text:
How to stop apps writing to "Android" folder on the SD card?
I have a (seemingly) simple question to which I haven't found a clear answer to. My phone creates an "Android" folder on my SD card and I'm wondering if it could be moved into the phone's internal storage instead.
I just got a new phone and it's got way more storage than my last phone, so I'd like to make the most out of it as I can, so I'd prefer that all the application data is on the internal storage rather than on the SD card.
That's the way it worked on my old phone, so I'm a bit puzzled that it doesn't seem as easy to do anymore.

I'm afraid it won't work as simple as that, especially for OBB files (expansion files), since it's by default located on the system's shared storage location (i.e. "external" storage). Note that on some devices that don't have SD card slot, "external" storage is emulated in the internal storage.

Apps usually don't write data to external SD card, but starting with Android 4.4 up to latest release 10, there is no permission to stop apps writing to Android directory on external storage. The reason is more historical than technical.

ANDROID'S STORAGE JOURNEY:
Android provides two types of storage to apps: private (or internal) and shared (or external). As names suggest, private directories of every app (in /data/data/) aren't accessible to other apps, but data placed on shared storage is.
External storage used to be physically external SD card (with permission-less filesystem from FAT family) in early days when flash storage was costly. So apps used to place a lot of data on external SD card.
Android enforced WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission as early as in Android 1.5 to control which apps could write to external storage, so almost every app had to request this permission.
As the internal flash memory grew in size, OEMs created a separate partition (usually named sdcard) "to provide external storage internally". Now there were two external storage: primary (sdcard partition) and secondary (external SD card). Since primary external storage was still smaller, apps continued to widely use secondary storage by placing files wherever they wanted, creating random directories on both storage.
In Android 2.3 FUSE was introduced to emulate primary external storage (/sdcard) over actual filesystem of sdcard partition which majorly remained vFAT. But the primary intention was to retain a permission-less virtual filesystem (like FAT) over a permission-aware Linux filesystem (like ext4) so that data could be shared among apps (UIDs).
Android 3.1 switched USB Mass Storage (UMS) to Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). It means that sdcard partition or external SD card was not mounted as partition when connected to PC. So actual filesystem contents aren't visible over MTP, instead MediaStore (one of Android's built-in content providers) provides an indexed list of files. Also apps can make use of this content provider. See details in this answer.
Starting with Android 3.2 apps write-ability to external SD card was restricted to only system apps (using WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE permission). See details in How to move files to external SD card?. On rooted devices this restriction is hacked by mapping GID media_rw (1023) to WRITE_EXTERNAL_SRORAGE permission.
By the release of Android 4.0 (started with 3.0) OEMs started emulating /data/media on /sdcard as primary external storage, which eliminated sdcard partition. This was not possibly with UMS because /data could not be un-mounted from Android to mount on PC. This is true to till date.
Android 4.3 merged multiple fstabs used previously to a single /fstab.<device>  file and introduced voldmanaged flag for external filesystems to be mounted by vold. With Treble support in Android 8, fstab was moved to vendor partition and in DTB. See What is default “fstab” file in Android?
In Android 4.4 making use of FUSE-based synthesized permissions, apps were allowed to write to their "private directories" (inside Android/{data,media,obb}/ directories) on "shared storage" without requesting Storage permission. It made it officially possible for apps to use multiple external storage (primary and secondary). Also READ|WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE was necessarily required to read external storage, including other apps' private directories.
Storage Access Framework (SAF) was introduced to let non-system apps write to SD card and direct write access to secondary external storage was strictly stopped. So now it was made clear that external storage is not always removable storage, the former could be physically internal. Transient storage like USB is in addition to these.

Coming to your question:

I'd prefer that all the application data is on the internal storage rather than on the SD card.

Third party apps cannot write directly to public directories on secondary external storage, but cannot be stopped from writing to their private directories (1, 2, 3, 4), thanks to synthesized permissions based on directory structure:

"The WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission must only grant write access to the primary external storage on a device. Apps must not be allowed to write to secondary external storage devices, except in their package-specific directories as allowed by synthesized permissions. Restricting writes in this way ensures the system can clean up files when applications are uninstalled."

And:

"Starting in Android 4.4, the owner, group and modes of files on external storage devices are now synthesized based on directory structure. This enables apps to manage their package-specific directories on external storage without requiring they hold the broad WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. For example, the app with package name com.example.foo can now freely access Android/data/com.example.foo/ on external storage devices with no permissions. These synthesized permissions are accomplished by wrapping raw storage devices in a FUSE daemon."

By accessing / creating their private directories, apps confirm if the secondary external storage is available. So in most cases the directories under Android directory on SD card are either empty, or the files are a copy of those on primary external storage. Though it doesn't make sense most of the times, but some app developers may prefer to save data on secondary external storage, it's up to their will. E.g. for quickly expanding raw video files or large OBB files as mentioned by Andrew in comment. Android's suggestion:

"... the device has two different external storage directories, so you need to select which one to use when writing "private" files to the external storage.
  ...
  The first entry ... is ... the primary external storage, and you should use that location unless it's full or unavailable."

And the other one:

"An application may store data on any or all of the returned devices. For example, an app may choose to store large files on the device with the most available space"

Since private directories on external as well as internal storage are deleted on app uninstall, the preferred storage for apps to store persistent data (like photos) is primary external public storage. This norm continues to till date. Therefore it's usually safe to delete Android and other empty directories (some Android versions also create standard directories) on external SD card but those would be recreated.

STORAGE JOURNEY CONTINUED...
SAF (file picker) was extended in Android 5 (for Directory Selection) and then in 7 (to Scoped Directory Access). Android 10 further extended it to Scoped External Storage Access entirely removing filesystem level access to primary external storage as well, replacing with filesystem APIs.
Android 6 introduced Adoptable Storage to use SD card as primary external storage by encrypting it (vold flag in fstab: encryptable=userdata). Now even apps and their data on internal storage can be moved to adoptable storage. See How to move apps from internal to external storage? This was previously achieved by OEMs and custom ROM developers by applying patches like "Default write disk" or "Disable Internal Memory" to AOSP. Apps like "Link2SD" also filled the gap on rooted devices.
Additionally Storage Configuration (storage.xml) was removed from framework-res.apk and merged to fstab. UUID based mount path was introduced.
Also many install-time permissions were shifted to runtime permissions and in order to make WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE a runtime permission, mount namespaces were used. For details see What is the “u#_everybody” UID? and What is /storage/emulated/0/?
FUSE was removed completely in Android 9. sdcardfs is now used for emulation. Read full story here.

The journey continues still: SDCardFS is deprecated since Android 11.


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My Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Doesn't Show an "Allow USB Debugging?" Prompt. Is there a fix?
Around this morning, I had the idea to transfer all my whatsapp chats(from android to ios)
Not so complicated, right?
Well, I was in for a rude awakening. Not only did I spend literally 7 hours trying to fix it... I couldn't fix it!
That's basically why I'm reaching out to you. My last hope. My knight in shining armor.
Here are the more technical details:

Before you say it, and I know you will, I'll tell you - I restarted my phone about 10 million times
I've enabled and disabled usb debugging around 10 million times minus 1.
I haven't played with adb so I don't screw with my android system. However if that's necessary, I'll do what must be done.
I'm specifically using my own samsung galaxy note 8 since I previously tried on another phone(LG v20) and it didn't work either.

So, I must ask you, are you up to this challenge? Can you fix what seems unfixable?
P.s. Here's a preview of what should be showing up on my own android device but is not:

By the way, I tried using these articles to solve the issue, but to not avail.

https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/101933/galaxy-s4-does-not-show-authorize-usb-debugging-dialog-box

https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/144507/cant-authorise-android-device-in-usb-debugging-mode

It's not yet mentioned, but the first thing to check is if the USB cable you're using is a data cable, not only a charging cable, i.e. that the device is detected by the computer first and you can browse the content of the smartphone's external storage from the PC. Also, you haven't mentioned the OS of the computer, but assuming it's Windows, then you probably need to install OEM USB drivers.

Thanks for sharing the info about the data cable, appreciate it. I actually figured out the cause of the issue: It seems like the profile of the computer(perhaps the RSA key fingerprint) was automatically recognized by the android device and so it didn't ask for any permissions. From there, I'm still kind of trying to understand it. But basically, as soon as I reset(factory reset) my computer, it started prompting me for authorization again. I'm sure the factory reset was on the extreme end of options, but it worked in the end.

Hello. I appreciate that you found the answer yourself, but please note that this is a Q&A site so we keep questions as questions strictly. Consider posting your solution as an answer in the space provided above the bottom of this page. As for others who visit this question in the future and finds the absence of a solution, visit this edit from OP.

Alright, thanks for letting me know.

There's an option called "Revoke USB Authorization" within the Developer options. Click it and it'll revoke the auth key.

It seems like the profile of the computer(perhaps the RSA key fingerprint) was automatically recognized by the android device and so it didn't ask for any permissions. From there, I'm still kind of trying to understand it. But basically, as soon as I reset(factory reset) my computer, it started prompting me for authorization again. I'm sure the factory reset was on the extreme end of options, but it worked in the end.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Copy messages from my old phone
How can I transfer my SMS and MMS messages from my old phone to my new phone?
My old phone uses Android 2.1 and it seems that you currently need at least Android 2.2 to log in to a Google account. Therefore, I can't use any tools which require a Google account, such as Android Market/Google Play.

You can download the app mentioned in my answer here. When you are replying, click the "Add comment" button to post a comment. You have previously click to post an answer while you should have clicked comments. Please click on the ? button on the top right of your browser, then take the tour to learn how to navigate the site.

You can try SMS Backup & Restore. Install it on both phones. Backup the messages from the old phone (preferably in xml format). Transfer the file on the new phone, then use the app to restore the messages.
You can also try the method described in this answer.
Disclaimer: I am not related to the app's developer(s), just used it a few times.
Note: I am not sure if it still supports Android 2.1 or not.

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


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Can't change DNS Server on Android
I have few devices in my local network.
I want them to have names like in this example:
192.168.1.1    router.home
192.168.1.2    nas.home
192.168.1.3    rpi.home

I setup dnsmasq server on my NAS server (192.168.1.2) and edited router's DHCP config to have IP of NAS as first DNS resolver.
When I enter nas.home/ on my desktop PC everything works fine, but Android phone on same network does not, even I see right settings in WiFi description (first DNS resolver is 192.168.1.2, static IP etc.)
What can be problem? Even my notebook on WiFi works fine. Just phones not work.

Because Android loves Google, it must be sending DNS queries to 8.8.8.8. Which Android version you are on? If it's Pie, disable Private DNS in settings. If you have root, force DNS queries to your server by: iptables -I OUTPUT -p udp --dport 53 -j DNAT --to 192.168.1.2:53. Also clear DNS cache: ndc resolver clearnetdns wlan0.

@IrfanLatif Private DNS is turned off, cleanup not helped. Sure I can force it to use my dns but I dont want to do this on every Android Phone I have at home.


text:
Sharing internet from android to PC over LAN
Is it possible to share my mobile connection with a PC over a LAN cable?
Anyway, My scheme is OTG micro USB and then OTG USB ethernet adapter and then LAN cable to Windows (Bootcamp Mac).
Any help would be appreciated.

By LAN you mean WLAN or intend to use an OTG Ethernet adapter?

Use OTG Ethernet adapter

so did you try and it didn't work?

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?


text:
How do I prevent my phone from restarting after a System Update?
Phone: Mobicel TRENDY_LITE
Android: 8.1.0
For about two days now, I have been receiving many Security and System Updates.
Every time an update is ready, my phone restarts without permission.
After each update, my phone seems slower than the last one.
What can I do? All the help is appreciated.

When a system update is performed, the phone reboots to allow the new files to take over the old (the old files will be removed from the system). On some devices, it is possible to delay the update, but when it (the update) is done, one has to restart the device.
If you don't want to update at all, then install a firewall and block the wireless update app from accessing the internet.

Ah, I see! Thanks buddy!


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Combatible firmware for old S7
I got an old s7. Looking through the settings it says:
Model Number: SM-G930FD
Build Number MMB29K.G930FXXU1BPIF
Baseband Verion:G930FXXU1DQE8
I am trying to find a compatible firmware to manually install, since when I told the phone to search for updates it does not find anything. The device has Android 6.0.1 with September 2016 security update which looks very insecure to use.
I am trying to find a compatible update, preferably based on android 8 and released during the last two months. However I am not sure about what to use.
Another strange thing is that when I try to find the existing firmware on the device I cannot find it when searching for SM-G930FD. However I do find this entry for SM-G930F with PDA G930FXXU1BPIF. Also if I enter download mode the phone shows:
PRODUCT NAME: SM-G930F
!!
I am not sure what to make of this. Is the phone a G930F or a G930FD? And what should match when I try to find an official firmware that should match this phone's hardware?

Your baseband version seems to be 1 character short?

Also, to be sure about your model, can you 1) check that if you have a dual-SIM tray, and 2) download Phone INFO and obtain the full firmware info?

Had a typo, updated correct baseband.

Phone Info app shows the phone model as SM-G930F / Galaxy S7 (Dual SIM) ?!

I guess the internet just has no idea about this particular build/baseband combo, hence it can't be found anywhere. Nevertheless I'm going to submit an answer.

SM-G930F is the single-SIM variant and FD the dual-SIM variant. If it says FD in Settings, and - as a more concrete proof - can also take/read 2 SIMs (FD has a different SIM tray), then you can be sure it's an FD.
The two actually share the same hardware otherwise, hence you'll see G930F in Download Mode. In fact, 1) there had been users reporting that flashing F firmware on FD is possible and doesn't remove dual-SIM functionality (more on that in this XDA thread), and 2) it's even possible to convert an F to an FD with certain steps and swapping the SIM tray for one from FD.
As for firmware, any G930FD firmware listed will work, though for the best customized experience you'll want to find one that matches or at least close to your geographical region.

Thank you for your answer. I managed to successfully upgrade the phone with this firmware. I selected that one because the bootloader code U5E was closer to the existing one U1B than the other ones that started with S even though they were more recent.

SM-G930FD and SM-G930FD are all models of the Samsung Galaxy S7. See Samsung Galaxy S7 Specifications.

Versions: G930F (Global); G930FD (Global; Southeast Asia); G930W8 (Canada)

On the Misc section of the above link:

Models:   SM-G930F, SM-G930A, SM-G930P, SM-G930V, SM-G930T, SM-G930R, SM-G930F, SM-G930FD, SM-G930W8, SM-G930S, SM-G930L, SM-G930K, SM-G9300

For firmwares, you can verify here for G930FD and here for G930F. Check if your country is among those with new firmwares.


text:
Why is ART still needed on Android?
The reason Andy Rubin chose Java for Android Dev is not publicly known, only speculations, but it seems to me that the combination of being able to run a Java app everywhere (because the earliest version of Android used JVM) and the huge popularity of Java made it a sexy choice.
Android Run Time (ART) is the second Iteration of Java Virtual Machine after Dalvik Virtual Machine.
Obviously, Write once, run everywhere, which Java promised is not True on Android due to the highly modified JVM == ART.
My question is this:
since apps written for Android are not portable (i.e the apps are platform dependent), why still hold on to it?
Why convert to bytecode before running it on ART and not just compile to native code directly without the need for an interpreter (ART) like in the case of Apple's Swift?
Why tolerate the performance loss just for ART?
an iPhone App on 4gb ram will perform better than the same app on Android with 6gb of RAM due to the absence of the possibly unnecessary ART layer.
In 2019 and beyond why is the ART necessary?

There is one simple answer: Apple supports ~20 different device (all Apple). Google supports several thousand devices with different CPU platforms (ARMv6, ARMv7, ARMv8, x86, x86_64) and concrete implementations (MTK, Kirin, Exynos, Atom, ...). Precompiling would waste a lot of potential on the different platforms. Anyway Huawei has developed such a system. Read the details on XDA.

@Robert good reason. But then NDK shouldn't be in Android's development suite so that none of app developers' potential is wasted in compiling platform-specific libraries. Or are you talking about the potential wasted in building "all native" ROMs (by individuals or OEMs)?

@Irfan: Google provides what is demanded - there is no "the only correct way". Every programmer has a bit different preferences. The NDK allows you to reuse existing native libraries. This can save thousand of programmer hours by being able to use an already existing library. Especially for games this this very important.

Thanks, @Robert for your answer. Is there a written document that explicitly states the CPU architectures android supports? You should write your comment as an answer. Thanks

@Robert what do you mean by "Precompiling would waste a lot of potential on the different platforms" Please expatiate.

According to Unity in 2017 The most popular CPU architecture is ARM v7 with 98% market share. Even though that data is kinda dated, I do believe the ARM  CPU architecture is the overwhelmingly dominant. Why is google not optimizing for the most dominant and just cut out remaining two percent?

@Micklo_Nerd So you would buy a top notch Samsung smartphone for e.g. 1000 USD with ARMv8 (64bit) and then not be angry that Google only provides you ARMv7 binaries  that don't make use of the special AI co-processor your phone provides?

@Robert If Google made that implementation, the code will not even compile talkless of having a finished product.


text:
Google Smart Lock suggestions problem
How I can delete old profiles from that list? In my saved passwords I don't have this, only 1 saved for VK. Same problem in tinder app too, always suggested use my old number and couple other apps. It so annoying. How fix it?

Open any web browser and navigate it to https://passwords.google.com/.
Enter your Google sign-in information to sign-in to your Google account as usual.
You will see settings for turning off or on the SmartLock Passwords,
and the Auto Sign-in option for SmartLock.
These options would
be a list of all the saved passwords, whether saved through the
Chrome browser or through the SmartLock feature in Android.
Android Smart Lock Passwords Passwords are masked by default for privacy
reasons. You can reveal the masked passwords by clicking/touching
the small eye graphic.
In order to delete one of these passwords,
you can just click on the small cross shown next to that password.
The passwords are deleted without any confirmation, so be careful
    not to delete some password that you have forgotten about.


text:
How to change the subnet mask for Wi-Fi hotspot without root access?
If I start a Wi-Fi hotspot, devices connect with IP addresses in the range 192.168.43.xxx. How do I change that to the range 192.168.1.xxx  ?
I have read the answer to How to change the default DHCP IP address range on Android 7.1.2? but it requires a rooted device and I want to do this without root access.

Possible duplicate of How to change the default DHCP IP address range on Android 7.1.2?

That would certainly do it (upvote), BUT It requires root, which I do not have on my 'phone :-(


text:
I upgraded to a larger SD card and some apps can't see the transfered data
I haven't been able to find a way to get the new SD card to work like the old one does. My Call Recorder app (by Appliqato) is set to store saved calls on the SD Card. The call recording app cannot see and playback previously saved calls stored on the new 128 GB microSD Card, but can playback newly saved calls just fine. If I pop in the old 32GB microSD, playback is fine. In terms of directories and data, everything 'looks as it should'. Player.FM also is unable to playback downloaded podcasts on the new microSD Card.
The data for calls and podcasts is there - I can load it onto windows 7 and play the .mp3/.aac in winamp, but the apps in android can't find them. I can even manually select it on my phone, but can't access the 'notes' and playback features each app provides.
I've tried using xcopy as mentioned here. I tried plain old copy and paste in explorer (hidden and system files both visible). I tried cloning with EaseUS (I plan to try that again).
My phone is a Galaxy S5 with Android 6.0.1. The old microSD is a 32GB Samsung EVO, new microSD card is a 128GB Samsung EVO.
I'm hoping someone might have some advise or know of a solution.
Update: I tried other iterations of xcopy to no success. I tried EASEUS again to clone the 32GB SD to the 128GB SD. During the setup for cloning I used the edit option to expand the target drive partition to include the entire 119GB volume, hit proceed...then got an error, and now the 32GB microSD shows up as 'unallocated space' in Gparted, and in windows it says it 'needs to format the drive for it to be usable'. I triple checked I had the source and target right. It should not be this hard to transfer data...sigh. I'm asking a family member if there's a way to fix the 32GB microSD; I'll hope maybe it's just a corrupted Master Boot Record... I still have xopy copies of the 32GB I made earlier on my PC in case anyone has any ideas on how to take that data, transfer it to an SD Card, and get it to 'be seen' by the android apps mounted onto the phone.
Edit: 2.2.2020. Resolved this matter by using EaseUS Todo backupfree to clone the SDcard, then used gparted via Linux to expand the partition. Initially tried to expand the partition with EaseUS while cloning, but caused the SDcard to be unreadable. Father saved it using TestDisk and other Linux utilities.

Maybe the app does not only look for a directory (which always has the same name under android) but also for the specific SD card. Setbup the save directory again inside the app and reboot your phone.


text:
How to use phone number from my missing phone to re-activate a Viber account
My phone was stolen and I'd like to reactivate the same number to a new device. Unfortunately Viber is sending the code to the lost number. Is there a way I can do that?

The same question applies if someone changed their phone number. I changed my phone number, and now I can't access my viber account.

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

Simple answer, no you can't. The only ways to activate are via SMS or a call to receive the activation code and both methods require your phone number because the code will be sent to it. You are no longer in possession of the number you won't be able to activate Viber.
Your only solution is to talk with your service provider if it is possible to get your lost number back (it is possible in some countries). The process involves proving that the Sim (lost number) was yours by providing the last numbers called, received, if you bought data, what was the amount, etc.


text:
TWRP unable to wipe or format `Failed to mount '/system' (Device or resource busy)`
I'm trying to install LineageOS and then GAPPS on my Pixel XL from TWRP recovery. I'll try to Advance Wipe the /systems directory and Format Data, but I continue to get multiple errors:
Failed to mount '/system' (Device or resource busy)
Failed to mount '/vendor' (Device or resource busy)
And
Unable to wipe 'System'
Unable to wipe '/system'

If I just continue with adb sideload lineageos.zip most of the time it stops about halfway (PowerShell shows 47%) through and then TWRP shell  shows:
Installing zip file '/sideload/package.zip'
Step 1/2
Step 2/2

I then try to sideload the gapps.zip file and get another error saying /system doesn't have enough space. I've tried sideloading several different gapps versions including their smallest pico zip fie of 91.39 MiB.
I am able to then boot into LineageOS, but no GAPPS show and I'm not able to run any new apps installed via APK without them crashing.
My assumption is that I need to fully wipe system and format it, but I've been trying for two days now and still get the above (Device or resource busy) errors. Any help would be much appreciated!

Why are you formatting /system and /vendor with FAT? That won't work, Android requires a filesystem aware of UNIX permissions. Try with ext4 or f2fs.

@Lrfan Latif how do I do that? TWTP only gives me the format options, but doesn't let me choose what type of filesystem (I least that I'm aware of ).

TWRP does have Repair or Change Filesystem option in Advanced Wipe. You can also do that directly from terminal: mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system. For A/B devices system would be either system_a or system_b. If there is no mkfs.ext4, look for something like make_ext4 in /sbin. I don't remember exact name of binary, Android uses different than Linux.

besides the fact that TWRP think it's fat, that does not explain why it fails. busy means there are open files or folders, you must umount -l the device first. mke2fs -t ext4 is the busybox applet for formatting

@alecxs what process can be using /system or /vendor in TWRP? The busy message could be because of repeated attempts, where the previous threads of mkfs or fsck could be keeping block devices busy.

@Lrfan Latif mkfs.ext4 /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system gives me mkfs.ext4: not found. When I ls /sbin I only see mke2fs, mkfs.fat, mkexfatfs, but nothing related to ext4.
@alecxs When I run mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system I get /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system is mounted; will not make a filesystem here!
But when I run umount -l /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system I get unmount: not found

OK, I booted to an earlier version of TWRP (3.2.3.1) and I was able to use TWRP's WIPE and Advance Format tools without errors! I went ahead to install the GAPPs, but I still got the not enough space in /system error (the error scrolls by very fest fast and then it is gone before I have time to copy its exact text). Any solution to this?

/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system is just a symlink to system_a or system_b - look in df for the partition mounted on /system, repeat umount -l /system for all folders where it is mounted. For some devices TWRP requires mounted /system /vendor or /modem for decrypting /data because TWRP uses binaries from device. Other reasons can be multiple mounts or just a open cd from shell. adb pull /tmp/recovery.log will give you details about failed install. use the pico package

I fixed this by using an older version of TWRP (3.2.3.1), then I downloaded GAPPs from a different source and installed using adb sideload now all is working.

Thanks! I had this same issue with TWRP v3.3.1-0. v3.2.3.1 worked!

No luck with v3.2.3.1 for me


text:
Why do notifications stop for WhatsApp after few minutes?
I have Nokia 5.1 Plus with Android Pie.
Now, since a few days, I'm facing this irritating problem. When the WhatsApp is open, it works fine. You receive push notifications, and messages are not delayed.
When you minimize it (i.e., open other apps) and leave the phone away, I don't notice any problem for 10-15 minutes. Even when screen is locked, I receive WhatsApp notifications.
After 10-15 minutes, WhatsApp kind of freezes. When I try to send message from other phones to my phone, I see nothing. When I use phone and open WhatsApp (which wasn't closed, just minimized), I see it takes 2-3 seconds to fetch pending messages. So it kind of stops.
I have removed all battery optimizations settings for this app. Did reset of the app, still can't solve this issue. How can I fix it?

Duplicate of: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/213949/218526

I don't see it a duplicate. My notifications stop after a few minutes, not immediately.

But the reasons are same. Some power-saving / data-saving mechanism kills the apps in background.

I noticed something today after a month of problem. My phone has 32 GB memory. I noticed it had consumed 29 GB of it till today. So I freed up some space (9 GB free now). Later I noticed the WhatsApp problem is solved (so far I didn't notice any problem). Is it a possible cause?

I don't think so. By killing apps, memory is cleared from RAM, not eMMC.

Memory = storage space. I guess I typed something wrong. What you say now?

RAM is volatile memory (that requires electric current to hold data) which running processes use along with CPUs. That's the basics of computing. Hard disks and Flash Memory (SSDs, eMMC, USB sticks, SD cards etc.) are forms of persistent memory (that aren't dependent on electric current). Running processes (including all your apps) have nothing to do whether your persistent memory (eMMC) is completely full or completely empty (more than 90 or 95% full may break apps sometimes). Operating System (Android) kills running processes (apps) to free up RAM for other processes. I hope I made my point.

If you think freeing up space on your storage resolved your problem of missed / delayed notifications, you can add that as accepted answer for others' benefit.

Sure. But I'm not sure if this solved the problem. So I wanted to know about it, if you knew something like this.


text:
Sudden, semi-random reboots of S7
I bought a used Galaxy S7 about a month ago.  Ever since I bought it, it has had a tendency to reboot fairly unpredictably for no obvious reason.  I've noticed that if I am using a particular app when it reboots, it will usually reboot again if I attempt to use that app soon after startup.
Currently the phone is locked in a cycle of rebooting within a minute of startup regardless of what I do (including booting in Safe Mode).  It has rebooted at least 20 times in this way, with uptime always or almost always under 1 minute before reboot and no interaction with the phone at all.
I've tried clearing the Dalvik cache and other cache partition; although this did not fix the issue, I did notice that it took quite a bit longer (multiple minutes) to reboot on the first bootup after clearing the caches.
How can I get my phone to stabilize and hopefully avoid future unsolicited reboots?
UPDATE: whoops, forgot to read that info link for [boot-loop].  Apparently at this point I'm expected to give up and do a factory reset.  However, I'm concerned that the issue may be that there are bad blocks in the NAND.  Is this a possibility, and if so, is there a way to mark them so the firmware does not attempt to use them?

Random reboots could be due to almost any software/hardware related issue. Usually a kernel panic log (like in pstore, if you can access) can give a quick hint what happened just before reboot. Property persist.sys.boot.reason may also give a tiny hint in some situations. If a factory reset or firmware update doesn't fix it, most probably it's hardware related e.g. RAM or some thermal problem. Contacting official CS will be more beneficial in that case.

A dying eMMC usually doesn't cause random reboots (AFA I've experienced and observed), it starts with write-protection of memory, so the data gets lost and you will face funny situations. Then some partition may fail. A factory reset will give you better clue on that e.g. if you fail to wipe /data or /cache. Use blkdiscard tool to make sure memory is completely erased, but that requires root. Bad silicon cells of flash memory are fully handled by eMMC firmware, you have no control over them, even on costly SSDs. And phones even don't have S.M.A.R.T to know about eMMC's life beforehand.

Sorry, how would I access pstore?  I'm in the recovery shell but I don't see it in /dev or /sys/fs

Then your kernel (main or in recovery or both) isn't built with CONFIG_PSTORE. Do grep pstore /proc/filesystems to confirm.


text:
Settings app keeps crashing on Meizu M6
When I try to open the Setting app on my Meizu M6 (with Flyme 7.1.1.0G), it stays on for like a half a second and then closes.
Usually when this happens to me, what I do is clear the cache or if that won't help, even the data of the application. So basically, Settings is not working, so go to Settings, Apps, Settings, and clear cache. I hope everyone sees the catch here.
I've tried restarting the phone, but the Settings app still crashes. I've noticed that if I am fast enough, I can get into the submenu of the settings, so I've spent 30 minutes training my fingers to open settings, scroll down, and click Apps in less than half a second. I was lucky and managed to get into Apps (which didn't crash), found Settings app and when I tried to clear the cache, Apps crashed and Settings didn't work either.
What can I do? I would love to avoid a factory reset.

You can try booting the phone into safe mode and see if the problem persists. If so, then you might have corrupted system files and you'll need to reflash the ROM to fix that.

Probably a naive question,  but how do you boot in safe mode?

You can do that by booting the phone normally and getting to the power menu by long pressing the power button and then touching and holding on reboot (or power off icon depending on the vendor) until it prompts to reboot into safe mode, accept the prompt to reboot into safe mode.

This may not be the solution for your problem but for others like me coming here from a search, my issue seems to be caused by my work profile.
My workaround:

Swipe up from the bottom of your home screen (launcher) to open your app drawer.
Tap on the "Work" tab.
Tap on the "Turn off work apps" button.

My Settings app stopped crashing when my work profile was temporarily disabled.
I tried freezing one app at a time in my work profile (through Shelter), but it still crashes with all user apps frozen. It might be an issue with the actual profile. I recently enabled a lock screen PIN and fingerprint on my main profile, so that may have messed up something with my work profile. I found someone with a similar problem and he said disabling "Use one lock" in the Android security settings fixed his issue, but that doesn't seem to work for me.

I just have experienced a very similar problem (the Settings app immediately crashes on opening, de-facto making any kind of access to phone settings impossible). Since this is the first hit for such a question on Google, I'll describe my case and the fix here:
The problem in my case was that the Settings app somehow depends on the Google app and crashes when the Google app is up-to-date (at the time of writing this). It is certainly the case that my phone's Android version is rather ancient (9) and could be due to some oversight on the manufacturer's side, but this nevertheless is a fairly recent regression and Google will hopefully fix it in the future.
As a temporary fix, resetting the Google app to factory via "uninstall" + prohibiting auto-updates for the Google app works.


text:
I have a LG xcharge that is stuck on the firmware update screen and my phone doesnt have a removable battery. what do i do?
My phone is stuck on the firmware update screen and my phone doesn't have a removable battery. What do I do?

Hold power button for 10+ seconds (for hard restart) or wait till the battery runs out.


text:
Call with another caller ID
Dear Android enthusiasts,
I have a landline telephone with expensive calling rates, while the contract in my android smartphone is quite cheap. In order to save money I would like to call with my handy, but showing the telephone number of my landline.
In that way people can call me back and I avoid revealing my smartphone number.
Do you have any idea, how to show another telephone number when calling? I know how to hide the number, but that is no solution.
Thanks!

That's called Caller ID spoofing and might not be  legal in your region. Anyhow, some SIP services coupled with relevant softwares, such as Linphone, let you do that. You can search in this direction.

@Firelord thanks, I'll take a look at Linphone. By the way, If there is such a law against spoofing is for evil people, I do not feel any guilt by showing my landline number instead of my mobile phone :)

how about just suppressing your mobile no

@alecxs The problem is then twofold: people may not answer, as they do not know who is calling. Moreover, if they cannot answer and they try to call back later, they have no number to do it.


text:
Recover media from Android backup files
first time I ask a question here so I'll try to explain myself at my best. English is not my native language, so please bear with me.
In 2017 I had an Asus Zenfone 2 that got bricked plus it doesn't charge anymore, pc doesn't even detect it, usb port is broken I think, nor enters in recovery mode.
Lucky me, when it started having problems 2 years ago, I entered recovery mode and did a backup on an sd card from the RM menu.
Now I found the backup files and I thought it would be nice to recover my old pictures.
Shame is that I don't have the slightest idea on how to use these files.

These are the backup files. In the folder "abba" there are four more folders containing several 1KB files.
Does anyone know if I can still recover something and how to do it?
I thought maybe by using an Android Virtual Machine but I wouldn't know how to do it...
At the time I think my Asus mounted Nougat, don't know if it can be a useful information.
Thank you in advance!

Possible duplicate of How to extract a compressed TWRP backup?

Thank you very much for your answer. It seems that data/media contains nothing so I must have reset the phone before the backup (it seems odd to me because I'd never do something so unlogical).
Anyway, thanks again

TWRP allows backup for devices with no external MicroSD Card. Therefore TWRP does always exclude Internal Storage from backup. They recommend manually copy Internal Storage via USB-MTP (which makes sense after creating  TWRP backup because it contains TWRP Backup folder too). If you know how to unpack/repack recovery.img you can add this fix (experimental) https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3941108 this will allow you backup of Internal Storage from TWRP

Question is not about how to enable SD card backup in TWRP, the actual concern is how to extract SD card data from an already created backup. Which is not possible because /data/media/0 isn't backed up, whether TWRP had the capability to do so or not.

true. but the question can not be answered without any existing backup of /data/media/0 or explanation why it never exist. so this is answer how to create such backup, instead of wondering how to recover


text:
After flashing from SP Flash tool, phone won't boot up
Device: Huawei Honor Hol-U19
It was bootloop so I tried flashing the firmware sing SP Flash tool. But now, the phone won't even start/boot to it's logo. I can't feel any vibration afte pressing the power button or any of the buttons. Can someone help me?

remove battery and check if preloader drivers detected (pops up for a second when connecting)

I can flash it again and again. But wont boot up

won't boot up, or completely dead? what exactly did you flash and how? make a readback of boot.img. patch it with Magisk Manager and flash it back. do not flash preloader. do not 'Firmware upgrade' or 'Format all'

I used Format All + Download. Then the phone is dead but can still be detected by SP Flash tool. Ho do I fix that?

You need another device for cloning. You have erased important partitions which are not in included in ROM

Can't I get online tools for that without the other device?

open scatter file and change all partitions to is_download = true, find a stock ROM which includes all partitions, flash all partitions except preloader, then find a tool for restoring IMEI (maybe if you read all 246 pages you find solution) https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64880361&postcount=1250

Do you have the list of all partitions needed? @alecxs

look inside the scatter file on post #2

@alecxs last question. Should I use Format All + Download this time, or Download Only?

@alecxs now the checksum does not match the scatter

i recommend Download only. just delete the checksum

LG hold both volume button and power button same time fir about 20 seconds, worked for me tho cricket had no clue.


text:
Android OS Storage Usage
I have two fresh Galaxy device on Android 9 , the difference is in storage , one is 512GB and another is 128GB. System usage in both is different , 128GB version uses 27GB on fresh but the 512GB version use up to 47GB. There is no installed app and both devices are just out of box.
My question is why Android uses more storage on 512GB version and how can I decrease the amount? If it's dynamic what's the reason and should it decrease if the device is out of storage?

I don't want to root both devices, so I checked it on another device which is previously rooted. By df -h I see it's about device partition, the rooted device is 32GB out of which only 25GB is available. Other partitions are listed as below:

As you can see there is some duplicate mounted partitions , but sum of their sizes will be 32GB.

Root both and take a comparison of du -h /data | sort -h.

Check the partition size using an app like DiskInfo. On Android the system has on own partition. If the partition is larger the free size for user data is smaller.

@Robert df -h would also do the job. Just because eMMC is larger, could /system be larger on the same model? Shouldn't only userdata differ, that's what custom paid extra for.

Would you consider sharing your results? I just asked a very similar question here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/244678/installed-base-system-size-on-galaxy-s10-smartphone Thank you :-)

With root take a comparison of space usage on both devices by executing du -h /data | sort -h. Without root you can rely on figures reported by filesystem by running df -h.
From the updated screenshot you have attached, no partition is duplicate mounted. If you are talking about tmpfs, it's a volatile filesystem which lives in RAM and is vanished on reboot. It isn't part of your persistent storage.
Your /data and /system added make 29GiB. That's what you get on a 32GB device. Up to 2GiB difference comes because of Gigabyte (GB) and Gibibyte (GiB). Also there are usually 50+ partitions on an Android device which aren't mounted (except a few filesystems). And there's free space left by manufacturers for over-provisioning of flash memory.
For details see: How disk space is used on Android device?


text:
how to backup my internal memory data from soft bricked phone
TL;DR
How can i unlock the bootloader with SP Flash Tool?
(scroll down below)
iam using lenovo k8 note, Suddenly my mobile restarted and stucked with logo screen, and some times i got error like dll image fail. for that i have searched in google and flashed cache.img file. Now phones is booting only in fastboot mode or stock recovery. so now i need to backup my data from phone.please guide me, how to get those data from internal memory.
Note: i have not rooted my phone.
Note: i have backup of full rom using sp flashtool which is encrypted. As i tried below answers which were not worked. So i given to service center which they are saying it is hardware issue. Now i want to get my data which is encrpted. is there any alternate solution to solve my issue.
Please follow this link once which followed entirely
https://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/95995/2019/7/10
ROM is Android Oreo build number OMB27.43-70 and OEM unlocking is not enabled in Developer Settings.
What i have tried so far

I have created my own scatter file with WwR MTK 2.51.
did a full ROM dump with SP Flash Tool (59 gb size), the partition starts from SYS0 to SYS34. i have splitted it in all of its partitions and saved to harddisk.
preloader,pgpt,recovery,para,expdb,frp,nvcfg,nvdata,metadata,protect1,protect2,seccffg,oemkeystore,proinfo,md1img,md1dsp,md1arm7,md3img,scp1,scp2,nvram,lk,lk2,boot,logo,tee1,tee2,efuse,keystore,system,cache,userdata,otp,flashinfo,sgpt

checked the recovery.img (from readback) with AIK it does unpack successful, so i am sure the scatter file is pointing to the right area of memory.
I read about Lenovo MTK Secure Boot and found a Download Agent for the Lenovo K8 Plus, which seems to work for my Lenovo K8 Note.
I tried all of these  Download Agents, only the first will work
MTK_AllInOne_DA.bin
DA_PL.bin
DA_PL_CRYPTO20.bin
DA_SWSEC.bin
DA_SWSEC_CRYPTO20.bin

I have flashed back the stock recovery.img from SP Flash Tool, it was sucessful. so after that i tried to install twrp but got
ERROR: STATUS_SEC_IMGHDR_TYPE_MISMATCH(0xC0020029)
[HINT]:
verified boot is enabled.
please download signed image (recovery-verified.img) or disable verified boot.

I followed this Tutorial and signed the twrp.img with some random key. Trying to flash twrp-3.3.1-0-manning-signed.img from SP Flash Tool gives the same error. got some information from hovatek
Message: BROM ERROR: STATUS_SEC_IMGHDR_TYPE_MISMATCH (0xC0020029)
Meaning: You are trying to flash modified files to a device that only accepts signed or verified images
Solution:
Download and flash the official firmware (usually have -verified or -signed prefixes)

I gave up and decided to unlock the bootloader, but this doesn't work either
(because of OEM lock)
fastboot oem unlock
< waiting for any device >
(bootloader) Start unlock flow
FAILED (remote: 'Unlock operation is not allowed')
fastboot: error: Command failed

Therefore i tried to flash boot.img recovery.img and system.img from here

i have set option --> downloaded --> selected tick for  --> usb-checksum and storage-checksum (i tried with and without checksum)
first time flashing stucked at recovery.img which is showing 100%, after that got error, then showing
ERROR: STATUS_UNKNOWN_STORAGE_TYPE(0xc0040009) and
Message: BROM ERROR: STATUS_DOWNLOAD_EXCEPTION (0xC0050003)
Meaning: There was an interruption during writing to one or more partitions
Solution:
- Repeat flashing with the latest version of SP Flash Tool
- Try using a different Port, USB cord and PC
- Try flashing one partition at a time

taking a look into sp ft logs which shows
[00668152] [00:38:26:564109] [Tid0x00000be0] [info] data_mux receive timeout. #(data_mux.cpp, line:71) #(device_log_source.cpp, line:63)
[00668153] [00:38:26:611019] [Tid0x00000be0] [info] Rx DA log timeout, continue. #(device_log_source.cpp, line:62)

i gave up now because flashing system.img stopped at 3%. this may caused by eMMC is probably weared out at this particular area, or the timeout is caused by a weak connection. i already tried different usb cables.
the goal is still to decrypt my data which is afaik only possible on the device itself. I have a backup of the encrypted partition so i can restore it to the phone after unlocking/factory reset, if neccessary. (at the moment all my data is still on the phone, i haven't performed a successful factory reset, yet)
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash userdata C:\adb\userdata.img
fastboot flash metadata C:\adb\metadata.img
fastboot boot C:\adb\twrp-3.3.1-0-manning.img

please note chip-off method is not a solution, i already have a full ROM dump but it is encrypted.
TL;DR
The question is now, how can i unlock the bootloader with SP Flash Tool?
(as alecxs suggested it may possible to flash seccfg.bin + lk.bin from another Lenovo K8 Note, but i need help on digging more into this)

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

there exist new methods SLA/DAA auth by-pass and mtkclient to unlock bootloader

1) install Preloader drivers

2) find scatter file (usually included in stock rom)
if you can not find it copy this into txt file
############################################################################################################
#
#  General Setting
#
############################################################################################################
- general: MTK_PLATFORM_CFG
  info:
    - config_version: V1.1.2
      platform: MT6797
      project: manning
      storage: EMMC
      boot_channel: MSDC_0
      block_size: 0x20000
############################################################################################################
#
#  Layout Setting
#
############################################################################################################
- partition_index: SYS2
  partition_name: recovery
  file_name: recovery.img
  is_download: true
  type: NORMAL_ROM
  linear_start_addr: 0x8000
  physical_start_addr: 0x8000
  partition_size: 0x1000000
  region: EMMC_USER
  storage: HW_STORAGE_EMMC
  boundary_check: true
  is_reserved: false
  operation_type: UPDATE
  is_upgradable: true
  empty_boot_needed: false
  reserve: 0x00

3) download SP Flash Tool and readback original recovery from phone for
Region EMMC_USER with
start_addr and
partition_size from scatter file
 - click Read Back
 - remove battery
 - connect USB cable

4) flash TWRP to recovery with SP Flash Tool
 - uncheck all checkboxes
 - double click on recovery (Location field) and select twrp-3.3.1-0-manning.img
 - select "Download only"
 - click on Download
 - remove battery
 - connect USB cable

5) reboot into TWRP recovery
 - insert battery
 - press and hold Volume Up
 - disconnect USB cable
 - reconnect USB cable
 - release Volume Up when this screen appears
 - confirm with Volume Down

6) make a TWRP backup of Data, then open phone from PC and copy Internal Storage

i don't think this really matters, but just in case here is enlarged twrp.img to 16 MB (filled with zero bytes with HxD)
https://www.mediafire.com/file/g2tsm0fxox16jv0/twrp-3.3.1-0-manning.zip

i can confirm this method works for Cubot King Kong MT6580 - SP Flash Tool can definitely flash TWRP with locked bootloader, and TWRP does successful decrypt userdata with default_password - things may change in future

but  i downloaded twrp which mentioned in the above link, and flashed but got error  like "pmt changed the rom".

do not 'Firmware upgrade' or 'Format All + Download' unless you have a full ROM dump, you can seriously brick your phone without backup or wrong scatter file. try with other USB cable or connect and re-install drivers to another port

i checked with service center they also saying hardware issue,it cannot be repaired, please confirm one thing, moving processor and emmc(internal memory chip)  to new working board is enough to decrypt my data. this is final try.

if you have a working board, unlock it and try to flash the unlocked bootloader to old device. don't try to move a (probably weared-out) emmc to a working board that makes no sense https://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/51075053#51075053

that is the issue here, they are saying something shortage is happened in your board,so even they cant install new software due to hardware issue

no replies from anyone, backup of 58 gb dump is it waste? alecxs - can u check this link https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/01/turns_out_breaking_android_fulldisk_encryption_is_easy_with_the_right_code/ and https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22406368/decrypting-data-on-desktop-that-was-encrypted-on-android

keep the backup! You are still able to flash stock recovery. So there is sure a way to flash twrp recovery and decrypt on device itself. read about lk/seccfg

the first link is exploit for qualcomm. i already posted exploit for mtk (kinibi). but there is no code for using it. the second link is not related, it is just decrypting with known keys. you need the master key

Question is, how to unlock bootloader from SP Flash Tool (while OEM lock is active and no working/flashable system)

just now called to service center guy, he is returning my mobile.same reason hardware and software issue not repairable

You have a new connector now? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/For-Lenovo-K8-Note-K8NOTE-USB-Charging-Port-Dock-Plug-Jack-Connector-Charge-Board-With-Vibrator/32880647242.html

You can ask the authors of KINIBI if they have developer tool for extracting the decrypted KeyMaster's secret RSA key blob from MTK chip (and if they provide a service to customers in case you are the proofed owner of the encrypted device)
https://www.trustonic.com

Thanks for the edited post with detail description,once backup is done, we formatted the phone.


text:
How to reset a kid's forgotten phone lock-screen password?
My 6-year-old grandson has now made two (ancient) phones useless by changing his password, and then forgetting it. He only uses phones in my house every few weeks.
On my Windows 10 LAPTOP, he has a "Standard" account. I'm the Administrator. Using that configuration, If he forgets his password, I simply reset it and then tell him the value.
Is it possible to do the same thing on an Android phone?
I think there are apps to prevent him downloading stuff, but I haven't found any app that would allow an Administrator to reset a forgotten password.
Thanks.

Download Android multi tools and you can reset by pressing 2 on your keyboard

I was researching the multi-tools a few days ago. Something made me suspicious. I did some Googling. Results were 50-50. I would prefer 100-0. Thanks.

So the grandson isn't on Google Family Link with the parents? If the loaner devices are older than Android 4.4, then can you set him up as a secondary account so that at worse, you'll have to delete his profile and not factory reset a device.

@Morr. No GFM with parents. Phone is only used in my house. I researched "secondary account". That would be my fallback if there's nothing more sophisticated.

you can use google account password as fallback when device is completely locked after 10 wrong pin/pattern attempts

Download find my device and make it device administrator(which is enabled by default i think..).. And if the kid changes password then you can reset it from the find my device website using your laptop.. Just ensure that the phone has internet connection while trying to reset it..
WEBSITE
APP
DON'T FORGET TO DO A TEST RUN..
If anything goes wrong just comment here.. I'll help


text:
Mount image of encrypted internal storage data partition from android P
When trying to upgrade to a newer rom, my system got a little messed up and I had to format my /data partition. I had made TitaniumBackup and twrp backups but they were on the encrypted data partition. When I flashed the new rom, this partition became all hashed folders and TWRP stopped asking me for the password. I took the time to do an adb pull of the /dev/block/sda21 (which is the device that is mounted on sdcard/. How would I go about decrypting this on a linux device?

https://android.stackexchange.com/a/206762 https://android.stackexchange.com/a/145446

This solution works for Adoptable Storage, but the things could differ for /data. First of all the key isn't in /data/misc/vold, instead in crypto footer of userdata partition (usually last 16KB). Secondly the encryption algorithm may be different e.g. on Qualcomm devices aes-xts is used with dm-req-crypt while on others its aes-cbc-essiv with dm-crypt target. And the key is also bound to hardware.

in fact, they keys are gone. it is not possible to decrypt data (otherwise TWRP would do the job)

Yes, TWRP uses same code from vold which encrypts/decrypts /data on main Android OS.


text:
Is there a way to improve voice to text results?
Lately, I've been doing quite a bit of dictation using the voice-to-text functionality.  For the most part, it's all right but it's developed some annoying behavior.

Regular words are getting replaced with proper nouns.  "My Key" becomes "Mikey" even with a decent pause between the words.  "Two Chains" becomes "2 Chainz"
Words are getting shortened "cause" often becomes "cuz".

Are there settings to make the voice-to-text NOT change what I actually said? I do see it type out "My Key" and change it into "Mikey"
I have my language set to US English

With Gboard, there's indeed currently no option to correct a word so that you can improve the speech to text recognition.
See https://android.stackexchange.com/a/244527/12202  for a mediocre workaround.


text:
What does downloads mean in Google Play store app page?
When we open the app page on Google Play Store, it says 1k+ downloads. What does this mean? Does this mean current total installs or total installs in life of the app?

It's the total over the life time of an app.
In 2017, Google Play Services was the first app to reach 5 billion downloads.
The important point from the article is:

If you're not familiar with how the Play Store works, it's important to note that Play Services hasn't actually been manually downloaded that many times. When someone logs into an Android device with their Google account, Google Play marks the pre-installed apps as downloads. So in reality, this means over five billion devices with Play Services installed were used at some point.

Whether an app was downloaded directly via Google Play or whether it was installed by a manufacturer, Google Play Store counts both occasions as downloads and adds them to the total.
With Google's announcement that there are 2.5 billions (excluding China and Amazon's FireOS) active devices running Android, the number of downloads shown on the app's Google Play page can be skewed if it comes already installed on the devices.


text:
Any chance to get rid of "PC Sync" calendar entirely?
Ten years later... Can someone explain me, how did I get "PC Sync" calendar to my stock calendar app on my Android 8.1 / Neffos X9 and -- the most important -- how to get rid of it?
I know, I can uncheck it (what I did) and I won't see any events from it. But, I want to get rid of it entirely. The thing is that it appear on the top of the list of my calendars, when I creating each and every new event, which pisses me a little bit.
Since I've been using Android 8.0 / 8.1 for 1+ year and "PC Sync" appeared just a week ago or so, I'd like to also know what I did or what happened that I was free of it (and happy) for year and now I am forced to see it everywhere around my Calendar app.


text:
Double tap to zoom on Pixel 3a chrome browser?
I've just switched phones from iPhone to a Pixel 3a and one of the things I'm missing right now is double double tap to zoom in Chrome. I haven't found anything suggesting the feature doesn't exist on Android. I've found a few questions asking how to disable it but I don't see those options myself so I can't just enable it.
When I double click a block of text instead of zooming to fit the screen it just selects the word I tapped. Instead I have to tweak the zoom level with pinch-to-zoom until it is sized properly.
Am I missing some setting to enable this? Is there another way to zoom to fit? Are there any alternatives to pinch-to-zoom?

Have you seen this https://android.stackexchange.com/q/251817/360364

Since Chrome 32, Google started removing the 300ms to allow the double tap to zoom in or out for mobile sites.

For many years, mobile browsers applied a 300-350ms delay between touchend and click while they waited to see if this was going to be a double-tap or not, since double-tap was a gesture to zoom into text.
Ever since the first release of Chrome for Android, this delay was removed if pinch-zoom was also disabled. However, pinch zoom is an important accessibility feature. As of Chrome 32 (back in 2014) this delay is gone for mobile-optimized sites, without removing pinch-zooming! Firefox and IE/Edge did the same shortly afterwards, and in March 2016 a similar fix landed in iOS 9.3.

According to Google:

Is losing double-tap-to-zoom an accessibility concern?
No. Pinch zoom continues to work, and OS features cater for users who find this gesture difficult. On Android, magnification gestures takes care of it. Tools like this even work outside the browser.

However, if you request desktop sites, you will still be able to zoom in/out off pages using the double tab. For mobile sites, you should enable Magnification gestures and use the triple-tap to zoom.

I see. Since it's a mobile site it's assumed to be optimized for mobile. Unfortunately the site I used this feature on leaves a large left gutter in landscape mode.


text:
How do I get a hacker out of my phone?
The other day my phone number was added to my Google account, data was turned on and off. Different things have been happening. I have a LG V35 and it has an LG VPN section and when I check the log. It shows background scripts or whatever being run in my phone. I do not have a VPN. I tried resetting my phone to factory and it didn't work. Please someone help me get this person out of my phone. The other day it said it got one profile.

Its the log from the app itself. I dont think its from some hacker.
What other problems are you having that suggest it is hacker?

My Google phone number being added to my Google account. Me having to toggle my data on and off like somebody battling over a light switch.

imagine i would give you full remote access via USB debugging on my phone. what exactly would you do if you were the "hacker"? btw you would need root access for a backdoor, and for this you need physical access to my device at least once. And why should a 'hacker' switch off internet connection when this is the only way for remote access? You are really not that interesting..

@alecxs agreed. This looks over-consciousness without evidence. Or may be the issues are something else.

My phone is not rooted. I have no VPN. A guy did have physical access to my phone and messed around with developer options and what not. He was telling me how he could hack into people's Wi-Fi and all kinds of shit.

@Chrissorey you shouldn't be that helpless. Device is yours, in your hands, no one can control it better than you. A Factory Reset returns the device to its original state. Any modifications made by user are reversed except if the device was rooted and partitions other than /data and /cache e.g. /system or /vendor were modified. But that doesn't seems to be the case with your device. Another (minor) possibility is to take control of device at kernel or bootloader level e.g. through rootkits. But isn't possible by just making a few changes in Developer Options or so. That needs hacking.

Look through your installed app (in settings). Is there some new weird app you have never seen before and not installed yourself which is labeled as "System-App"? Yes? Your are screwed. Only way to get rid of it is to re-flash the whole ROM. Well you could also root your phone and use one of countless apps/modules to remove System-Apps. But God knows what the virus will do when it gets root access.
I have seen this years ago on a Huawei Mate 1. The app was turning on WiFi and Data permanently to load ads and malware. Factory reset did nothing. Clean flash of a new ROM was the only way.


text:
Is root required for screen sharing / remote desktop on Android Pi
I am having inordinate difficulty trying to get any kind of remote desktop working on a Samsung SM-T510 tablet I have just bought (which runs on Android Pi).   I have tried Teamviewer, Airdroid and Vysor - and none allow me to do anything meaningful.   (I have enabled Developer Mode).
I have tentatively concluded that something in the Android permissions model is preventing this sharing from happening, which would seem to mean that looking to do this without jailbreaking the phone [ which I don't want to do ] is futile.
Does anyone know if it is actually possible to do screen sharing on Android Pi on a phone that is not rooted?

Have you tried https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy?

@trishmapow Thank you for this link - unfortunately it does not answer my question, and, indeed installing this piece of software seems stupidly hard (the instructions for Ubuntu 16.04 dont match reality, and the snap does not work).   I'm loathe to download a gig of data for an SDK I'm told is not needed to compile the runtime, but then required when I attempt to compile it!


text:
How can I emulate pressing another application's Quick Settings tile?
I'd like to programatically press another application's Quick Settings Tile, e.g. from the shell or Tasker.

In this particular case, I'd like to press ProtonVPN's tile in order to automate connecting and disconnecting.
After tearing apart the app, I found that I could reliably disconnect the VPN with:
su root -c am start-foreground-service -n com.protonvpn.android/org.strongswan.android.logic.CharonVpnService -a android.net.VpnService.DISCONNECT

I can sometimes connect with:
su root -c am start-foreground-service -n com.protonvpn.android/org.strongswan.android.logic.CharonVpnService -a android.net.VpnService

However, this is not very reliable as it's an internal mechanism that bypasses much of what the app does in the process of properly establishing a Quick Connect connection.
If there's an intent that will simulate what occurs when an app's tile is pressed, it should provide a much cleaner solution.
In this instance, the app has the service com.protonvpn.android.components.QuickTileService and an intent action filter of android.service.quicksettings.action.QS_TILE however I'm at a loss for where to go from there.

In brief
Automating an already visible Quick Settings tile
# Click on a TileService of the specified component
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent

# You may need to expand the status bar to show the quick settings
# before it'll apply.  Not sure why.
cmd statusbar expand-settings
sleep 0.25 # 250 ms or shorter may be enough
cmd statusbar collapse

Adding a Quick Settings tile and removing it after clicking
# Expand, add tile, wait for it to initialize
cmd statusbar expand-settings
cmd statusbar add-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.20

# Click tile, wait for it to react
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.35

# Remove tile, collapse
cmd statusbar remove-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
cmd statusbar collapse

Guided walkthrough
Finding package name and component
Skip this if you already know how to find the QuickSettings Tile service.

Install an application like apps_Packages Info [F-Droid] to browse through the list of installed apps and all services.

Find the application whose tile you want to toggle and open the application details by tapping on it

Example: Digital Wellbeing is com.google.android.apps.wellbeing

Expand the Services dropdown in the application detail page

Find the tile service, which will have the permission android.permission.BIND_QUICK_SETTINGS_TILE, then note down the component name

Example: Bedtime mode (formerly Grayscale) QS tile is .screen.ui.GrayscaleTileService

Make note of the full package name and component name, and fill out the command below:

cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent

Example 1: to toggle Digital Wellbeing's Bedtime mode (formerly Grayscale) QS tile…
cmd statusbar click-tile com.google.android.apps.wellbeing/.screen.ui.GrayscaleTileService

Example 2: to toggle Digital Wellbeing's Focus Mode QS tile…
cmd statusbar click-tile com.google.android.apps.wellbeing/.focusmode.quicksettings.FocusModeTileService

Automating the Quick Settings tile
On some versions of Android, toggling the Quick Settings tile via click-tile won't apply until the Quick Settings section is expanded.  As soon as the Quick Settings section is revealed, it'll work, even if the tile itself is placed on a secondary page of quick settings tiles (e.g. page 2).
This works even when the screen is locked if the QS tile doesn't require unlocking to toggle.  However, the display must be on.
Try without expanding the Quick Settings section first, and if that doesn't work, try the expanding method instead.
General steps
If the Quick Settings tile is already added…

Turn on screen if it's off
Expand Quick Settings via cmd statusbar expand-settings

This might not be needed for you - try without first

Run cmd statusbar click-tile [component] command discovered above
Wait a short delay, e.g. 250 ms
Optionally, close status bar via cmd statusbar collapse
Optionally, turn screen off if it wasn't already on

If you don't want to keep the Quick Settings tile around…

Turn on screen if it's off
Expand Quick Settings via cmd statusbar expand-settings

As before, this might not be needed - try without first

Add the Quick Settings tile via cmd statusbar add-tile [component]
Wait a short delay, e.g. 200 ms
Run cmd statusbar click-tile [component] command discovered above
Wait a short delay, e.g. 350 ms
Run cmd statusbar remove-tile [component]
Optionally, close status bar via cmd statusbar collapse
Optionally, turn screen off if it wasn't already on

Example shell script (with Tasker counterpart)
If the Quick Settings tile is already added…
# Wake up device
input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn On

# Expand the Quick Settings section of the status bar
cmd statusbar expand-settings
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Click on a TileService of the specified component
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above, check "Use Root"

# Wait for click to register, 350 ms or shorter may be enough
sleep 0.35
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Task -> Wait, then set delay to 350 ms

# Optional: collapse status bar
# This won't work when on the lockscreen, but turning the screen off
# also collapses the status bar for you.
cmd statusbar collapse
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Optional: put device to sleep
# (Up to you: only turn off if the screen wasn't already on.)
input keyevent KEYCODE_POWER
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn Off, enabling "Lock"

If you don't want to keep the Quick Settings tile around…
# Wake up device
input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn On

# Expand the Quick Settings section of the status bar
cmd statusbar expand-settings
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Add the TileService of the specified component, click on it, then
# remove it
# 'sleep' gives time for the tile to initialize and the click to
# register, 200 ms or shorter may be enough
cmd statusbar add-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.20
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.35
cmd statusbar remove-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above, check "Use Root"

# No need to wait for click to register, waiting was done above

# Optional: collapse status bar
# This won't work when on the lockscreen, but turning the screen off
# also collapses the status bar for you.
cmd statusbar collapse
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Optional: put device to sleep
# (Up to you: only turn off if the screen wasn't already on.)
input keyevent KEYCODE_POWER
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn Off, enabling "Lock"

NOTE: root or ADB is required!
If you are using an automation app rather than adb shell, cmd statusbar add-tile/click-tile/remove-tile must be run with root or via e.g. ADB WiFi actions.
The other cmd statusbar commands may be run without root.
Tasker/etc have non-root options for waking the screen and putting it to sleep.
Other details
cmd statusbar click-tile appears to have been added with Android 7.0, so this should work ever since custom quick setting tiles were officially added to Android.
I've not found any way to read the Quick Settings tile state, e.g. active/on or inactive/off.  To work around this, I've checked logcat and app notifications via dumpsys notification to see what's running or paused.
I've also not found out how to toggle the built-in Android System Quick Settings tiles; fortunately, most of them appear to be achievable via other means (secure settings, service calls, etc).

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone with this one, but seeing as no one else has had any input, I thought I may as well mention it for you to test:

Go to G Play Market and install Nova Launcher.
Skip all the setup and go straight to the Home screen with Nova as the default launcher (since you're just testing functionality at this point)
Long press your background and select Widgets, then scroll down to Nova Launcher and find the "Activity" widget (for me it's the second widget); long-press then drag to an empty space on Home Screen
Once you let go to set the widget, an overlay prompt will come into focus and start loading.  Depending on your device and the number of apps installed, this may take a minute or two, so don't be alarmed.  Once it finishes loading, scroll down to your app and locate the activity thread you're looking for and select it (you can long-press them one by one to test the function as well, it will return you back to the previous overlay prompt if the thread didn't cause a crash...if it does, you'll have to restart from step 3.

I always thought it was a neat function but never got around to testing what it was capable of doing.  Hope this works out for you!
NOTE: I am enrolled in the Beta and have the Prime (paid) version, so I'm not sure if that might affect this specific function or not.  You can likely purchase for testing and request a refund if necessary.


text:
How to make F-Droid hide data about incompatible packages?
In 2019 with F-Droid v1.22 running on an ancient DROID Pro about 95% of the much newer software is incompatible and grayed out.  When browsing by category, these grayed out apps consume most of the screen.  On this hardware F-Droid would be much more usable if there were some setting that would just hide all those grayed out apps.
Can F-Droid hide data about incompatible packages?
Failing that, is there some Linux-based app that can browse an F-Droid repository and filter out incompatible cruft?

DROID Pro version number data:  System version: 4.7.3.XT610.Verizon.en.US, Android version: 2.3.4

Have you checked with the options page? It has a toggle for that. What you describe sounds like you have "show incompatible apps" enabled, which makes F-Droid show them but grayed out (idea is to allow you browsing them all while making clear what you can install on that device and what not). Switching that toggle off should make those gray ones disappear. Please try and let me know, so I can write up an answer.

@Izzy, I have checked before.  Unfortunately, although that "Include incompatible" checkbox would appear to be just the thing, it's never had any noticeable effect.

In this case, rather check with the fdroidclient issue tracker. Uh, looks like this one is yours…

@Izzy, That 's a Bingo.  Please post that comment as an answer.

Usually, this should be what the corresponding toggle on the Option page is for: If you untick "include incompatible apps", they should be hidden (and if you tick it, they are shown but grayed out – just as you describe).
As this doesn't work for you, you might be plagued by a long-standing bug. Unfortunately, there's nothing we at Android.SE can do about it but suggesting you to chime in there and rise awareness, so it might finally get fixed. As the issue is still open, it seems so is the bug – though updating to a more recent version is worth trying (v1.2.2 is not quite up-to-date; ATM v1.6 should be the current stable) if your Android version permits.


text:
Where does Havoc Os store update files?
I am relatively new in HavocOS.
I am seeing an update has arrived in my OS, it is downloaded already.
But I can't find the files downloaded in the mobile.
I want to manually update with TWRP recovery to install the Upgrade.
But where does HavocOs store its downloaded upgrade files?

I have found a solution here.

Hold tap near the changelog button and you'll see an export option pop up.
Click on it and it will export zip file in internal storage in a folder called Updates

/data/havoc_updates/ is the location.


text:
Motorola Moto X Play IMEI=0
I accidentally ran fastboot erase all and now the IMEI isn't being recognized on stock ROM. fastboot getvar imei returns the correct number, but no matter what ROM I try, it doesn't show in settings or when I dial *#06# (showing as 0). I've flashed the stock 5.1.1, 6.0.1, and the 7.1.1, ROM, but to no avail. My device is the XT1563.
Is there any way to get back my IMEI number?

If you reflashed the stock firmware and it didn't return, hopefully you have backup of your EFS partition to restore, otherwise Moto repair is really your only option.

@acejavelin Oh, bummer. I did have several nandroid backups, but I deleted them after hoping to do a factory reset.

where did you got these instructions from?

@alecxs https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-play/help/moto-x-play-xt1562-imei-0-network-t3541302 and https://github.com/motoxplay/stock

i cannot find 'fastboot erase all' mentioned anywhere

you can buy SigmaKey or another phone (which is cheaper)

@alecxs Oh, no that was when I wanted to factory reset my phone and flash the stock ROM. That was the command that caused the IMEI to not show up. I wasn't supposed to do that.

maybe one of this tools will help i don't know https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3048984

@alecxs Thanks, I'll give them a try.


text:
How to SSH into Android which is a hotspot?
I am using Wi-Fi hotspot on Android. Can I SSH into it from my laptop which is connected to hotspot? How would I do this?

Possible duplicate of Can any computer connect to a SSH server running on an android phone connected to a wireless mobile network?

You need to run an SSH server on your Android phone. There are apps available, but simple solution is to go for Termux. Install app, then  install packages openssh and termux-auth. Set password and start server:
~$ pkg install openssh termux-auth
~$ passwd
~$ sshd

If you want to use key authentication instead of password, create key pair on client with ssh-keygen and copy the contents of ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub to phone in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys (where Termux's $HOME is /data/data/com.termux/files/home), and restart server:
~$ pkill sshd
~$ sshd

Now on client:
~$ ssh <Phone_IP> -p 8022

No username is required as Termux is the only user which can be logged into. If you want default port (22) or a username or multiple user setup, visit the link given below.
RELATED:

How to run SSH/SFTP server for multiple user logins with password authentication on Android?
How to connect to Android through SSH over 3G/4G public IP?
How can I permanently change my hotspot tethering IP address?

Thank you. I did not realize termux was different from terminal emulator. Im curious, does it have its own applications etc? Like its own sh etc?

@Kevin yes it doesn't run Android's /system/bin/sh by default, instead its own package bash, modified for Android environment.


text:
I can't integrate updates to system
I am using Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus. Unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP recovery. Then installed Magisk as root agent. Everything seems to be working fine. But I can't integrate updates of the system app to the system. And when I try doing it, it responds with failed. And it seems something breaks and many of my finely running apps no more can launch. They all crash as soon as I open them.

try out FlashFire

seems the FlashFire is an outdated firmware flasher app. But what my issue is might be specific to Xiaomi devices or Oreo or may be Magisk. Whenever I try to change something of system apps the problem starts. The nicely working apps start crashing.

Have you found the solution?


text:
How to get Assistant to look for music only on my phone
I have about 60 gigs of music on my Samsung Galaxy S8.  I normally uses Pi Music Player, and am very happy with it.  But that's not so convenient while driving, so I'd like to control my music through Google Assistant.
However, when I ask Google assistant to say, "Play John Prine from my library", it's hit or miss whether it starts playing my John Prine collection or whether it offers up some random John Prine video from YouTube.  I can't seem to find any way to tell it reliably that I only want music from my phone.
I was about to buy a new car and enjoy the pleasures of Bluetooth voice commands so I don't have to fiddle with my phone while driving (my existing ten-year-old car does not offer me this option).  But it now appears that there's no way to do that; unless I pick up my phone and use the touch screen, the system is going to play whatever it feels like playing rather than the music that's right there on the phone.  I've put the car purchase on hold until I figure out whether there's a solution to this.  (I've also just spent an entire very frustrating day trying and failing to find settings I can adjust...)  Is there in fact a solution?

As you have music on device have you tried play xxx on pi music player as the ways to invoke an app from Google Assistant is limited. The phrase "my library" is too broad and as you've seen can invoke other apps. Related: https://developers.google.com/voice-actions/system/#media_actions

@MorrisonChang :  I have absolutely tried that ("play xxx on pi music player") about 17,000 times or so (because I never learn) and it makes absolutely no difference.  Sometimes it plays the music on my phone (without opening pi music player) and about half the time it brings up some marginally related youtube video instead.

Pi Music Player appears to support Youtube. Find one that doesn't, unless you've tried to disable that feature and the Assistant is bringing up the YouTube app. In my mind "Pi Music Player" isn't a unique enough app name for Assistant to not mishear a single syllable.

@MorrisonChang :  If I say "open pi music player", it opens pi music player every time, so it''s not mishearing.  It just doesn't play any music.  If I use the touch screen to start playing music in pi music player, then I can use google voice to say "next song", "previous song", "Pause", etc, and it all works great.  But I can't get it to switch to a different artist, album or playlist.  No matter how I try to word that request (and I've tried an unbelievable number of ways), the assistant just takes me right out of pi music player and starts offering youtube videos.

Hmm, assuming the authors of Pi Music Player did everything correctly, unfortunately when Assistant isn't behaving correctly there is little anyone can do other than sending feedback in the Assistant app.

@MorrisonChang:  I get exactly the same behavior with other music apps, so the problem is not with Pi.

I solved the problem by installing a different music player, namely Pulsar, which I believe is designed to play only local music.  I also did a bunch of other stuff, like disabling YouTube and uninstalling Google Play Music, which might or might not have contributed to the solution.   But Pi Music Player is still installed and the voice commands still fail to control it properly.
I (once only) told Google Assistant to "play Steve Goodman on Pulsar", it did what I asked, and ever since, it's been defaulting to Pulsar for all of my music requests, just as I wanted it to.  Following the exact same strategy with Pi Music Player does not work.

Edit: 1/3 Music - Bose QC Buds - Google's Assistant - Android Enthusiast Website
Solved the problem:
I'm using Samsung Music Player
I say, "Hey Google, Play Samsung Music "
And it worked
I shall have to split my answer into probably 3 posts because I will have to take more than 2,500 limit to properly deal with the topic.
1: Probably, the problem isn't what car you are driving, but the quality of the installed radio system, earbuds, earphones, headphones, and apps being used.
2: Google Assistant doesn't know what music player you want to use -unless you are inside the correct music player that you want to use, and also the music player will actually play the music and also is compatible with the Google's Assistant that are compatible with the latest voice commands.
3: If you weren't inside the correct music player - Google Assistant will probably have to guess, which place to go to, for example, to play the music requested.
4: I shall tell you how I managed to solve the problem eventually, but you should replace the things that I use with the ones that you use.
5: But I don't know if the things that you are using are good enough (have the latest software) for Google Assistant to take advantage of the voice recognition commands.
6: Make sure that you are using the latest updates with products.
7: Replace my items with the ones that you use.
8: I use the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra phone  - You should replace it with your phone each time that I mention my phone, S20 Ultra.
9: I've got the latest Android 11 version that should be good enough  to operate Google Assistant voice.
10: I've got plenty of spare storage space on my phone, because as far as possible I save data onto my relatively fast read and write SanDisk Extreme Plus, V30 128GB, MicroSDXC Card inside my S20 Ultra's Phone (Ccleaner app may help to increase storage space).
11: I transferred data from my phone using Myfile that either came with my S20 Ultra's Phone or that I installed from Google's Playstore.
12: I then moved (cut and paste) data using Myfile inside my S20 to the SanDisk Extreme Plus 128GB MicroSDXC Card.
NB! (Note well)!
NB! If necessary used Samsung's (phone's) Technicians to solve any compatible problems with; Samsung Music Player, and Myfile, to allow Google Assistant to be able to automatically find all the relevant music, and play them.
I, shall check that commands work in 2 and 3.
Divide notes in Google's Doc App into half and hope that both halves are within the limit - copy and paste into this forum.
Hopefully, these 3 posts will help people to use voice commands within their products.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange, a Q&A site for Android end users and power users solving their issues. We appreciate your contribution here, but I'm afraid I'm having difficulty understanding some part of the answer due to formatting issues and some txtspeak (what is "NB!" ?). Could you [edit] and fix them?

Thanks for improving the post! Perhaps it should be noted that Stack Exchange is a Q&A site, not a forum. "Answers" should be used for answering the question, not for posting a long discussion (consider taking a quick [tour] for a short introduction about this site). Also, just FYI, a single post can contain up to 30000 characters. You probably don't need to split it into multiple answers unless the solutions are distinct.

Andrew, T, - Thanks for your help - Some people already gave curtailed (short) answers that still didn't solve the question. I prefer to provide a full answer that will solve any person's problem. - Any person who still doesn't understand can state why they don't understand, and the administrator can email me the website's page and I shall supply further infor. -   Editing was time consuming  - The limit was about 2,600 characters, and not 30,000 - Didn't have the option to edit - programming bug, Fault. - Hey Google Open Samsung Music stops the music, but may have to use right Bud to reboot


text:
How could I make "Do not Disturb" block Facebook Messenger popup?
I have DND (Do not disturb) enable from 8:00 - 17:00 (Priority only), but the Facebook Messenger still can popup, how could I make Do not disturb feature to work on Facebook Messenger?
I'm using Sony Xperia XA1Plus on 8.0 Oreo

Have you enabled "Block when screen is on" & "Block when screen is off" in "Block visual disturbances" in Do not disturb settings?

@reddy: yes, i did. Dnd https://imgur.com/gallery/xEB3D7X


text:
Running PC emulators
I have a problem running any PC emulator on my tablet. I've tried both Limbo and Bochs. When trying to run Limbo, I get the message:

Unfortunately, Limbo x86 PC Emulator has stopped

Trying to run Bochs results in no action - it just doesn't start. In both cases the applications appears as black, static windows when swiching between running applications (ALT+Shift).
My specs:
Lenovo TAB 2 A7-10F (4core 1.3 GHz, 1GB RAM)
Android v.4.4.2
PS.
The same problems occur when running the emulators on my Samsung A7 (2017), Android 8.0.0.

1GB Ram is very little for a tablet - even if you just execute only the system without any additional emulator. The Samsung should have 3GB RAM. I would suggest you to only perform tests on this device.


text:
How to save a password in Google Chrome for Android?
I just don't understand how to save a password in android. Please  help me.

Open Chrome, go to the Settings. Click on Passwords.
Enable "Save passwords".
Go to the site you intend to save the password. Enter your credentials.
Click Ok (Login, or whatever button the site uses). A prompt will appear asking if you want to save the password. Click Save. The password is now saved within Chrome.
Go to the Settings, click Passwords. Your credentials for sites will appear under the Passwords section. Clicking on a site will allow to modify the credentials.


text:
Why can't I move apps to external sdcard?
I'm using Redmi 5 Plus with global Oreo 8.1 ROM, rooted with Magisk. And I can't move my apps to external sdcard.
I tried with native method of Android. But the Redmi 5 Plus or MIUI doesn't seem to have the option to move the apps. So, I used Apps2SD app to do the work. It has the option to move with just native method. But it failed with new installs into ASEC containers no longer supported. I also tried other apps but the same error.

MIUI probably just not showing the buttons. you can do it from adb shell https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/213312 and then any new installed app should be installed there. if phone is rooted you can force the Migrate Button with am start -n com.android.settings/com.android.settings.deviceinfo.StorageWizardMigrateProgress (after following the above tutorial (hidden link))

The device was rooted. Tried Apps2Sd app. The error said something "the asec folder is write restricted". I tried with other like link2sd too. Same result.

@IrfanLatif I think the problem is not with any specific app but rather the android itself. But the surprising thing is that why there isn't much commotion about it? Android is really a mess. restricting write access to Ext card already was out of my understanding and now this! I am not sure what you mean by portable or adoptable but my sdcard is what everyone else is using and mounting.

you can only move apps which allow it in manifest. adoptable storage is the native counterpart for Link2SD. you would knew that if you had read the link

external MicroSD Card can be splitted in two partitions. one partition remain vfat while the other partition must formatted ext4. The ext4 partition can be treated as internal memory while the vfat partition is still useable as external. of course Link2SD can do more than just native App2SD, but it is the nearly same concept

i don't use any of this, neither encryption. i never used WhatsApp at all (which is main reason for 90% waste) and i am fine with 10 GB. My girlfriend has just one single bind mount of WhatsApp Media Folder at startup, so all other apps remain at (faster) internal memory while the big WhatsApp garbage is stored on MicroSD. Best stable solution :)

I once tried creating a 2nd partition of Ext sdcard to transfer whole app with all its data to extsdcard. But I am not talking about that. Now it seems I can't even move the apps with native move method given by the Android. The apk used to be moved to the encrypted "asec" folder. But now it says the write to that folder has been restricted. So, basically no more move to sd is available.


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Hacker's Keyboard is ignored now, it tells me I have to unlock the phone?
Somehow my phone is not showing me my Hacker's Keyboard anymore. It's saying that it could send all the info I type to a 3rd party (which is technically correct, I would imagine...)
It used to work, I installed a new app. and after about a month it managed to prevent the keyboard from showing up. I went to the settings and turned the keyboard back on (ah! it looks like it was turned off on me...) That step told me that it would work only if I were to unlock my phone and reboot.
So how do I do that and is that specific to just this app or would it allow (unlock) any app. from doing what it wants? Is Android that lame?

Have you tried clearing its cache and/or data?

Well! I'm not sure why, but somehow my Default Keyboard setup was back to the Samsung keyboard (the default). So I guess there was a new version which was updated and after updating, the Default keyboard switch was back to the default.
Editing that one setting and the Hacker's Keyboard was back in business.
The selection of the Default Keyboard on my phone is available from "Settings" > "General Management" > "Language and Input"

Is this an answer to your question?

@Beveloper, I thought so. Is there a problem with it?

not really,  but if you don't mind I did an edit and you should mark your answer as the accepted.

@Beveloper, Ah, yes, thank you. Often the "accepted" flag can't be clicked right away... I've done so now.


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Called while not using phone, after call, screen stays on, how to fix?
I can understand it staying on for other apps, but after ending a call someone else initiated it should make an exception. Is there a setting to change the default phone app behavior for these cases?

Doesn't it go to sleep quickly, though? I see it staying on for a really short time, it gives you a chance to glance at a few things like how long the conversation was.

Does it stay longer than your screen light time out?

I believe it stays on the same time as the other apps (screen light time out, which I usually set at 2 minutes.) The thing is you'd think there would be an exception when the screen turns on just because someone called you when you weren't using the phone before and after the call, like when you get a call but don't answer it, the screen times out much quicker in those cases.


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TOTP key extraction from Xfinity Authenticator
I've been trying (and failing) to find where the Xfinity Authenticator app stores the TOTP secret. Nothing in any files in shared_prefs looks like a TOTP key, and I'm beginning to suspect that it's being stored elsewhere. In particular, the com.comcast.xfinityauthenticator_preferences.xml file has the following value in it:
<boolean name="keyCredentialStoredInVault" value="true" />
Any guidance on where to go from here would be appreciated.

Could probably in Databases, no backup, or files directory. Check them too.

Yes, I should have clarified that I've been through all of the files inside /data/data/com.comcast.xfinityauthenticator/ and none of the strings that look like likely keys produce codes that match the output of the app.

Isn't there a place in the device's secure storage (can remember the name currently – keystore?)? I'm using andOTP and it offers that. And I've no idea how to extract stuff from there.

@Izzy The Android keystore?

@DeathMaskSalesman Yepp, that one – thanks for linking!

@Izzy Well, if that's indeed what this app is doing, then it looks like I'm out of luck.

Only ways to find out are: checking the source (uh? not a FOSS app? Ouch.), asking the dev – who might even be able to offer some export feature, maybe… Uh, Comcast? That the cable-comcast? Then good luck…