text:
Unable to set Signal as default SMS app
I tried to set Signal as the default SMS app on my Samsung Galaxy S23+ after I enabled the SMS permission, but for some reason, it won't let me or even make it show up on the default apps menu as an option.
Other new apps are not showing either, although IDrive is showing up as an option that I got a while back even if it's not an actual SMS app. Starting to think there may be something weird I did to my phone that is causing this.
Any help would be appreciated.

Signal got rid of SMS support in October 2022. They posted this blog explaining their decision:

We have now reached the point where SMS support no longer makes sense. For those of you interested, we walk through our reasoning in more detail below.

further adding

In order to enable a more streamlined Signal experience, we are starting to phase out SMS support from the Android app. You will have several months to transition away from SMS in Signal, to export your SMS messages to another app, and to let the people you talk to know that they might want to switch to Signal, or find another channel if not.


text:
Take a screenshot of background app without launching it
I'm running Android 13 on a Samsung device. I have an app that runs in the background. I want to be able to either:

take a screenshot of the app's screen without launching it, i.e. while it's still in the background or
broadcast or mirror that particular app's screen to a webpage / url or
spy on / monitor that app's screen without launching it

Basically I want to obtain the information on the screen of the app without triggering it, because when I do, I will then be forced to take action on the information that's showing, but sometimes it is best to ignore it. Is there a technique that can allow me to do this?

Welcome! Software recommendation requests are off-topic on this SE, but on-topic on the software Recommendations SE: https://softwarerecs.stackexchange.com - I have edited your question to remove that part.  Feel free to post the software recommendations request on that SE.

I am not sure if apps in background are "accessible" at al by any other app, even if it has accessibility request. This means I don't think that what you want to do is possible on a non-rooted Android device. You may get a more detailed answer in forums on automation apps like Tasker, AutomateIt and so on. People often use such apps may be able to answer you if it is possible with or without root.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How to input sokuon in Gboard's Japanese 12-key on Android phone?
I'm using Gboard's Japanese 12-key. I want to write っ, such a sign that is called "sokuon (促音)", but I don't know how to put it in the 12-key input method.
How to input sokuon in Gboard's Japanese 12-key on Android phone?

To write it normally:

Swipe up た to write つ
Press the 濁点 key which also includes 大⇔小 to convert it to a small っ

Alternatively:

Swipe up た to write つ
Choose っ（小書き） from the suggestion strip

Tips: Gboard also includes dakuten and sokuon as suggestions without needing to manually convert them. To write ピッツァ, writing ひつつあ may suggest ピッツァ.

Much thanks! I really appreciate your answer, especially for the tips.

You must long press on a key. You will then see the other keyboard keys (characters) being displayed. Select the characters you want to type by moving your finger up or down or left or right depending on the character.

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


text:
Does d2d transfer all system data?
I want to recover my deleted notes (which is located in data folder that need root to access) and i'm going to try d2d transfer today. But i want to know does phone transfer systems transfer all data include system folders? Because i want to recover deleted files which are probably being there in compressed form(i hope so).After i transfer to the rooted phone(mine is not), i'm going to use data recover apps to save and see them.Once i tried a program in my pc and i couldnt believe my eyes after all reset over years this program showed a lot of pictures and videos from 10 years ago. And if i use d2d, will data be on 2 phone or will they deleted in my phone after i transfer? Thank you i want to finish that recover notes i'm trying for months and if i cannot succeed in this, I will give up and break the phone.

10 year old phones are not comparable of recent phones as recent phones have built-in file-based encryption which makes common file-recovery tools useless as deleted files are encrypted by a key that is next to impossible to recover. https://android.stackexchange.com/a/214496/2241


text:
How to enable landscape mode for lockscreen in LineageOS 20 on Samsung Tab S6 Lite?
LineageOS has been a huge improvement in terms of responsiveness and customization compared to Samsung OneUI. However on Samsung Tab S6 Lite (which mostly is set horizontally on table) the lockscreen being fixed in portrait mode is a huge drawback. I have to enter password with my head tilted and need to shake the tablet to make display horizontal again.
An old reddit post suggests that adding log.tag.launcher_force_rotate=VERBOSE and
lockscreen.rot_override=true to /system/build.prop will solve the problem, but I had no luck after changing the build.prop file in recovery mode. Even if it worked, build.prop will be overwritten after each LOS update.
I also tried installing MagiskHide Props Config and adding the abovementioned properties. But it also doesn't change anything. Other Magisk or LSPosed modules I found can force app rotation but not lockscreen.
It will be much appreciated if someone can give a hint of possible ways to enable horizontal lockscreen, preferably systemless.


text:
How can I have an Android tablet to dial an Android cell phone to make calls?
I would like to initiate a cellular call from an Android tablet.  When doing so, I want to do so without touching the phone.
Additionally, I am wondering about using the tablet as a headset with a Bluetooth headset or pairing the BT headset with the phone.
I do not want to use VOIP or require an Internet connection.
In 2009, there was a solution from Broadcom's "Widcomm" Bluetooth stack.  This is no longer available.
Motivations:
Cell phones with a nice user interface for me are expensive and with my large fingers and poor eye sight, it is difficult to accurately push the buttons and read the text.
Cell phones don't seem to last long (4 years).  I have some tablets that have been working for over 10 years.
If a specific tablet and phone are required, this is OK, I am ready to replace my phone and a new tablet would be fine.
I would appreciate any help.

Tablets last the same time as Smartphones. It is just a matter of hardware quality and how you handle the device. You may be better by buying a large smartphone. In 2023 smartphones have reached screen size of a small tabled (~7"). And you should consider using voice assistants ("OK Google") to avoid having to use the screen.

Robert,  Thank you for responding.  My tablets have been larger than 7".  I prefer the tablet format for the variety of uses.  While I often use voice assistants, a significant portions of my phone time I do not want to converse with the assistant.  Further, I find I must repeat prompts often.  It seems the radio is a limiting factor in the life of a phone.  I would prefer to replace a cheap phone - I think.  I have not had a cheap phone and my phones don't last.  Of course, I cannot assure that quality has anything to do with price.  I am looking to learning about how I may control my phone.

Do you use special apps that are optimized for readability (high contrast, large font)? Linking a tablet to a smartphone is not impossible but very uncommon and thus to my knowledge not supported by stock devices. If tablet and phone are linked using BLE, an app can act as BLE GATT server, so it may be possible to have an app that acts as a Bluetooth headset.

Robert,  Thank you.  That was all new to me and there are many resources for learning more.


text:
How to change ortograph correction in WhatsApp on Android 13
I have a OnePlus phone. When I type particular words that I use a lot like: "pos", it will change it to uppercase "POS".
I tried to add "pos" to the dictionary, but it is still changing it. I don't want to turn the correction off, because it is very helpful, I just want to correct some errors it does.
How should I do it?


text:
Double backup and migration for Iphone
I am about to migrate from a Xiaomi Mi6 to an Iphone 15. I have a regular whatsapp installed on the Mi6. Its backup is configured to Never backup on Google Drive.
However, I do have data in an old backup on Google Drive that I need to retrieve before moving to the Iphone. After retrieving the messages and files from the old Google Drive backup, I need to come back to the current whatsapp messages so I can migrate to the Iphone using my current regular whatsapp.
So I am detailing this workflow to avoid any major headache:

Make a copy in my notebook of the local backups for safety in case anything goes wrong. I'd need to backup only the files in this folder:

Uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it on the Mi6.
Select Restore when prompted, from Google Drive.
Retrieve messages and files I need.
Rename msgstore.db.crypt14 to whatever other name.
Rename msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14 to msgstore.db.crypt14.
Uninstall WhatsApp and reinstall it on the Mi6.
At this point, all media, including files, documents, audio, images and video will be available as of before this whole process. Please confirm! I will do this first time in the next morning so I don't lose today's messages due to the local backup time at 02:00 AM.
Migrate everything from Mi6 to Iphone using Move to ios.

Please confirm it should work as expected.

In case it is useful to anyone, it almost worked. The only issue was that the old backup, in Google Drive, was deleted to inactivity after a few months. But the local backup worked as expected.


text:
Can't root ADB Daemon
I have a rooted MediaTek Infinix Hot 5 (X559C).
It was Android 7.0 Nougat before.
And I don't remember correctly, but I think adb root was working.
But after installing custom Android 8.1 Oreo XOS ROM and rooting with Magisk, the ADB shell works as root correctly. I can execute
C:\Users\user> ADB Shell
Infinix-X559C:/ $ su
Infinix-X559C:/ #

and it gives me # and no problem with that.
But when I try adb push/pull, it gives me an error with permission denied.
When I execute adb root, it gives me this output
adbd cannot run as root in production builds

I tried Adbd Insecure, but nothing changed.
I also tried adb-root Magisk modules, but they run with arm64 and aarch64 only, and my phone is 32-bit armeabi-v7a, so they corrupt. Connection with PC makes my phone unreadable on PC until I remove them from Magisk Manager.
And I really want to know what production builds is and how to patch adb daemon.

Production build means certain build/compile flags when building the Android ROM that are designed to generate an image installed on a phone to be sold (instead of a debug build). In such builds adb daemon for example drops root permissions as part of the startup process so calls like adb root will not work. To my knowledge dropping permissions is done by Linux C commands like setuid. So if you want to patch adb you have to disassemble adb daemon binary find that call, overwrite it with nop or smgh. Like that and then write the patched adb daemon binary.

Why does "adb root" do nothing?

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


text:
Creating Disk Image for Unrooted Android Phone
Phone: Huawei Honor View 10
I would like to create a disk image of this phone without rooting it is there any possible way as my assignment would need me to collect data for the phone internal memory and I am using autopsy 4.21 as my tool.

Direct disk access is impossible without root.

Even if you could make an image from user data partition you phone may already use FBE then each file would be encrypted using an individual key, so a data recovery software will not be able to find anything.

thanks for the help @Robert


text:
I can't start my Moto G60 anymore after locking the bootloader
I recently downgraded my Android on Moto G60 (I downloaded ROM from some websites) because my phone screen was sometimes not working which upon locking and unlocking the phone made the screen work again, so I thought downgrading might help. The phone was working fine until a few weeks ago when I had to restart the phone for some reason and the phone was showing that the bootloader was unlocked and the phone's sensitive data might be attacked if I didn't lock it.

No valid operating system could be found.
The device will not boot.
For more information, visit our support forum:
support.motorola.com

I watched a tutorial on YouTube and connected my phone to my PC and then proceeded to lock the bootloader. After that, I tried to restart my phone, but it didn't start anymore and it shows this on the screen. The recovery mode doesn't work and also I tried to unlock the bootloader once again but I couldn't. I tried to use Rescue and Smart Assistant, but it says "The connected device does not match the shipping software values expected and Rescue cannot run". I took my phone to a service center and they said that they couldn't help me.
(P.S. My phone is not rooted)

A locked bootloader only accepts a correctly signed OS image. For the same hardware there can be multiple OS images which each signed by a different key. So just replacing the OS image might have worked, if you had left the bootloader unlocked.
Without working recovery you can try to get to bootloader mode and re-unlock the phone and hope OEM unlock setting is still active (which is usually not because unlocking the bootloader has reset user data and thus reset OEM unlock to disabled).
If that doesn't work your device can be considered bricked.
Relocking the bootloader without being 100% sure to know what you are doing is one of the actions that has a good chance to brick a device as a locked bootloader only boots correct unmodified OS.
Next time contact the vendor and wait for the next update to fix the problems. Installing a different OS image and re-locking the bootloader is something even experienced users are afraid of because of the high risk to brick the phone.

I tried oem unlocking with no succes. I guess my phone is bricked. Thank you for replying.


text:
How do I force reboot my phone when the lock/side key is broken?
is there anyway for me to force reboot my phone when the lock/side key is broken? Well the situation here is:

I flashed a module
It made SystemUI broken
I wanted to force reboot but the side key was broken
Now the phone is stuck on black screen but remains MTP mode on.

Well this is what I am trying so far:

Tried ADB command, eg. adb reboot recovery
Doing MTP tricks for Samsung phones
Holding 2 volume keys
Accessing phone data (On windows, it is not showing, on Ubuntu, mount failure)

About my phone:
Samsung Galaxy A30
System/ROM: Lineage 20 (Nov 2023 Security Patch)


text:
Device stuck in a bootloop
My Samsung Galaxy J7 SM-J700F is stuck in a bootloop after flashing. Now I need to clear cache, but my volume buttons are broken, can someone please help me to resolve this?
UPD: Somehow managed to enter download mode by a safety pin, any ideas what I should do next? I had a custom rom installed and I flashed a stock rom after which the bootloop started.

To fix your device if you can't fix the buttons in order to enter recovery/fastboot mode, you'll have to use Odin tool combined with download mode which you've successfully entered.
Odin is a tool made for flashing the original firmware of Samsung devices, it is being used to fix any sort of bricking, whether hard or soft bricking. If you have a PC/laptop, just download Odin tool form a trusted website, download your device complete and specific firmware from a supported website and then follow the steps in flashing your Samsung device using Odin tool from a tutorial. I don't currently own any Samsung device, so I don't have any links for the resources needed, but if you do your research, you'll find all the resources needed to flash your samsung device using Odin mode, as it is popularly called.
That's all you need to do in fixing your Samsung device. Good luck .
NB: Odin is the popular tool for flashing Samsung android devices in download mode, that's why it's usually called Odin mode.

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.


text:
Android stalkerware abilities
I have a Xiaomi Redmi 4 (4X). I just unlocked the bootloader and cleaned all flashed my phone because the stalkerware my friend installed wasn't going away by a factory reset.
After some days from flashing, I found out that there were started appearing some files in my file explorer app like random APKs and files. Here are some pictures:

I did basic googling and they seem like system apps, but this is my first time seeing them. I tried to delete it manually by pressing delete, but it cannot be deleted. Antiviruses don't seem to find it.
Does anyone know why these came up? Could it be due to stalkerware? What's the next course of action if a reflash and factory reset don't remove stalkerware other than getting a new phone?

System partition is usually read-only and usually protected by Android Verified Boot, so any unauthorized modification should be detected by Android. So it is more likely Xiaomi had put them there, may be they already existed before you recognized them or a system update placed them there.

@Robert XDA says it is not stock ROM but from Huawei ? Any idea about this? Is it possible for stalkerware to do this?

What is your build number? Go to Settings > About Phone and then scroll down to the Build Number at the bottom.

@mchid
Serial number-9393f1cc7d44

I'm not finding anything for that. How did you determine that it's from Huawei?

Also, Huawei usually has (or used to have) a fairly unique interface for the OS instead of what you would normally see for Android, even on the Android based version.

@mchid One of the devs over at XDA told fido uaf client is Huawei and not stock
Can you link(resources )me the bestf method of detecting and removing stalkerware on Android thanks for the reply

it doesn't matter, these aren't system apps but just some random downloaded files. if you did not download it. identify the culprit app and uninstall. if you want have full security, roll back to stock ROM and lock bootloader

@alecxs that's exactly what I did and then this happened there I did a factory reset plus a full reflash I couldn't find any culprit app

then most likely you restored the suspicious app from google drive backup. use official ROM and create new google account

I had downloaded the same fastboot rom and also created a new Google account with 2fa(app) and password manager but I don't think I signed out of Google before proceeding to flash but I checked thde drive thers nothing In there is this necessary or will the flash remove it

@alecxs either this or pc is infected right

Does anyone know the best way to detect stalkerware on android?

Idk but I know if you flash stock ROM it's gone for sure


text:
How can I listen to an archived voicemail that has been saved in internal storage/music?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy A20. I have several archived voicemail messages that I am trying to listen to, but when I try to retrieve them, a message pops up that reads, "Unable to play music. This music format is not supported". It shows the path as:
/Internal storage/Music/Samsung Messages/Voice message (along with various details specific to each message such as the other person's phone number)
I am a novice and therefore I don't understand what this means. I would just like to know how or if I can even listen to these messages in order to find the ones that I am looking for and erase those that are no longer needed.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Welcome Renee! Fret not, you're in the right place! It may help yield answers if you add the model of your device to your question.

What app(s) have you tried for playback?

@Robert I have only tried listening to it on my phone. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what apps to try or any other options that I have for playback. I could not find anything online anywhere regarding this problem so any suggestions for apps to try would be appreciated. Thank you

@EndAnti-SemiticHate Thank you, I added the model of my phone to the post. I know it's an old phone but I don't use it enough to justify buying a new one. I'm familiar with this one and for the most part, I've been able to figure out or fix problems along the way.

Thanks for adding it.  Nothing wrong with an old phone if it meets your needs.  I'm not an expert on the A20, but I think it's known as a very good phone for the price.  And, honestly, it's not very old at all.


text:
How can I select a range of files on Google drive for Android?
I know I can long press one file and then select other files by tapping each individual file to select multiple files.
But I need to select a range of files. So that I don't have to sit there and tap my screen like 100 times, I should be able to select a range of files. For example, select the first of 50 files in a folder, and then scroll down and select the 10th file and automatically select all 10 files.
Also, someone mentioned long pressing the first file and then, without lifting your finger, slide over any additional files. But this does not work on Google Drive.
How can I batch select a range of files without having to tap my screen 100 times to select 100 files (for example)?

Possible duplicate: Select multiple files on Google Drive App. AFAIK, there's been no update regarding this on the official app since then. If I'm not mistaken, there's an answer somewhere else mentioning using a 3rd-party file manager app that can integrate with Google Drive and support range selection, but I can't find it currently... or I had a hallucination...

Thanks. Not sure if you read that question but I pretty clearly cover that answer in my question here (long press on one file and then tap additionally files individually, so 99 additional taps for 100 files).

No worry, I just linked the Q&A as a reference for everyone else.

Download MiXplorer, click on the + to add Drive and you can select a range by long pressing. Example @AndrewT

To be clear, select one file, and for example go to 10th file, long press on it to select all 10 files//You can delete, copy - paste to your phone etc

Drive for some reason takes a long to time to load in the file explorer and this may not suitable if you frequenting wish to do this. Other cloud services I use are pretty fast


text:
Can Outlook Device Policy monitor anything outside of the app?
In order to get emails for work on my phone I need to enable this feature. My worry is that this will allow my employer to monitor personal things on my phone such as my internet  search history or messages. This is what needs to be enabled.

Related Are device administrator permissions a security risk?

Monitor Screen Unlock attempts is not nefarious.  Many apps do this.  It is a way to stop people getting to your data by wiping the phone when this happens.
I have mine setup (not using Outlook, a different app) to take a photo after 3 unsuccessful attempts and email it to me.
In your case once you enable Outlook Device Policy monitor, the setup will have what measure you want to take when this happens - Locking up the phone, wiping all data etc.
This is not to say, that there aren't other features that may spy on you.
I would suggest that you activate it, look through the warnings and setup,  Then deactivate if you are unhappy.

When I press activate it just starts to allow me to see my email. No other warnings or setup.


text:
Visual Voicemail Storage Location on Android 14
Does anyone know where visual voicemail files are cached on Android 14? I am using a Pixel 6 Pro with root access and I would like to track down the location where the visual voicemail files are cached.


text:
How to recover WhatsApp chat history?
My phone has been running low on space lately. WhatsApp gave me the low storage error and then crashed. After freeing a couple of gigabyte on my phone, I went back to WhatsApp, only to discover that my chat history (for all contacts) has been wiped out. However, I discovered that in my phone's settings, it says WhatsApp is using 70 GB (probably all my WhatsApp chat data).
I don't think any files are corrupted, because I went to the WhatsApp data folder in the "My Files" app and I was able to play WhatsApp videos from there.
How can I get my chat history to show up again in their respective WhatsApp chats?

Back up all your data from WhatsApp
Add to Dropbox or whatever is your preferred backup storage app or SD card
Sign out of WhatsApp
Clear storage bins and delete all WhatsApp data, don't forget about junk files
Uninstall WhatsApp
Clear cache again
Restart
Open Play Store
Download WhatsApp
Set permissions before signing in
Sign in, and set all usage and preferred settings

All your past data will show on the app side or web app side of WhatsApp, then go and test the erroneous process again.
Not sure if this will work, but the alternative would be to copy WhatsApp to the SD card and have it always launch from there. To move that data to another drive, that would free up over 70 GBs. Always format your SD card before loading anything onto it. See SD card instructions on the web.

I dont think this will work. Have you tried it?


text:
WiFi and data usage are not reflected properly when the date is changed manually
I set the date to November 26th of next year and then used the data through the hotspot function. However, if you check the data usage, the data usage from November 26, 2024 to December 25, 2024 is 0. I am curious about the criteria for counting data usage and if there is a way to resolve this.

Could you explain what you are trying to do?

Also, where did you set the date?  Perhaps a screenshot of that screen.


text:
Can you launch an application/activity of a different user with Tasker?
A follow up to this question or another related.
I am currently testing something related to file syncing, and I need to start an application/activity of an application installed in the secondary userspace. I want to launch that application/activity whilst I'm in the primary space (primary user) on demand. I thought Tasker could achieve this but am not sure how. I am somehow currently stuck, anyone who knows how to achieve this?
Something like: am start -n packagename/.activityname   but for the secondary user.

"Some restrictions exist when a secondary user is in background. For instance, the background secondary user cannot display the user interface..."  Source: Multi-user system behavior


text:
My clock disappeared from my lock screen on my Galaxy A50
I have a Samsung Galaxy A50. I've been messing with it a bunch with ADB, uninstalling apps. I do not have root access. Recently, I was just sitting there, listening to music on it, when it suddenly shut down. When I turned it back on, the clock was gone from the lock screen. If i swipe through the "face widgets," the time will appear in the top bar, and it's there in the top bar when I unlock my phone too. It is just missing from the "face widget" on the lock screen. When I go into settings > lock screen, tapping "clock style" does literally nothing.
I am guessing this is a result of something I uninstalled, but which built-in app could it be? And why did this only happen several days after uninstalling stuff?


text:
Oppo Find X6 Pro is detected as OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G, how to reset the firmware?
I have just bought a second-hand Oppo Find X6 Pro and it has a global ROM on it. I don't know how they did it because there's no global version of the phone, but I think they might have tweaked the firmware because everything seems valid, except it hasn't got any updates and its security patch is of June which is pretty behind for this device. This is the version on it: PGEM10_13.1.1.144(EX01). The (EX01) OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G has it and it stands for a European version, I think. That's why I say they might have tweaked something because even Google recognizes the device as OPPO Reno 10 Pro 5G.

Check your Oppo Reno10 Pro 5G
Google sent a notification to your Oppo Reno10 Pro 5G. Tap Yes on the notification, then tap 17 on your phone to verify that it's you.

So I wanted to roll back to stock firmware. I downloaded different stock ROMs, but there wasn't any way to flash them on the device. Can someone help me and go back to the stock ROM?

I tried https://oppostockrom.com/oppo-find-x6-pro-pgem10 but didn't figure it out.
I also used the QPST Flash Tool, but the firmware didn't contain anything to open it inside QPST like .hex or .mbn. It just had .elf for the programmer which when I chose it to flash the ROM, it said error FireHose.
The recovery mode also doesn't have a local update and online update.
When I reboot to EDL using adb, it just shows a black screen, but the computer does recognize Qualcomm 9008. I think the recovery is also not stock.

I will attach the system information:

No bro that's not the case not the mediatek neither the fake phone because I check IMEI it's a valid oppo find x6 pro and and it's not media Tek because only find x6 is mediatek the x6 pro is 8 gen 2


text:
Will I be exited from WhatsApp groups when I reset my phone and install app again?
Will I be exited from WhatsApp groups when I reset my phone and install app again? I didn't make backups. Please help it's very important.

If your phone number does not change, your groups will be intact.  But, without backup, your conversation history will be blank.


text:
What is this uid file in com.google.android.youtube
I found this file in my father's Huawei Y9 2019,the path of this file is
Phone > Android > data> Com.google.android.youtube > files > offline > (Random alphabet and number folder) > stream
This file's name has random alphabet and number and file extension is "UID"
Ex. Xxxxhhhhfghh11233bb.uid
This file is 0kb.
I don't know if this file related with YouTube download or not but my father never used YouTube download function before.
I want to ask if someone ever found this file or know what it is.
Thank you.


text:
How do I root my Sonim XP8?
I'm working on rooting a Sonim XP8. This is a pretty obscure device, so it isn't easy to root. A lot of the normal options (fastboot, rooting apps, etc.) don't work because it's a pretty locked-down phone.
I'm following this great tutorial on XDA Developers. It is pretty much the only tutorial for my specific phone on the internet. It is pretty complicated as it uses Qualcomm's QPST tools to change the emmc data of the phone to flash a custom ROM.
My ultimate goal is to eventually get a Generic System Image of e/OS installed, but I am having trouble along the way. I'm stuck on step 1 part 3 of the Magisk rooting tutorial on the forum.
Here is my problem:
I am trying to run fh_loader.exe  --convertprogram2read --port=\\.\COM<#> --sendxml=<xmlfile.xml> --lun=0  --memoryname=emmc --noprompt --reset while my phone is in EDL mode to copy all the system files as a backup. I get an error message when I do so, which is below:
INFO: FH_LOADER WAS CALLED EXACTLY LIKE THIS
************************************************
fh_loader.exe --port=\\.\COM3 --convertprogram2read --sendxml=backup.xml --lun=0 --memoryname=emmc --noprompt --reset
************************************************

12:40:37: INFO: Current working dir (cwd): C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\QPST\bin\
12:40:37: INFO: Showing network mappings to allow debugging
12:40:37: INFO:

12:40:37: INFO: Trying to store 'backup.xml' in string table
12:40:37: INFO: Looking for file 'backup.xml'

         _____
        |  ___|
        | |__ _ __ _ __ ___  _ __
        |  __| '__| '__/ _ \| '__|
        | |__| |  | | | (_) | |
        \____/_|  |_|  \___/|_|

12:40:37: {ERROR: Could not access 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\QPST\bin\' with acess mode 'rb'}

So for some reason the fh_loader tool can't access the folder at which I'm trying to execute the command, even though I am running my command prompt in administrator mode and I am located in the same folder as the executable for that command.
Any advice or help would be appreciated.


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How to clone screen of my Android phone to a Fire tablet
I wish to use a Fire 8 HD tablet as a "repeater" to view what's shown on the screen of my Android phone, specifically for in-car navigation w/ Google Maps & Waze, connecting between them with Bluetooth.
I've downloaded TeamViewer on both the phone and tablet, but am not able to connect the two.
How can I do this with an app other than TeamViewer which uses Bluetooth?
Once I connect the two, how do I keep the Fire tablet from timing out & going dark?

Does TeamViewer support data transmission in a local network? I would prefer a pure local solution like screen cast (you phone should have a built-in screen cast sender in quick menu). And on the tablet you can try one of the screen cast receiver apps. You just need to make sure both devices are within the same Wifi network and device-to-device communication is allowed in this Wifi.


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Android settings and Microsoft Intune report different security patch levels on Huawei devices
I have a Huawei P20 lite, which reports (per System -> About this phone) an OS version EMUI 9.1.0, Android 9, Kernel 4.9.148, Security Patch Level of 1st January 2022.
However, Microsoft Intune reports an OS version of Android 9.0 and a Security Patch Level of 2020-08-01.
So, which is it? Is the 2022 patch level the patch level of the EMUI part of HUAWEI's Android variant, and the 2020 patch level the latest patch level of the underlying Android version?

unfortunately it is not really uncommon that devices lie about their (incomplete) patch state: https://www.wired.com/story/android-phones-hide-missed-security-updates-from-you/

Is this what they mean with "zero trust IT", you can't trust your IT equipment? Jokes aside, this reinforces my view, that smartphones are crappy computers.

Use the Snoopstitch app authored by the folks in @Robert link, to find out for yourself

Some suspected that Huawei couldn't get the security patch update on their Android devices certified by Google anymore because of the TGL (Temporary General License) extension timed out in August 2020.
According to comments on the Huawei forum:

Android security patch not updated... looks like it.

I suspect that Huawei cannot get any security patch higher than 08/20 certified on GMS devices because that's the time the TGL (temporary license for existing devices) timed out.
At least SnoopSnitch doesn't find any vulnerabilities here on my P30 Pro and does report CVE up to 02/2021 being fixed, so it might be mostly a cosmetic issue.

Security Patch Version not recognized by Microsoft Intune

This is a known issue and they (Huawei support) refuse to tell why they keep the outdated patch level of 08/2020 (for GMS devices) or 11/2020 (for HMS devices) in the official Android info field for that parameter.
Fact is, in the system info any developer can insert any string they like (so they could tell you even 12/2525 if they wanted to) so what you read there is of no worth at all.
Strange enough it seems the security patches after 08/2020 are really applied if you believe testing software but it still reports that stone old patch level leading to severe problems with some software that requires actual patch levels.
The only reason for this I can think of is that Huawei isn't able to get those patches officially verified even though the CVEs are included.

And by US governments, Temporary General License: Extension of Validity

The U.S. Government has decided to extend through August 13, 2020, the temporary general license to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) and one hundred and fourteen of its non-U.S. affiliates on the Entity List. In order to implement this decision, this final rule revises the temporary general license to remove the expiration date of May 15, 2020, and substitutes the date of August 13, 2020. In addition, BIS sought public comments regarding future extensions of the Huawei TGL (85 FR 14428, March 12, 2020) and is in the process of reviewing those comments.


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Samsung Galaxy A23 stuck on Download Mode; cannot verify vbmeta image after I tried locking the bootloader
I am using a Samsung Galaxy A23. I noticed my phone's bootloader was unlocked, so I tried to lock it while in download mode. But it is stuck there and gives an error verifying vbmeta image.
Please help.

That means your installed system fails the Android Verified Boot check. vbmeta contains the hashes of your system partitions. You can only try to install an official full firmware image using Odin/Heimdal.


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SD Card crashing settings but being detected
I ran out of storage on my:
Oukitel WP20 running Android 12
and so I decided to get a 512GB Micro SD Card from SanDisk.
My previous one was a 128GB from SanDisk aswell.
So I backed everything up, ejected the sd card via the settings app, removed it physically, and inserted the new one.
The phone then asked me to format it either to mobile format, or to extend the internal storage, so I choose extend internal.
That went uneventfull. I went to the settings app and it says:
8% used, 499GB free. So far so good. But when I click on the storage icon it loads for 10 - 20 seconds, and then just goes back to the main settings page (the list of settings options).
Also when I try to download a file explorer (CX File Explorer) or any other app, googe play says: Please make more free space before installing...
And when I uninstall a app which was on the internal storage before I had any SD Card (for example Clash of Clans, yes, I was young at one point lol), it still says make more space (COC is 1.smth GB and the app is just a few MB...)
The SD Card works on my computer just fine, I even loaded the backed up files onto it just the check if I could get it to work, they worked just fine. After formatting to extend internal storage one cant view the data on a laptop / computer anymore obviously.
Weird behaviour though, maybe someone has experienced this aswell :D
Thanks in advance for any tipps!

Ok, I just reset the whole device, it works now. Really weird :/


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How to change input device for Android Voice Access (Accessibility)?
I am running Lineage OS v20, my device is rooted OnePlus 7.
I want to use my Bluetooth device as an input for the Voice Access, but it doesn't work.
I tried changing audio_policy_configuration.xml by adding BT SCO Headset Mic to attached tag (just fiddling around) didn't work. I just happened to find this file while going the system files.
I am a noob with android and it system settings


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Hacked Wi-Fi password
Once a hacker has my Wi-Fi password on Android, can he still enable Location to track my whereabouts even if my phone is not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data and would he also need a BRATA RAT to do this?

Each Wifi Access Point or Hotspot or Source has it's own password.  The password is not unique to your phone, it is unique to the Source.
Unless you are talking about you phone's hotspot's password.
But in any of these cases, Wifi password does not give the hacker access to anything, unless they are able to hack into the devices on that network.  To hack into your phone, they would need something running on it.


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Parental control: interrupting apps sent over the network to direct child to other app or external event
Phones can be used to interrupt children.
The common scenario, is, that the child wants to use the phone to understand something or to do something, but the parent wants to interrupt the child to get them to do or learn something else.
For example, they may want them to learn a language, or learn about timetables, timing, preparing and being on time, or about when what will happen and how to plan and be aware of when the parent and child will go to which event, when it will happen, who will be there, explain the concept of time and future, perhaps, even on time.
In order to do this, the parent, may elicit to use special apps for this (how these apps would be designed, this, I address in a separate post).
This post is about whether Android should be designed with interruption apps, special apps used to interrupt the user, explain, visually, what the interruption is about (a parent could, for example, also, very practical, in my opinion, send an interrupt to eat, interrupt, which would display an image of a family eating in front of the phone, as an overlay, and this could be sent from the parent phone to the child phone). This, would make unnecessary grabbing the phone out of the child's hands and getting them to sit at the table in a more clumsy manner. It would just be nice to have the overlay app.
So we need:

apps to direct us to other apps (hopefully, these, would be well designed (or the child experience would be terrible and they would regret it).

apps to direct the child to events external to the phone

The interruption overlay, or interruption overlay with button (in case we must direct the child to a different app), must be such, that they can be taken off by the parent from the parent phone to the child phone (in case the child cries, or cries excessively).
Is this possible in Android?
Is anyone willing to develop this?
Would, this, even (be helpful).
Thank you for your support.
Has this been developed?
Thanks.


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Android accessibility, camera switches, accommodating new comfortable or comforting navigation modalities
Android comes with an accessibility feature called Camera Switches, which is designed to help people with motor impairment, who can only move some of their eyes (up, right, left), eyebrows (up), or mouth (open), to control navigation and input and selection though a mobile phone.
I was wondering, whether it is possible, to glue a widget, above the user interface (the entire user interface frame is pushed down, leaving space for this widget at the top).
With this widget, I can raise my eyebrows up, and, with such moment, control what "eyes up" does.
The widget consists of a number of squares, which can grow and shrink, (according, to mood, time, and, as these explain, needs).
When I raise my eyebrow, the selected square moves from left to right, in a circular fashion.
The last two squares can be used to grow or shrink the number of squares, and can be selected by opening the mouth on the square before it.
When this is done, the next two squares become accessible and allow you to add our remove squares.
So, for the rest (to the left), each square determines what an eyes up does.
So, once a square is selected, you can navigate with what an eyes up does, and use the remaining eyes left, eyes right, and mouth open, to navigate.
This, is just one possibility.
It, suggests, that we may want to have the capability to install a separate window manager layer on top of the switch access layer, to ensure, navigation, meets needs, and is comfortable.
The user can, that way, gain some satisfaction in the fact that the navigation modality is accommodable, and, feels good.
Does Android currently support adding on such behavior?
Thank you for your answers.


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Google Authenticator what is the best way to see the full entry line
Cannot change the app name nor cannot see the full entry name.
I have 10 entries in Google Authenticator for example "Amazon Web Services". I only see "Amazon Web Services" 10 times, no way to know which one is correct. I can change account name, but since account name is not even visible with this long application name there is no help. Account name is the latter part of full entry line.
Only thing that I found helpfull is to put the phone Font size to smallest possible, however drawback is that its a global setting and has its obvious side effects to overall usability.
I need to count entry index and remember it by hand to be able to use correct one which is obviously not very convienent.
So two important usability features missing:

Ability to change application name also ( not just account name )
Abitily to wrap long lines into two rows (should be kind a basic thing in app!)

I am using very new Android 13 phone now, after transferring data to new phone authenticator even re-sorted my entries, so back to guessing game for correct entry by index

No offense, but Google Authenticator is terrible for stuff like this... Consider Authy or Bitwarden to manage your 2FA codes instead. Understand I am not against Google and the Authenticator app is fine for many things, but when you have entries like this there is no good way to manage them I have found.


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accessibility: Camera switches and switch access users: typing with the eyes closed through Morse Codes
Currently, users navigating the phone through the switch access accessibility feature navigate the phone, and enter, text, ...
by looking at the keyboard keys and entering then by navigating through them.
I wonder, whether, it is possible to enter text by entering Morse Code codes.
Here is the Wikipedia article on Morse Codes.
This, would have the advantage, that if the disabled user with limb impairment that wanted to navigate the keyboard to enter text, wanted to close their eyes (for instance, they may be tired), or they may even be a blind user, then they could raise the eyebrows, smile, or open the mouth, for different lengths of time, to enter the morse codes. The user could configure which of these three gestures to use for their purpose, according to need and preference.
This could be comfortable. The user could be lying in bed, and be wanting to enter something while in a relaxed state.
This, could make for more, comfortable and relaxed typing.
Would this be at all possible, with current Android accessibility support?
Is anyone willing to implement this?
Thank you for your continued help and support.
Let's make this platform better for all and everyone.
Thank you.
(I would like to congratulate and support the camera switch access and switch support team for listening to user needs, and, implementing, useful or essential user accessibility features).
Thanks.
EDIT:
Here is a link to a Camera Switches tutorial video.


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"Do not disturb" mode with caller profiles (e.g. switch favorites)
I need the "Do not disturb" mode modificated with caller profiles (e.g. switching user definded favorite settings).
This to enable something like caller groups in single and mixed posibillities, e.g. family or job or special friends...
Is that implemented, codeable or needs to be a feature request to Google itself?

Not implemented //Coding questions are off topic here// Look for a custom ROM that has this feature or make a feature request to Google


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Forgot lock pattern on Huawei P40 Pro, how to reset it without losing data?
I forgot my lock pattern in my Huawei P40 Pro. I have Huawei Cloud but my phone IS now in airplane mode.
How can I reset my phone without losing data? Can I at least connect it to the internet with some other method?

it is impossible to decrypt the files without correct pattern, that's a high security feature and the main purpose of the lock screen


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Theoretical and practical categorization of camera switches: categorization and implementation: techniques and strategies
This post has some overlapping with UX, so I could have posted it on the UX stack exchange, but I wanted to make it specific, to, camera switch support, in Android. That is why I have posted it here. Camera switches are an accessibility feature, that allow, people, disabled or not, to control the phone via face movements and gestures. An example of this, is ALS (amiotrophic lateral sclerosis), and/or where the body has undergone paralysis, and only the eyes, and, perhaps, other parts of the face, as can vary with medical condition and physical physiology, and as may also be affected by medication, are available.
The system, should, allow, the user, to configure which switches they want to have configured or want configured.
....
Switch access could present a list of switches you wanted to try to configure.
It, could, present, an animated, video info graphics animation, to show what the switch was.
The switch could involve a configure and hold, functionality.
The switch could involve a transitory, gesture, functionality (more or less, something, moves, and then goes back into place).
The switch could involve a head movement. In this case, position, speed, and acceleration, parameters, as the head traces a path on the the polar coordinates sphere, must, be manageable
By granularity
By gesture shape
.
So, for example, you could configure a head path.
....
Do we need a website where people can list their camera switches, as pictures, and names, alongside their medical condition, or disability (perhaps, even listing, medication, they take)?
This way people working with camera switches can make decisions, based, on, what the switches are, or could be.
For example, one person could have a mouth muscle to allow a distinction between smile a little and smile a lot. Or, they could have muscles to allow nostril flaring (they, may even, have been able to train the muscles). Other people, may, have, other, possible camera switches, at their disposal.
But, if we cannot learn, what these are (or may be), then we cannot program, cater, and support them.
Thank you.
The question is, how can we cater to more camera switches uses, users, and use cases. With regards to what has been written in this post, what can we do, what can be done, or how can we improve and implement what has been written here? Has, anyone, been working on this?
Thanks.

Reminder, that requests for features (we are not Google or any third-party app developer) and speculative type questions ("When will...", "Do we need...") is considered off-topic. While the goal of the post may be admirable, Android Exchange isn't the right forum for such a topic/set of open-ended questions. Take a look at Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions? for a more appropriate forum.


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How much interaction with an Android device is needed to keep a Google account active?
I'm wondering about Google's inactive account policy. The policy seems to indicate that in order to keep an account active, you must directly interact with a Google service (e.g., Gmail, Search, or YouTube) at least once every two years. I had hoped that simply using an Android device that is linked with a particular Google account would be enough to keep that account active, however.
Does anybody have any more information on this, beyond what can be found on the policy page that I linked to above? The Google account I'm interested in is listed under "Accounts and backup > Manage accounts" on the settings screen, and, for what it's worth, "Auto sync data" is turned on. Assuming the device has network connectivity for a nontrivial amount of time during a two-year period, is this likely to be enough to keep the account active, even if I never directly open a Google app on the device?
If that alone is not enough, how about if I download the app updates that are recommended via a notification every month or so? Would that count as "downloading an app," per what Google has listed on the policy page?
Edit: If it counts for anything, when reviewing the web-based "My Activity" page for the Google account, I see records on numerous different days for different apps that I've used on the Android device, even when these aren't Google apps. There's a particular app that I've authored, which is essentially the raison d'etre for the device as a whole, and this appears in the account activity each time it's used. Would this be enough to keep the Google account active?
Edit 2: Per what beeshyams offers in the comments, Google states that signing into the account is enough to keep it from being deleted. What plagues me is the ambiguity they introduce immediately after, by seeming to suggest, if not quite, that taking particular action after sign-in is also necessary. For the time being, I'll assume that sign-in is enough, and that the sign-in that the Android device does behind the scenes in order to sync with the account is sufficient.
I'd still love to hear if anybody has any better, more definite information.

Frankly, it'd be perverse if all the telemetry that's being sent back to Google didn't keep the account active.

@beeshyams In this case, the account does not own any apps on the Play store.

That being the case, you need to perform activities as mandated to keep the account alive, IMO. Nothing in the exceptions policy suggests otherwise

The latest update issued this year is confirmimg what I said

What's confusing to me is that the section of the document you link to begins by saying that the simplest way to keep an account active is just to sign into it. But it then goes on to talk about particular actions that you might perform once having signed in, such as reading or sending an email. So is only the sign-in necessary, or is a particular action also necessary? I'm sure that just using an Android device is enough to cause a sign-in to happen, since it syncs with the account in various ways.

The ambiguity still haunts me. But perhaps I'll go with that second sentence: "If you have signed into your Google Account or any of our services recently, your account is considered active and will not be deleted." That suggests that only a sign-in is necessary to keep the account from being deleted. I haven't the foggiest therefore why the documentation goes on to mention other actions that might be taken; they wouldn't seem to be necessary.
But, to return to my original question, I'm asking if anyone has any resources/experience that speak to this beyond the Google announcement.

Huh. That suggests that just linking it with your phone wasn't enough. That's too bad.


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Issue using own CA cert on Bluestacks emulator
I am trying to set up TLS interception with PolarProxy, using my own CA cert to see the clear-text payload of Android traffic. I am using BlueStacks 10 as an Android emulator. I used the procedure at this link to generate a CA cert and used the procedure at this link to place it on the BlueStacks instance. Specifically I mounted the drive for the BlueStacks instance onto a VirtualBox machine to add the cert onto the BlueStacks' drive.
I've checked that the cert is being used by PolarProxy since it shows up on the Windows machine I am hosting BlueStacks on. Further, the cert is on the machine since I see it at the /system/etc/security/cacerts folder in BlueStacks with the same permissions as the other certs on the instance. However, when I navigate to a website on BlueStacks using Chrome, Firefox, or Opera, the certificate is not trusted and I get an error. Is there a post-install step I'm missing here or something else that needs to happen for the BlueStacks instance to trust the cert?

Is your proxy certificate shown in the System CA list of Android (in settings -> security)?

That option doesn't seem to be available in the Settings app on Bluestacks unfortunately

Depending on the used Android version the list of system/user CA may be located in one of the submenues, so you have to search a bit. But it always exist.

I'm not able to find it in any of the submenues, I'm using Nougat 32-bit on Bluestacks 10 if you can provide some direction on where I could find that?


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Android Television: WOL (Wake On LAN) for accessibility
Suppose a disabled user with paralyzed arms is sitting at a wheelchair and utilizing and navigating their phone via voice access or camera switches.
Suppose, now, that the TV is off, that the television, is, an Android television, and that the user wants to turn it on, navigate through the channels, and select some television or application program to watch.
In order for this to happen, the television would have to have a chip, that could be a Bluetooth or WiFi-direct enabled ethernet card, that had the Wake On LAN feature.
With this feature (an advanced feature that used to be found in relatively cheap high end ethernet cards for PC), you can send a data packet over an ethernet cable to a PC that is plugged in but is not on, to turn it on.
The ethernet card could support WiFi, I believe, and implement this feature over WiFi.
Perhaps, it can also be done via Bluetooth.
In either case, it would be ideal.
It would allow the disabled user to turn on the television from their mobile phone.
Users who have trouble finding television and satellite dish television controls could also benefit from this, as they could access the television, quicker, when needed, and, would not have to locate, other, gadgets, to operate their television, and could do all of this from their mobile phone.
I wonder whether Android televisions support this (and whether any hardware-software combination has implemented this to date).
Thank you for your answers.


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How to install Advanced Charging Controller (acc) module?
I have a phone that's been rooted using Magisk. How to install something like the acc module? The instructions state running acc commands, but where from?

I've been using this for several years now and it's a great app for your battery.
Installation

It's a Magisk module. Install it like any other Magisk module and it's better to reboot though not always required for this module.

You can get the latest version and help from Telegram group. The telegram group is very active, with the developer often answering questions.

Forget about the front end app mentioned in Github notes. Those apps are outdated.

Commands

Use  Termux (not the Play Store version which again is very outdated) . Get it from Github or F-Droid. You can use any other terminal emulator of your choice.

You need to use su before running the commands

Documentation:

acc -r g: Full (HTML)

acc -h g: Condensed (plain text)

Some simple commands:

acc: Wizard : gives you an interface to get started.

acc pause resume: Set pause and resume % (e.g., acc 80 70), defaults are 75 70.

acc -s mcc=milliamps: Set charging current limit (no value means default)

acc -s mcc=millivolts: Set charging voltage limit (no value means default)

acc -f: Charge once to 100% without restrictions.

I mainly use it for idle charging (see Don't charge the battery but use connected power to run the phone). Also, I configured the voltage supplied to the battery to be low enough not to cause heating, which is a well reported problem with Pixel 6 series (thankfully, it's alleviated on Android 14).

"It's a Magisk module".

It is, but github documents installation methods besides that as well. Including terminal-based ones.

Yes, I was keeping it simple and the way most use it. One can build it too I think but the end result whichever way you do, is that it appears as a Magisk module. Hence, the mention of it as a Magisk module//The amount of customization one can do in a single terminal command is mind boggling for me

Also a word of caution. ACCA is a front end spp by a different developer that initially was in use but now very outdated. Yet, you will find commands like acca -spwhich are valid and not to be associated with front end  ACCA. There are variants of ACCA too but sadly haven't kept pace and hence crippled. Using the terminal is the best way

Cheers, will stick to the CLI.


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Unroot hacked Xiaomi Poco C40
My Xiaomi Poco C40 was hacked and rooted by a stranger. How to restore to factory settings?

Quite a few videos on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOkEu4XY8Rc

If your phone is indeed rooted, it must have its bootloader unlocked. You can restore its factory state from fastboot if bootloader is unlocked.
WARNING: you will lose all data

write down your MI account and google account credentials
download the Fastboot Type of MIUI according to your region
power off the phone
press Volume Down + Power to enter fastboot mode
connect the phone to PC
install usb drivers
install platform-tools
execute flash_all.bat
reboot when done
enter your Mi Account password to unlock (FRP)


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How do you add an app icon to the home screen (without long press)?
I used to be able to search for an app, long press it, then drag it to the home screen.
Now, long press doesn't seem to exist anymore.  Searching for that online says that you don't need long press anymore and that there are other ways of doing things.
How do you add an app to your home screen without long press existing anymore?
For now, the best I can do is to add a widget for the app, then press the widget, but that's an absurd solution.
Edit: System is updated to S3RQS32.20-42.10-12-5-4 on Nov. 4, 2023
Android version 12 on a Motorola Moto G Power.
Edit: I don't know what the expected behavior is.  Is it the case that long press should work to add an app to the home screen in Android 12 (like it did in previous versions)?  The fact that people are confused by this question suggests that it should work and the problem should be that long press isn't working.  Or was the method changed in an update and I just don't know the new one?

Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.

Updated with OEM and version info.  I need more information in order to ask the right question.  Can we start with basics?  How do you add an app to the home screen?  Why doesn't long press register as anything other than a tap anymore?

So when you see the list of apps, you are you not able to press and hold on the desired app and drag (without lifting finger) upward and the home screen doesn't appear where you can then place the icon?

Correct.  That used to be how I would do it, and that's not happening anymore.
Caveats: List of apps is either from the search (swipe up from the middle of the screen) or from settings > apps > all apps.  Neither or which will allow me to press and hold and then drag.  Instead, it registers as a tap (getting the app info from settings) or nothing (from search).

First, from settings, identify your launcher app and clear it's cache and reboot. If that doesn't help try a different launcher, say, Nova and see if it is the same behavior. If it is the same on both launchers the problem maybe with your system

I don't have a launcher other than the default.

That's fine. Did you clear cache and reboot?.Also see in settings, probably under accessibility if "touch and hold" is set to"short" (on my Pixel I see this, can't say about your device)

The "problem" is that manufacturer can customize their Android OS and thus change the behavior. OTOH, have you tried long-pressing and then moving the finger somewhere else while holding the app? I have Pixel 3a on Android 12 and after long-pressing the app from the launcher, after it shows the app shortcut, I (just) need to move my finger while holding it, then the home screen will be shown.


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How to make Toyota Prius resume playback where it stopped?
I have a 2019 Toyota Prius that can play music from my Android phone using Bluetooth. On my phone I am using Musicolet as the music player.
Some of the time, this works perfectly: the music plays in the order I chose on the phone, and if I shut down the car and then restart it, the music restarts where it left off.
However, other times the following happens when I tell the car to use the Bluetooth source. The screen comes up, asking me to choose which app to use. I only have one choice, which is Musicolet, so I choose that. Then it asks me whether to resume playback, or shuffle all the songs in the playlist. I choose to resume.
I think this bad behaviour started in the last few months, and since the car hasn't had any software updates, it's possibly an Android or Musicolet update that caused it.
Does anyone know an Android or Musicolet (or maybe Toyota Prius) configuration change that will make the bad behaviour go away?

I find this normal for many apps, including Android Auto running a navigation app.  Sometimes it resumes, other times it doesn't.

@RohitGupta:  That's discouraging.  Maybe there's a workaround, e.g. a way to modify some config file on the phone to tell the car there aren't any choices, just start right now.


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What is .Lenovoreaper in Lenovo tablet
In my file manager (of Lenovo tablet) i saw a hidden file with the name .Lenovoreaper when i tried to open it, they asked if I wanted to see the file through html viewer or google chrome, It is a 17 byte file
some ON THE INTERNET say it is malware some say it is of the share it application which I do not have....but I do have to say the file manager which it was in had ads and I guess share it was also used in advertising....what are your thoughts
So what is this file and what is it used for

yes I did some say its malware some say its part of the shareit app which i dont have. I just want to know whether it can access my photos videos and files on internal storage

@beeshyams I did check some say it is malware some say it is of the share it application which I do not have....but I do have to say the file manager which it was in had ads and I guess share it was also used in advertising....what are your thoughts

According to this post and some others I’ve found, it’s something to do with the advertising experience in the ShareIt app. It’s not malware, but it should be safe to delete.
The reason it sometimes gets flagged is because of the advertising service inside of it.


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Will unrooting an Android phone remove the virtual RAM created while rooted?
I have a 4yr old phone and it's CPU processor can take up to 6GB RAM, but I have the model with 3GB of RAM and it's somewhat slow in doing some tasks that are high demanding. So, after I root the phone using Magisk and use Roehsoft RAM Expander and my SD card to expand it to 6GB RAM, if I unroot my phone back, will the virtual RAM still remain or will it get left behind?

Removing root doesn't change anything that was done with root access, it just removed your ability to make changes to the system partition. You will need to remove any changes done manually before unrooting. Most people in this case had done a nandroid backup prior to the changes/rooting, and then just restore it.
Note that if you unroot, some of those changes or applications may require root access... Removing Magisk, which manages the root access, may cause them to still be installed but not function or only partly work. It is also possible that removing root could render the device unusable.
The recommended way to "unroot" is to flash the device back to stock or restore a pre-root nandroid backup.

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to know if the virtual RAM would still remain, and now I got more knowledge on the question.


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Problem with network location provider on Android 9 emulator
I am using Android 9 to debug a location-related application. I set the location via telnet "geo fix", and check via "adb shell dumpsys location" and directly in the app. The problem is network location (gps and passive are always correct). The network location very often points to Google headquarters in San Francisco. The problem occurs when the app switches to running in the background, when it uses an inaccurate location. How to fix it? I am using production emulator (without root).


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Galaxy S10e phone call quality on receiver's end poor, but otherwise all is fine
When making a phone call on my Galaxy S10e (Exynos), the audio for the receiver is quite low, chopped and sounds a bit like being underwater. I've confirmed this with echo test calls - it always happens.
However, audio calls via WhatsApp or plain sound recording are working perfectly. The only thing affected is a real phone call.
Tried clearing all cache for all phone related apps and services. Tried Android's safe mode ... Tried at different locations. To no avail.
It's like the microphone is set on a very low sensitivity, but I see no way of controlling that.
Any advice much appreciated!

Could be a problem of your mobile provider. Mobile networks mostly use different audio codecs than used in wired telephone networks, so any call that leaves the MNO network may be converted to a different format which can cause problems.


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Can't access my local host via Google Chrome on Android
I have mini PC which serves as a small home server for various needs. Running Ubuntu 20.04.
When I replaced my old router with new one I'm having minor issues with connection:

when trying to connect with server hostname (not ip) from W10 via ssh: works perfectly
when trying to connect with server hostname from Windows 11 via Google Chrome: works perfectly
when trying to connect from Android device (ssh and Google Chrome): got error that name can't be resolved

Tried flushing DNS records on the android device and setting custom DNS server (1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com), but with no avail. Connecting with IP works, but I would like to use server's hostname.
Any advice would be much appreciated ;)
Thanks in advance!

Make sure the new router has a DNS record for your server, and set the router as the DNS server for the Android device. Win10/11 will use mdns to discover hostnames on the local network, but I'm not sure Android does the same by default? might depend on the version/device


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In Android 13, how can I type the tick character?
As the title says: How can I type the tick character (´) in usual Android devices (Android 13)? I haven't found a keyboard app yet that provides this character.
In Western Europe, the tick character character is not that unusual, and I have a few passwords that contain it. Changing those passwords at the respective servers would require them to be changed on multiple other client devices, too, which is not possible. So I have to enter them on every Android device that should be used to access those servers.
On the Android device, I could solve the problem by copying that character from a text in the browser into the clipboard and pasting it into the password text box from there. But this procedure is error prone and extremely annoying.
I am convinced that Android (as every other serious O/S) lets us enter not only this specific character, but Unicode characters in general. It's just that I am not able to find out how.

Similar to Gboard: Set Custom Unicode Characters on Longpress or Add Custom Keyboard Keys or Layout

Without knowing which Android keyboard you're using, a definitive answer is probably impossible. However, try pressing and holding similar keys. On several Android keyboards, such as Gboard and Samsung Keyboard, that produces menus of related characters: accented versions of letters, fractions for numbers, and so on. You may well find the tick that way.

Thanks a lot, and +1. Many Android version on many devices are affected by that problem. However, Android 13 on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra currently bites me most. I have already tried what you have recommended, and I have tried more than five keyboard apps (all FOSS from f-droid), but to no avail.


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'adb wm size' to part of the screen
I want my android version 5.1 screen to be more accessible
The base resolution of my android screen is
720x1280
I did

adb shell wm size 720x892

and it gave me this:

Now I want to achieve this:

How do I do that?
Tried wm overscan, but it only moves the edges and you can't actualy control the screen position

Related // As you can see there Android version matters. Please [edit] your question and tags to mention Android version. Adding device details may also help


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Disable all notifications from one of multiple (two) Google accounts on my phone
I have two Google accounts on my phone; one for work and the other is my main personal account. I want to disable all notifications from my work account; that includes email and calendar and anything else. I've read this post, by which I can disable email notifications, but all my calendar notification still show up. My question is, is it possible to disable all notifications, including email and calendar, from my work account on my phone?
By the way I'm on Android 14 and Pixel 8.

That's how Google calendar is designed, so going by that answer you can't


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How to fix Whatsapp always leaves opened conversation to main chats (contacts) view?
I am using redmi note 12 xiaomi MIUI 13
The situation is like this; I open Whatsapp, then open some conversation with anyone. Then if I switch away from Whatsapp, not closing it, only switching to another application, now if I switch back to the Whatsapp again, I expect to see the same opened conversation, but what happens is that Whatsapp always switches from that opened conversation to the main view instead which is the chats view; list of contacts view. Then I have to open the conversation with that contact again and again.
I uninstalled Whatsapp and downloaded it again, the problem solved for few days but continue again!.
How to fix?

It seems the WhatsApp app was killed in the background. You might find info from Don't Kill My App! helpful to prevent/reduce that case.


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Use USB attached SD card in gallery
When traveling I usually only have my tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+) with me but not a real PC. So to have a quick check of the pictures I took during the day with my DSLR camera I'd love to use the big tablet screen (or even the hotel TV connected with HDMI) and not the small camera display.
So I got myself an USB-C "dock" that can read SD Cards (and also output HDMI).
Using the Samsung file viewer I can now see the internal storage, the SD Card (which is the micro SD in the tablet internal reader) and also "USB storage" - which is exactly the SD card from my DSLR that I want to view.
So everything could be fine.
But no gallery app that I tried could access the "USB storage". The only thing that worked was to open an individual picture by selecting it in the Samsung File app and then choosing the picture viewing app. But even in this case the viewing app couldn't open any other picture of the USB attached SD card by itself.
What possibilities do I have to view my pictures in such a setting where the SD card is in a card reader connected by USB?

The only suggestion I have is to is to copy them to the tablet.  I would do that anyway to have a second copy.  Or search for some app that talks to your camera.  You havent provided any details.

On programming level to my knowledge there is no difference between the micro SD card (non adopted) and an external USB Stick. So gallery apps should be able to support it, but they don't do as this feature has not been requested. I would try to contact gallery app authors and ask for supporting this use case. Or try to find and open source gallery app with active community where you could ask for supporting external USB sticks.

Try using a USB reader on Play Store, for example


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How to transfer files from Android to Windows without using ADB?
The phone is locked and I can't turn Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on. So, I need to find a way to transfer files to Windows. Is there a way to do it? I have found third party softwares but I will apply them as a last resort. Besides, the phone doesn't turn off and I can't use ADB cause I don't know the directories where the files are located

Why is it locked ?

For using adb you don't have to know file paths you can simply list files via ls in adb shell. More important is if adb is activated and your PC is authorized to use adb on the phone.

@RohitGupta owner of the phone passed away and no information about screen lock

@Robert I didn't know that point thank you, but i tried adb and it wasn't activated


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How to change output from call to media?
I call on Discord a lot and for a while was able to trick (I'd play a voice message and pause it before it ended) my phone into thinking the call was coming from a media source, so it would use media volume. This made everything sound high quality.
Unfortunately, this glitch has stopped working and now my calls sound tinny and distorted. Not solely in Discord, as well.
I was wondering how I could improve this and make things sound better again.
I have a TCL 408.


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unzipping backup of sdcard, wrong folder structure
I have a backup of my old phone in my computer, in a folder called phone_backup
it contains the usual folders:

Airdroid
Alarms
Android
Audiobooks
AuthenticatorPlus
Books
DCIM
Documents
doubleTwist
Download
MEGA
Movies
Music
Neobackup
Notifications
Pictures
Podcasts

I have zipped the contents of phone_backup and transferred to the sdcard of my new phone.
If I open, in Windows, phone_backup or phone_backup.zip and check the Download folder I see the same I have on my old phone, however, when I do unzip phone_backup.zip everything seems to work until I get the error
unzip: couldn't create file Download/Videos: Is a directory
And if I do find Download/ -maxdepth 1 -type d I get:

Download/
Download/Videos
Download/WhatsApp
Download/Airdroid
Download/Alarms
Download/Android
Download/PowerTube

For some reason it's decompressing the root inside the Downloads folder?
redwood:/sdcard $ ls -lah Videos/ Download/Videos/
Download/Videos:
total 3.0K
drwxrws--- 2 u0_a402 media_rw 3.3K 2023-12-01 21:50 work

Videos:
total 3.0K
drwxrws--- 2 u0_a402 media_rw 3.3K 2023-12-02 09:02 work

same content too.
Why could this happen??

You can't transfer apps and data from one phone to another in this fashion.  Try using the Android Backup, or Samsung Tool (if you have a Samsung phone) or for another Backup app on App Store.
Even if you manage to transfer the files over, it is not going to work.

I does work, I've done it multiple times. (Not zip, just adb pull then adb push to the new phone)


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Odin Error: Fail! (Auth) when trying to change the flash firmware to hongkong TGY from mainland china CHC
I want to change the CSC code for my S21 Ultra for less bloatware, and google assistant available.

I used Odin v3.13.1, but I tried multiple versions, as well as the patched one, with failure.
Here is the full traceback of the error:
    <ID:0/009> Odin engine v(ID:3.1301)..

<ID:0/009> File analysis..

<ID:0/009> Total Binary size: 12081 M

<ID:0/009> SetupConnection..

<ID:0/009> Initialzation..

<ID:0/009> Set PIT file..

<ID:0/009> DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!

<ID:0/009> Get PIT for mapping..

<ID:0/009> Firmware update start..

<ID:0/009> NAND Write Start!!

<ID:0/009> SingleDownload.

<ID:0/009> abl.elf

<ID:0/009> xbl.elf

<ID:0/009> FAIL! (Auth)

<ID:0/009>

<ID:0/009> Complete(Write) operation failed.

<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

I also tried unlocking the bootloader, didn't work.


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Samsung sph-m510 not charging
I have a Samsung sph-m510 that I recently got a new battery for and it was working fine until one day after leaving it untouched for about a week I went to charge it and it wouldn't charge it just got really hot. Does anyone know what is going wrong?


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microSD read-only for 3rd party apps after factory reset - Lenovo A1010, Android 5.1
I did a factory reset on said phone due to a malware infection, used APKPure to install the handful of apps that I need (no Google account activated on phone after reboot) and now I observe the following:

no third-party app (OpenCamera, ASTRO File Manager etc.) can write anything to the microSD
built-in SW can write to the microSD without an issue: the built-in com.mediatek.filemanager app can create directories on the card and I can wipe the microSD clean from Storage management in Settings
if I take out the card and mount it on a computer, it works just fine, read and write

The phone is not rooted and I'm hesitant to root it because of complexity or safety of the procedure.
I've tried formatting the card on the computer, on the phone, playing around with Developer options etc. but nothing seems to work. It doesn't look like a hardware malfunction or a filesystem error, since built-in apps seem to be able to write to the card just fine. I don't have another card at hand to check that it's not the card, though.
What can I do to enable writing? Google's/Lenovo's handcuffs regarding HW I supposedly own are really frustrating.


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Know password, but can't type it
Xperia 5 II.
No root.
No bootloader is open.
Debug mode is enabled, but ADB requires authorization.
Situation:
There was an error and my phone's theme has changed. I changed the theme back and rebooted the device. I had a password with non-English characters. Now my keyboard does not have these characters, only English. So I know the password, but I can't enter it. Any suggestions on how to change the locale on the keyboard or enter the password there?
UPD:
I don't want to factory reset, because i don't want to lose all photos of my deceased dog :(

Would it be possible to type the password on a connected USB keyboard?

Yes, but only in English. Can't change locale :/


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Password required after restart: Incorrect password problem
I have the same exact problem as this user My android phone won't accept correct PIN/password after I tried to change my screen lock password
My phone was turned off because the battery died. When it turns on after i charged it, it requires password after restart.
I entered the correct password (because i have done this many times before) but this time it says incorrect password.
Even in recovery mode, i tried the online update option but it requires the lockscreen password, which, it too, says incorrect despite entering the correct one.
Im using realme x7 pro

If it died in the middle of changing it, then try fragments of your password

How can i do that?


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Can I use an sd card as internal storage with android 8.0
I have a Samsung galaxy s7 with android 8.0. I've put a 64gb microsd in it. I wanted to use the card to store apps on but it's not working.
I'm trying to move a game of about 11gb on to the card but the transfer gets to 77% then tells me there's not enough storage space. I have 50gb+ space free on the card.
I've checked the card for faults using Windows and it says it's fine.
The only form of formatting available, using my phone, is portable storage. I've read that certain versions of android prevent or restrict the use of sd cards.
Is this what the problem is? Is there a way around it without rooting my phone?

You should format it in Android. Very likely it came formatted as FAT32 and that old file system has a file size limitation.

No. except for root solutions

AFAIK, it's not an issue with the Android version, but with Samsung disabling adoptable storage since Galaxy S7.

Thanks. It's seems I'm stuck with low memory then. Unless I pay out for a new phone, funny how that works.


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Multi-language support in Android text-to-speech settings
I think it would be nice if in the text-to-speech settings you could specify a cascading set of languages, with dictionaries, associated with each language, intrinsic in the language selection.
When, a word is encountered, TTS would look up the word in the dictionary for the selected language, if it is not found, it looks it up in the dictionary for the second language, and so on. When a word is found in a dictionary, it is played, using the language intonation for the language associated with that dictionary. If the word is not found in any dictionary, the first language specified is used to pronounce the word, by default.
This multi-language algorithm could be a bit more processor expensive, but several multilingual users who write their notes and text in their apps in more than one language at a time (even using the Feynman method, ie., write as text comes natural to you, rather than abiding by the rules of a specific language), for instance in their Google keep notes, might like this feature (and use it).
Can this be implemented in Android?
When will this be implemented?
How can I enable it?
Thanks.


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Is there a way to duplicate cell from above in Android Excel?
On Windows the Excel has shortcut Ctrl+D which copies the content of the cell from the cell above.
Is there any way to duplicate cell from above in Android Excel without copy/paste? Maybe a kind of menu item or something alike?
Update
The only requirement that I need this without external keyboard so that I could use it on my smartphone in "usual way".

try the following steps:
Tap the cell you want to duplicate:
Navigate to the cell where you want to duplicate the content.
Access the editing options:
Look for a menu or toolbar that provides editing options. This might be a toolbar that appears at the top or bottom of the screen.
Find the "Fill" or "Insert" options:
Some versions of Excel for Android have a fill or insert option that allows you to fill a cell with the content from the cell above.
Explore additional options:
Check for additional options in the menu, such as "Fill Down" or "Insert Copied Cells."
Use the context menu:
Long-press on the cell to access a context menu. Look for options like "Fill" or "Insert."
Check for keyboard shortcuts:
Some Android devices support external keyboards. If you're using a keyboard, try using keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+D to see if they work in Excel on Android.

Thank you. The Fill option worked just fine for me.


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Muted all contacts somehow in the Samsung messages, I've literally tried every common sense solution
I've looked up countless forums and message boards and everyone seriously gives the common sense easy answers. There are three

To the right of the contact blah blah blah.
Power settings on the way the phone manages individual apps blah blah blah.
Did you check if the sound is on.
I'm pretty good when it comes to tech related issues and I've never seen anything like this.

Have you got sound in other apps ?  The volume control can sometimes allow individual control of sound for a particular app.

I do have sound across the board in all other apps. I actually finally found the answer. Instead of any settings based options, or battery options I went to messages held down my finger on one and it checked it. Upper left option to select all messages. There is an option on the bottom to mute all. I unchecked it and it worked.

Hi, looks like you've found the solution by yourself, which is great! Consider posting it as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed but even encouraged. Thanks!


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What is a local-only hotspot
I was reading up on local-only hotspots and was confused by some of the language.  Am I right in my understanding that a local-only hotspot will be visible to and accessible by other phones in the physical vicinity but that there just won't be any internet provided by the network?  That's originally what I thought until I read the documentation for the WifiManager.startLocalOnlyHotspot method:

Request a local only hotspot that an application can use to communicate between co-located devices connected to the created WiFi hotspot. The network created by this method will not have Internet access. Each application can make a single request for the hotspot, but multiple applications could be requesting the hotspot at the same time. When multiple applications have successfully registered concurrently, they will be sharing the underlying hotspot.

(emphasis added)
That suggests to me that the hotspot is not something that a phone would connect to like any other Wi-Fi network but that an application has to request access to somehow.
Using Android Studio, I emulated two phones and ran a simple app on one of them that uses the WifiManager API to start the local hotspot.  Running ifconfig in an adb shell, I see that the phone that created the hotspot gets an IPv4 address assigned to its wlan0 interface after the hotspot is started.  I'm also able to get the app to report the hotspot's SSID ("AndroidShare_5479").  However, on the other phone, no additional entry shows up in the list of available Wi-Fi networks.
Of course, there's always the possibility that I'm using the API incorrectly.  However, that's a question better suited for StackOverflow.
My question for this community is, "What is the nature/function of a local-only hotspot?"


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Samsung Galaxy Player 5 Bootloop
I have a Samsung Galaxy Player 5 (US Edition) that is stuck in an infinite boot loop (Hangs at the Samsung logo). The device was running stock Android 2.3.5 with no modifications of any kind. The device was working fine and I restart the device and it has been in a boot loop since.
Is there a way that I can recover my photos from the device? I am still able to access download and recovery mode. I am also able to interface with the device via ADB. I've admittedly little experience with Android, but I've read online about the possibility of installing custom kernels using Odin while still retaining data.
If there is any additional information that I can provide, please let me know. I appreciate the help!


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Why is "Outlook" now being presented as a server-side service on Android?
Conventional wisdom tells us that 'Exchange Server' (or 'Microsoft Exchange Active Sync' / EAS) is a server-side email service from Microsoft, while 'Outlook' is a mail client. But read on ...
My primary email mailbox is hosted by Microsoft through a Microsoft 365 business subscription, and I use the Outlook Client on my Samsung S23+ Android phone (Android 14 / OneUI 6.0).
I'm struggling to get calendar and contacts sync working reliably (between the Android Calendar and Contacts apps and my Exchange account) so I've been poking around in the 'accounts' and 'sync' settings (which are handled centrally by 'settings' but also by the calendar and the contacts apps, and by the Outlook Client on the phone).
In troubleshooting 'accounts', I noticed that Android is now offering an account named 'Outlook' alongside 'EAS' (Microsoft Exchange Active Sync) as a mail server type.  Further, the only way I could get 'sync' to work reliably was to enter my Exchange account as the 'Outlook' type. Here's a screenshot showing the setup:

The left image shows the 'accounts' I have defined in settings / accounts and backup. The circled EAS account is my email account in question.  The second circled account is the 'outlook' account, with the exact same identity.  The middle image shows what you see as possible accounts when you choose to 'add an account' - note that 'outlook' is offered as an 'account type' alongside MS exchange active sync. And if you choose that 'outlook' account type, it prompts you for the email address (right image).
The key point being, my one mailbox has been entered as both an 'outlook' and an 'MS Exchange Server' type.  The 'EAS' account was added first, but I could not get sync to work, so (for reasons unclear now, probably a suggestion by someone somewhere ...) I added the 'outlook' type, and now sync is working!
So my question is, why are there two ways to define the same account, and why would the second type be labeled 'outlook', when it's got nothing to do with outlook really - it's just an exchange server account hosted on Microsoft.
In the 'calendar' app on Android, I couldn't get sync to work when trying to sync with the EAS account, but when I told it to connect to 'outlook', it started working!

"In the 'calendar' app on Android", what phone model do you have as it could be a calendar app from the phnoe manufacturer? Outlook options is for email accounts from live.com, hotmail.com, etc as they all are access via outlook.com. "My primary email mailbox is hosted by Microsoft through a Microsoft 365 business subscription", You should select Microsoft 365 and select "work or school account".

@reddy Lutonadio - As stated in my post: "I use the Outlook Client on my Samsung S23+ Android phone (Android 14 / OneUI 6.0).". The calendar app is from Samsung. This calendar app displays calendar events entered locally on the phone, and also offers to 'sync' with all manner of 3rd party calendars such as google, exchange, etc.
I understand that the Outlook option would suggest hotmail, live, etc - but when I entered my Office 365 account mailbox it was accepted and - that was the only way I could get calendar sync to work.


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Can we disable the bluetooth notification on android device when connected?
Whenever I connect my headphone, my android device starts to show the bluetooth device is connecting even though I paired at earlier time.
Is there a way to disable this notification from asking each time when a bluetooth device is connected. Please tell me whether there is an option available in developer mode.
My device: Samsung Galaxy M14-5G
Android version: 13
One UI Core version: 5.1

Sorry but I don't know what notification that asks each time you mean. Usually if I enable a previously connected BT device it is automatically connected or if I had it connected to a different device in between I have to manually select it in the list of previously connected devices in BT settings.

@robert when I turn on bluetooth, I get a notification showing the headset is connecting and after some seconds I can see status as connected and then I need to press the done button to remove the notification screen from my phone. I don't want this notification, let my bluetooth device connected automatically without a confirmation message. As for a first time connection this pop up window is nice because we can select what device we need to connect. Is there a way to disable this pop up window.

This could be a manufacturer modification as I have never seen this on a plain Google Android device. Please edit your question and add details about your phone model and Android version.


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HTML-only browser for Android? (skip all resources, load just base page/HTML)
For example, I have tuned my desktop Firefox browser to skip loading JS, CSS, fonts etc.; but here I'm asking for something much simpler: when I enter a URL or click a link on an existing page, browser should simply load the page pointed by that URL, and not any other resources that are referenced inside it. Basically, a HTML-only browser.
I'm not looking to just disable CSS etc. (e.g. unlike the "No style" option of Firefox, which loads the CSS file and only skips the rendering step). I want the browser to completely avoid loading the linked resources. (Saving bandwidth is one main goal.)
I'm well aware that this would break functionalities of several websites, not to mention "ugliness" from lack of CSS; but the site(s) that I wish to access are already tested to work fine in desktop under HTML-only rendering conditions.
I have tried many of the "custom" browsers on Google Play, but none seems to contain something resembling a HTML-only mode.


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Car in-dash receiver vs Car speaker bluetooth
I recently bought a in-dash car receiver for android auto. My in-car receiver also has a speaker. Once I start the car, my phone is connecting to in-car receiver over wireless android auto. I can see that my phone is connected to both the in-dash car receiver as well as car Bluetooth speaker. Also, I have disable the "audio" in the bluetooth settings of the car-receiver 1. Whenever I play a video, the video sound is from the in-car receiver speaker and does not play on the car stereo. When I check the "Media Output" from the quicksetting menu, I can see that the video sound is routed to car Bluetooth stereo only 2. How to enable the audio output to my car stereo over bluetooth and stop android auto stealing the streaming from other bluetooths?


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Why isn't Wireguard available on F-Droid?
Lots of sites speak of Wireguard being available on F-Droid but I noticed it's no longer on the site. Why is this? And how can I install it?

The official Wireguard App is no longer available because the author insists in packing self-updating functionality that targets a non-F-droid repository. This functionality means that F-Droid can't ensure that the software running that was originally installed with F-Droid, was built by F-Droid. It's no longer repeatable, nor auditable.
This put the author and F-Droid at odds, and the package was de-listed.
As an alternative,

Use the WG-Tunnel app (available in f-droid), https://github.com/zaneschepke/wgtunnel and it uses the same wireguard-android library under the hood.

Or, install from Izzy F-Droid repo https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/com.wireguard.android

Thank you for pointing us to wgtunnel. It appears to be a well-maintained project. Disappointed that the author chose to take a stand because of his apparent personal disagreements with F-Droid leadership. Going to stick with F-Droid and try wgtunnel.


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Adding prebuilt APK to Android system.img (stock firmware from manufacturer)
Can someone help add a prebuilt APK to an Android system.img for me? I’ve obtained boot.img, system.img, etc. (the full firmware) from the manufacturer of the device. I’ve been trying for hours to add the .apk files to the system.img. (I’ll share it here)
My steps:

What I did was extract the image, add my apk to /app, or /priv-app, or vendor/operator/app.

Convert the folders/files of the extracted image to an ISO.

Convert the ISO back to .img file using WinISO software

Added the system.img converted in step 3 back into the main folder where all the original firmware images are.

Flashed the new firmware with the modified system.img back to the device.

Problem:
The device boots up to the brand logo. However, it just gets stuck at the brand logo. VERY IMPORTANT => If the flash is successful, then the brand logo turns into brand logo animation, but every time I flash with my APK, it just gets stuck at the unanimated boot logo. Thus there are two stages:
Boot logo = if stuck, then flashing/APK adding failed
Boot Animation = everything works (I know this because the stock flash works just fine)
= extra info=
Android: 4.4.2
Flash tool: MTK SP Flash Tool
XDA Forums attachment link: https://xdaforums.com/attachments/mx2-wvga_tm-wv3-22-20230418-rar.6039930/
(The above link is the firmware I was able to obtain from the company)

Some backstory to what im doing: https://xdaforums.com/t/timmkoo-so-close-yet-so-far-android-root-twrp-help-needed-hardest-device-to-mod.4643045/

Android does not use ISO format. ISO is for CD/DVD. You should better mount the system image on a Linux system and then perform the modifications. Don't extract the image or you will destroy necessary information that can never be recovered.

Hi @Robert I actually solved this the day before you commented but thank you for your help!! By chance do you know what application/android process is responsible for block installations from outside sources? I read in multiple places that settingsProvider.apk  is the one that determines if an app is installed or not. my goal is to remove this, and install directly to my device.

Hi, looks like you've found the solution by yourself, which is great! Consider posting it as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed but even encouraged. Thanks!