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Is it possible to run two instances of android on your phone at the same time?
Sorry if I am misusing 'instances'. What I mean is the following: I want to run an master OS. The 'only' thing that master OS does is let me boot/kill/switch between  OS 1, OS 2, OS 3, etc. I want apps to believe they run on a normal Android phone. So if I run  app X on two OS, namely 1 and 2. I want each instance of app X to believe it runs on a different machine. I understand you can do this with a dual boot. However I want both OS at the same time. I interact within OS 1 and switch to OS 2 to continue where I left.

Sounds like you want an Android virtual machine host, like VMWare on desktops/servers.
As far as I know, there are no Android OS virtual machine hosts that can host Android OS virtualized instances. (There are desktop/server hosts that can host Android OS guests though--think AVD, GenyMotion, etc.) I'm guessing an Android host isn't a common case, to want to virtualize multiple instance on a single embedded device. And because of the complexity in doing that, it would have to be pretty low level, maybe even tied to specific devices. So it is unlikely someone will create one any time soon. Sorry.

Dual boot even on computers usually only boot 1 at a time. There are dual boot setups for some android devices. What you are trying to do wouldn't work in a dual boot set up. Check out island XDA Link, which allows the same app being run as two separate instances on the same device.


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Remove Gmail contacts from SMS contacts Samsung Galaxy S9?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S9 and when I try to send a SMS message to someone I have to search through all my Gmail contacts that for some reason appear on the app along with my phone contacts. I don't send mails through the message app. There is no menu in the messaging app that lets me hide the Gmail contacts. Is there any way to make the messaging app only show the contacts I have on my phone?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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MTP - it just won't work
Dear android enthusiasts!
I'm not sure this is the right place to ask but I'm being really desperate and out of ideas what to try. I have a Galaxy S6 Edge (SM-6925F) running Android 7.0 (Kernel 3.10.61-13115714). The problem is: I cannot access the phone via USB anymore.
It used to work until a few months ago. It stopped working on one computer, some time later also on all others. When I connect it to a USB port, it charges just fine, but does not display any USB options that would allow me to select what it should do (the connected for charging notify doesn't even pop up). Here is what I tried:

Standard answer is to enable the developer options and then enable USB debugging. I did that, no change.
In the developer options I can set what the phone should do when connected to USB. Changed from MTP to "charge only" several times, also tried the other options like PTP, even setting it to audio source for fun. Tried changing options and disconnecting/reconnecting, restarting phone, restarting host PC, just nothing.
Tried the *#0808# thingy. Again, this allows me to select the USB options but no matter what I select, nothing changes.
Other standard answer is drivers. Well, there is not much I can remove in my device manager as the phone doesn't show up anywhere. I don't hear a "USB device connected" sound, it doesn't try to install anything. I did try to uninstall and reinstall the drivers from [*], again with no effect. I tried Win7x64 and Win10 hosts. Nothing.
Changing the cable. Tried three different ones.

I'm out of ideas what else I can try, except for the full factory reset of the phone. I was trying to avoid that due to the hassle with reconfiguring everything. Therefore I was wondering if there are any other options or if I have to go for that.
Thanks in advance!

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


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Contacts duplicated
I've a strange problem.
My phone create me some contacts in a strange way...
I've 250 contacts, my phone duplicate 200 of them 2 or 3 times every time the same and also if I delete the duplicated contacts (not sync with google) it comes back in a fiew minutes.
Why? there is a fix? Pls help me!

The simple way to do this is to use Duplicate Contacts.  It also manages other contacts as well that are stored in your different accounts, including deleting all of them if you wish
Deleted contacts are stored as a .vcf file in the root of sd card storage.
Its general description is:

Simple tool to see and delete duplicate contacts. You can see a list
  of contacts sorted by name or by number and you can select which to
  delete. The duplicate contacts are automatically selected. The removed
  contacts are saved on vcf file on sdcard.

From experience this is one of the very few  applications that serves its purpose - to delete and NOT to merge contacts.

I tried this application, but it missed many duplicate contacts. I need something that can handle spaces and dashes in phone numbers, or even just detects duplicate names.


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How to get memory dumps, when internal memory (/data partition) is damaged?
(Sorry for my english)
My phone, Samsung galaxy S3 16 GB wasn't rooted and installed custom recovery. Someday, it appears on the screen that "internal storage is damaged". So I want to backup internal storage, attempted flashing twrp and rooting the phone through CF-autoroot, but it unable to mount /data in twrp.
To create a internal memory dump, I find this article.
https://dfir.science/2017/04/Imaging-Android-with-root-netcat-and-dd.html
I tried to this.
adb devices
:: List of devices attached
:: 4300********061 recovery

/data directory is empty.
adb shell
su
:: permission denied

I think phone isn't properly rooted. Installing a supersu.zip from twrp, it says "install failed".
adb forward tcp:8888 tcp:8888
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 | busybox nc -l -p 8888
nc 127.0.0.1 8888 > android.dd

It created a dump file of 3.5 GB size on windows, although internal memory had 15 GB in use. And mounting the dump file from OSFMount is failed.
In this situation, is it possible to get a full memory dump of internal storage, specially /data partition?

Update.
Retry dumping of /data partition, and view this dump file from testdisk in linux. It worked.

How to recover a deleted file from /data partition?


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Play store apps cannot write to external SD Card in Android Oreo
My Galaxy S7 edge recently updated to Oreo. Now play store apps no longer have rights to write to my external SD card. I have followed app instructions about how to open a system folder chooser dialog, and selecting the root of the external SD Card. Unfortunately the external SD card is never an option. The upper right 3 dot menu only has the option "Show internal storage" and does not have "Show SD Card" and the upper left 3 bar "Open From" menu only has "Recent" and "Downloads."
I've also set up a FTP connection to my phone but get permission errors when trying to delete or write files to the external SD card (I can read from it just fine).
The camera and other native apps allow using the external card as the storage location and the "My Files" file manager has full access. I am not rooted.
Any ideas?


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Which user data are apps able to collect by default?
On Android, I used to prefer the mobile website of services instead of their app because of possible privacy concerns. Now I'm wondering if this is actually unnecessary.
So my question is: Which device or user data are apps able to collect without granting any explicit permissions by the user?
Can they read my phone number, IMEI, can they see other installed apps etc.?
Let's assume it's a freshly installed app that I've never opened so far.

Though this might not be an answer to your question, take a look at Google's permission documentation (aimed at developers): https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/permissions/overview#normal-dangerous
Any permission in the "normal" category is given when the app is installed. Any permission listed as "dangerous" requires explicit permission through a pop-up to access.

If you give permission to an app when installing and it requires you to permit them to read your Gallery. You have given them access. Now whether to access your photo to show/display in app, or upload it to their server for illegal purpose, it completely upon developer's intentions. That's why you need to think twice before installing any app. Correct me if I am wrong.

@gertmenkel There are two exceptions to the rule: if your Android is Lollipop or lower, all requested permissions will be automatically granted; if you run Marshmallow or newer and an app targets Lollipop or lower, all requested permissions will be granted, while the dangerous ones will be able to be manually revoked.


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Android Missed Call Notification Sound/Chime
Consider this scenario. I am listening to music on my android phone and I have DND mode on and set to priority only. A spam call comes in and my phone dutifully blocks the call right away but the android missed call notification sound/chime plays. I think it is similar to the sound the phone plays when you hang up at the end of a normal phone call.
I would very much like to silence this sound so that it never plays when a call is missed and sent straight to voice mail.
Is it possible to do this with an app or in the android settings?


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Sony Xperia Z3c in-call volume
Is it possible to increase the in-call volume on Sony Xperia Z3 compact. I have rooted my phone and tried various apps, but they only seem to increase the speaker volume and distort it at the same time.
I also tried editing the mixer_paths.xml file, but I do not know which setting corresponds to the earpiece in-call volume level. Or is there another method to increase the volume? The caller is barely audible even in a quiet room and it is frustrating.
Thanks

Rather than mess with xml files, look on XDA for kernels that have faux capability. Typically, you can increase the volume upto 20 dB {3 dB is double)

@beeshyams Thanks for the suggestion. Although I was able to root following a guide on XDA, I am a bit inexperienced in rooting. I will appreciate it if you can point where to look at. What does faux mean by the way or is there an app requiring super user permissions that can increase volume levels?

You have rooted already :)  presumably you have a custom recovery also. You need to search for kernel that is meant for your device on XDA and read thorough the thread and decide. That's your decision. Faux capable kernels have the capability to enhance volume as indicated earlier. They may not advertise as such but you need to research if the kernel supports volume enhancement. Search, research and decide


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Unread messages not bold in Gmail on Chrome (Nougat)
Gmail on Chrome on Lollipop (unread in bold messages are fine):

Gmail on Chrome on Nougat (unread in bold messages looks thin):

As you can see in the second image, the unread message is thinner than the first image. It's probably on bold too, just not as bold as the first image.
Anyone knows how to fix this on Nougat?
Update: This appears to be due to the default font used by Chrome on Nougat. Any ideas how to change that? Changing the Android system fonts didn't affect Chrome.

well that will work but I want to use the mobile version

Chrome Settings > Accessibility> Text scaling - see if that helps

@beeshyams I don't see "change visiblity" in the settings

You can also try typing chrome://flags and in the search bar reader-mode. You can try changing those settings , if it helps

@beeshyams Text scaling doesn't help and I don't see any relevant setting in chrome://flags. For now I am using Firefox which renders the bold fonts perfectly.

After typing chrome://flags and in the search bar reader mode I see three  flags, reader mode triggering , reader mode in CCT and reader mode for accessibility . I was suggesting playing with those flags, since I am not in Nougat.  . Also try updating Chrome to the latest version , if not done already

@beeshyams I tried playing with those settings, still no luck.


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Google Apps not responding even after factory reset
I have a very annoying problem with my phone's Google Apps, which I cannot resolve or even diagnose. It affects Google Play, Google Maps, Chrome, YouYube, Google Settings, Account managing, and probably other apps. All of these freeze when I try to access them and after a while the message "(App) isn't responding" appears. Interestingly, the Google app (the search engine), the Gmail app, and Google Translate function properly.
At first, I though I got a virus or some new update caused the problem, so I cleared the data of Google Play and restarted the phone. Unfortunately, for no avail. Next, I thought it's an Internet connection problem, however, other apps which need web access work fine (e.g. Evernote, Duolingo, a racing game /Top Drives/ that I play from time to time, and even my secondary browser /UC Browser/). For this reason, I took drastic measures and reset my phone to its factory settings (without restoring any previous data). Again - nothing. On top of everything, my battery suddenly started draining away faster than usual and I suspect Google Play services to be the cause of that. When I checked my Battery history, I saw that even under idle mode, Google Play is using CPU for something.
I should point that after I reset the phone, I entered play.google.com from my other browser and noticed that the site still thought that my old apps (the ones which I used to have before formatting my phone) were still installed on my device. Clearly, this means that Google Play and my phone don't synchronize properly.
At this stage, I'm left in the dark. I have no idea if the problem is software, hardware, or authorization related. I should point out that I borrowed an old smartphone from a friend of mine and was able to load a functional android configuration on it with my Gmail.
Does anyone know what may be the cause of this issue or who has experiences something similar? I already read all standard solutions listed on the Google Support forum and none of them worked.
PS My phone is Lenovo P1 Vibe, less then 2 years old. My Android version is 5.1. Last time I could use the phone normally was 2 days ago, when I watched a show on the Internet before going to bed. I noticed the problem after I charged it the next morning.

I just found on xda-developers that Google has begun blocking uncertified devices from accessing Google services. Do you know if this could affect normal phones as well? Due to some bug or a mistaken verification?

No, that's very unlikely to start with and nobody else with a certified device has had a similar problem.

In case others have the same problem, I was able to solve mine by reinstalling the Android OS and giving Google access to all permission options which it asks for (e.g. using your location, collecting customary information about you, etc). In principle, the installation process gives you the right to forbid the mentioned options, however, when I did that the first time, the problem remained.
Frankly speaking, I would have liked if Google did not follow every movement of mine (like Big Brother in 1984), but at least now I can use my phone normally. It seems we should reconcile with the fact the our tech tools have permanently occupied our private lives.


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What is the meaning of "a5ultexx" in terms of phone models?
I have an sm-a500fu 2015 and I've been tinkering with it for the last few months, custom recovery and root.
I've found a ROM port for it which I want to install and the latest version is for the ROM is for a model a5ultexx. The previous versions of the ROM explicitly say a500fu but the latest says a5ultexx. Does this mean my a500fu is compatible, or that all a5 models are compatible?

a500fu or a5ultexx are codenames, but not necessarily ones given by the manufacturer. ROM maintainers will determine a suitable codename representative of the device in the bringup process, and that codename can change during the device's life cycle (in another answer of mine, I described a similar change to another device).
For recent Samsung devices there's an undocumented (AFAIK) pattern in the codenames. Take your device for example:

a5ultexx = SM-A500FU

a5 is obviously Galaxy A5
u for sub-variant, the "U" in "A500FU" - this part is rarely seen
lte for LTE variants, versus wifi for WiFi-only tablets, or 3g for 3G variants.
xx for general region/carrier, in this case, for international devices, the "F" in "A500FU".

As you can see the 2 expressions point to the same device, so yours is compatible.


text:
Backup to Google Drive include account(s) information?
I have been experimenting with restoring backups to a freshly factory-reset phone but I'm noticing that not a single account beyond the initial Google Account is being restored to freshly restored-from-backup phone.
This makes the whole concept of restoring quite limited.  Sure data is there but the user having to go re-create all of the needed accounts manually is a real pain.
Is there something I am not (as a user) understanding about the backup/restore facility?


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How to restore my Z8 android dual SIM card phone
My Z8 informed me that a lot of files were not responding and kept me in a continual loop! Please understand that I am not that tech savvy so I am here asking for help in the simplest terms possible. I once followed y our instructions to use  n power button and volume button and got to c prompt and removed a pin code. I was hoping that you can reinstruct me on how and maybe the phone can be restarted or you can tell me how to reinstall drivers, IOS, UK etc to make it work please. Thank you.

You didn't provide info about which Z8 you have. From what I checked, many companies have a model named Z8.
Anyhow, you should be able to fix most software issues by resetting the phone to factory state. That means you'll lose all user data. So, backup everything that you possibly can.
Then boot your device into recovery mode. The procedure may differ from device to device. But for most, the following combo works from a powered off state:
Press and hold Power and Volume Up keys. Release the power key upon vibration, but keep on holding the volume up key till you reach the recovery mode.
You can do "Factory Reset" or "Wipe Data" or something similar from the recovery to bring everything to the factory state.


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Running commands operating on files always results in permission denied errors
When I try executing commands operating on files, they always fail. I can't check permissions on the terminal because I'd have to run a command that operates on a file (directory) in order to do so. Here is an example of what I mean:

Note that the terminal already shows a "Permission denied" error message when I open it.
According to my file browser, the /sdcard symlink (I suppose it's a symlink) has all permissions set. However, on the path to the linked locations, not all permissions are set. To test whether this is what's causing the problem, I created a new directory /t with all permissions set. You can see the result of me running ls in that directory in the terminal output above.

What do I have to do in order to be able to run commands that operate on files?
My phone is a rooted OnePlus 3 running OxygenOS 5.0.1 which is based on Android 8.0.0. BusyBox is installed.

Are you using custom ROM? Your /system directory seems to have bad permissions. If you have root, try su -c "ls -l $(which ls)" or use $(which busybox) ls

I can't try stuff myself anymore because my phone died. However, I think I should leave this question open in case someone has an idea that probably works and someone else comes across this.


text:
Read daily steps count without Google Fit app
Hi Android enthusiasts !
I'm developing an app that read Google Fit OS layer data (local data written on the phone, not Google Fit application itself).
Does phone's steps sensor natively write daily steps count to Google Fit API or is this only achieved by a tierce application (Google Fit app or any basic pedometer application) ?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! This site is for users of Android, which means that questions about development/programming are off-topic here (see the What topics can I ask about here?). Development questions are on-topic on our sister site Stack Overflow. You might also wish to consult Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions? for a fitting place to your question.

Apart from that: I don't think so. There are several privacy-friendly step counters out there which otherwise couldn't work.


text:
Problems installing Open Gapps on Huawei Honor 7x
I tried to install Open Gapps to a Huawei Honor 7x mobile with twrp. I had strange problems during the installation:

It detected a wrong architecture with version 7.1 pico package: the phone is ARM64 but it complained it was ARM.
Using version 8, it says the ROM version is 7.1.x which in fact, it is Android 8.0.
The /system partition has about 500MB free space, but it cannot install pico because it says there is no enough space.

How can I make this work?

Did you try to install Gapps over a stock system with Google Apps already installed?!?! That will cause nothing but issues, "gapps" are only intended for custom ROMs or the few Chinese models that do not include any Google services.

I tried to install Gapps to a Chinese phone with stock ROM which has no Gapps. I am not sure it's a problem of TWRP  or Gapps. My feeling is the error messages are misleading.

You will probably need a custom ROM... Huawei devices use a heavily modified version of Android, and in Chinese models it is becoming a thing where the device is setup to block Google Apps by design.

That's probably correct in terms of getting Gapps on to the device. Still, my questions of the misleading error messages still not answered.


text:
How do you NOT sync contacts when adding a new google account on Android?
By the time you add a new google account it adds the contacts already and you have to uncheck the option but its too late. Its running lollipop

That's almost a chicken-and-egg problem: you cannot disable sync before the data are already gone, and you cannot create the new account offline to prevent this. But there are two apporaches which should work:

create the account and turn sync off before you save any contacts/calendars (not always possible; I assume you are speaking of an additionbal account while already using the device for a while)
have your contacts/calendar data in a separate calendar/addressbook which is not synced. To achieve this,

either use the "device only" storage (if your device offers that)
there's e.g. offline calendar for calendar. And there's DAVDroid (and probably other DAV-based sync tools) creating its own calendar and contact storage.

You should then make this other storage the "default storage" so that, whenever you add a contact/calendar entry, it will be saved there. Now you'd also need to move your data over to the new storage. For contacts, you could e.g. export them to a .vcf file (the contacts app offers that), then delete them all, then import the .vcf into the "other address book". For calendars, there's no such export possibility, unfortunately, though the .ical format could take care for that.
The easiest way of course would be not to create a Google account …


text:
What does a "phone with 4G" system notification icon mean?
I have a Moto G6 with Vodafone Gujarat India. There is a "phone with 4G" icon in the notification bar.

What does it mean?

That signifies the "VoLTE" calling. Because now your call is made over the LTE network, which is different than how they used to be placed earlier. Vodafone had launched VoLTE in many states but it's been a good time since they were launched in Gujarat. Surprising that you're noticing it only now.
VoLTE brings HD voice quality and faster call connect times. So, you get a lot of improvement in the experience.


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how to ignore folder when using adb push
I like to copy development files (ie a git repo) from my local machine to my android using adb push (I still couldn't find a reliable git client application on android).
However, I also need to ignore certain directories (think of the directories that are typically ignored by git and placed in .gitignore).. such as the build folder in a java project.
How do I make an adb push command that ignores a certain directory but copies everything else?

Afraid not at all unless writing a script walking the tree recursively and skip them as you defined.

Isn't there a reliable free (or even paid!) Android git client? I find this embarrassing

The only free one coming to my mind is MGit, if paid ones are acceptable maybe also Pocket Git. If you want a command-line variant, Termux would be the way to go (you can install git from within Termux). As I'm not using any such client I cannot tell how reliable they are.

I use Termux a lot and it's very reliable. Must give it a try.

This sounds like an XY problem as excluding files and directories with adb push isn't what you're really intending to do.
If you're syncing Git repositories, the best option is a Git client. The one I'm currently using is Termux and I do a lot of development on my phone with it.
Download Termux and use its built-in APT package manager to install Git and you'll be able to process your work easily.


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Low media sound volume on huawei nova 3e
The volume is to the max but is a bit quiet. Is there a way to increase it without installing apps? Android 8.0.0

Try testing your phone speakers first and play some high dB audio... You can also try testing by using speaker phone during a call.
There are several cases that it is a damaged speaker or loosed contact on speaker.


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Sony XPeria T service menu app missing
I just found out that I have a Sony XPeria T, not a Sony XPeria Z1 Compact. After years of owning it. Wow.
So I wanted to try some things that I previously discarded because they weren't possible with the Z1 Compact. One of those things is unlocking the bootloader.
So I went to the official Sony page for that and entered the code they gave me: *#*#7378423#*#*
The result of that: It disappears from the phone app as soon as I enter the last *. The service menu does not open. So I look in my apps list: No service menu. Apps like "Service menu for XPeria" also can't open it.
I also can't find a working apk for it online.
So how do I get the confusingly named "Rooting Status" that tells me whether I can unlock the bootloader on that device?
I'm using the preinstalled Android 4.3, but rooted and with XPosed. I uninstalled a few system apps, but definitely not the service menu. The model number is LT30p.

I'd rather avoid the check, go ahead, get the key and try to flash it and issue the unlock command. If it unlocks, then good. Else, it can't be unlocked

The problem with that is the reason why I didn't do it while I thought it was a Z1 Compact: I found statements online that said that it is still possible, even if Sony thinks it's not, but it will likely disable the camera and a few other things.

Just tried it and the button on the website doesn't work. It just isn't clickable, no matter what I do. I even artificially made it clickable using JavaScript, but that still does nothing. I contacted Sony about this and the problem in this question now.

Update over a year later: I never got an answer. Since then I've switched to a different phone. I still have the old one and use it once every few weeks, so if someone knows an answer, I would still be happy to hear it.


text:
how can I stop my screen randomly turning on?
I have my phone on charge though that probably isn't relevant
I notice from time to time my phone screen turns on
I googled re that and found this
https://www.howtogeek.com/255696/how-to-disable-androids-ambient-display/
But I see no 'ambient display' option there
I have Android v 6.0

What is the device that you are using? Several OEMs such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung run a skinned version of Android, which has enhancement with different names. So, knowing the device will make it easier to understand. Also, can you somehow upload a picture of how your screen looks when it wakes up?

@singhnsk  it seems maybe It hasn't happened for about 6 hours.. it was happening quite frequently earlier today. Maybe one of the standard apps i had open was triggering it.   The phone is a Doogee y6c.  The screen that was showing was a locked screen, then I turned off the display lock, and it showed just the regular home screen.

The ambient display option is apparently completely invisible when you do not have a lock screen set. So the way to solve this is:

Set up any arbitrary lock screen. On my fairly Vanilla Android 10 system, that's Security→Screen lock.
Disable "Ambient display". This feature has had multiple names over time and the settings apps differ on on different brands of phone, but in my case, it's Display→Advanced→Lock screen display→Ambient display→on/off slider at the top. It might be different on your system, but I'm pretty sure you can at least ignore all the tutorials that tell you to go into Google Assistant settings.
Disable screen lock again, if you want. The ambient display setting still applies, you just can't change it when no lock screen is set.

After many instructions that only included step #2, I finally found the answer here (archive).

Ah, dammit, I only noticed that this was my own answer when I saw the "(archive)". Sadly this did not help on my new system. My current suspicion is that notifications have something to do with it.


text:
Ads security issue affecting all Android system
for a couples of day I have noticed that there is a strange behavior on my Android phone device. and I think it is a global problem.
I have noticed that some Ads appears in the screen in whatever app is opened or on the home screen, with and X to close it. It could appear overlapping any application, and in the middle of the screen but not full screen.
I closed it, and I didn't know what application causing that behavior, but after a while I have noticed that some application are installing them self without any permission from my side. those application are four and appears on the notification bar with  is downloading themself. and the phone is going so slow.
I check the apps manager and I found four strange services I didn't notice them before.

adService
Clain Left
com.android.tools
com.bd.sdk.project

I uninstall them and they return again and again every one or two hours. and in different Wifi network.
I decided to rest my phone to its factory setting. but I still got the same problem.!!!
Dose somebody faced that kind of problem recently? and what solve this problem.
Thanks

Related: Ads appearing throughout the system, apps installing on their own // Apps install on their own // Unwanted apps auto installing without me doing anything. How to stop them? // probably more. Have you checked with those already?

it keeps reappearing because you are not removing the problem causing potentially unwanted program. You probably have something from that category and these intruders are not that easy to remove. You uninstall only the feature that annoys you but not the problem itself. Especially since you can see there is not one program appearing.
You should rely on anti-malware tools and remove possible threats, intruders, cyber infections. There is a few available online for free. You can find them on the App Store. Those programs can detect, remove and even block threats later on.
These additional programs come from insecure ads, websites, installations. So you can't see when they were downloaded exactly and the ones on your browser are not the main program that causes problems.


text:
Restrict CPU frequency from going too high
I got a OnePlus 6 running on Snapdragon 845. The CPU can clock up to 2.8GHz, which is very battery-consuming. I want to limit the CPU clock frequency to, say for example, 2.2GHz or another value I desire. It's better if the frequency limit can be applied automatically at boot.
Phone is rooted with Magisk 16.6 and TWRP is installed. Is there anyway to achieve this?

Apps like Kernel Adiuotor, Spectrum and 3C toolbox I know of and others can do as well I suppose

If comfortable with Tasker you could set up those CPU profiles and configure them to activate at boot


text:
What vendros have the longest support policies?
I've always stuck to stock android and preferrably googles nexus/pixel devices because I want access to future updates, primarily security but also features. (currently i'm running a nexus 6p)
But I need a phone right now, and the new pixel will likely not be out until October. I've been looking at the onePlus but can't find if they have any support policies or best practices for their oxygen os. Who are best in class? I don't mind paying a bit extra if the phone will stay up to date for longer.

I'm not sure why users pushed this question to hold. Anyways, the best answer I can give is of Nokia. They are the only OEM who is seriously committed to delivering Android & security updates month on month. Most of their devices are Android One certified and hence you are good to receive at least 2 years of security updates. I'm however, not sure if you will be able to find a device with Pixel like capabilities from Nokia. There is the Nokia 8 Sirocco which kinda looks dated. The 7 Plus is great device but I'm not sure if that's a pixel replacement for you.

@singhnsk As the explanation says, this question is Android-independent.


text:
Can I install packages to external SD card on Termux in Android?
I am using Termux in my Android device and it is awesome. I've installed it from Google Play. Now the packages that I install using the command pkg install ..., install those to the internal storage. Since my internal storage space is running low, I am thinking to install these packages to the external SD card. Can I do it? Thank you.

You can bind mount a directory from external SD card to /data/data/com.termux/files using FUSE or sdcardfs with correct permissions.

Unfortunately you can't.
The packages you install using pkg install, which is actually a wrapper for the frontend of the famous Debian Package Manager, APT. APT downloads packages provided by Termux and installs them. So the packages are just Debian packages. Witha bit of Googling and/or digging, you'll find that file paths are hardcoded, i.e., they'll always be extracted (installed) into /data/data/com.termux/files/usr.
Possible tricks are, apparently, possible. However it's not recommended to try any as Termux is highly similar to a real Linux environment, which means any bad SELinux context or wrong permission can cause programs to malfunction.
Answer: Try to free up your internal storage if you plan to install more packages in Termux, instead of thinking about installing the packages to elsewhere.


text:
How to bypass/authorize ADB RSA key with broken touch AND screen?
I've tried everything I could find on the internet (mostly on StackOverflow).
These I've already tried without result:

Page not found - Stack Overflow
shell - How to solve ADB device unauthorized in Android ADB host device? - Stack Overflow
android - running adb devices showing unauthorized device? - Stack Overflow

Both screen AND touch are broken so I can't see nor touch a thing. (So the OTG mouse option can't be used in my case.)
The device is a Huawei Ascend P7 L10, Lollipop 5.1.1.

It's rooted.
It has TWRP recovery.
USB Debugging is enabled.
I'm using the latest ADB version, updated from Android Studio.

I entered recovery mode, done adb push adbkey.pub /data/misc/adb/adb_keys and rebooted, after reboot adb keeps saying devices isn't authorized.
I entered recovery checked if the file copied on the device was still the same as the one in the .android folder, and it was the same key.
If anybody has any idea I'm all ears. Thanks in advance.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/help/bypass-secure-usb-debugging-prompt-t2965462 this is the solution.

I was in a very similar situation to what you are in. What worked for me was using /sbin/adb instead of the one provided by Android Studio.

@NeilAgarwal you might want to convert your comment as an answer.

The only other thing I could find is for you to use adb kill-server and check again with adb devices. You seem to have done everything you can. :(

I think you should try SCRCPY module which will give you the access to your screen and you can do all the things from the PC
Which device??

Scrcpy also needs adb which in turn would need rsa authentication.


text:
How to have a dark / black Quick Settings (swipe down) menu on Oreo 8.1?
I always used to have a dark or black Quick Settings (the swipe down menu) but since Android , it's white. And I can't find out how to change it. Invert Colors is not an option, as that messes up all colors on my phone whereas I only want to change the Quick Settings.
When searching on this problem I did find several apps (some of which even require root) to change the theme, but I can't imagine something so trivial really requires a custom app or even root.
Using Oreo 8.1 stock Android with all latest updates, no root.

Upon further searching, I found a partial solution: apparently if you set a "dark" wallpaper for your Home screen, it will automatically show the Quick Settings menu in dark instead of white.
Beats me why this can't just be customised manually, but for your reference: for example with the wallpaper below, I get a dark Quick Settings menu on Oreo 8.1 instead of white.

No clue what the criteria may be for a wallpaper to be "dark enough".
If there is a definitive solution I'd still love to find out!

Similar to using a dark wallpaper, you can kind of "hack" it by using a live wallpaper app that presents a fake background color to the OS, regardless of the actual wallpaper you're using. If that's an acceptable workaround, LWP+ works in my experience: https://www.androidcentral.com/lwp-lets-you-force-android-81-oreos-dark-theme-any-wallpaper


text:
Create playlist once in Windows and use in Android
Is there a way to do this?
I have .mp3 files in a folder on my Windows PC and the same folder on android.

You should be able to use OneDrive for this. I haven't personally tried it but it should work if you keep a folder offline on the phone and it syncs regularly.

It is possible but you must modify the playlist file by changing the path to the files because they (the files) are not located in the same folder. In Windows, the path will look like C:\Users\A_User\Your_Folder\music.mp3 will on your device it will be like /sdcard/your_folder/music.mp3 (find the path to your files on your device using your file manager).
After creating the playlist, open it with Notepad. If your playlist has m3u extension (it might differ, see note below), it will look like this:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:279,Papa Wemba - Maria
file:///C:/Users/Reddy/Desktop/New%20folder%20(5)/Music/Maria.mp3
#EXTINF:217,Papa Wemba - Okoningana
file:///C:/Users/Reddy/Desktop/New%20folder%20(5)/Music/Okoningana.mp3

Change the path by removing C:/Users/Reddy/Desktop/New%20folder%20(5)/Music/ in the example above with sdcard/your_folder/. Thus, the playlist will change to:
#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:279,Papa Wemba - Maria
file:///sdcard/your_folder/Music/Maria.mp3
#EXTINF:217,Papa Wemba - Okoningana
file:///sdcard/your_folder/Okoningana.mp3

Transfer the file to your device, and you will be able to play it.
Note: The playlist in the example was created using VLC media player in a Windows machine and playing it using VLC for Android. Yours may differ a bit depending on the media player used or file extension ( xspf, m3u8, even m3u, etc). However, the principle is the same: change the path.
Disclaimer: I am only a VLC user, not its developer(s) or related to him/her/them.


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How to "Add to Home screen" a shorcut with a dynamic URL?
I have a Google Form that I use for daily tracking and I would like to have a shortcut to this form on my home screen.
One field of this form is for the date and I would like to have it pre-filled with today's date. To do so, I can pass a query string to the URL, that will end up looking like:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/<formId>/viewform?entry.<fieldId>=YYYY-MM-DD

Since today's date is not the same as tomorrow's (yay!), this URL needs to be updated every day with a different YYYY-MM-DD.
I followed this post and has been able to create a bookmark with a dynamic URL using JavaScript, on Chrome Desktop: How to create a dynamic bookmark with today’s date in the URL, but I would also like to have it on my phone.
I came across this answer, where it shows how to use JavaScript to change the current page. However, when applied to my case, it will compute the date before creating the URL, so this URL is not dynamic.
Is there a "native" way to achieve this? My other option for the moment would be having a local HTML page that redirects to the form.


text:
Prevent disable power saving while charging [root]
When I plug my phone to solar cell cpu optimisation turns off and the speed of discharge increases severalfold.
How to prevent cpu always on when phone charging?
Phone: Rooted Samsung Galaxy S III GT-I9300 Android: 4.3
same question:
How do I keep CPU off when charging?

Try MacroDroid. Trigger:Power connected Action:battery saver on

Not helps. I think android force disable power saving when connected and return when disconnected. How to disable this behaviour?

I think Android forces "Power Saving" to keep turned off when the device is charging.

I found out that some cpu optimisation disables when phone connected to devices that suport data transfer (netebook for example (even sleeping), or my solar cell), so i use usb cable that not support data transwer.


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How to take clickable 360 degree tour to explore the area
I know how to take 360 view photos on android like this one.
But I am not getting how can take 360 pictures which will allow me to click on various location in that picture and after clicking on any location, it opens up another 360 picture, something like this.
Note that first one is simple 360 picture which you can rotate spherically, but you cannot click anywhere in that picture to open new 360 picture taken at that location. While you can do this in second picture.
I am able capture 360 degree photo like the first one. But, how do I capture pictures like second one on Android? Is there any official googleapp?

This appears to be a feature of Google Maps/Street View which has some guidelines for that effect:
From Publish and connect 360 photos with the Street View app:
Step 2: Connect your photos
Your photos may be automatically connected within 24 hours if:

You’ve made and published a set of 360 photos according to these spacing recommendations.
"Geotag 360 photos" is turned on.
You've earned and activated the trusted badge in the Street View app.
You’ve used auto-capture to make indoor 360 photos within two small steps of each other (1 m / 3 ft).
You’ve used auto-capture to make outdoor 360 photos within five steps of each other (3 m / 10 ft).

You can also have the Street View app suggest the five closest 360 photos that you can connect.

Open a published photo.
In the top right, tap More [the three dots]  and then Connect nearby photos.

OR
Connect Photos Yourself

Open the Street View app.
On the "Profile" tab, find a photo and tap Select.
Pick the photos you want:

Choose two photos: Tap the ones that you want to connect.
Choose all photos: In the top right, tap More [three dots] and then Select all.

In the top right, tap More [three dots] and then Connect 360 photos.
Your photos will show up on the map as numbered markers.
Tap and drag each photo to the correct location. Swipe left and right on the photo to see all directions.
To try your new connection, open your photo in the "Profile" tab and tap the white arrow.

can I do this myself in browser?

@Mahesha999 Programming questions is considered off-topic here. Related: https://developers.google.com/vr/discover/360-degree-media

its not programming question, I was asking if there is any website on which I can perform same steps as you stated in your answer for Street View app


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How do I exit one-handed mode for the lock pattern screen?
My lock screen is in one-handed mode, but the rest of my phone is in normal mode. My settings have got one-handed mode turned off. How do I turn it off for the pattern screen?!

Please check if lock screen settings have something related to this

Hmm, bizarrely, soon after posting this question, the lock screen reverted to its normal size. I didn't change anything, and am at a total loss to explain this behaviour

Strange are the ways of Android :-)


text:
Found this info in my Google doc app not sure how it got there
I found this information in my Google documents app. I am not sure how it got there. I am wanting to know what it is and what is the meaning.
Log_1522393200000.txt
2018/03/29 21:13 screen w,h,d=480..792..1.5
2018/03/29 21:13 GetAppRunNum
2018/03/29 21:14 InCallBaseActivityOnResume
2018/29/03 21:14 InCallBaseActivityDisplayResourse
2018/03/29 21:15 OnDerstroy

How exactly did you find this information in the app? Was it in a document?

I think I know what it means but it was just in my document app out of nowhere


text:
Error: Google Play Services keep stopping
This errorr message keeps flashing. I tried the solutions offered but on Settings the google play services app does not open the disable or force stop buttons.  I tried uninstalling updates but I get the message that it can't uninstall because google is an device administrator. Switching off my mobile data and wifi did not work, switching the device off and on did not work.  Any other advice?

Open Settings/Apps/Google Play Services/Storage.
Click Manager Storage and Click Clear All Data.
Then Re-install Google Play Services.


text:
On Honor 6x camera is slow to start. Any solutions?
It takes as long as 10-15 seconds at times. What gives?

UPDATE: New culprit identified. The official Google Search app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox) - the one that activates Google Assistant on the device, appears to do something that brings 6x to its knees. Once completely disabled, it manifested in a huge boost in the responsiveness of the device - camera included.
And since, admittedly, Google Search app is often useful, there is a Lite version that does not cause any issues - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.searchlite
Original:
Located a solution on XDA that solves this issue on a wide range of Honor devices (https://forum.xda-developers.com/p9/how-to/slow-camera-t3476554/page6)
"went to Settings, Apps, Advanced, Ignore Battery Optimisations and then Allowed the Camera App.
This has made a world of difference on mine, opens up in about 1 second now where before it was the 2 -5 seconds like people were reporting. "
And also:
"Thanks to safc1978 this really annoying problem is mostly fixed. I do still get some lag though, and wondered if it was partly caused by the Gallery app being slow to pull the little thumbnail image of the last photo taken (bottom left of screen).
I used safc1978's theory, and allowed "Gallery" to ignore optimisations too, and it seems to have made another small improvement."


text:
Cannot install Google USB driver because it won't accept the driver
I tried
https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb
I also tried
https://droidusb.com/download-lana-download/adb/
but that seems to be the same thing
and the google page tells me to go to device manager and "other devices",  I turned USB debugging on and that helped as then it showed under Other Devices.
It says MTP

So I went to settings..developer tools..usb configuration, and I switched it from MTP to PTP but it still sees MTP in device manager.
Is there some option I should be choosing that I haven't chosen yet?

slightly relevant https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16596877/android-studio-doesnt-see-device/18515360#18515360

I did solve this but I can't recall what it was

On Android 11, when you connect your device to your PC, assuming that USB debugging is already enabled, you will get a notification where it says what USB connection type is currently active. Tap on the notification. A menu should open where you can pick a USB connection type (MTP, PTP etc.). Pick "No file transfer" and try installing the Google USB Driver again. Use the Device Manager, find your Android device, right-click, update drivers, select my own and select the folder where the Google USB Driver for Windows is located.


text:
is it possible to get location via a cellular network if the device doesnt have a data plan?
is it possible to get location via a cellular network if the device doesnt have a data plan?
or does it need a data plan to be able to get location via a cellular network?
is a data plan needed to get location via a cellular network?

See: What does “Download GPS assisted data only over Wi-Fi networks” really mean? as I think it covers what you are asking.

that's for 'wifi' and a different question, also im asking about 'cellular network'. i also have this question, but didnt ask it yet: can android devices get location with wifi if the device is not connected to any wifi networks? or does the device need to be connected to the wifi?

Re-read this answer: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/101344/3573 Location data has to come from someplace: GPS from satellite, AGPS from cell tower or WiFi based location from Google Services. In all cases, it has to be sent assuming data connection. So if in wilderness with no WiFI & no Cell, GPS will work eventually. You should update your question with which variations of enabled/disabled you are having difficulty understanding.

so what's the answer then? is it a yes you do need a data plan? or no you do not need a data plan? are you saying that a device needs/has to be connected to something that gives location? i dunno what you mean by 'assuming' data connection. i dunno if you mean 'with' or 'via' or 'has' data connection. this usage of 'assuming' is very unclear to me

You ask if you need a data plan, you don't state what kind of location (fine or coarse) you are trying to get or how long you are willing to wait. GPS requires no cell or wifi data but will take a while to get a fix as data connection for location data is coming from satellite(s). See answer linked in my second comment.

i dunno are these needed?: 1) 'what kind of location (fine or coarse)' - what do you mean by 'fine or coarse'? just w/e the cellular networks (lte) gives you. 2) 'or how long you are willing to wait' - i dunno, just however long the cell network takes. the question is specifically about cell network, and could ask about each of the other 'getting location' ways separately. good video guides or analysis of all the main ways would be helpful also. a direct answer to: 'are you saying that a device needs/has to be connected to something that gives location?' is needed also

Your confusion perplexes me so let me get back to basics. Edit your question with: What devices are you using and provide examples of how you are going to use the devices related to location and cell network?

i rephrased the question; it's the exact same question as before, just rephrased. neither of these is going to change the answer. 1) question is about the method, not the device so i dont understand why thsi would be relevant: 'What devices are you using'. 2) again the question is just about the facts of how something works so i dont understaand why this would be relevant: 'examples of how you are going to use the devices related to location and cell network?' - i also dunno what exactly this means anyway, like i dont even know how to answer it

Yes, that is possible without a data connection by e.g. using UnifiedNLP and a corresponding location provider. I e.g. use the LocalGsmNlpBackend, which downloads a selection of the OpenCellId database (for the area I need) to the device for local usage. That database contains the positions of cell towers. As you are booked into at least one of those, your coarse location can be estimated. Add another location provider which is e.g. WiFi based for more accuracy if you wish. Apart from downloading the data (preferably while connected to your home WiFi), this works completely without a data connection.
Make sure you pick the correct UnifiedNLP package, depending on whether your device has the Google framework installed (stock ROM usually has this, or if you use a custom ROM but have GApps installed) or use a custom ROM without GApps.
For a more detailed description, please see my article Android without Google: microG, which discusses the variant on a device without Google framework.

As my answer points out: No data plan needed if you have e.g. the cellID database on-device. But of course the interfaces need to be "up" in order to "see" the cell towers / WiFi APs. A connection is not necessary for this.

On Android, apps can be granted location via two types of permissions: android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION and/or android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
from https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-sdk/location#location_permissions

android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION – Allows the API to use WiFi or
  mobile cell data (or both) to determine the device's location. The API returns the location with an accuracy approximately equivalent to a city block.
android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION – Allows the API to determine as precise a location as possible from the available location providers, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as WiFi and mobile cell data.

So if the app is giving you the weather, all the app needs ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION which will give the user location good for a 10s of meters radius which is good enough to know where that person is for weather conditions. This level of accuracy can be done with WiFi or data via cellular towers.
If the app is a ride share app, then ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION is needed as will give the user location to a few meters. This will use GPS to get the location of the user.
So now we get to your question:

is it possible to get location via a cellular network if the device doesnt have a data plan?

If the mobile device has no data plan via cellular network AND no data via WiFI then apps don't get COARSE_LOCATION without a distinct Location Provider (see @Izzy answer).
Note that at least in the United States carriers are required to support E911 which in an emergency is supposed to be able to provide location of the phone to emergency authorities.
If you are disconnected from any network Cellular, disconnected from WiFi and not using a specialized Location Provider then GPS will be able to get your location coordinates. Calculating those coordinates requires data which is provided in the signal from the satellites, but due to the low bandwidth will take many minutes. Coordinates alone doesn't make an app as any mapping app would need to pre-cache your map data (streets, landmarks, rivers, etc.) from when you did have data to when you don't have a data connection. Having a data connection will speed up the calculation for FINE_LOCATION.

wow the level of knowledge is insane... i should've put this question first, 'is a data plan needed to get location via a cellular network?' but i guess the answer is no, and that there are highly technical ways of doing so. i just want to know for regular android (non-dev) use if a data plan is needed to get location via a cell network.... ? a simple answer in the comment would be appreciated.. also need to know the answer to 'does a device need/have to be connected to something (like cell network) for that something (like cell network) to give location?...

Your questions lack the specific 'what are you trying to do' as right now the answer is 'it depends' as cell networks can provide data for location but is not required for getting a location.

'not required for getting a location.' - im not asking if that's the only way, or if that's needed. i never said anywhere, 'is cell network the only way to get location?' like that's never asked anywhere. im asking specifically this still: 'is a data plan needed to get location via a cellular network?' - it's just a simple yes or no question. as a typical casual user, do you need a data plan to get location via the cell network? do most users, who are casual, need a data plan to get location via the cell network?

here, what's im trying to do overall is find out what's the best gps device/option. it's a long process... a few of the questions asked are part of the last steps to finding out. since gps is a very specific topic, very few ppl know so i had to check/try stackexchange. one important part of why these questions matters & are relevant is that in urban areas (wifi & cell networks are more accurate than gps). gps is generally more accurate tho. also gps uses more energy/resources, and is slower. so all this is relevant info or deciding on the best gps device/option for google maps and navigation

The problem is that asking for 'give me a location' is separate from the 'via cell network'. Some casual users live from WiFi hotspot to WiFi hotspot and that is fine for them, others need a data plan to make sure their geotagged social media photos are fast and accurate. There is NO generic casual user and I say this as an app developer. Better to describe what you wish to do, also known as a user story or use case and you'll get a more informed answer. If you are doing Navigation you'll need FINE_LOCATION with the power usage and GPS cutouts in urban environments.

There are two basic ways of geolocating a device:

Use a global navigation satellite system such as GPS, Glonass, Beidou, or Galileo. No data connection is required, but having one speeds up time to first fix.
Look for local radio transmitter IDs, and look these up in a database. The radio technology can be cellular, WiFi, or Bluetooth; the principle is the same.
If you do not carry the database on the device (the normal case), then you need a data connection of some sort. The data connection does not need to use the same set of transmitters used for the location lookup; you can look WiFi IDs using a cellular data connection, or you can lookup cellular IDs on a WiFi data connection.
If you carry the database on the device, you do not need a data connection. Lookup the ID on your local database, as in Izzy's answer.


text:
How do I transfer my data? I am giving my phone in exchange
I have bought a Redmi Note 5 on Flipkart and I have a Micromax Canvas Nitro 2 with Android 4.0.4 which I am giving in exchange. How do I transfer my data without taking too long?

You've picked the right tag. Have you checked our most frequented questions using it? Those using the device-migration tag could also be of interest for you. You will find your question has already be answered; then please point to the correct post. If not, please [edit] your question and adjust it accordingly (what have you tried/checked and why didn't it work out).

+1 on the tag pick, nice catch @Izzy

First of all this link should help you:
https://support.google.com/android/answer/2819582?hl=en

There are many applications out there in Play Store. So, you can download and
  save your Apps' data. And if you want to backup your storage files
  then, simply copy the important files or all files from the internal &
  external storage directory to your PC.


text:
Notify me only once or twice a day
Is there a way to bundle all my android notifications and let notifications arrive at a specific time of the day? For example, let's say I only want to check notifications at 10am and 6pm, everyday. All notifications after 10am until 6pm are put on halt, and at 6pm, I get a single prompt to view all the notifications from various apps.
My phone runs on Android 6, with MIUI 9 on top of it and I know for sure that this is not supported. Is there any android version or device in which such a feature is supported?

A very similar question: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/137606/how-to-disable-notifications-per-app-and-time-frame


text:
How do I change the factory settings that an Android device reverts to?
'm looking to change some of the default settings that a device reverts to such as language, timezone, resolution.
Is there a way to do this through the terminal assuming my device is rooted?

A factory reset simply wipes the userdata partition (and sometimes some extra cache partitions as well, but that doesn't matter). This resets all settings to the defaults set in the system image.
Exactly where in the system image is different for different settings. For example, some things come from the build.prop, which is relatively easy to change with root: you just mount the system partition read-write and edit the file. Most settings that you'd change through the Settings app are stored in that app itself, so to change those defaults you'd need to edit the APK of that app or install a custom ROM.


text:
Serveral phones with same AppStore/Google login
I a have a large cluster of phones, about 100, in several places in the world. They are wall mounted, and I cannot access them physically, they all must be in silence (so are configured to reject calls, and be in silence). I have remote team viewer installed and setup to remotely access them.
All of those devices are logged in, as the same user in Android/PlayStore.
What I see, is that once in a while, the user gets logged out. I am unsure why the user gets logged out. This is first issue.
Second issue, is that when I do login, all other phones will get prompted to accept the login. This makes noise, and the phones should be in complete silence. How can I prevent the "Is this you?" popup to be displayed on all devices? (lets say I do have a few backups for me to accept it).
EDIT:
As suggested:
I viewed:
https://myaccount.google.com/security-checkup/1 (79 devices - ok)
https://myaccount.google.com/device-activity - all devices seen
In my shared GMail account - I don't see anything.
I am open for more ideas.

As to the auto-logouts - I can't tell you what causes it, but I can say that I've seen it once in a while on my own phone, so I don't think it's anything specific to your setup.

@MichaelKohne that is not good news. This renders Android as non-usable for unattended setups like mine.

possibly, though it's entirely possible that you could find out what's going on and solve it. I'd start by looking at the recent security events on your google account immediately after a disconnect event and see if that has any clues.

"This renders Android as non-usable for unattended setups like mine." Only if you need to use Playstore/GApps. You can use Android without that, you know? ;)

@Izzy and how do I do unattended upgrades? Are you telling me to reflush the system image with a custom ROM, which has my app as system app, so I can gain PACKAGE_INSTALL permissions ? (rhetorical question of course).

That all depends very much upon your requirements. If you rely on apps via Playstore, I don't see a way out. But there are certainly "unattended setups" that can do without. And yes, a custom ROM with F-Droid and its privileged extension would be one way to achieve that. You could even add your own custom repo and feed it with the apps you need from other sources. Just an idea, not sure if that fits your setup.


text:
Problems After Android update
I have a Samsung S6, I've recently (2 days ago) received a notification for a new update rolled out by Samsung which installed instantly. However, from that time i am in trouble with charging my phone. I am unable to charge it even if I've tried many Samsung original chargers. I get a gray battery icon, and i can barely switch on the phone (with 0% charge)
Do you have any solution for me other than reset my phone?

Have you considered contacting Samsung support? As there were similar issues with an update on the S7, they should have experience with this. Apart from that: Does it charge when switched off? In that state the OS shouldn't interfere. Also try while booted into recovery or "Download" ("Odin") mode. Does that make any difference? Not that I knew what to do if it did, but that are things you could tell the service, might trigger an idea from them.

thanks @Izzy for your comment. when the phone is switched off i get only a gray battery icon charging and it stuck on it even for hours. i've tried to let the phone charging in the recovery mode but no difference as i switch on i get 0% battery. BUT what's strange i keep getting command error if a choose any option i recovery mode. I am thinking of rooting the phone would it be a good idea?

Not when stuck at 0% battery (if it's really there and not just showing wrong). I'd strongly suggest contacting customer service. If it doesn't even charge when switched off, I'd think it should not be related to the OS but something else got borked.

You could try checking your charger, if you buy a charger doctor (cost about £1). You can see if you have 5V and any current flow.
You could also check your battery voltage for around >3.6V - very carefully using a DMM. Those are suggestions I can think of from a hardware perspective.
I try to avoid updates, but it seems hard to believe it would cause that much trouble!?

thanks for the replay but the recent update triggered the same problem for many S7 owners. i can't remove or test the battery without disassembling the phone which i try to avoid

Ah I see, my answer probably won't be of much help then. Hopefully Samsung get something sorted out soon for those with the battery drain issues. All sounds pretty bad.


text:
How to properly set the Scrolling Wallpaper?
I've set a scrolling wallpaper, but it only accepted 2/3 of the complete image. I've seen some google apps whose wallpapers are 16:9 aspect ratio and still don't overlap and move from extreme left to extreme right. So how can I do the same with my own wallpaper?
And not only the app, If I apply a theme, the wallpaper in that theme also doesn't overlap and moves from extreme left to right.
Refer these images to see what the app is capable of doing, and what happens when I try to do the same with my edited wallpaper. The app in talk is Wallpapers of The Witcher
Using Redmi Note 5 Pro. Other specific details of the phone in screenshot included in the above imgur link.
First time posting here. I've asked this question at 3 different sites with 0 response. I hope I'll get some answer here. I know what I want is possible as the apps are capable of doing so. Also, I found one question asked before with the same thing asking, but it isn't answered. Coincidentally, the previous asker wanted to apply the same wallpaper that I'm interested in.
Thank you.
PS: The art is not mine. It is from Deviantart artist astoralexander.

The image does not seem to be matching the width of your screen. You need an image that is 3 times (exactly 3,240 pixels wide, according to this https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_5_pro-8893.php).
What is the width of your image? Of each part?

I added black bars to the image to make it 16:9, actual dimensions 4608x2592 pixels. But If I'm being logical, Such problem should only occur if the image is larger than the screen size and not smaller. It is logical to think the image will cropped as the image might be larger than the screen. But here it's the opposite.
EDIT: Ohhh sorry, it is large indeed. Let me reduce the size and check again.

Thank you for replying btw. I tried resizing the wallpaper, 3240x2160. But it still overlaps and shows only the first two images. The second screens have first and second images sharing half of each. The third image doesn't even show up.

I have tried 2160x1440 and 1080x720. Both are not working as well.


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Libreswan (IPSec/XAuth) and Always-on VPN
I set up an IPSec/Xauth (RSA) server with LibreSwan on a server. My Android device (a Pixel 2 XL with Android 8.1) actually connects fine when I manually start the VPN connection, and it does tunnel me through the server.
However, when I configure it to be "Always-on" it doesn't seem to work. To be precise:

IKE and SA establishment succeeds
Android reaches to connectivitycheck.gstatic.com and appears to succeed
I see occasional NAT-keepalive packets
But (most importantly!) no ESP packets are ever sent by my Android device!

Has anyone encountered this issue before? Even details on how the behaviour of Always-on VPNs differ from regular ones would be very helpful.
I did see this question here, asked back in 2014: Always-on VPN sends no traffic
Unfortunately for me, his problem went away when he updated to lollipop.


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Make Google voice / assistant listen always when ear buds connected?
My bluetooth earbuds on my Android S7 phone do not have a button to activate Google Voice Assistant for things like note to self Etc. If the phone screen is on Google Voice is always listening.
How can I set Google Voice Assistant to always be listening when I have these bluetooth earbuds in?
Or how would I have it always be listening anytime wired earbuds are connected?

Try Macrodroid automation. Trigger : Headphones inserted; Action: Voice search. Save macro and test

Pretty sure Google removed this feature so you have to buy a Google Home device


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How to remount sdcardfs to allow setting file permisions / ownerships?
I have a rooted OnePlus One running LineageOS 15.1 (Oreo 8.1).
I am trying to adjust some file permissions/ownerships on the emulated sdcard partition.
The partition seems to be mounted as an sdcardfs:
A0001:/ # mount | grep /storage/emulated
/data/media on /storage/emulated type sdcardfs (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,multiuser,mask=6,derive_gid)

I'm not sure what that means. Some people suggest that Android used to use mount then switched to fuse and now with Oero uses sdcardfs.
I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but I'm a bit scared that something like mount -o remount, rw /mnt/sdcard/ (which apparently is what you had to do in the past to be able to set file permissions on the emulated sdcard partition).
Short demonstration showing that file permissions won't be applied:
A0001:/ $ su
A0001:/ # ls -la /storage/emulated
total 12
drwx--x--x  4 root sdcard_rw 4096 2018-07-24 17:44 .
drwxr-xr-x  4 root root        80 2018-07-24 17:21 ..
drwxrwx--x 14 root sdcard_rw 4096 2018-07-24 17:20 0
drwxrwx--x  2 root sdcard_rw 4096 1970-01-01 01:12 obb
A0001:/ # touch /storage/emulated/a
A0001:/ # ls -la /storage/emulated/a
-rw------- 1 root sdcard_rw 0 2018-07-24 17:44 /storage/emulated/a
A0001:/ # chmod 777 /storage/emulated/a
A0001:/ # ls -la /storage/emulated/a
-rw------- 1 root sdcard_rw 0 2018-07-24 17:44 /storage/emulated/a

(Note: the same happens if I use /storage/emulated/0 instead of /storage/emulated)
My question is: What do I have to run in order to be able to change the file permissions and file ownerships on this weird sdcardfs partition.

You cannot change permissions and ownerships of files on sdcardfs.
On all operating systems based on Linux kernel - like Android is - it's possible to set permissions on files (including directories) provided that filesystem supports UNIX permissions (uid, gid, mode). Common examples of such filesystems are ext4 and f2fs.
However Android's internal (confusingly called external) storage which is accessible by installed apps at /sdcard, is not an actual but virtual / emulated filesystem exposing /data/media (which is a real filesystem) through sdcardfs. sdcardfs and its predecessor FUSE expose the emulated filesystem with a fixed set of uid, gid and mask (mode). So the commands chmod and chown have no impact, whether executed through CLI (adb shell or terminal emulator) or GUI (file explorer).
It's possible to change permission bits of file on underlying actual filesystem, but accessing /data/media requires root access because only UID/GID 1023 (aid_media_rw) has read access to the directory. And still the permissions will remain same when viewed from emulated view /sdcard.
Further reading:

What is /storage/emulated/0/?

Related:

Why chmod gives “Operation not permitted” error?
Is it possible to change file permissions on Android's internal storage?


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How to fix "Encryption unsuccessful" and bootloop issue on Andriod 8.1?
My Nexus 6p boot looped and is showing "Encryption unsuccessful" error with a RESET PHONE button. Resetting the phone is not helping and it shows the same "Encryption unsuccessful" error again.
Device is unlocked and I am able to access bootloader and recovery. Sometimes it just bootloops however sometimes "Encryption unsuccessful" shows up after boot.
I am able to flash twrp etc. I tried flashing stock Android but its still the same.
This should be a simple thing to solve right. Any suggestions?
Thanks

This happened due to the infamous BLOD due to premature hardware failure of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip set. All Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset will have the same fate after around 1.5 years of usage. Can't believe Qualcomm messed up this bad.
The instructions in the below linked worked perfectly.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/general/bootloop-death-blod-workaround-zip-t3819515
The phone is surprisingly pretty usable for daily tasks even after disabling the A57 cores.


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Weird folder keeps appearing in the internal memory
I have a Redmi Note 3 Pro handset (2 years old) in which I am using AOSP Custom ROM (Android 8.1). For last 1 year, a weird empty folder is getting created randomly on my internal memory. I generally delete it if I notice it, but it again appears after few days. It does not do any visible harm in my device, but I want to know who is creating this folder and find out if their is any harmful process running all the time.
Throughout the last year, I have wiped my system, data, cache, delvik-cache partition several times for flashing different Custom Rom. But this folder never left me. Is their any way to monitor the internal memory to find out who (which app) is creating this folder when it will do the same next time? Or is there any system-log where I can find it out ? I have Root-access on my mobile and I can confirm that I have never given a suspicious app root-access. Most importantly, this folder is popping up from the time when I used to have my Stock MIUI Rom and no root access.
Here is a Screenshot with the concerned folder marked.

It looks like the folder which many developers use to store the image cache while parsing a json.
As can be seen from the folder name, the folder was introduced in some sort of tutorial or demo given to the developers who are trying to parse json in their apps. However, the takers of the tutorial continued to use the same code in their apps.
There's nothing to worry about this folder. It is just for caching the images and I believe it makes room in a number of Android apps.


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How to mount Internal Storage as USB Mass Storage for recovering data?
I accidentally formatted my Android phone's storage partition while updating to Android Oreo today. When I tried to restore the backup I realized that the backup of the data partition had failed and basically is an empty file with 0 Bytes.
I would like to run PhotoRec over it but I'm somehow unable to get my phone into mass storage mode. It seams like Google has ditched it for MTP. I tried some apps from XDA but none of them really worked with my device. I was able to get the external SD mounted but not the internal storage. The custom recoveries that are available for my device only support MTP as well.
Does anyone have an idea how it could be possible to recover my files? I'm rooted and bootloader is unlocked.

You can't do that. Google has made MTP the default since version 3.0 and remove mass storage mode completely years ago in Android 4.0

No USB MASS STORAGE Support!!? Only MTP PTP?
Enabling USB Mass Storage in Android Kitkat 4.4.2
Any way to get USB Mass Storage instead of MTP?
Why Do New Versions Of Android Not Support USB Mass Storage Mode?

If you want to do things directly on the data partition you have 2 ways

Run command in adb shell
Start in recovery mode (if you're using a custom ROM)

Since you're running a restore from backup, I assume you're on a custom ROM and still have the backup file with you, why don't just do the restoration again?

The backup failed. file size of the data partition backup is 0 bytes and i only realized when it was too late so i cant just restore

You can see my answer to Why can't I see Android storage as a partition on PC? for methods to enable UMS and make /data (userdata) appear as a partition on PC, which can be mounted on Linux.
Other options to access internal storage at block level are answered in How to take full image backup of partitions or eMMC? and How to recover a deleted file from /data partition?.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.


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Home button, recent button, notifications, pull down menu all stopped working
I have a Nexus 9 running Android 7.1.1, and the home button, recent button, all notifications, and the top pull-down menu all stopped working.
The home and recent buttons respond to being tapped in that the animation that indicates I tapped them runs (the gray circle expands out from the button), but nothing happens. I can open the top pull-down menu, but it always says that there are no notifications, and I can't pull the menu down further to expand the icons.
I have about 15 GB out of about 30 GB available, and memory usage is listed at 1.6 GB out of 1.8 GB. I've tried restarting the device multiple times.
If I remember correctly, I accidentally drained the battery before this happened, but I can't recall if the device was simply powered off. When I powered up the device, the PIN prompt buttons caused the device to vibrate, even though I had had previously had that setting turned off. I restarted the device, and that setting turned back off. Double-tapping to wake up the device doesn't work consistently.
Any ideas?

May be the SystemUI crashed? Try flash it (or full ROM)

Can you help me figure out how to do that? Messing around with Android is not something I know anything about. Thanks for the reply!

How to flash? If you don't have a PC you should got root access, then unlock bootloader (if locked), find and flash recovery for you device like CWM or TWRP (Rashr app), download ROM for your device and flash it from recovery. If you have PC you can flash with FlashTool. Sorry for my little english ;)

It looks like there's a Linux version of FlashTool, so I'll give that a try from my Chromebook (running GalliumOS). No worries about the English. It's perfectly fine! Will it be obvious which ROM I need?

I like the LineageOS project. You can choose ROM on xda-forum. But I recommend LOS (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.xda-developers.com/official-lineageos-14-1-builds-for-the-google-nexus-9/amp/)


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Immersive mode in Termux?
How can I enable immersive/fullscreen mode in Termux?
I want to hide the bars at the top and bottom of the screen so that the entire screen displays the terminal.
In summary, I'm looking for either a configuration option for enabling fullscreen mode in Termux, without reconfiguring (or rooting) my device and without connecting an external device, or an explanation of what happened to the fullscreen option mentioned in some parts of the documentation, if it has been removed.

I could have sworn immersive mode was a feature of Termux... You can still use immersive mode via ADB (or root, if you have that).
Hide both status and navigation bar: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=com.termux
Hide status bar only: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.status=com.termux
Hide navigation bar only: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.navigation=com.termux
Turn off immersive mode: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.off=com.termux

I've seen references to a fullscreen option while Googling, but also references to it being removed. Not sure what's going on with it. Hoping not to have to resort to adb... a setting in a dotfile would be ideal. Have a virtual +1, apparently I lack the rep to give you a real one.

Didn't work for me for some reason. Android 11 on realme5pro

Since v0.107 (around Feb 2021), the fullscreen mode was added back with a fix to the Extra Keys issue. This should be configured manually through the property file.
From Termux Wiki - Terminal Settings

The Termux terminal can be configured by creating the file ~/.termux/termux.properties. This file uses a simple key=value property syntax and allows configuring the properties listed below.
After changing the properties file the changes will take effect either by executing termux-reload-settings or by restarting the Termux app (closing all sessions and starting the app again).
FullScreen Mode
v0.107 added option to enable fullscreen mode by specifying:
fullscreen = true

Note: It is likely that with fullscreen enabled, the Extra Keys view may no longer be visible. To fix, enable this workaround:
use-fullscreen-workaround = true

Fullscreen may not work well for all devices so consider it unstable for now.

Related pull request and discussion: #1911 - Implement full screen and add FullScreenWorkAround to fix ExtraKeysView

The fullscreen mode was removed in December 2017 due to the claim of complication with the multi-window and translucent status bar & navigation bar.
This was reported in #507 - Fullscreen / immersive mode option is gone

I have noticed that fullscreen option was missing, I have looked at recent commits and it looks that it was removed from sources.
kracejic - Dec 14, 2017

Since it hasn't been mentioned why it was removed, here's the commit

Remove the fullscreen setting
Trying to use fullscreen doesn't work well in a multi-windowed world
and makes using translucent navigation and status bars more complicated.

hyperpallium - Jul 28, 2018

Volume Up+K → variant to toggle extra keys view
Reference : https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Touch_Keyboard

Hi, after reading the wiki, I'm not sure if this is what the question asked. This looks like showing/hiding the "extra keys" row, while the question is asking about making the Termux fullscreen (without status bar & navigation bar).


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Charger with long usb cable
I have ASUS ZENFONE 2 with model no ASUS_Z00LD and type ZE550KL.
I need a adapter and charging cable of at least 2 metre length.
Google is not showing relevant results.
 How do I get one?

I don't think that you'll get genuine cables with that length.

Long cables if not properly chosen can end up with slow charging. See this https://android.stackexchange.com/a/134970/131553

You don't need a charger with cable, you need an compatible USB charger and a long cable with thick copper cables inside. Buy them individually or use an existing charger.

If you cannot find a reference to one on the Asus website, then Asus does not make one. Also, longer cables cause loss of current and hence your phone will charge slower.
Most companies these days don't even sell their chargers and cables in open market. They are only bundled with the products and available via authorized service points. So, if you have an Asus point nearby, go check in there.


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AFwall+ doesn't work on restricted user
I installed AFwall+ as admin with a rooted device & it works very well; but I created a restricted user now & this AFwall+ is not working in user, any tip?

Try enabling "dual user" support from experimental.

where is this "dual support" located??

Under Preferences > Experimental > Dual App Support.


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How to wipe data on a bootloader-locked, broken screen, Nexus 6P
I want to sell my Nexus 6P for parts, but I want to wipe it first. The screen of my Nexus 6P broke (internally, the touchscreen MIGHT be fine, idk). The phone is full-disk encrypted with a PIN and the bootloader is locked (no root). I can't fully boot the phone since it will be stuck on the FDE pin entry.
As we know the Nexus 6P does not have external monitor support - so this is not an option. I do have ADB and Fastboot access, but commands like
fastboot erase userdata

are blocked, since the bootloader is locked. Also various adb shell commands did not work.
What I tried:
ADB Shell: Recovery --wipe_data
adb shell
recovery --wipe_data
/system/bin/sh: recovery: not found

source
ADB Shell: Wipe Data
adb shell
wipe data
/system/bin/sh: wipe: not found

source
Fastboot: Wipe
adb devices       # Check the phone is running
adb reboot bootloader
# Wait a few seconds
fastboot devices  # Check the phone is in bootloader
fastboot -w       # Wipe user data
Erasing 'userdata'   FAILED (remote: device is locked. Cannot erase)

source
Fastboot: Erase
adb devices       # Check the phone is running
adb reboot bootloader
# Wait a few seconds
fastboot devices  # Check the phone is in bootloader
fastboot erase userdata
Erasing 'userdata'   FAILED (remote: device is locked. Cannot erase)

source
So the question is, what are my options to wipe my phone?

You could simply do an fastboot oem unlock reboot and then relock the bootloader. Unlocking erases all the user data.

I think I would need to start the oem unlock in developers settings in the OS, no?

Right I forgot that, on current devices AFAIR you have to do so.

I finally got it to work. The base of the solution was to use adb screen casting. I was lucky, the apk was installed and I could remote control the device and made a OS factory reset.


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What Google services do the Google Pixel phones require using?
What Google services do the Google Pixel phones require using?  Or can they be used without using Google products?
For example, do they require using a Google account?  If so, do they require using the Google Play Store?  What about Google Drive?  Do they force syncing contacts and calendars to Google servers?
Can all the Google apps be disabled on them?
When answering please specify if your answer applies to the original Pixel or the Pixel 2, or (if you know) both.

This applies to both Pixel devices. The first time you start the phone, you'll be asked to sync it with a Google account.
Google Play Store is optional. You can download third-party apps on the devices.
You will not be asked to sync contacts or calendar to Google servers.
But it only makes sense to buy the Google Pixel if you're fine with using a Google account.


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Is it possible to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Android?
I have obtained a copy of the current version of the database of the WhatsApp instance running on my phone. I can see that deleted messages do not show up, and that there are missing IDs corresponding to those messages.
I have not checked, but I assume that the crypt12 backup files on sdcard0 do not contain these messages either. These backups are generated daily.
I have seen plenty of apps that claim to undelete WhatsApp messages. I can understand how a message that is not part of the current database version can be recovered if it is present on one of the backups.
However, is it reasonable to expect these apps to recover messages that have been removed so quickly that they have not been backed up?
Does Android allow some sort of low level hardware access to try and find data that has been marked as deleted, just like data recovery tools such as testdisk?

If you've saved the conversations then I think that they can be found saved within the WhatsApp directory in phone storage, this can be accessed using the file explorer.

Whatsapp *.crypt12 files do not cointain deleted messages either. I am guessing it's these files the ones you're referring to?


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Is there any way to activate MTP connection on a phone with broken screen?
My phone's screen is broken and when I connect it to my laptop via USB it is in "Charge only" mode. I need to get my data out of the phone so I was wondering if there was any way to activate "MTP" or even USB debugging. Can starting the phone in the recovery mode help?

If the broken screen still shows the display, I recommend connecting it to a a USB optical mouse with an OTG connector.
Try using adb if that is not case, but it works only when USB debugging is turned on.


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USB OTG Extension Cable and DAC
I am trying to get audio through my USB DAC on various tablets with OTG functionality and I don't know why it's not working!
First off. It works just find when I use the OTG adapter straight to the tablet, however, I want to power the devices separately to reduce the power draw on the tablet so I have instead created a Y cable which externally powers my DAC. The DAC has power, however, the tablet will not send power through the DAC in this configuration.
The cable itself is working great. I have tested it using my phone and the DAQ works perfectly on it, however, on 6 different tablets now I have had NO LUCK!
Any ideas as to why the tablets are not sending the audio over USB DAC when the USB DAC is externally powered?
The Cable has the red AND black wires snipped so there is no power coming from the tablet. I am wondering if the tablets need the black wire to be connected for some reason? My phone is USB-C while the tablets are all Micro USB.
Any help or thoughts are appreciated!

Solved!
I went home and soldered a piece of wire between the two cut negative wires and now the extension cable works! I assume it has something to do with grounding out the ID wire in the micro usb. In anycase, SOLVED! Yay!
So as summary, I have an extension cable which allows my devices to get external power while still receiving signal from the tablet. The reason for this is to minimize power draw on the tablet and to extend battery life.

I want to check if I understand this correctly: You now have power to the DAC through an external source (not your tablet), but have the tablet sending the signal with no power to the DAC using USB OTG.  Do I understand correctly?


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Showing make not found on adb shell, How to install make on Android
While installing a wifi usb driver on android, I run a shell command (sh install.sh) on adb shell but getting the following error
sush: make: not found Authentication requested [root] for make driver: sush: make: not found
Compile make driver error: 127 Please check error Mesg
I was trying to run it on the Terminal IDE but got the same problem. can anyone please tell me how to solve this problem (installing make on android)?

The install script you are trying to run is intended for use on a Linux desktop system -- it requires a compiler toolchain to be available.
It cannot be used on an Android device. Hardware drivers cannot generally be installed onto Android devices.


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What are physical partitions on Android device?
I'm new to Android system. I'm trying to understand how it is installed to internal memory to eventually have it fully backed up and capable to be restored. To accomplish it I need to know what to back up. Is /data & /system partitions all I have to care of? One of my root apps list these partitions on my device:
/mnt/media_rw/xxxx-xxxx (mounted external SD card, Idk how to treat it)
/data 5.51GB
/system 1.08GB
/cache 534.12MB
/fsg 1.5MB
/firmware 64MB
/persist 8MB
/pds 3MB

What is the full list of physical partitions on Android device?
Can the list differ between devices?
TWRP, Titanium, oandbackup and (adb backub/restore) do not create full backups of Android device (system with data). What is a complete solution on Android devices similar to Acronis True Image on PC systems?

Strong related: Android Folder Hierarchy.

In general, a clear AOSP Android contains these physical partitions: Boot, Cache, Data, Recovery, System, Vendor and dozens of mount points more (linux style). I suggest everyone interested start reading about Android drive structure on XDA:  https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/info-android-device-partitions-basic-t3586565

The list certainly differs between devices, and thus no exhaustive list can be provided.
For most if not all devices, there is no need to backup partitions other than system (system), data (user data), boot (kernel) and vendor (for Treble devices, a separate vendor stores hardware drivers, etc.).
Many of those extra partitions are not user-accessible and/or store data for non-OS components (e.g. modem for baseband, logo for 1st splash logo on boot), and no procedure would touch them in daily use other than system updates. On top of that, without root access you will not be able to perform full backup/restore even on data.
Currently the common way of doing a full-enough backup is just backing up the ones listed in the backup menu from TWRP, which already covers more than just "system with data" as you required. Depending on the maintainer/builder of the TWRP in use, other partitions might also be available for backup/restore, though for the reason above there's no point in doing so (and is why most TWRP builds choose to hide them).

I'm afraid TWRP backup excludes /data/media, thus it is not full data backup. https://twrp.me/faq/backupexclusions.html

True, I guess as seasoned ROM flashers we tend to just take "data" as /data. What prevents you from just copying it out though?

I thought about simple e.g. "adb copy/paste (/system, /data) /path" command. I don't know if it would be achievable, though. I'm not familiar with adb and its reliability. Someone, give me complete instructions and specific adb commands to perform copy/overwrite, please. I bet there will be a hundred obstacles.

It'd be some serious loophole if it were as easy as that. Closest I know is using dd to dump/write individual partitions, but I remember seeing some examples that using this doesn't always work (might result in bricked device). Besides, this doesn't help with backing up internal storage either.


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should I update my Android System version 7.1.1 to 8.0 in a phone Z835?
Hello I am new here and I have phone android mark ZTE model Z835 and I would  like update but I dont know if my phone support tha update.
details about my phone:

model: Z835
Android version: 7.1.1
if you need more information about my phone could you comment bellow and I give you more information.

If the update is offered for your phone, why shouldn't it be supported? If it's not offered for your device you cannot update anyway (there's no such thing as a "generic Android image/install", so it must always be specifically made for the device to be used on). That considered, what remains of your question then?

from this link it shows latest android as 7.1.1 by AT&T released in Jan 2018. I don't know more about this device and  other service providers. https://www.att.com/devicehowto/tutorial.html#!/stepbystep/id/stepbystep_KM1246107?make=ZTE&model=ZTEZ835


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After moving gatekeeper.pattern.key to unlock, Settings>Security keeps crashing
Context: I forgot my unlock pattern, so I used TWRP and ADB to move gatekeeper.password.key and gatekeeper.pattern.key to /sdcard, so now I am able to use my phone again :-)
Problem: I want to set a new pattern, but whenever I go to Settings>Security and press Screen lock, it crashes:

How to solve the problem?
I restarted, cleared all apps cache, wiped the cache partition from TWRP, booted in safe mode, always crash. I am afraid that if I move the files back the situation will get even worse, or at best it will ask me for the pattern that I still can't remember.
Android 7.1.2 LineageOS

The "Mega Post" in our locked-out tag-wiki mentions how to correctly reset the pattern. AFAIR this also involved updating the settings database. If you missed that step, the "state" is "out of sync" (settings assumes there must be a file which it then doesn't find) – at least that could be the case here. Have you cross-checked that?

@izzy: I was not aware of that page, thanks! Actually just right now I have managed to fix the situation, I write an answer immediately about it :-)

Easy fix would probably have been to also delete the locksettings.db* files from the same place where you removed the .key files (see my second comment on your answer). :)

In a web browser (on any device), log into Gmail with the account you used when setting up your phone.
Go to https://myaccount.google.com/intro/find-your-phone
Press "Lock your phone"
Enter "abcd"
Your phone's screen is now locked. Unlock it with "abcd"
You can now change your screen lock.

Ah, congrats! Maybe I should include that in my "cover-all" answer (or link here from it). Though this approach only works if you have a Google account associated with the device (and not e.g. run "Google-free"). Would have been interesting if switching to a pin or password lock on device would work as well (maybe with some ADB trick, as with the settings app you didn't get that far before it crashed), so Google-free devices would be covered as well. Ah, here we go.

PS: Updated my "general answer" linking to yours, and adding a few more hints. Doing that I discovered why you failed with your first approach: you forgot to also delete the locksettings.db* files. So the Settings app saw them, evaluated them, decided you have a pattern lock set – and then crashed accessing the *.key files. I'd consider that a bug, the developer not having caught the exception or checked whether the files exist and are readable.

Are those Gatekeeper files only used in verifying the password? Or are they also used in deriving the key that decrypts the device encryption key?