text:
Getting adb root: I did unpack and repack the boot img yet adb root doesn't work
my android is a Marshmallow 6.0.1 (EDIT: It is Samsung!) I just unpacked the boot.img and edited the build.prop by setting:
ro.secure=0
ro.debuggable=1
ro.adb.secure=0

repacket it, flashed it and everything is in it's place.
I no longer get the adbd cannot run as root in production builds error
BUT If I run adb root I get the restarting adb as root and nothing happens afterwards.
Can't adb remount because Not running as root. Try "adb root" first.
what else do I need to change?
EDIT: I just ran adb root again and this time the phone disconnected the USB:
error: protocol fault (couldn't read status): Connection reset by peer
error: write failure during connection: Connection reset by peer

Does this answer your question? Why "adb root" does nothing?

it's selinux issue

@IrfanLatif not interely I need to know how to inject an unrestricted context on the phone policy


text:
Is it possible to assign new function to "left swipe" on MIUI11
I failed to find the option in settings which will assign different (custom) functionality when I "swipe left" on the homescreen. I want to get rid off news feed and leave just google search if possible. I am using MIUI 11 on the top of Android 10. Maybe this is basic question but I am new to android and I could not find an answer.

If you want to get rid off the news feed and have only google search enter in application google then in the settings of the application ( click on more that is in the bottom right corner then settings ) enter general and turn off discover.
If you want to remove the function of left swipe enter in settings then in the home screen then turn off google discover.
There is no option to change google app from function left swipe.

That's it. I found out how to completely disable it, but I was not aware I could leave google search only. Very useful answer for an Android newbie

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Share virtual machine between Genymotion and Android AVD Manager?
I've installed Genymotion and configure it to use the SDK folder from Android SDK. (In preferences, ADB -> Use custom Android SDK tools, and select /Users/XXX/Library/Android/sdk)
But when I open both Genymotion and Android AVD manager, it can't see the same virtual machine created in each other:

Is there a way to share the virtual machine, without taking extra disk spaces?

Genymotion and the Android emulator for Android SDK can not interoperate because the used virtualization system is totally different:
Android Emulator from SDK uses an QEMU 2 based emulator for running the emulator images.
Genymotion uses VirtualBox emulator as the underlying virtualization system. As VirtualBox only supports x86 emulation for example ARMv7/ARMv8 based emulator do not exist for Genymotion.
Effectively this means that the emulated devices are slightly different. For example they are different regarding the emulated devices (e.g. graphics chip) and the used file formats.
As different devices require different drivers converting an emulator image from one system to another is also not that easy.

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


text:
Relock bootloader - "FAILED (remote: unknown command)"
I'm getting rid of my Sony XZ2 Compact. I just flashed the original firmware using Emma and now I'm trying to relock the bootloader.
I've tried running fastboot oem lock and fastboot flashing lock both as a normal user and root with no avail. I always get the following error:
>> fastboot oem lock
...
FAILED (remote: unknown command)
finished. total time: 0.000s

When I run fastboot devices I can see my phone listed. USB-Debugging is active in the developer options.
How can I lock the bootloader so that I don't get the screen with "Your device software can't be checked for corruption. Please lock the bootloader." when booting the phone?


text:
Does `adb backup` also backs up what is backed up by Android automatic backup (that is stored on Google Drive)?
I have two backups: one from Android automatic backup, stored in Google Drive; another is what I manually backed up with adb backup.
What are the differences between the two? Do I need to restore the one from Drive as well if I reinstall my OS?
There is a similar question but it doesn't answer my question.

I cannot say definitely, but my guess would be they back up the same stuff (as both use the same backend AFAIK – look out for "backup transport" and "BackupManager"). So at least the same restrictions apply to both (like, honoring whether an app defined android:allowBackup="false" to opt out from backups).

In general I agree with what Izzy wrote. Additional to the general allowBackup setting the developer can explicitly exclude and include files and directories. I remember that Android online backup has changed had changed over the times since it had been introduced with Android 6. Therefore older devices adb backup and online backup may differ especially if the hat a large data set to backup (>25MB).


text:
Rotating Android bootup screen
I have a Nexus 7 (2nd generation) on Android 6.0. I am able to rotate and fix the screen on landscape using adb shell content. I am also able to adjust screen dimensions and resolution using adb shell wm.
Now, the only thing I need to really do is figure out a way to rotate the entire device to actually be permanently in landscape mode so that when it reboots the Android logo and everything is in landscape.
Is there any way to do this? My device is rooted already if that helps.

Boot process and boot logo are device specific. There is no common way to change it.

Seconding Robert's comment, you have to modify and rotate the boot logo animation manually, and this depends on the device model.

Any idea how to rotate the boot logo and boot animation on the Nexus 7 2nd generation?


text:
Format an SD card from TWRP recovery using shell
I'm trying to format/partition an SD card (that was used as an encrypted storage on an android phone) because it only shows as 15 MB while it's supposed to be 2 GB.
I was intending to install a ROM from TWRP recovery but made a mistake and wiped everything including the SD card and selected "format" to remove encryption but forgot that the SD card had the zip to be installed...
I don't have access to a reliable USB cable which is probably why adb sideloading didn't work for me.
Here is what I tried from the TWRP terminal:
~ # df -h
Filesystem              Size      Used    Available   Used   Mounted on
tmpfs                   361.1M    16.0K   361.1M      0%     /dev
tmpfs                   361.1M    20.0K   361.1M      0%     /tmp
/dev/block/mmcblk0p19   2.2G      38.7M   2.1G        2%     /data
/dev/block/mmcblk0p19   2.2G      38.7M   2.1G        2%     /sdcard
/dev/block/mmcblk0p16   196.8M    4.4M    192.4M      2%     /cache
/dev/block/mmcblk1p1    16.0M     24.0K   15.9M       0%     /external_sd

(Why tmpfs and mkcblk0p19 listed twice with different mount points?)
I know that the block mmcblk1 is the sd card because it disappears when I physically remove it and reboot.
I tried the following:
~ # umount -f /dev/block/mmcblk1p1
...

~ # fdisk /dev/block/mmcblk1
Found valid GPT with protective MBR: using GPT

Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/block/mmcblk1: 3862528 sectors, 1886M
Logical sector size: 512
Disk identifier (GUID): ...
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 3862494
Number   Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name
1    2048   34815   16.0M   0700   android_meta
2    34816   3862494    1868M   0700 android_expand

Command (m for help): d
Selected partition 1

Command (m for help): d
No partition is defined yet!

Command (m for help): n
Command action
    e    extended
    p primary partition (1-4)
p
Partition number (1-4): 1
First cylinder (1-239, default 1):
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-239, default 239):
...
Command (m for help): w
...

But it didn't change anything.
And, I see the files /dev/block/mmcblk1, /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 and /dev/block/mmcblk1p2.
But mmcblk1p2 is not in fstab:
 ~ # cat /etc/fstab
 /dev/block/mmcblk0p17  /system       ext4  rw  0  0
 /dev/block/mmcblk0p19  /data         ext4  rw  0  0
 /dev/block/mmcblk0p16  /cache        ext4  rw  0  0
 /dev/block/mmcblk0p15  /efs          ext4  rw  0  0
 /dev/block/mmcblk1p1   /external_sd  vfat  rw  0  0

I don't have a card reader but I tried the sd card in another phone and plugged it to windows and it shows 16 MB there as well.
Question: How do I format the sd card from android terminal so that I can use it normally again?

I managed to boot into the OS and therefore I fixed my issue since android prompt to format the sd card as external or internal storage. But it would be really nice for someone to help others who might be dealing with the same issue and need to do this from shell in recovery mode.

tmpfs is a virtual filesystem which lives in RAM. It's usually mounted a score of places. mkcblk0p19 is mounted at /data and bind-mounted to SD card. // You can insert the card when running in ROM and Android will prompt you to format as portable storage. // Otherwise you need to create partition of DOS type, not Linux. // fdisk is not the right tool to manipulate GPT, better create DOS partition table. // Changes to partitions may require partprobe.

@IrfanLatif Thank you. partprobe is not available, and with no internet I suppose it can't be just downloaded. So are there any alternatives or is this simply not possibly from the recovery shell? Also, I'm still searching and trying to understand your comment, especially the part about creating a DOS partition table...


text:
How can I use userscripts on Firefox for Android?
As of October 2020 I can't seem to find a working add-on/extension for Firefox on Android. Tampermonkey's page says the add-on is not compatible with Android, but I think it used to work fine a while back. Is there any way to install userscripts on a current version of Firefox for Android (including beta or developer editions)?
If current versions don't support such extensions, and the only way is to install an older package (not recommended due to potentially unpatched vulnerabilities, I know), which is the latest package version I can use Tampermonkey (or a similar) extension with?

Related: How can I install Greasemonkey, Tampermonkey, or similar in Firefox Android?

End of August Mozilla has pushed a new major version of Firefox for Android that bases on a new web engine.
For an unknown reason for this new version they only allow a very small set of hand selected addons. May be the engine changes were so big that most of the addons now have problems?
It seems like the developers at Mozilla are trying to bring back the full addon support in the next version which is scheduled for October 22th 2020. According to the Mozilla blog the current Firefox Nightly version should already include the mentioned full addon support. May you give this version a try - hopefully it will be able to run Tampermonkey addon again.
Edit 2024: For installing any XPI add-on in Firefox for Android you have to enable the Firefox Debug-Mode by opening the Settings -> About Firefox and tapping the Firefox logo 5 times. Afterwards the Settings page has the new entry Install add-on from file.

You can instead install an actively maintained Android Firefox fork Iceraven that supports extensions like Tampermonkey, Greasemonkey, etc.


text:
How do I prevent apps from getting installed onto my Pixel?
I'd like to prevent any apps from being installed on my Pixel.
I tried this with Google Family Link, but you can install apps rated E.
I also tried this with AppBlock, but I can install apps from play.google.com from my computer.
I'd like the primary user on this phone to no longer be able to install apps at all.
An acceptable solution would be to password protect installing new apps, so that someone with the password could install apps.

For enterprise usage you can white-list apps that are the only one allowed to be installed via PlayStore. This seems to be include in the "G Suite Basic" from Google which costs about 5€ per month. See https://support.google.com/a/answer/6328701?hl=en


text:
What package is responsible for the "Recents" button to work?
Background:
I wanted to customize my phone a little bit, a Samsung Galaxy A70 (SM-A705FN), and that process included de-bloating it. I opened xda-developers, looked around, and finally found a list of bloatware to remove.
I threw in a few other packages that I checked, such as Samsung Radio, Google Duo, Netflix, and a few other things that I am 100% certain didn't have anything to do with my issue.
I then opened an ADB Connection and through the shell I uninstalled the packages, one by one, using this command:
pm uninstall --user 0 com.facebook.katana

Obviously I swapped around the package names for each package.
I tried to remove everything, somethings weren't removed, overall everything's great!
The issue:
Just now, several hours later, I noticed that my "Recents" button in the navigation bar is not doing anything. The effect is there, so I believe it registers the press, but I think I removed whatever handles that request. From what I gathered, it should be easy enough to re-install the package once I find what its called, but I've been looking for a while, and my only other option right now (except for factory resetting and just, like, living with it) is to manually check each permission in that list, which is going to be tedious.
Bottom line:
Does anyone know what package is responsible for handling the "Recents" button request? or of a better / easier way to solve this issue?

Found it after scanning through the list, turns out One UI is responsible for it. For anyone looking in the future, it's com.sec.android.app.launcher.


text:
My Firmware do not have emmc, raw program and patch file
I own a heavily Bricked Nokia X Rm-980. Currently, I am trying to bring it back to life.
It is detected as Qualcomm HS_USB QDLoader 9008 (Com3). After spending some time online, i got a possible solution, flashing it using QFIL. I downloaded the firmware (LINK), it didn't have 3 files needed to start the flash process which were raw program XML file, patch file, prog emmc file. I looked up Online for these file specifically, But found nothing.
Do anyone know what should I do

Generally these files are not available from most manufacturers, and the only way we get them is if they "leak" out somehow, which is rare in most cases... The file you downloaded is likely an upgrade file only to be used on a operational device, which has a different structure and format and is used by either tools built into the existing OS, or things like fastboot (part of the core of Android). \

So, is there any other way to get it to life?

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_us/support (adjust for your region/country) and click Repair and Replacement... Unfortunately, for most devices this is the only way to recover it from QDLoader state.

some collections https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/224131/bootloop-issue-and-cant-go-to-recovery-mode#comment305555_224235


text:
Can android devices be controlled/tracked (including on/off control) by IMEI?
Phone lost having sensitive data that cannot be deleted, The owner(my cousin) has gotten mentally unstable. Tried every possible solution to track it like google's find my device. I also tried to track it by the service-provider/carrier number but couldn't achieve any result so the SIM card has been blocked/disabled. Lastly I reported to the proper authorities to track down the device but strictly advised not to erase the data. They asked for IMEI-number of device which i provided to them on spot. No response whatsoever has been recieved that could even provide a grain of hope for recovery. My cousin is considering sucide but only me being a trustworthy person for him have been controlling him by giving him lies and false hope. The device has not been connected to the internet or even turned on since lost so that it could be tracked down (info by google's find my phone app). The authorities told that it can only be controlled or tracked by its IMEI-number. IS IT POSSIBLE
My email-id is/was also activated on that device. Proper documents and all original accessories along with box and IMEI sticker can be shown for proving ownership of the device
Device: LG-Q60

YES Any phone could be tracked and localized using its  IMEI  but to successfully do it the stolen phone should be online by:

Internet connection
Sim card inserted

But if the guy who got your cousin's phone could change phone's IMEI(and for sure phone identity) : Sorry to tell you that the phone is gone forever.
The best solution of all times: daily cloud sync.


text:
Access files of Android device without the login code
Long story short. The father of a friend of mine died and he asked me if I could have a look at the father's phone to see if there might be any images or other stuff he might find relevant. The problem however, is that it is locked and no-one in his family knows the code.
I thought of a few ways to tackle this, but most of them require USB debugging to be enabled (which it is not), so stuff like ADB or so is impossible (or is it?).
Then I thought of the program Autopsy, which we used in school to scan an entire device. However, back then, the image of the device was handed to us. I understand I could use the program dd to copy an raw image, however, is it possible to do so on a locked Android device which is not rooted?
Any other suggestions to how I can solve this? Thanks!

The simple answer: No. The long answer: Your friend has to contact Google and as the heir claim to get access to the used Google account (hopefully the gmail address is known). Via Google account you can then try to unlock the device via find-my-device functionality.

I'll have to contact him if he has the gmail, thanks for the suggestion


text:
How can I force my phone to connect to US-based cell towers only?
I use a Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 10, and plan to enter Mexico from the US via the land border. How can I force my phone to connect to US-based cell towers only? (I believe my data usage will get way more expensive for non-US data use)

Most phones have the ability to turn off roaming, for example in a Pixel 3A it is in Settings, Network & Internet, Mobile Network, and toggle Roaming off... Otherwise contact your carrier and see, in some cases roaming into Mexico is included in your plan or they may have a cost-effective add-on for roaming into Mexico.

@acejavelin thanks I'd like to keep roaming if still able to connect to a US-based cell tower

Most US carriers have roaming agreements with Mexican and other Central and Latin America carriers, I would suggest reaching out to your carrier, otherwise be aware that roaming is roaming and could result in very high fees. Best to just turn mobile data off except when absolutely necessary.

It is currently impossible to do force one's phone to connect to US-based cell towers only. E.g. from Dicknose22 on https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/j5ntyg/how_can_i_force_my_phone_to_connect_to_usbased/g7tefwh/:

Not to the best of my knowledge, even with total root access, your phone and the tower communicate on what to connect to you do not have power to override what your carrier decides you should connect to.


text:
Changes made in developer options revert back to default after turning off developer options
I am trying to enable Force GPU rendering option in the developer options. But after enabling it and then turning off the developer options, the developer settings revert back to default. How do I make these changes stick permanently?
Using a Vivo Y53, Android Marshmallow.

In order to keep developer options running, simply don't turn developer options off. That's the only possible logical way.

But the thing is, some settings like the transition animation scale persist even after turning the developer options off, which might suggest that turning off the developer options might not necessarily be the culprit.

probably you have very old phone!

Yeah, well, I'm using Marshmallow. That might have something to do with it.


text:
How can I disable locations in Android 11(API 30) using adb shell command
The following commands do not disable location services on API 30. Although they do work on other API levels.
adb shell settings put secure location_providers_allowed -gps
adb shell settings put secure location_providers_allowed -network

They do not throw any error message, but they do not turn off the location services either.

I assume the main problem is that location_providers_allowed is deprecated since API 19. According to the API doc it should be still present in 30 however the doc also states Do not rely on this value being present or correct.

On Android 11 -
to enable, I use:
adb shell settings put secure location_mode 3

and to disable, use:
adb shell settings put secure location_mode 0

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text:
How to upgrade to a new micro SD card?
I have a 16 GB SD card and would like to upgrade to a larger one
How do I do so without losing any data?
Most of my search results for this just end up advertising a 3rd party program
There are just so many n I don't feel like going through each of them until one works
I'd like to not mess with the SD card in my phone until I have to

The answer to this question would vary greatly based on whether your current microSD card is used as Adopted (Internal) storage or Removeable (External) storage... If it's removeable storage, it is literally just remove the old card, insert the new card and format it as removeable, then using a PC copy the contents of the old card to the new card and insert it into the phone and you're done. If it's adopted storage, it's a bit more difficult and in depth.

Related: How to move 7GB ext4 partition on external SD card to 30GB partition on another SD card?

I'm quoting someone who gave the correct answer as a comment
I had already done this since I was trying to figure it out on my own as well
But they worded it better than I could have

If it's removeable storage, it is literally just remove the old card,
insert the new card and format it as removeable, then using a PC copy
the contents of the old card to the new card and insert it into the
phone and you're done

2020 approved


text:
How to backup, restore and share Android settings on a multi-user system?
I have a Magisk-rooted Android 10 device. I want to:

backup my Owner user settings;
clone some settings (background images, sounds, vibrations, etc.) from Owner local user to other users (Work, Guest, etc.);
use only built-in or open-source 3rd-party tools.

What are the options available?

I am not sure in which package the different settings you want to backup are located in, but a good backup program like OAndBackupX should cover most or all of your needs. Note: restoring a backup of system apps (such as Android settings) on a different device type than the one it has been taken from can have strange side in case options are not shown in the GUI but the restored settings are still active. Therefore restoring the settings on a different device is not recommended.

@Robert thank you for suggesting this app. What do I actually do in it to perform the tasks in my question?

I would assume that all those values you want to backup are located in the android settings app. Therefore backup the data of the app com.android.settings.


text:
How to Screen Record on Samsung Galaxy A30s
My goal is to record my screen. Coming from a Huawei, I would have in the upper area icons an option with "Screen Record". I'm now using a Galaxy A30s with Android 10 and these are the only options available

and

So, no screen record.
If I go to Settings and search for "screen record",

If I search under apps,

How should I do it?

Edit
As pointed by Robert, I tried to enable the screen recorder via adb but didn't get the desired result.

Download Platform Tools and unzip the folder in location of your choice
Open Command Prompt in that location

Connect the phone with the computer allowing USB Debugging

Run
adb shell settings put global settings_screenrecord_long_press true

and this opens up the following in the phone

Click "Allow" and run the command again

and appears to be working.

Long press power button. This is what I see

So, still no option to record screen. I restarted the phone as well just in case but that wasn't enough either.

What Android version is installed on your device?

@Robert Android version 10

Have you tried to enable the screen recorder via adb?: adb shell settings put global settings_screenrecord_long_press true

@Robert I haven't, didn't know about it

Afterwards the screen recording function should show-up in the power menu (long press the power button to show this menu).

Just tested it @Robert but didn't solve the problem

According to Android 11 announcement page, we can expect a Built-in screen recording

Screen recording lets you capture what’s happening on your phone. And
it’s built right into Android 11, so you don’t need an extra app.
Record with sound from your mic, your device or both.

Considering Samsung releases new OS updates relatively fast, I'll just wait until December 2020 or so in order to update the Android version and then won't have to uncomfortably download an app from the store for this job.

You can install a screen recorder app from google play store. There are many different ones available. Just do a search on "screen recorder".
For instances,

ADV Screen Recorder
AZ Screen Recorder
Mobizen Screen Recorder
Screen Recorder & Video Recorder
Super Screen Recorder

Do you trust these apps to the point of installing them?

I will not take responsibility for your installing them. But they are no different then other apps. If you read the reviews and see its around for a while and many people have tried it. That should say something. (There is one with over 100,000,000 downloads and is editors choice.)


text:
Can I slow down the speed of my recorded phone calls?
I've installed the Call Recorder app on my GT-S6810P Samsung Galaxy phone. The app has successfully recorded all of my calls but when I play them back it plays them too fast. Is there any way I can slow them down?

While the app that you installed might not have an option to change the speed of the recording, and I'm not sure why it would play it faster than the original, you can download a music player app which allows for speed change, and play your recording there.
The app that I've used is called Music Speed Changer. It's free and it allows for speed change while keeping the same pitch. When playing the recording in this app you'll see a slider for speed change adjust it accordingly.

Thanks very much for your answer. I've tried using Music Speed Changer and I'm able to slow down the speed of my calls slightly but not enough unfortunately. Could this be because my phone is quite old or something?

That is very strange. When i slow down music using the app, it can take 20 min for a 4 min song. Make sure you move the slider all the way to the left. But if that doesn't help and you want to see if it's a problem with the phone itself, i would suggest you try playing regular music and if that's too fast, then yes something else is the problem here.


text:
Updating old Android Jellybean (4.2.2) Device
My friend has just dug out an old Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0.  It looks like it hasn't been used in a long time, and hasn't been updated in years.  It doesn't support TLS 1.2 and is missing updates to Trusted Root CAs.
If I open Play Store it goes into a loop of "Unfortunately, Google Play Store has stopped" messages and I have to reboot it.  I've tried clearing all the cache data for Play Store and Play Services apps, but it hasn't helped.
I did some searching about support for TLS 1.2 on Android 4.2.2 (which is what it's running) and found that it supports TLS 1.2 but is disabled by default.  But every post I find about enabling this refers to doing so in the API while building an app, rather than on the device itself.
Does anybody have any thoughts/ideas on how I can get some updates installed onto this device so that it'll start talking TLS1.2 ?  Is there any http only site that I could download some updates from for example ?
I did try going into About > Check for Updates but it says that it's already got the latest.  I'm not too sure if this is just because it can't talk to any updates server or if it's correct.  Seems like there'd have to be some way of supporting TLS 1.2 on these older devices ?
Thanks in advance

Just FYI, TLS is coupled with Android version. Android officially supports TLS 1.2 from Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't joined the site after the question was migrated, and no answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

According to the Wikipedia page for this device, officially, it only supported 4.2.2 at the highest.
You'd need to update it using a third-party software, such as LineageOS.
That said, the tablet itself is outside of even their maintenance window, and depending on which device you have (the Cellular version or the Wifi version), will need to manually build their latest OS for it.
All the standard disclaimers about modifying your android device with aftermarket software remain relevant here.

Just pointing to LineageOS is not helpful if the device is no longer supported...

I would go over to XDA and root it:
https://www.xda-developers.com/easy-root-and-recovery-tutorial-for-the-galaxy-tab-2-7-0/
and then choose one of their roms and flash it:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-2/7-inch-development

Is there a reason why you add the links in a non-clickable way?


text:
Is Google aware of multiple user profiles sharing the same Android device?
If I create two user profiles* on my Google Pixel device, is Google (potentially) aware that both of them share the same device--as per privacy policy and/or actual implementation?
If so, is there any way to prevent Google from knowing which user profiles (identified as Android accounts) share a device, except switching to a custom ROM?
[*] As managed in Settings > System > Multiple Users as of Android 11; not to be confused with Settings > Accounts.

I don't think Google will be aware unless you sign in to Google in each profile.

If your Internet provider uses IPv6 and your device is using IPv6, and you use any service or web site that uses Google resources/services in any way Google can identify your device by it's IP address if you switch the profiles without rebooting no matter what ROM you have installed.
As modern devices with Google PlayServices + PlayStore installed contact PlayStore for updates even if no Google account has been set-up on one of your profiles.

Could you share some links showing that both IDs are constant across user profiles (Settings > System > Multiple Users as per Android 11) and/or Google's servers are involved in issuing them? My research so far: ((A)): ANDROID_ID is different per user on the phone; no mention of servers involved, as of Android O; ((B)): GSF ID seems to be local for user profile; GSF(ID?)-free setup seems feasible.

@wassrubleff In your original question you talked about profile (-> Google accounts), not user profiles.

I referred to Profiles (as opposed to Accounts) as widely used by Google, eg here.

If you are only talking about user profiles I have adapted my answer.

So if two user profiles with different accounts signed in to Google Play, how specifically does Google know that they share the same device rather than run on different devices?

See my answer. The IPv6 address if used is device-wide (hence also independent of the used profile) and IPv6 is not changed by NAT, hence Google usually sees the interface identifier part of the IPv6 address which is enough to identify your device in the current Wifi when your device contacts any Google server.

Assuming that cross-matching by IPv6 can be circumvented by distinct VPNs and blocking non-VPN network usage, is there other way for Google to find out that two profiles share the same device?


text:
Tap here to sign in to network
Asus ROG 2 Phone
17.0240.2009.49
Not Rooted
Happens All the time
Wifi Connection in my home

Ever since updating to 17.0240.2009.49, my phone has been listing one of my wifi connections as "Limited"
But today, it now prompts to "Sign in to Wi-Fi network"
I have no captive portal on this network.
My laptop (windows 10 pro) connects without any problems or prompt.
My tablet (Nexus 9) connects without any problems or prompt.
If I tap to sign in, I am shown a blank page.
If I select "Use this network as-is" in the 3 dots menu, it works for a few minutes and then puts an X on the Wifi Icon saying "no connection" - even though I was browsing web pages before then.
After that, I can't access anything.
I have tried:
static/dhcp - no change
Treat as Unmetered - no change
Rebooted - no change
Reset Wifi - no change
Dynamic/Static Mac address - no change
Rebooted the router - no change
looked through pfSense logs - no information

Any ideas?

Update:
After selecting "Use this network as-is", it shows connected for a bit, then shows disconnected with an X in the Wifi Icon. At that point, I can't access anything.
But after waiting a few minutes, I can access everything just fine again - even though it still shows an X on the Wifi Icon and says 'No Internet' when I pull down the status bar. However, that is only with Mobile Network Data turned OFF or I turn off "Switch to Mobile data when WiFi has no Internet"
So, for some stupid reason, the phone thinks I have no Internet on this Wifi SSID, so it tries over Network Data and fails - so nothing works.
There must be a Ping Test or something for Wifi that is failing and so it reports no Internet and borks everything up.
What the HECK is going on and how do I get this back to a sensible state?

You should state which versions of Android (8, 9, 10, etc) the devices are running and if the Nexus 9 tablet is running a custom ROM.

Already posted Asus ROG 2 Phone 17.0240.2009.49 (its Android 10, duh)
Nexus 9 has last official Android update: 7.1.1

And I assume you've cleared the WiFi access point, turned off the phone, restarted the phone and tried to sign into the WiFi and still gives you the captive portal message.

yes: reset wifi on the phone, forgot the wifi access point, rebooted, reconnected and re-entered wifi password and it still gives the captive portal message.

One thing to try is to check the adb logcat logs and see if anything in particular comes up when you try to access your WiFi access point. You'll need to enable developer mode, https://developer.android.com/studio/debug/dev-options, and see: https://stackoverflow.com/a/12658349/295004

I got a dump. It's huge. I have no idea what I'm looking for. All the statuslabels=No internet for that Wifi.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

After dicking around in ADB with Captive Portal setting, changing URLs and crap, I finally just gave up and set :
adb shell settings put global captive_portal_mode 0

now it doesn't check, doesn't prompt to login to a non-existent portal, or show "No Internet" on the wifi - and the wifi does work.
Don't know WTF was going on, but I wasted an entire day screwing around with this stupid phone.


text:
Android phone powers on spontaneously during charging
I want to charge the phone while it's powered OFF.
But it automatically turns itself ON during charging.  It may be 87% or 90% or 100%.  I don't know the exact reason.
Model = LG-K430n.
I don't like cell phone radiation and I rarely use the phone at all.  I just want it to be OFF most of the time.  This is driving me nuts.

There are devices that are designed to power on when connected to a charger. If you don't want your phone to emit radio signals use the Airplane mode.

It's by OEM design. See support questions and in particular this one My phone automatically turns on when I connect the charger. Why? which says

Your smartphone will turn on automatically when the charger is connected. Please be assured that it is a sign of normal operation.

And to prevent it from turning on

To charge when your smartphone is off, connect the charger first and press the Power button to turn off your phone. The display will not be turned on.
When the remaining battery is less than 5%, the battery temperature is too high or low, or the smartphone is turned off due to the high temperature, the screen will not turn on.


text:
How to write « and » in Galaxy A30s?
Oftentimes I write texts that require the usage of a combination between ', " and «. Yet I have to copy from anywhere « anytime I want to use it and that's not the nicest experience.
This is the variations the keyboard offers

So, the only keyboard key that looks closer to « is 《 which is not really the same. I did long press some of the existing keyboard keys but none revealed the «.

My take was to search for "keyboard"

Go to "Manage keyboards"

And activate Gboard.
Now I can simply long press "

And that opens up a modal with the « and ».


text:
How to use clipboard in Galaxy A30s everywhere?
When going through the options available on my keyboard, found a section which references "Clipboard".

In specific places, like in Stack Overflow's question box we can se from the opacity that's not active.
I would like the opportunity to use it anytime I wanted, not just when in particular locations like Google Keep.

I would assume that this button is only for pasting from clipboard, hence it gets active if you copy something to the clipboard. Long pressing a text section usually opens a small menu for copy to clipboard. The address bar also has a copy functionality, usually there is a special button to to so in the share menu.

@Robert I have many things copied to the clipboard (things i simply selected and clicked "copy") and that's still inactive

What keyboard app do you use? (if it is not GBoard please also provide the PlayStore link)

@Robert it's the one that comes as default in this phone, I didn't change it

Sorry but I don't know what standard keyboard app is used on your device. Depending on the manufacturer it could be any keyboard.

@Robert under "Manage keyboards" it mentions just "Samsung Keyboard"

@Robert you might be right when you state that the "Clipboard" gets active in locations it can be used. I just checked in Google Keep and it worked there; just didn't work in the browser in the way I did...

Maybe this solution helps?

@beeshyams just edited the question, it was misleading but got clarified while commenting with Robert

The way I've fixed it was to change the keyboard from Samsung Keyboard to Gboard and now got a Clipboard icon always active

And can use anywhere just fine


text:
How to change the order of the timers?
How can I change the order the timers are displayed in the default clock application? I've got about two dozens of them and it seems I can only add new ones in front and not change the order.

I don't think it's possible. Maybe use a timer app like this? I haven't used the app, suggestion based on Play Store description

This depends on the Clock application itself, which can also depend on the device model since manufacturers can customize their own stock apps. If such a feature doesn't exist, then the solution is to use a 3rd-party clock app.

@AndrewT.Device is an BQ running Android One,


text:
How do you animate when you press the power button to lock the screen on s10?
On my old j3 when I press the power button i get this cool transition/animation when the screen locks. The black thing that covers the screen vertically from the right and left side. Similar to how you get it with samsung tv but it does it from top and bottom.

Are you asking this from a developer's perspective? Development questions are off-topic here.

No the user should be able to do this normally from settings unless that feature is removed


text:
How do I bookmark the sms: scheme?
I use a local town public transport service and it also offers an SMS ticket service that I find pretty easy to use. One thing I dislike about it is remembering every single code for particular routes (the codes are simple unless I'm on the street). I would like to bookmark it somehow and register in my (web browser?) bookmarks or my contacts. RFC 5724 suggests a special SMS URI that generally is:
sms:$SERVICE_PHONE_NUMBER?body=$TICKET_REQUEST_CODE

e.g., sms:1234?body=5678 in my case. I was trying to add such a bookmark in Google Chrome hoping to add a bookmark widget to the home screen, but Chrome interprets it as an HTTP URI trying to open a web site. I was also trying to add the bookmark to Google Contacts as a special "web site" field for the dedicated contact, but it didn't work either as if it were an HTTP URI.
My question is, is it possible to bookmark an sms: scheme URL on Android so I could use predefined SMS messages with predefined recipients and predefined text bodies?
If it's worth noting, I use QKSMS. It seems to declare sms and other protocols intent filtering, but for whatever reason it does not work for me.

Edit 1.
As a test workaround I've just created a simple HTML page, and it seems to work:
5678

Saving the page to the device and adding a shortcut to the file on the home screen seems to do what I want very and very closely, and clicking the link opens QKSMS with proper recipient and text body. I only don't really like the idea of having a static HTML file on my device because it may be hard to maintain in case of necessity. So it turns out that Google products do not work well here?

@Robert thanks for the idea, but unfortunately it won't work too: Chrome and other apps would still think it's an HTTP URL. I've just described a workaround I was thinking of earlier, but I find it an overkill to some extent. BTW, adding double slashes to the href attribute won't work properly: QKSMS parses it as a part of the recipient number.

@Robert thanks for a great idea! I probably could also create a bunch of concrete scripts to start the default SMS app just like you're suggesting (this comes to my mind first but with some security concerns, not sure if such an intent app exists, but there are tools like SManager that allow to add script runners as widgets). Or, as an option of last resort, I could just write a simple Android application with hard-coded intents.

@Robert I just found how I can create favorites in Intent (krow.dev.scheme) and create home screen shortcuts that do exactly what I want! Your idea is truly brilliant! Thank you very and very much!

Does the sms scheme work as I posted with sms://1234it or did you use sms:1234?

@Robert QKSMS, at least on my real device, is unable to parse double-slashed URLs properly (the recipient number would consist of prepended // and appended ?, literally //1234?). However, I also quick-tested the am command you suggested on an Android x86 5.1 virtual machine and the stock SMS app can parse double slashes leniently as if there were no slashes.

I converted my comments to an answer. Please check if this is the correct way.

On Android the communication between the web browser and the sms app bases on "Intents".
based on your description the problematic component in this set-up is the web browser.
Hence using a different app that can send Intents to other apps or using the adb shell can be helpful for testing out SMS links directly.
There a a lot of apps in Google PlayStore that can send Intents to other apps, for example Intent.
If you want to try adb (Android Debug Bridge) use the following command to sens an sms intent:
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d sms:1234?body=5678


text:
Creating a log entry in logcat via adb?
Does anybody knows a possibility to add a log entry into the logcat main log?
I need to inject an log line with custom text into this log on arbitrary devices.
The main problem is that I can't just install an own app that does inject the log entries.
I need to create the log entry directly on adb.

Use the log commandline tool.

@IrfanLatif Thanks that looks good. Do you know if log universally available or do I have to expect device that don't support this command?

log is a toybox applet, available since Android 8: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/external/toybox/+/3b051985b3c4787c8e323d41e2833c0278a13e20. For older releases you can port the binary. It's very minimalistic.


text:
Network stack broken after uninstalling AFWall?
Since uninstalling AFWall and rebooting, I "connect" to LTE/3G/2G and wifi but there is always a little X on the icon and never any network access (can't actually access anything with browsers or apps). GSM voice and SMS works normally.
No connectivity problems via LTE and wifi prior to today. I was messing around with AFWall, applied some rules and enabled/disabled it a couple times. Rebooted once or twice and decided the firewall wasn't blocking/allowing traffic reliably and wasn't logging and showing notifications accurately so uninstalled AFWall and rebooted.
I've had this phone (Zuk Z1) since 2015 and it has been solid. It has been running LOS 16 android 9 for the past 2+ years or so without issue. I've had this same SIM card and provider for over 2 years also.
Troubleshooting already tried:
SIM in other phones works fine
cleared dalvik
cleared SIM tools cache and data
rebooted a couple times
reset APNs
Questions:
Am I missing something obvious? Any suggestions welcome.
Is there an equivalent to "netsh int ip reset" (in windows) for android?
Can I somehow reset iptables to LOS "factory"?
Should I try re-installing AFWall? (if yes, then what?)
I will flash another ROM if necessary, but I'd like to try all other  options first
Thanks for reading!

AFWall+ only sets firewall rules which aren't persistent across reboots. You can also use iptables command to clear all of the firewall chains/rules. Network troubleshooting is almost alike on all OSes. Use ip to check routing tables, use dig to troubleshoot DNS, and so on. Perform a factory reset if the issue is in Java stack of Android framework.

RESOLVED: I'm not sure whether to post an answer to my own question or not. I'm not clear on exactly what happened. Resetting iptables (as root) didn't work the first time. I reinstalled AFWall (3.4.0-19450) and rebooted. Then ran "iptables -F && iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT && iptables -P OUTPUT ACCEPT && iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT" (as root) and uninstalled AFWall and rebooted. There appears to have been a bad interaction between AFWall and an EdXposed module as well. (I don't know exactly what happened, sorry)

@bumblingfool as long as it solves the issue, feel free to post a self-answer!

Something must be intermittently applying iptable rules at boot because the problem keeps re-occurring sometimes after I restart the phone. I'm still working on it.

I wanted to mention that there also exists an option in the reset portion of the settings menu to reset the wireless adapter.
I would have been curious to know if that made a difference.

Good idea, thanks. I tried it but it didn't make a difference. The issue is with iptable rules intermittently re-applying themselves at reboot it appears...


text:
Prompt "Use USB to ... (charge this device, ...)" keeps coming up
I'm trying to connect my Xperia X to my laptop and after hitting "Transfer files" connection is attempted but won't establish and defaults back to charging. Doesn't matter how many times I tap on "Transfer files". I'm using genuine USB cable from Sony so cable can't be the issue. Do I need any specific driver or something ?

Any help much appreciated.
Hardware IDS:

I don't know how Windows inside VMWare works, but Windows users usually need to install USB OEM driver first.

@AndrewT.  Yes, that's one of the things I've already done. I downloaded relevant driver for Xperia X and when I tried to use it Windows came back to me with "This device is already using the best driver". Obviously not, I'm thinking ...

as for all virtual machines you need usb passthrough

Of course,for connecting phone to Pc you need phone's drivers. I see that you made a Windows Virtual Machine and there are 2 ways to solve it:
1st Way: Installing Drivers Manually
For installing driver manually go to Device manager->Details->Hardware ID copy all ID and search on Google. After that you will see your phone's driver name. Search that driver name and install it.
2nd Way(Easiest way):Use driver updater software for Windows.
If you are not professional at Windows OS,then there special programs for you such as Advanced Driver Updater,IOBit Driver Booster(in app you will see "update drivers" option.) and etc. If these ways not works then go to this site and find your device. Then at the right you will see driver. Click on that link and download that driver and install.
I hope this steps will help you.

Internet search for the hw ids didn't yield satisfying results. I used Driver Booster by iObit which in many cases can be very useful tool. In this case it said I'm using latest driver. The driver updater that comes with Windows says that I'm already using the best driver. If that's so why can't I transfer any files from the phone through USB ?
Based on what you see in the screenshot, which device's driver needs to be updated ? The USB controller or Xperia X device itself ? I reckon I should be looking at USB controllers. I'm not sure which device to install the Sony's driver on.

I've added another screenshot.

Try to delete device drivers from Device Manager and reconnect your phone. @Mark

I'm starting to think that how VMware handles USB connections is here to blame. Because when I disconnected the phone from VMware and connected the phone to my Linux (host) the connection was established without an issue. What I'm gonna do is to make my laptop dual boot with W10 instead of using VMware. Will report back.

@Mark ,if you don't face with this problem on host machine then it means there is problem with VMware. You will not face with this problem after making Windows 10 as secondary OS.

Yes, in my particular case VMware was making the trouble. After I installed W10 on separate partition I had no problem connecting the phone. No pop ups either. VMware is great but not perfect if you need to work with USB devices.


text:
Rog Phone wont connect to internet with data but wifi, calls, and texts work fine
my phone is not able to use the internet on data, but wifi works fine. I can still send and recieve texts, and phone calls work too but it's just the data. My sim works fine because I've tested it on another phone. My phone is an Asus Rog phone (1, 512GB, Android Pie) and is not locked to any carrier.
Please inform of any possible fixes
Thanks


text:
TWRP is stuck at the boot screen when trying to flash twrp on Mi A2
I am trying to root my Mi A2 android phone. I am following this tutorial. When I try fastboot boot path/to/twrp/image the phone gets stuck on the boot screen. What am I doing wrong?
Is it because a) I don't have required drivers or because b) I have to disable force encryption? If a) I have to install new drivers what are they, where do I get them and how do I install them? If it is b) about disabling force encryption then how to do it?

Please edit your question and include the command-line text output you get after executing the fastboot command.

The twrp-3.3.1-0 works for me, so download the twrp-3.3.1-0-jasmine_sprout.img and twrp-installer-3.3.1-0-jasmine_sprout.zip from here and issue the following commands on fastboot/bootloader mode
fastboot set_active b
fastboot flash boot twrp-3.3.1-0-jasmine_sprout.img
fastboot reboot recovery

or just
fastboot boot twrp-3.3.1-0-jasmine_sprout.img

enable side-loading mode in advance options in twrp recovery mode and issue
adb sideload twrp-installer-3.3.1-0-jasmine_sprout.zip

and download Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_03.04.2020.zip from here and get Magisk-v21.0.zip and MagiskManager-v8.0.0.apk from here or here
and then in twrp recovery mode, select Wipe->format Data and select partition 'a' on reboot tab on twrp menu but do not reboot. Now activate sideload from advance menu and issue
adb sideload Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_03.04.2020.zip
adb sideload Magisk-v21.0.zip

and then rebooting into system should enable root on your phone. I used this link for the answer. Also you can look into these links,
link1,
link2 and
link3.

Also you can gain root adb shell from your host machine like this adb root and then adb remount to remount the system partition with write permissions and copy the su binaries into /system/bin/ and also you can get into a root shell on your phone from host machine by issuing adb root and then adb shell. (Perhaps this feature works on LineageOS only for if rooted debugging is checked or may be in some other custom roms)
Or you can directly use Magisk patched boot image for MI_A2 to flash to boot from here

It works with LineageOS 17.1 unofficial rom , magisk succeeds in rooting the device using this method.

A low or dead battery can cause this issue. Before flashing always make sure the phones battery is at least 70%


text:
How can I schedule Focus Mode on my Android phone?
Google have launched Digital Wellbeing features in newer Android versions, including Focus Mode. Focus Mode lets you select a list of allowed apps and block all others, during periods when you want to focus and avoid distractions.
According to this blog post by Google, it is possible to schedule Focus Mode:

Their feedback inspired us to include a few new features with today’s launch. For example, we’ve added an option to automatically turn Focus mode on and off for the days and times that you choose (e.g. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays). This is especially handy for setting daily schedules; you can minimize distractions during the hours you’re at work, school or home.

My phone has Focus Mode, but it does not seem to have a way to schedule Focus Mode. How is Focus Mode scheduled on phones where this is supported?

@beeshyams The link doesn't instructions on scheduling. I'm interested in the answer for any Android phone, because I want to know what it looks like on phones where Digital Wellbeing is fully supported.

On one plus 7 Android 10,you can schedule this way: Digital Wellbeing &  Parental control → Tap on Focus mode → on next screen select distracting apps → Set a schedule → Set schedule (set days of week and time) → turn on now. From 3 buttons menu you can also add a quick settings shortcut.

(Click to enlarge)


text:
Android System storage usage blew from 7GB to 40GB overnight,Magisk problems?
I have LineageOS 17.1 with Magisk on my phone and this night system storage usage blew from 7GB to 40 GB
dreamlte:/ # df -h
Filesystem                      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                           1.6G  492K  1.6G   1% /dev
tmpfs                           1.6G     0  1.6G   0% /mnt
tmpfs                           1.6G     0  1.6G   0% /apex
/dev/block/sda3                  16M  2.5M   13M  17% /efs
tmpfs                           1.6G  4.9M  1.6G   1% /sbin
/sbin/.magisk/block/system_root 4.1G  2.0G  2.1G  49% /sbin/.magisk/mirror/system_root
/dev/block/sda18                484M  704K  484M   1% /cache
/dev/block/loop2                 95M   95M   36K 100% /apex/com.android.runtime@1
/dev/block/loop3                5.5M  5.5M   28K 100% /apex/com.android.media@290000000
/dev/block/loop4                232K   36K  196K  16% /apex/com.android.apex.cts.shim@1
/dev/block/loop5                 24M   24M   28K 100% /apex/com.android.media.swcodec@290000000
/dev/block/loop6                840K  812K   28K  97% /apex/com.android.tzdata@290000000
/dev/block/loop7                1.6M  1.6M   28K  99% /apex/com.android.resolv@290000000
/dev/block/loop8                5.0M  5.0M   28K 100% /apex/com.android.conscrypt@299900000
/sbin/.magisk/block/data         54G   49G  4.1G  93% /sbin/.magisk/mirror/data
tmpfs                           1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /system/etc/permissions
tmpfs                           1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /system/priv-app
tmpfs                           1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /system/lib
tmpfs                           1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /system/lib64
tmpfs                           1.7G     0  1.7G   0% /system/framework
/data/media                      54G   49G  4.1G  93% /mnt/runtime/default/emulated
/dev/block/vold/public:179,1     29G  7.6G   22G  27% /mnt/media_rw/B351-0D99
/mnt/media_rw/B351-0D99          29G  7.6G   22G  27% /mnt/runtime/default/B351-0D99

As you have root you can exactly track what files occupy the storage space. Once you know the file(s) it is usually not a big problem to understand what app/service has created the files.

Does this answer your question? How disk space is used on Android device?


text:
Are "USSD" engineering codes should work on ANY smartphone?
I personaly have Xiaomi Mi 9 SE. My family members have different smartphones but htey are all manufactured by Xiaomi: Mi Note 9 and Mi A3.
I'm trying to execute engineering code to display Bluetooth MAC-address. *#*#232337#*#* code should be able to do so. But all 3 smartphones fails: after I touch the last '*' button - the code dissapeares and nothing happens.
However some codes are working: *#06# and *#*#4636#*#*
What I'm doing wrong?

All codes do not run on all devices. It also depends on the network operator since they are used to communicate with them. They are also not standardized. See USSD Wiki

@beeshyams I think that this wiki page is related to GSM codes only. The codes I'm talking are more likely to be engineering codes.

OK, I saw USSD in title and pointed that.  They also are USSD because you dial them //Even engineering codes are not standardized. All codes do not run on all devices even from the same OEM. It's upto them to enable or disable//They are also dependent on chipset

This SO question addresses your concerns

So what you refer to is not especially USSD, but belongs to the "parent" family of MMI codes – more specifically, "Manufacturer defined MMI codes". As the term suggests, while many of them are common to a broad range of devices/manufacturers, it's up to the manufacturer which ones are implemented. For example, *#06# (show IMEI) has very broad support (never heard of a device not supporting that). Codes for specific "factory menus" are usually not that broadly supported.

PS: there are also those defined by the "Android core system", like *#*#4636#*#*. Further, even apps can establish such "short codes"…


text:
Xiaomi Redmi5 Cannot Connect to Phaser 3020 Printer
I am trying to connect Xiaomi Redmi5 with a Phaser 3020 via Wi-Fi Direct. My iOS devices connect just fine.  Xerox Printer Services cannot discover the printer. Tried it with the IP of the printer. Did not help. With the Default Printer Service (in Xiaomi called "System printing services" ->Find Wi-Fi Direct printers I reach the point whereby the printer is found judging by the message "add DIRECT-Nv Phaser 3020". Tapping on it invokes a message Connecting to DIRECT-Nv Phaser 3020 and the printer seems to start crunching for a sec. After that a message appears saying You may need to approve this connection on your printer's front panel, but the printer has no panel except of 2 buttons (powerOff and WPS button) .Then followed by "Could not connect to DIRECT-Nv Phaser 3020". Apparently, the approval by the printer failed but I have no clue how to grant that approval. Tried pressing the two buttons in various combinations to no avail. Is there a way to connect this printer with the Redmi5 or they are intrinsically incompatible?

@beeshyams In the instructions is only mentioned, how to enable wi-fi direct (which already is enabled). But no mentioned about wifi icon on the printer (which i see none). So how could blinking wifi icon appear, when there is no such icon on the printer?

@beeshyams all the setup you sent I have already done (enabled direct wifi, even used it with connection with my laptop) - as mentioned in my post I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY print via wifi but only on LAPTOT. I could not connect to android phone. On the printer, there are only 2 buttons (again, read the post). Once I am trying to connect with the phone, then it requires approval of the connection on the printer panel, but there is not printer panel. So how can I approve connection then? You do not have to send me any documentation, since I have read it all.

PS: the android is trying to connect via System printing sevices. These services requires the approval of the printer. The wifi-direct by itself is secured by password, which I entered when connecting to the wifi (with password provided by the printer manufacturer - known from the printer configuration list), so the wifi was established, but the then even with the secured wifi, the connection by itself seems to require approval by the printer (which I do not understand why).

but worse - as mentioned many times above - I have no way to approve the connection on the printer, when the printer has no panel

PS, the reason why I connected with laptop (using windows), is because I used installation exe -> https://www.support.xerox.com/en-us/product/phaser-3020/content/129484. After installation I had IP of the printer on local network (IP something lik 1.0.0.32), so even the phone could see - but again, cannot connect

Intrinsically incompatible with Android phones, see question in Xerox forums,  Amazon reviews search for print, print plug in app does not support 3020, see app description

Mopria plugin works for some Xerox devices. You can try or ask the last post owner which is the third party plug in that works // Another alternative is Google cloud print which doesn't work reliably as reported in forums// This you tube video also recommended Mopria


text:
Recovering deleted files from unrooted Android device requires factory data reset
I would like to create a copy of the internal drive (not SD) of my Android device (Motorola E3) to recover some deleted files, but it requires rooting of the device. Rooting itself requires bootloader unlocking. During bootloader unlocking one has to wipe the internal drive (text taken from the "Unlock bootloader" menu):

To prevent unauthoritzed access to your personal data, unlocking the bootloader will also delete all personal data from your phone (a "factory data reset").

It sounds a bit contradictory to me. Is there no way to restore deleted files even after rooting the device?
Note: These answers (and many others on the internet) were not helpful:

Moto G -- recovering files after bootloader unlock (wipe)?
Recovering deleted files from unrooted Galaxy Nexus
How Recover deleted data from internal memory of non rooted Moto G device?
Advices like "download <fancy-tool-xy.exe> and root the device" without explaining what that tool exactly does (apart from this that fancy tool would probably contain some malware)

The real problem here is all these tutorials are for back when you could directly access the internal storage via USB, and you just can't do that anymore, regardless of root, instead we use MTP now. All these things your looking require direct drive access which isn't possible in modern Android devices. If you can't download and use a simple recovery tool from the Play Store, your likely just out of luck. And rooting is more difficult than it was back then, you must unlock the bootloader which will wipe the device, and since it uses encryption out of the box everything would be lost forever

Your device is a little aged, I assume it runs with Android 6 or 7. The only chance I see to get root without unlocking the bootloader would be using a root exploit from within an app. I am not sure but I assume that there are some root exploits that work on your old phone that would make this possible and would gain you (temporary) root permissions. Unfortunately using a root exploit usually requires you to run some "fancy tools" you never know what exactly it is doing.

@Robert If exploit code for priv. escalation is public it would be ok too


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How do I disable all vibrations on a Samsung A51 running One UI 2.1?
I've got a Samsung A51 running Android 10 / One UI 2.1 and updated to latest available security patch (1st September 2020).
Other users report being able to globally turn vibrations off, and this appears to have been available in stock Android since 2018 (although it was available on Windows Phones in 2016...). I don't have the same options in my Accessibility menu - have Samsung moved this, or have they disabled the functionality completely?


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Duplicate app names in battery optimization list
While troubleshooting a problem with the stock Android Phone app, I was thinking to let the phone app bypass battery optimization and see if that made any difference.  I notice that in the battery optimization list there are two listings for "Phone" with similar blue handset icons in the battery optimization list (as well as one with a green robot icon, and a "Phone Services" and "Phone and Messaging Storage" and "Call Management" all with similar blue handset icons).
Why do I have the apparent duplicate Phone app (with similar, not identical, icons) and how do I find out what the other, phone-related apps do?
I have UNrooted Android 7.0 Nougat on a Motorola Droid Turbo 2.
FWIW, I also see duplicate entries (including identical icons) for "Motorola Settings", "Photos" (with Google Photos icon), and "Setup Wizard".
Thanks,
Rebeccah

If the reboot while ringing happens every time connect the phone to a charger and make it ring. If it does not reboot with a charger connected it is not a software problem but a hardware (battery).

It doesn't reboot while ringing.  After I notice that it doesn't ring when called, if I reboot the phone, AND if I hear the normal music when the phone reboots, then it once again rings when called.  Sometimes when I reboot, it reboots silently, and in that case, the phone won't ring either.
I can try plugging the phone in as soon as I notice it's not ringing and test it, but I have noticed that once it stops ringing, the only way to get it to ring again is reboot (as many times as it takes to get a normal reboot with sound).
Rebeccah

Anyway, I have a different question posted about the ringing failure.  This one is about the duplicate app entries in the Battery Optimization list.  I will update the post to be more clear.


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"No SIM Card" after flashing custom ROM (Oneplus 7 Pro)
I have an unlocked Oneplus 7 Pro that I just installed Havoc OS on, which stopped the SIM card from being recognized. This SIM card works on both other phones (stock Pixel 2) and this phone with a stock ROM. The phone still has its two IMEI numbers. I've looked at quite a few options to fix this, such as:

Rebooting the phone multiple times
Clearing Dalvik/Cache
Resetting all network settings in Settings > System > Reset options
Reflashing the ROM and TWRP multiple times to make sure they are in both slots
Trying dial codes *#*#72786#*#* and *#*#4636#*#* (both cleared the input but nothing happened afterwards, no menus or popups)
Taking out the sim, putting it in airplane mode, putting the sim back in, powering off, waiting a minute, and putting it back in
The device was sim unlocked before flashing the ROM

You phone has a dual-SIM slot. Are you sure your ROM supports both SIM slots? May be the ROM only support one of the slots and currently your SIM is seated in the wrong slot?

@Robert That could be the case, but the phone only came with a tray for one SIM, which I assumed to be the primary one. I also just checked the two IMEIs again, and they both seem to be the same as the one printed onto the back of the phone.


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Streaming Android screen to YouTube, Twitch etc
I have Lenovo Yoga Book, which I would like to use for drawing - it has a drawing tablet with a stylus.
I would like to use it to draw on Slack meetings. However, screen sharing does not work on Android version of Slack. So I was thinking I could stream the screen to YouTube and send my colleagues a link.

I have tried Mobizen, but that gives me "Stream Error: 901".
I have tried Twitch app but that's only for viewing.

Does anyone have some working solution?
Android 7.1.1.

I figured out. The Omlet Arcade
app works like a charm.
It even supports internal audio streaming, but only from Android 10 which supports it itself.

In case anyone has the same use case as me - drawing - then the app I use for collaborative drawing is Aggie.io, and for stylus-on-tablet drawing I use Lenovo NoteSaver, which one of the few apps which supports the drawing pad.


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How to find the application responsible for a Share menu item?
I have a duplicate "Copy" item in the "Share" menu when sharing a link from Firefox:

The legitimate one is "Копировать", bottom left. The one that puzzles me is "Copy", second from the left in the top row.
How do I find which application is responsible for the "Copy" so I can remove it?
I have tried to share using the (fake?) "Copy" item. I get a toast notification saying "Не удалось отправить в это приложение" (Cannot send to this application) and the URL isn't copied.
Translations:

Недавно использованные - recently used
Все действия - all actions

This is Samsung Galaxy S8, Android 9, One UI 1.0.

That must be a ShareActionProvider. Use dumpsys package resolvers activity to find apps which handle android.intent.action.SEND and android.intent.action.SEND_MULTIPLE.

Sharedr (Google Play), a replacement share dialog app, can display this information:

Install Sharedr.
Launch the Share action.
Choose "Sharedr" instead of default Android share (you can choose "Just once" if you don't want to keep using Sharedr).
In the action list, long press an item and choose "App Info". It will take you to the responsible application's settings.

P.S. Fake "Copy" menu item is AfterShip.


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How does Android Chrome send newline from soft keyboard?
I am attempting to access an ESP32 microcontroller running MicroPython over a web interface using the following page WebREPL which within my local network using Chrome on my PC is all fine.
The problem arises when I use the same page from my Android using Chrome and attempt to input the password, followed by the 'enter' key which is promptly rejected as the wrong password - the password I have configured uses only upper and lowercase with no symbols so the only way I can see things getting FUBAR is with the line ending being sent.
Can anybody shed some knowledge on what ascii or whatever code the keyboard would be sending back through the connection, or if there is any possibility there is a space being appended first (the web page does not echo the password keys being entered) - also are there any apps or hacks to give more transparency to what the keyboard is sending in general for non alphanumeric characters?

Key event list may help

I assume this is more a problem of the WebREPL web page you use. Because the keyboard only sends standard key events, what the web page creates from the key event is the question. Try to use telnet on your PC (on Windows it can be installed in Windows options) for connecting to your microcontroller. On Android side a telnet app would also be my preferred preference.

There's the rub,trying to be a good netizen and figure out what the problem with WebREPL could be in order to send a more useful bug report up stream - definitely wherever the bug lies it will need to be fixed there. Meanwhile I do not see any way that WebREPL (from what I have groked which is not all) would be treating the character streams between the two differently unless they actually are: which I'm at a loss to test... Will definitely give Telnet client on the Android side a try as a workaround and possibly as a tool to illuminate what Chrome is sending. Thanks for the suggestion!


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Oppo mobile blocks button clicks with hyperlink
I have developed an android app, which has a button that opens a website link on click. The function works in Motorola, Samsung, some Redmi phones.But, the function doesn't works on oppo phones. Button click to load new activity(pages/app window)works well. What may be the reason? Its not development related question. How to solve this issue?

Taking a log of what happens when you click and adding that to question may help

I have done that, it shows arrayoutofbounds error in oppo only, the function works well on my motorola and samsung mobiles (no error)

Wild guess - is that Oppo phone rooted with EdXposed? If yes, uninstall EdXposed and check. I had encountered this error in a different context, when no array was called for and it turned out to be EdXposed created problem

Does this also happen on other apps? Otherwise, I assume this is the relevant code on SO, which might as well a device-dependent development issue. Some vendors are "brave" enough to customize their Android framework and making it fragmented even for developers.


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How to find the files (.apk) of a certain app like Google Play Services
I have a rooted device and I tried the find / -name "*Play*" command and got some files from com.google.android.gms and a couple of Playlists but nothing like Google Play Services.apk
I wonder if it is possible for an app to not have an .apk file and if this is the case is there any chance of finding the files associated with the app from the app name?

Check /data/app/com.google.android.gms-   BsVSA3EfHVEHqoT_2Mu_nw==/base.apk  Play Services are com.google.android.gms

.apk files of all system and user apps are accessible even without root. GMS is usually installed to /system/app and /system/priv-app (or possibly in /product partition). Updates go to /data/app/ like user apps. The string after package name is randomly generated at install time: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/215904/218526

The apk file name usually bases on the package name of an app, not of the localized app name which is defined in the AndroidManifest respectively the app resources.arsc file within the apk.

adb shell pm path com.google.android.gms | awk -F':' '{print $2}' should do the trick. The resulting string can then be used with adb pull $path to grab the APK from the device and store it on your computer. No root needed, as was already pointed out.

You won't need root for that, but can utilize the pm command either on-device from within a terminal, or via adb:
adb shell pm path com.google.android.gms | awk -F':' '{print $2}

will give you the full path including the file name, so you could use that to pull the APK from your device to your computer:
adb pull $(adb shell pm path com.google.android.gms | awk -F':' '{print $2})

To answer the other parts from your question:

every app has an *.apk file. Some might even have multiple ("split APKs").
finding the APK by the (localized) app name is not trivial. You'd have to parse the entire app list to get the package names, use those to get the location of the APK as described above, and then use aapt to extract and match the localized name (I haven't yet found whether and if where Android might store that outside the APK). aapt usually isn't present on-device.


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Android Outlook IMAP: Microsoft account interference in configuration
I have various IMAP accounts which all work fine both from Outlook on Windows and from MailDroid, Thunderbird, Samsung Email, Windows 10 Mail, etc.
One particular email address gives a login error every time on Outlook for Android, both via autodetect and with manual input, despite my entering exactly the same values as on Outlook for Windows etc. (servers, user names, passwords, SSL/TLS port numbers).
I tested the setup against the Microsoft IMAP tester here https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com/tests/O365Imap/input and it passed. In particular there are no material SSL certificate issues.
The account works fine with Outlook for Android on a brand new Android installation (BlueStacks) but not on my 'phone or tablet.
I have also tried (against my better judgment) using the non-SSL ports (which the email server supports) - same login error experienced.
(edited to remove superfluous/confusing material)

The problem here turned out to be the specific email address involved (autodetect was working as well as it could given some absent DNS entries; and anyway, as I now realise, autodetect/autodiscover means something different to every email client, and autodiscover specifically is really just an Exchange thing anyway).
I got suspicious once I had tried another email address in the same domain and it worked perfectly.
I had an old Hotmail account set up on the 'phone and tablet for various things (Windows Phone Companion, OneDrive, etc.) This Microsoft account had at one stage included an alias of the offending email address. I had got rid of this alias right at the beginning of this episode, but clearly the 'phone still thought it was there, and in particular Android Outlook was confused by it. Once I had tried on a brand new Android instance (via BlueStacks) and it had worked perfectly, I realised the situation, removed the Hotmail account from the 'phone, and Eureka.


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Android Chrome - enable auto-fill for the site
Android 10, Chrome 86. I have keepass2android installed and it works like a charm. The question is:
if I accidently tapped 'do not use autofill for site XXX' in the dropdown on the login field, how to turn in back on for that site? Cannot find any settings for that neither in system nor in chrome.

You should be able to re-activate this in settings -> app -> password access -> Autofill -> disabled autofill targets
In android 9 pie this can be found in the Keepass2android settings under "password entry access" -> "autofill service" -> "disabled autofill targets"
This issue was already created on the github page.. Hope it helps


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Mobile data management options disabled
I have a pair of unlocked Samsung A10s. In both cases when I go to settings to manage mobile data usage ( set the billing cycle, set warnings etc.) The 'Billing cycle and data warnings' option is greyed out and doesn't respond when tapped.
What could have caused this and what can I do about it?

Ok, this is embarrassing but I'll self answer in case anyone else falls into this.
The billing cycle and warning options are disabled if mobile data is turned off. If you turn it on they become enabled again.


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How to monitor SMS being sent by apps?
I just found from my mobile bill that SMS is being sent out to some 4 digit number (permium number) from my mobile. I could not find the message in my SMS app - "Messages".
I checked with the telecom company and confirmed that it's not some service I subscribed to.
I did see the same issue on an acquaintance phone which was by Huawei sending this SMS every week.
Mine phone is from LG and I have being using it for over 3 years and this is the first time. I don't remember installing any new app. Not sure what changed in the phone.
I am assuming that one of the apps on my phone is sending some kind of log. I don't remember any app asking for permission.
How can I find out what was the content of the message sent? Not sure which app is sending it.
What is this type of SMS that the apps are sending? Anyway to block it?
In the setting: app permission>SMS permissions: (apps with SMS permission)

Contacts
Google
Google Play services
Google Play Store
Messages (Google app that I am using)
Messaging (LG default SMS app)

If two different phone are affected may be the phone is not the culprit. The network operator networks are all interconnected and using the SS7 protocol other people can do a lot you would not expect. Therefore I would recommend to power off your device over night and on the next bill check the send date and time of every unwanted SMS. If the time is during a phase where you have powered down your device the device can't be the problem.

My phone is off daily (its a routine from long back) between 10pm & 7:30 am. The message was sent at 10 am.

I too suspected the network operator and still do based on their general things. I have a sim from the same operator in an iPhone and that never has the same issue.


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"Gboard Recording, therefore WhatsApp Temporarily unable to record." error message
I have a Realme phone. The following error message shows up every time I make a WhatsApp call, and I can't hear the caller

GboardRecording, therefore WhatsAppTemporarily unable to record.

Is there any way to stop Gboard recording? How to fix it?

Gboard should not be recording unless you tell it to, but if it says that it's recording i would suggest you go into gboards app info and force stop the app or restart your phone

Go to settings> applications> apps> Gboard> permissions> deny microphone access


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Whatsapp restore error on new phone, stucks at %24
I got error while transfering whatapp from old phone to new phone.
My old phone is mi5s plus xiaomi
New phone is red mi note 9 pro xiaomi.
I uploaded to drive and put to local. So, I have backup both place, drive and local. Then I put local file backup to pc and get from pc to red mi note 9 pro. And put to whatsapp/databases folder
I tried everything here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/whatsapp-restore-stuck-24-restoration-t3816605/page3
I enter my number, I got verification code. THen it asks to restore from drive or skip. I tried both. I have problem at %31 while restoring from drive.
If i disable and click skip for drive restoration, it finds local but this time it stucks at %24 and then it goes to application settings, profile photo. But i immediately force stop and open again but again comes as I would start application so i clear data and it again asks verification code . But i have to wait hours when i want a code. Now, I have to wait 12 hours for example. It increases for every try.
There is only crypt file. Please help me to fix.
Size is 1.25 gb but whatsapp show 3.9 gb to restore. in whatsapp folder, there is 3.9 gb data.
I tried lots of things but it keeps failing.
For old phone, I still could not enable internet so whatsapp is still there logged. I can do backups, it makes again 1.25 gb. I think if i enable wifi, it will logout.

I fixed. I tried for days. Every time I requested a new verification code, the time I had to wait increased every time. Last time, it was 49 hours. Luckily, I fixed and did not wait so much.
I tried lots of time but i will tell what i did for latest try.
Firstly, I deleted drive backup. I did not disable sycn or google accounts.
I had 2 local backups. Deleted one.
And maybe those are important: I gave all permissions from settings to whatsapp. I gave also autostart permission and I gave no battery restriction.
Sim card is on different phone. This is not important i think.
I started to restore. It restored local backup. When it came to %24, i was worried. So, I switched to screens once a second, to settings screen.
Normally it was showing 3.9 gb at first. But when it reached %24, it was 3.18 gb when I was switching to settings screen, i saw it. And 2.5 millions messages are restored and it is 3.18 gb.
I waited it to be 3.9 gb when it was at %24. So that is why i was switching to check but it did not stuck this time. Maybe because i was switching.
Maybe because i removed from drive. This was the first time i tried after removing from drive.
So, switching a lot of times between settings of whatsapp and restoring screen, showed succesfull screen at last. IT said "restored 2.5 millions messaged"
I was shocked. I went to check. 5 days ago, i wrote last message and that 5 days messages also came.
If it was stuck again, i would force stop and continue without waiting restore. I read it from somewhere. But i fixed, i am happy :)

I assume you lost all your images and the like. Can they copied back to the WA directory in order to be able to view them again in the chats? (I´ve backed up everything on a hard drive before switching phones)
I´m also waiting the 49 hours


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Turn off the Cell Radio?
Any way to simply turn off the cell phone radio?
This need has come up in ZOOM sessions using the zoom app because that app uses the "phone audio" rather than "media audio"
As a result, it is impossible to include meeting audio if you ChromeCast the session.  The video works, but the audio only outputs using the phone's speaker or audio jack.  Testing using an android tablet rather than an android phone shows that since the tablet does not have a cellular radio, the meeting audio is cast with the video.
Airplane mode is not an option since that would prevent connecting to the internet.
In addition, trying to address the audio using a bluetooth speaker doesn't work either... while it's possible to initially send bluetooth audio to the speaker, something unknown turns that off after a few minutes.
Any thoughts on addressing this would be appreciated.
Beverly Howard

Have you tried: enable Airplane mode and then in settings enable WiFi before the call?

Ok, just finished a long test session using ZOOM in an attempt to setup a ChromeCast viewing session with ChromeCast transmitting both video and audio ;
android cellphone
OS 8.1.0
The goal was to be able to participate in a remote class using a cellphone and ChromeCast to enable the use a large screen
ChromeCast "mirror screen" works to get the phone video mirrored on the large screen, but the Zoom App only uses the "Call Audio" which is not seen by ChromeCast
Connecting to a Vizio soundbar and connecting via bluetooth does not project the Zoom audio
Using a Bluetooth headset does connect to the Zoom Audio (this is probably bluetooth device specific)
It is also possible to use the phone's audio jack to connect and amplify the Zoom audio output.
Using Airplane Mode did not address Zoom App's use of "Call Audio"
Removing the Sim Card did not address Zoom App's use of "Call Audio"
It has been suggested that using a mobile browser app for the zoom interface might also work... have not tested that yet.
Hope this info will be helpful to others with the same need.
Beverly Howard


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Does hotspot connect directly to proxy or through the computer from the connection being shared?
Let's say I have connected my phone to the internet through the hotspot from my Laptop. In order to access the internet, i have to configure proxy in both laptop and android.
Now on the server side would the traffic come from my laptop or it would be shown as different i.e coming from the android?

Does this answer your question? Why proxy set on Android does not work when used as hotspot?

If I understand your question correctly your Laptop is the device that is connected to the Internet and it shares the connection to the phone. In this situation the proxy operator will see one IP address (the public IP from your Laptop, but the proxy client on phone and laptop will behave a little bit different and therefore it is not impossible to distinguish between both devices (or to detect that there are two different devices connected from the same IP).


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Why am I getting Google Drive notifications about strangers' documents?
Screenshot:

Is this just a new form of spam or phishing technique, basically betting that I'll click on the notification and look at the document? I haven't looked at any of them yet, but it seems utterly bizarre that Google Drive would notify me of the occurrence of anything in someone else's document.
A quick tour of the Russian alphabet and Google Translate reveals the document name as "Message No. FB-24".
Cross-post

Related on Google Drive Help, I guess: Mentioned in comment in harmful/spam Google Doc by unknown person

Thanks @AndrewT.; looks relevant! 325 upvotes and no response? Ouch.

Apparently the thread was locked, I'm not sure when and why...

Dupe with over 600 upvotes and no response! They're probably closing the discussions because people must be frothing at the mouth. Based on my interactions with GDrive support in the past i guess they are basically a money-making sweatshop by now, so I wouldn't expect a fix this side of the millennium.

This has happened to me more then once and always on a chromebook. (I don't own one anymore) Anyway I just wanted to say something because it was malware in my case.


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Are security patches only applied to the latest Android version?
I've got a Pixel phone from Google, but it really doesn't matter, I guess the question would apply to any AOSP-based device. They state that they provide 3 years of version updates and security patches.
I've got an update notification on my phone that it's ready to update to the next Android version (11), but the point is that I don't want to switch, I want to stay on my beloved old version that I'm used to, yet still I want to get security patches to keep my phone safe and bug-free. When looking at Android security bulletin page I see a list of bugfixes and the Android versions they apply to, and some of them span as far as 4 versions back, which practically means the manufacturer is theoretically able to release a patch for my Android version. Thus, I'd like to understand:
What's the Android release lifecycle when it comes to pushing new Android versions and releasing security patches? What role does Google Play system update play in this?
My current situation: Android 10, security patch level - Aug 5, Google Play system update - Sep 1. When clicking on Pixel security bulletin link, nowhere is mentioned that the security patch would apply specifically to version 10 or 11, it just lists the bugfixes.
Does this mean that it's assumed the user would be running the latest Android version, and the patches are built against that latest version he was supposed to have, and he won't be able to receive those unless he upgrades the Android version?

This question was "downsized" without my approval. The original title of the question was: "Explain Android release lifecycle", which is more broad and demanding to answer. This question won't be marked as answered until at least 1 year has passed since the original post. You've got all the time required and I (and community) gratefully expecting the answer.

Sorry if you feel it's "downsized", I really didn't mean it, though both the answerers (including me) already focused on the security update only before it was edited. The reason I skipped about the complete Android release lifecycle because I remember it has been asked and explained before on Is there a technical reason Android update story is so bad? which would make this a duplicate instead. Feel free to clarify more if the answer is still not sufficient.

Google provides security updates for older AOSP major versions, but they do not provide updates for Pixel phones.
You can see this easily in the list of available Firmware images for Pixel devices:
Take for example the Pixel 3a:

The available Android 9 releases are dated from March 2019 to August 2019
The available Android 10 releases are dated from September 2019 to August 2020
The available Android 11 releases are dated from September 2020 to October 2020 (now)

As these are all factory images available for the Pixel 3a you can see that there are no (security) updates for Android 9 based images after Android 10 has been released and the same is true for Android 10 which stops after Android 11 has been released.
The provided images are not OTA updates received by regular bootloader locked devices, but I would assume that Google does provide the same versions as full firmware images and OTA updates.

Security patches are (almost) always applied to the latest Android version.
It may be easier to imagine the Android version as codebase A and the security patch as codebase B. Each Android version can apply each relevant security patch if it's compatible, e.g.

Device X on Android 10 with September 2020 security patch (end of Android version + security update)
Device Y on Android 10 with October 2020 security patch (end of Android version update, still get security update)
Device Z on Android 11 with October 2020 security patch (still get both Android version + security updates)

However, the final ROM image is baked from a specific Android version codebase with a collection of security patches, which will be delivered through OTA or flashing the image file manually. Thus, end-users cannot selectively apply a newer security patch without updating the Android version.
This was the case back when Google's Nexus-line devices generally only provided 2 years of Android version updates but 3 years of security patch updates; a year-long security patch update without a new Android version.
However, custom ROMs with older Android versions can still apply the latest security patches if supported. For example: LineageOS 17.1 (based on Android 10) for Google Pixel (build 20201010) has applied security level for Oct 5, 2020 (which has been applied on AOSP version 8.0, 8.1, 9, 10, and 11).
.

Regarding Google Play system update, it's not related to the Android version and security patch.


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I am not able to write to the directory Android/data or /Android/obb in android 11?
I was trying to add some obb data files to the obb directory in Android folder but every time I made a try it pops an error message, first I thought that this may be because of some fault in File Manager. Than I tried some external File Managers like Solid Explorer and Files by google , but for my surprise I was not even able to access the Android folder in any another external file manager (Android folder was empty no data, no obb was there), than I searched on internet and found this is because of scoped storage (introduced in android 10)

I didn't understood much about scoped storage but only that this limits access of apps to the Storage, I want to understand more about scoped storage and want to know how this is helpful to us and how I can access those data and obb folders

Does this answer your question? Android can't view local content after OS upgrade

@beeshyams i am able to read files in android/data on system file explorer but not able to write there, so it means i have read access but not write access, is there a way i can write data in those folders, and thanks for your comment it really meant alot to me

Sorry, I am not familiar with Android 11

okkk no problem


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How to use Smart Lock using Chrome browser?
Based on the following text, it seems Chrome browser can log in to a compatible mobile app with Smart Lock. Could someone help me learn how to do it by giving an example (maybe...)? Does that mean Chrome browser can unlock my smartphone as well? Sorry, I am not tech savvy. Thank you in advance !
"For Chrome and apps -
Skip the password guessing game. Smart Lock remembers your passwords within your Chrome browser and select mobile apps."

Thank you for your response! Is it possible to log in to the following app using Chrome browser? If so, how to go about? Thank thank you once again! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.konylabs.capitalone

Can't say.... App not available in my country for download :(

Hello, sorry for the late reply! Could I ask you then if Chrome browser is able to turn on and off a smartphone with Smart Lock? Thank you.


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Do you pay comission twice when your app works both in Android and iOS?
If my app user bought subscription in Android store and paid commission - do I have to pay the commission again at the iOS store ?

There is no app that works on both platforms. Each platform need an individual app compiled for the platform.

Google Play Store and Apple Store are platforms managed by two different entities. What you bought on one store is not reflected/extended to the other. So, you will have to buy/pay for the same app on both stores.
If you can access your app with the same account, for example a game, what you bought might be reflected thanks to using the same account on both platforms.


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Add D-Pad Support To App
Nowadays, flip phones run android. You are able to install any app, as long as it supports the framework. But, the one problem is that there is no touchscreen on flip phones. Is there a way to add "D-Pad" functionality to a common android app, much like the way you use the remote to navigate on AndroidTV?

Gamepads are mapped to keys on Android but as Android devices usually don't have a keyboard most developers don't process key events, therefore the gamepads don't work. Making an app work with a gamepad would require to modify it's code which is technically possible for skilled developers (unless the app is somewhow protected and obfuscated) but also a legal problem.

@Robert I know that, I'm looking for some help in the adding of functionality/editing of the source code- and the app I am editing belongs to me.

I am sorry but this site is for end users not app developers. Check the link in my first comment it describes how to implement key handling in Android apps.

@Robert ok thank you, this is also the way I would need to go with other apps too?