4.4 and some for under 4.3. Its weird that languages would only be available for 5.0.

Perhaps so, but it seems the list of supported languages in the user interface keeps increasing with each release of mobile phone, so perhaps the same happened with Google Now, with it being available in other languages from version 5 onwards. The page you link to does not seem to say so in the URL, but it must refer to 5 onwards. Perhaps these are excuses to have consumers upgrade their phones (while the older versions could be brought to do the same thing, a real shame for visually impaired users).


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How to use usb modem to connect to Internet on Sony Xperia Z Ultra running Lollipop?
I have a Tata Photon+ internet usb modem. But I am not able to access internet through it when connected my device. Whenever I connect the modem to my android device nothing shows up that you are connected to modem's internet.  I connect my modem using my micro-usb converter. I watched some videos on YouTube but they all had a rooted method to connect to Internet. I have Sony Xperia Z Ultra with Android Lollipop 5.0.1. So if somebody has a technique to connect USB modem to my android device please answer.

Quick google search yielded this. Give this a shot. http://mytabletguru.com/steps-to-connect-dongle-to-android-tablet/
Let us know if it works for you or not.

@jer3my Consider developing a brief context around the link (even if it is a comment) so that if the link expires in future, a reader can at least come to know what the link intended to tell.

This answer might help.

@Firelord Good Idea. ---- Its recommended to plug in the dongle and wait 5-10 mins as some tablets will auto create the APN settings. Its also recommended that you disable sleep mode for the time being.
Then open Settings and find your Mobile Network, Then find Access Point Name. Then select New APN. Then fill in Name/APN/Dial Number. Set the network name. You can name it whatever you like. Then set the APN. You will have to search for the service provider's APN settings.
--- Taken from the link in my other comment.

But i have all option in my new apn settings except the dial number setting