text:
is nexus 6 still a good purchase? is nexus 6 at its end of life?
I wonder how much time will nexus 6 get updates. is it a good purchase? will there be an update for android 7? is it an end-of-life product?
thank you
lowley

See https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705?hl=en

Quoted from the link in @Firelord 's comment above:

Nexus devices get Android version updates for at least 2 years from when the device became available on the Google Store.

Be it the release date or the Store date, N6 still hasn't reached 2 years yet, so rest assured it will receive N, though not with priority, since Google takes care of their latest devices first.
Also, although Google makes the promise stating 2 years, that usually expands longer. Nexus 4 received 5.1 and Nexus 5 received 6.0 officially, making them ~3 years, and both keep getting security patches up till today. Nexus 7 (2013) got N Developer Preview which also counts to ~3 years.
Finally, there's always custom ROMs to get you covered. Not guaranteed to work 100% perfect as Google's stock, but as time goes and bugs get squashed, they approach 90%~99% if you ask me.

According to the image site for nexus it doesnt have 7.0 id say the N6 is done. but if you bought it and put cyanogenmod on it you'd get 7.0 and probably 8.0 , its still a good phone but after 2 years companys just stop updating

you speak of 2 years, but after when? its first release date or now?


text:
New Note 7 Rebooted and Erased All Data on First Time Insert of SIM card. Why?
I got a new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and I proceeded to do some configurations and download some apps on the device before putting in my SIM card.  Part of the install was setting up my company's Exchange account through ActiveSync - for which I agreed to all the security policies like allowing my company/ActiveSync to wipe the phone remotely and set security restrictions.
Then, I put in my SIM card for the first time.  The phone immediately rebooted and started to erase itself.  Why would this happen?  In what situations does this happen?
What I've done to investigate...
I thought that maybe the this was due to my company's Exchange ActiveSync policies thinking that my phone had been stolen because a new SIM was inserted.  So, I tested by

Performing some configuration and customization
NOT configuring Exchange ActiveSync
Swapping out the SIM card with that of a coworker's
Result: no reboot and no phone wipe
Configuring Exchance ActiveSync again
Swapping out the SIM card
Result: no reboot and no phone wipe

So I haven't been able to replicate the problem.  My coworker's SIM card is on the same carrier and my coworker's phone has definitely already authenticated to my company's Exchange ActiveSync server.   So perhaps not an adequate test but I don't have another SIM to test with at the moment.

Ask your company's IT what device manager rules they've defined. SIM change might have been interpreted as device theft, and thus the phone being factory-reset to protect company data (Exchange/ActiveSync).

This appears to be an undocumented feature of Note 7 as per this XDA thread  Samsung factory restore after inserting SIM for the first time on GN7 by ninja0n3
OP here faced the same problem and reproduced the chat transcript with Samsung help . Extracts:

Veronica (Samsung): I would like to inform you that, It will be reset to Factory settings, when you insert sim on the phone.
J.B.(OP): every time?
J.B.: so I go to another country, and change the sim card so I can get cell and it will delete all my data?
Veronica: No, it will delete the data when the sim is inserted for the first time and when you change the carrier on the phone.
J.B.: So if I put a sim card from a different carrier on the phone while I am abroad, will this reset the phone?
Veronica: Yes, you need to backup the phone before using another sim on the phone.
Veronica: I am sorry for that. As you insert the sim on the phone it will be restored to factory defaults to get the phone locked to that carrier.
J.B.: Is the carrier informed of this process?
Veronica: No, this has been started with the Note 7 phone. As it comes with Marsh Mallow OS in it.

(Emphasis supplied )
This does not fully explain OP's experience, for instance, reset didn't happen when co- worker's SIM was inserted ( unless first  time refers to the phone ), so gaps would need to be filled by Samsung / Carrier
All Hail Samsung (sorry, couldn't resist that)

I had this same experience just yesterday with my wife's Note 7, but without anything to do with Exchange or ActiveSync.  It's some security policy on the Note 7 itself, I think.  I am online to investigate why this happened also.  I had powered-off the Note 7 before inserting the SIM card.  After power-up, as I watched to see if it connected to the Mobile Network as expected, it suddenly rebooted and insta-wiped the whole phone.
The message after rebooting and deleting everything was that an unauthorized attempt had been made to wipe the phone, and that I needed to login via Wi-Fi and identify myself online.  There was absolutely no warning and I had just finished waiting for almost 2 hours while all of my wife's photos were transferred from the old phone to her new one before moving the SIM card to the new phone.  The wipe (during the unexpected, forced reboot) took not much more than 5 or 10 seconds.  Luckily I had not wiped the old phone yet, but I still have all of that data to transfer again.  The phone is now stuck with a message that it has many Apps yet to install (yet there are none missing) after using the Samsung Smart Switch App for the second time.
Because I was setting the Note 7 up for my wife, I had not yet used any login security, such as fingerprint, iris scanning nor PIN.  Perhaps Samsung sees the potential theft of personal info (if an unsecured phone has been stolen) as more critical than the lost time or data from wiping the phone without warning?  I am struggling to understand the logic of this security policy.

This was a brand-new, unlocked phone from Samsung. Putting in the SIM card would lock it to my carrier, but there was no warning that inserting a SIM card would wipe the phone.  I have unlocked my old Samsung S3 so I could use other SIMS while traveling in Australia and had no problems like this.

I had the same issue- I thought I would first fully load my Samsung Note 7 with all my info but when I inserted the SIM card- everything got deleted.
I agree, it's about the time and effort it took to load the phone with my info and redoing the same process could have been avoidable if Samsung had warned us maybe?
I would like to warn others- when you get your Samsung Note 7, please insert the SIM card first and then load your info from Smart Switch. Please backup your information at all times on Smart Switch or Samsung Cloud to avoid such mishaps to occur.
Also, if you are going over seas and will be using another SIM card, then back up your information on Samsung Cloud and Smart Switch because your information maybe deleted.
Hope this Helps!!

I'm confirming that the same thing happens on the Galaxy S7. Seems like it must be a feature of all new Samsung phones. It would be nice if they at least put a warning somewhere..
EDIT:
From Googling around it seems that this 'feature' was either introduced with the S7 or the Note 7 and is present on all Samsung phones introduced after the either the S7 or Note 7. They really should document this, if it is now a standard 'security feature'. Someone seems to have found a way to insert new SIM cards without erasing the phone here though.

I got a black screen on a Samsung Galaxy S5. I took out the SIM and SD card, replaced the screen. I must have turned it on with the SIM out or something, when I put the phone back together, all my data was wiped.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


text:
What is the lightest custom Android ROM (Android 4.0 or higher)?
I need a minimalistic custom Android ROM which has a lot of RAM free for use because the app that I need to use needs a lot of RAM. I want to only use my phone for one thing and only have one application installed on it. I will install the app after I install Android on my phone. The app is using GPS and needs Android 4.0 or higher. The name of the app is Map My Tracks. What is a custom Android ROM that is the lightest of all?
My phone is HTC Wildfire S.

There is no definite answer for this but here is my point of view -
The Simple Solution - SlimRom:
SlimRoms - On-Click away,free, HTC compatible ROM.
With SlimRom you can configure how much of google services you wish to use which have significant effect on device performance.
The Hard Solution - Create One:
You can create your custom Android OS and build clean version of it (without any google app like chrome or youtube).
If you really want to get wild you can delete all unnecessary apps under platform/packages/apps (e.g calculator,camera).
If you choose this option bear in mind that HTC specific features won't work.
More data:
If you're still not sure and need more data about specific features that you'll need in your app check the Custom ROM Comparison Database.

OK, I will try the simple solution first. :-)

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


text:
Prevent "Location Found" Notification
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 (SM-G930V) through Verizon.  Every once in a while an app will request the phone's location.  The notification area will then display Location Found.
When I long-press on the Location found notification, I get the App notifications screen for System UI.  I don't think it would be wise if I disabled notifications for System UI.  It seems like this would block other useful notifications.
I could uninstall or disable the apps which are using Location Services and hence triggering the Location found notification.  However, I want the apps to run and use Location Service
How do I keep the Location found notification from appearing even though I am using the Location Service?

Using an app such as Automate, one can write a very simple flow which waits for notifications from com.android.systemui with the text of Location found and then cancel the notification as soon as it exists.
This works okay.  The flow doesn't use any CPU time until a notification shows up and then the flow is very quick (3 ms execution time).  However, the notification still appears for a brief moment.  My point is that this solution is like putting a net at the bottom of a cliff when a fence at the top would work much better.

This works, but results in an "Automate running" notification instead...

Go to your location settings and change it from 'High Accuracy' to 'Battery Saver' to get rid of this "Location Found" notification. You can switch back to "High Accuracy" mode while using an app like Google Maps that needs your exact location.

Let me try this for a week and see how my apps do.

This answer kind of works.  As soon as I use Google Maps, then Google Maps will ask to switch to High Accuracy.  After I am done using Google Maps, I then have to manually switch back to Battery Saver.  Yuck.


text:
Unable to use Many Famous apps due to "Unfortunately ... Has Stopped" error
I am unable to use any Famous Apps like - Gmail, Whatsapp, PayTM, Calendar, Antivirus apps, ram cleaner and many more apps Except few apps such as android chrome.
As soon as I am opening these apps then I am getting error "Unfortunately Whatsapp has stopped" OR "Unfortunately Gmail has stopped".
I am getting this problem from yesterday.
What I have tried:-
1) Factory reset
2) clear cache of gmail/play store/Google services.
3) Using updated version of play store/Google service/gmail/whatsapp/PayTM etc apps.
But unable to get solution till now. Anyone help me in this serious matter ?
Device details:-
Micromax canvas nitro a311, Kitkat

Mention your device and Android version by editing the question

also if you can obtain android studio from somewhere, or know someone who can use it, attach a copy of logcat if possible

Its not possible.. Looks like it can be done only on Micromax service centre.

Must be corrupted play services jar ! Logs would definitely help !


text:
Can I make a flashable ZIP containing one or more APKs
Is it possible to make a ZIP that can be flashed onto a device to add a bundle of applications (.apk files) to the /system/app directory such that it can be flashed after the OS (e.g. CyanogenMod) in a similar way to other bundles such as OpenGApps ?
I've seen things like the ZipMe app but I'd really like to do this on Linux where I have the desired apk files in a directory. I'd like to do this by hand if possible to that I can understand the ZIP's contents.

This simplified example is inspired by this xda-developers thread.
It is handy to use adb but you don't need to.
Get a Java signing tool and keys
Your packaged ZIP needs to be signed. If you have a Java signing tool, great. If not, then you can consult the Google sources for signapk or download a ready-made signapk.jar from here, or here.
The latter also contains sample signing keys that you can use but you can make your own with OpenSSL:
$ openssl genrsa -out key.pem 1024
$ openssl req -new -key key.pem -out request.pem
$ openssl x509 -req -days 9999 -in request.pem -signkey key.pem -out certificate.pem
$ openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -outform DER -in key.pem -inform PEM -out key.pk8 -nocrypt

The following discussion assumes that you have a signapk directory containing signapk.jar, private key key.pk8 and certificate  certificate.pem(which contains the corresponding public key).
Prepare the ZIP contents
Create a working directory (the name is irrelevant):
$ mkdir apkzip
$ cd apkzip

Create the required structure
$ mkdir -p META-INF/com/google/android system/app

The next step is to create a file called updater-script that contains a script written in something called edify. A simple script that serves the requirement is shown below:
# META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script
mount("MTD", "system", "/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/system", "/system");
package_extract_dir("system", "/system");
unmount("/system");

The third parameter to mount is the block device path for the system partition. You can (optionally) verify this with:
$ adb shell grep system /proc/mounts
/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/system /system ext4 ...

You can embellish the updater-script with comments and progress bars, as illistrated by may examples on the web but it isn't necessary.
You also need to provide the interpreter for the script which is a file called update-binary that you can obtain from whatever rom you're using, such as CyanogenMod or ResurrectionRemix. Find it in the ROM's Zip file at the location META-INF/com/google/android/update-binary and copy it into the working directory tree at a similar location and alongside the updater-script created in the previous step.
Finally copy in the .apk files that you want in your ZIP. They need to go in individual directories like system/app/<app-name>/<apk-file> where <appName> is a directory named after the app (I don't think the name is relevant) and <apk-file> is the .apk file. There should be one .apk file per directory.
Your file hierarchy should now look similar to this:
./META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script
./META-INF/com/google/android/update-binary
./system/app/SomeApp/com.some.app.apk
./system/app/SomeOtherApp/com.some.other.app.apk

Create and sign the ZIP
Now create the signed ZIP (the -r recurses subdirectories):
$ zip -r /tmp/apps.zip *
$ cd ../signapk
$ java -jar signapk.jar certificate.pem key.pk8 /tmp/apps.zip apps.zip

Apply the ZIP to your device
Push the signed ZIP (the apps.zip created in the current (signapk) directory) to the device, choose a location that your recovery can see:
$ adb push apps.zip /mnt/media_rw/sdcard1/

(You don't have to use adb - you can use another method such as placing the SD card in your computer, etc).
Now reboot to recovery and flash or, in the case of a locked bootloader, use FlashFire or whatever method is prefferred for your device.
Other notes
You can read more about Edify:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Edify_script_language
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=994940

It may be possible to replace update-binary with a shell script. An example of this can be seen in the OpenGApps ZIP files but I have not tried this.
The above works provided that the apps have no native libraries in them. If they do, then they must be be manually extracted from the .apk package (which is itself a ZIP file) /lib directory and placed under /system/vendor/lib in addition to placing the package in /system/app/....
As commented by @DeathMaskSalesman, signing is not required by TWRP, CWM or FlashFire so you can skip the signing steps if you prefer.
I have produced a utility that works on Linux or Android. Get apkzip here.

When flashing from CWM or TWRP, one can generally save themselves the hassle of signing the ZIP. You can also try my Flashable ZIP Generator.

@DeathMaskSalesman I had seen your script but I didn't understand it. Since understanding enough to be able to write this answer, I have taken another look at your script and I have some questions which I'll ask there...


text:
OEM driver not available for Galaxy S5?
I followed this document and it gave me this link to Samsung's website to download the OEM driver for my Samsung Galaxy S5.
However, I couldn't find its model in the list. My phone's model is SM-G900F as shown here:

The list contains many similar models such as SM-G900A but not exactly my model.
Where can I find the OEM USB drivers for my phone? My goal is to debug using a physical device in Android Studio.

@beeshyams I checked the site linked to by the XDA post and all devices share the same piece of driver. I wonder who designed the page...

@AndyYan:: thanks for checking.. Ridiculous.. Am deleting the earlier link

Drivers are usually not device-specific - manufacturers package drivers for most if not all their devices in one package for installation. In Samsung's case, it's called Samsung USB Drivers for Mobile Phones. It's up to you to Google and find the latest version, although someone has some hosted at OdinDrivers (external site - safety not guaranteed).


text:
how to work around "Your device does not qualify for bootloader unlocking
I've followed the guides but stupid Motorola is telling me that I can't unlock the bootloader so I'm blocked with
sudo ./fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.2-0-surnia.img
(bootloader) has-slot:recovery: not found
target reported max download size of 268435456 bytes
sending 'recovery' (16152 KB)...
OKAY [  0.509s]
writing 'recovery'...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 0.921s

I'm working from an Ubuntu box.

This is a known problem, mostly encountered with Chrome browser. Try Mozilla Browser to get the validation code. Unless i Misunderstood your problem

Same error in Firefox

Then it may be a different issue, you will need to search in Moto forums. You can perhaps try some other browser?

I checked https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/87215, it appears that MOTO E (1st & 2nd Generation) is supported but not with 4G LTE which is what I have. I guess Motorola screwed up for its customers.

Sad. Please mention device on your question. If Motorola didn't give you the code, then it is a dead end

You can try trucks here but unlikely to work i guess http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2658218&page=3

i don't understand! are you flashing the recovery before unlocking bootloader? because usually we unlock bootloader first with {fastboot oem unlock} command. is your bootloader unlocked already? if not then do so(on your own risk) . also you can try installing fastboot from Google repo instead of using it as binary from Android studio tools. benefit is it'll give you updated and bugfree version. also search for "preflash validation failed" error on moto E or any moto forums(xda) i got plenty of results that are similar to your problem

Spark, no, I just say that I can't flash because the bootloader is locked. @beeshyams moto xt1527 is the device in question and none of the solutions from XDA work for me, not even the SunShine unlocker.

Well, I was expecting it not to work as mentioned earlier, since OEM is yet to permit unlocking boot loader. Sorry for that, but best would be to chase OEM

You need to get the "cid" of the device by doing
./adb reboot bootloader
sudo ./fastboot getvar all

In my case it gives
(bootloader) cid: 0x0001

and as you can see at the official website, Lenovo/Motorola says "Your device is NOT eligible for bootloader unlock". You buy their phone and they still control it. Wait, what?

what do you use the cid for? I understand that that is what is says on the site, but why do I need to look up the cid?


text:
Unable to locate the android SDK tools error
I have Windows 7 64bit. Installed Android Studio. SDK path is indeed C:\Users\bill\AppData\Local\Android\sdk. Copied pasted from explorer address bar to avoid a typo. Ran the SDK Manager and updated. Still getting the unable to locate the android SDK tools error. Registry is correct too.
Any idea what I am missing ?

Did you install necessary packages in SDK Manager? Also, check File -> Project Structure -> SDKs.

its easy with the new versions of Android Studios(2.0 or higher), all you need is good internet connection.
First you will open the AVD manager, then you attempt to create a new device.
You will be diverted to new window where you will pick a hardware and navigate using a "next button" to a page where you will see all the API and you can download and install directly from there. Just click on Download and it will download and install automatically.


text:
What is Android 3DTourViewer?
I'm removing or disabling all non-necessary apps since I had a malware scare this morning.  I'm using a Note 3 with Android Lollipop.
In the Application Manager "All" tab I see 3DTourViewer.  Can I disable this app without ill effect?

Please mention device and Android version in the question

It is Samsung bloatware not malware nor part of regular Android
It is safe to be disabled or removed, if your  device is rooted, as per this reddit post and this XDA thread

I don't have a rooted machine but I was able to remove this without ill effect.


text:
Phone Dead after Format all+ download sp flash tool
Recently i have used SP flash tool for flashing Micromax Canvas a1. I flashed successfully. But i am unable to start the OS. So once again i done "format all+download". But now my phone completely dead . Please help any one how to write NVRAM files (including factory logo and imei no).. But still i am able to flash the mobile using SP flash tool. But mobile not getting ON.. Please help any one

did you find any solution?

badly No :(.. @vzhen.  I kept the mobile aside and purchased alternate one


text:
Is kernel mode of operating system and root permissions in android same thing?
As written in book of Peter Baer Galvin's Operating System Concepts , there are two modes of operation -

1.user mode
  2.kernel mode

So, my question is when we root our android do we alter the linux kernel to get permissions of kernel mode ?

A root user can use all the system calls provided by the kernel (API) without any restrictions, whereas by running in kernel mode, kernel can literally do anything, from bit-level operations to direct control of hardware and memory..

Root permissions and kernel mode are not the same thing. Programs with root access can access part of the kernel, but root is not the kernel itself.
The Android (and Linux) user model has a set of users, each part of a set of groups. These groups are used to manage which users are allowed access to what. For example, in Linux you could set up all printer devices to be owned by the printing group, so only users that are part of the printing group can access printers.
In Android every app gets its own user account to prevent apps from accessing each others data.
Amongst all of these users, there's one special user: root. This is the user with the highest set of permissions, also called the "super user". Basically, all permission checks are disabled for this user. Root can do things like change ownership of files, add users to groups, manage system components and more.
Kernel mode is slightly different. When a Linux-based system boots, the kernel is the first thing loaded by the bootloader. The kernel takes care of processing system commands ("write byte x to file y", "list all devices attached to the USB bus"). It's also where many drivers reside, which help the system understand how to communicate to a device.
After initializing the kernel starts a program in user mode. Programs running in this mode are not allowed direct memory access to devices, they can't modify page tables, basically they can't do anything the kernel is supposed to do. The only way to execute a system command is to go though the kernel, and the kernel decides whether or not a program is allowed to do so.
In Android, the kernel starts an initialization program that in turn starts some background processes and the Android system you can interact with.
The kernel decides what user is allowed to execute certain system functions. Many system functions, such as mounting a partition to make it writable, are only accessible to programs running as root. Root can contact and control the kernel, but in the end the kernel decides what root can and can not do.
So: generally kernel mode refers to code running inside the kernel, while root refers to the permissions a program has.
For the sake of clarity I'm ignoring tools like SELinux which is designed to limit the files programs running as root can access. This is a security measure so that even if a system program running as root gets exploited and starts executing code from hackers, it can't compromise the system. This is done using a special module in the kernel.

One way to think about this is that kernel mode is a mode which can do anything that the CPU permits.  Code running as root is not in kernel mode, but instead is running in a mode which the kernel permits to do just about anything.  A kernel module could change what root can run, but root cannot change what the kernel can do (unless the kernel lets root make such a change)

When you root, your granting full permissions to the device. You already utilize the kernel(drivers, commands) so root is allowing for you to modify the entire system(add users, modify system files).
My answer is extremely simple, other answer explores the same thing.


text:
"Can't get valid Device ID" error message
I am getting this error message on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 2:

Can't get valid Device ID
Invalid Device ID: null
Device ID must be valid IMEI or MAC address. Without device id, some
account and cloud features will be unavailable.

It pops up randomly, sometimes it appears several times (I click Ok to dismiss it) in a minute, sometimes it doesn't show up in about an hour. It interrupts apps and the phone (and all phone related features like sms) does not work, as it doesn't detect the sim card, which actually works, as I have tested it in another phone.
I woke up and this started happening suddenly. Usually the phone updates apps at night, so that might be it.
The following information might come useful:

Model number: Redmi Note 2.
Android Version: 5.0.2 LRX22G
Android Security Patch Level: 2016-04-01.
MIUI version: MIUI 7.4 by xiaomi.eu 6.5.5 | Beta

Note: This is the issue same issue as this one: http://en.miui.com/thread-109909-1-1.html
The solution given there does not fix the problem.

Is your device rooted? Do you use any kind of permission manager, and have revoked the READ_PHONE_STATE permission from some app that might "need" it? Because that's the permission required to access the IMEI.

@Izzy As far as I know, Xiaomi devices (at least redmi note) come rooted. I have no permission manager other than Miui's.

OK, and have you restricted some app in the way outlined? I'm not sure how much Miui's permission manager permits :)

@Izzy I don't think so. This started happening without me doing anything special.

Was an idea – unfortunately the only one I had.


text:
How to locate “memo” folder on samsung galaxy j5
I had taken backup on "phone" and "card" folder in my laptop before giving service to the service center.
Now, the phone has been fully formatted and it is as new. Now there is no "memo" in my phone.
So, I want to restore the memo from the backed up folders. But I can't able to locate the "memo" folder. Can someone guide me. Thanks.

How did you take the backup? Did you copy folders/files, did you use an app or did you use a program on your computer?

I had copied through data cable.

In that case it is quite likely that you have not backed up the necessary data. Each app stores data in a location that is not accessible when connecting your device to a computer. Unfortunately I expect you have lost the memos you are after.


text:
Question on How to see my mobile's contact numbers in PC
I want to see my all contact numbers in my mobile on  my PC.

If you are syncing your device contacts with google you can use Google Contacts. If not, you can export your contacts, copy the VCF file to your pc and view it in an editor programm

You can login to your GMail account, and then on the right top navigation bar change from GMail to Contacts, and you'll see them all there.

@FiN Doesn't work for me. Or for anyone else who decided not to sync his private data with Google :)

@Izzy well that's true. If your google account is not syncronized it wont work. :)

@FiN Yupp. And neither if there even is no Google account on the device at all :)

@Izzy Well yes, but most of the users of Android have Google account.
So if it helps for the one who have it but don't know it, I hope the comment will help tehm.

Your question is lacking multiple details – e.g. what device you're using, what Android version it is running, whether or not you use Google Services to backup/synchronize your data. Let me sum up some possibilities for a "generic answer":

If your contacts are synchronized with Google Services: Take your browser to Google Contacts (or to Gmail and switch to Contacts from there), so your contacts are displayed in your web browser. You even can edit them there.
Alternatively, open your Contacts app on your Android device, use Menu › Import/Export › Export to SD card to have all your contacts exported into a file using the VCard format. Transfer that file to your PC, and you can open it in almost all apps dealing with contacts (e.g. Outlook on Windows, or Evolution on Linux, or Thunderbird on any OS).
Alternatively, if your PC is running Windows, you can install MyPhoneExplorer to it (and the MyPhoneExplorer Client on your Android device). This not only allows you to see your contacts, but also to synchronize them (and your calendars) with your Windows PC, and much more.
Alternatively, use some remote management app which can be accessed via Web browser.


text:
limit YouTube time
My son watches YouTube on his phone all the time.  I'd like to limit him to 1 hour a day on YouTube.  I know there's a YouTube kids app, that allows you to set a timer, but I don't mind him having access to the full YouTube. I just want to limit his time.
Is there a way to set a timer on the full YouTube app?  I was thinking perhaps a proxy server runs on the phone that cuts off connection to youtube.com after a certain amount of time, but maybe there are other ideas.
I could deal with this issue via Good Parenting, but I prefer to just automate things if possible.

Several Child protection apps offer to restrict app access in that way, letting you chose apps to completely block, block but allow in a certain window, or give time-limited access regardless of daytime.

My router has similar functionality if you aren't set on an app based solution.

maybe this will help you : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzqhiAxQG_Q
better late then never


text:
Stream audio to Windows 10 through USB
I want to listen to the podcasts I have on my Android phone while I'm playing games on my computer and therefore, I want to stream the audio from my phone to my Windows 10 computer.
I'm wondering if it's possible to do that through USB?

While you probably can route audio to USB (I assume if you connect a USB device that identifies it as a USB audio receiver... thingy) your PC is a USB host.
So a better solution would be to get a USB audio adapter like this (may not be necessary if you have a mic in port), connect your headphone into the mic, and get something like VLC to play it.
Windows also allows to "Listen" to an input device which plays it out of your speakers so you don't need VLC or a special player.  (See image below). Note that this can be annoying if you do video conferencing as you will have to make sure this is disabled when you're on a call.

You can use scrcpy and your Android audio goes through your PC by default.

This application mirrors Android devices (video and audio) connected via USB or over TCP/IP

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


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Verifying device integrity. Galaxy Tab S2 9.7"
I wanted to root my Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" LTE (SM-T815Y) and I have spent the better part of my night doing the following. (I have never rooted anything before)

Got a img of autoroot from some site and flashed it via ODIN.
ODIN application showed success, but the tablet refused to boot after that with red text at the top of the screen at boot logo RECOVERY NOT SEANDROID ENFORCING
Download mode shows KNOX flag has been set to 1 and the warranty is void.
After a few hours of trying things, I managed to install TWRP 3.0
While the error stayed, I could now boot to TWRP
Scoured the internet for stock or samsung images that can work.
Found the cyanogenmod for my device (Nighty 2016-08-31 05:00:43 version as there nothing on the release channel)
Attempted flashing it using TWRP.
It noted that the image fully supports SE ANDROID (or SELinux, or device supports one of those.. Can't remember, the text scrolled so fast)
Then it failed to install.
I rebooted the device and it looks fine and the SE ANDROID error is gone.
Seems like everything is where I left them. Data was not gone, even my homescreen shortcuts are there.
(Took a full backup using TWRP. Coz... lessons learned.)
Ran a few apps to check root status, and they all show the device isn't rooted.

So, since I barely understand what I did, my question is,

Can I go back to the factory recovery? (remove TWRP and put back samsung one. Also, where to look to find the factory recovery? Samsung doesn't seem to publish it)
Is the device still using the Samsung OS image? Or is it a combination of the factory image + whatever my CM flash attempt did?
I Assume SEANDROID issue is part of KNOX? If so, should I disable KNOX (how?) before attempting to root again?

Custom recoveries and ROMs don't enforce SEAndroid, so the error pops out. Ignore it.
Get stock Samsung images from SamMobile. This is also the surefire way to return to factory recovery (along with everything else).
Please get a screenshot (camera capture) of the failed CM installation, so that we can diagnose what's the issue.
Assuming the flashing process failed at its start, it doesn't even wipe anything, so it's stock Samsung system + TWRP, nothing more.

UPDATE: Got factory recovery and Marshmallow ROM using Samsung SmartSwitch (Windows) app. It also got rid of the SEANDROID warning. Good alternative for SamMobile.


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Will factory-reset delete custom downloaded app's folders?
I need to know something. For example an app like Telegram that is a custom downloaded app uses two ways of keeping the data,

in the cache folder and since it is stored in /data

it will be removed

internal storage>Telegram>Telegram Images/audio/...

will this folders be deleted too?

btw I'm using an Android Tablet, I don't know if it makes any difference.

I don't know about factory resets performed from a stock recovery, but resets performed from CWM and TWRP will leave the internal storage (/data/media) be, unless you explicitly format it.

I mean the factory reset option in the android tablet settings..

+1 because it has concerned me in the past... Welcome to Android.SE!

Yes it would delete.
Although if you have a Google account signed in to the device, and the app is written in a way, the app data may be backed up to your Google Drive and can be restored the next time it is installed (given this feature isn't turned off in settings.)
some older devices/android versions may give you the option not to clear internal storage.

Thank you so much. Telegram doesn't have this feature, does it?

I'm not sure tbh. I think later android versions do this automatically? Apps can opt-out, rather than the old way of opting-in. So it's likely the app supports it.

I think it has its own cloud servers. Thank you soooo much.

you're welcome. Please mark as answer if it solved the issue. thanks :)

I am so sorry to ask again but there is an option for the factory reset that can keep internal storage untouched.. and also when I manually uninstall the app the latter isn't deleted. I mean if we expect factory reset to delete this folder just because the app is uninstalled, it won't be.
so are you sure that by factory reset both the cache and the other folders related to that app and are not in /data will be deleted?

Actually the later models doesn't give you that option. (my devices doesn't) If you have an older version, or a custom ROM, it may give you the option. (See http://forums.androidcentral.com/asus-fonepad/302368-will-factory-reset-recovery-delete-internal-storage.html)Although I wouldn't rely on it. Always take a back up. It can't hurt.


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How to Control Volume Changes in Smaller Steps and in Lower Region?
I have new wireless Bluetooth headset but I find that the volume control there is not sufficient with the current steps (much less volume is needed there). I would also like to have finer control of the volume band.
There appeared the sound control of Bluetooth device but it is not sufficient in the top bar as a scrollbar
Hardware: Oneplus 2
OS: CyanogenMod 13
Client: Spotify
Output client: Wireless 4.1 Bluetooth headset

Not possible at the moment in Android 6 - 7.
Proposal: External USB dongle with the phone. + Adaptive control with external sound exclusions.


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Helium won't restore SMS
EDIT: I found a solution, and I made an answer below! ;D
Hello everyone :) (fisrt, I apologize for my English, I'm french... :/)
Before doing a factory reset to upgrade my android version (Alcatel one touch idol 3 under Android 6.0.1 now, and 5.0.2 before the factory reset), I backed up all my apps with Helium.
Then, I managed to get evrything back. Except sms.
I don't know why, but when I try to restore them, I get the following message :

For those who want to know, I'm now rooted (so I don't use the desktop version, even if I tried and it doesn't work neither)
Thanks, I'm reaaaally desperate...

I don't think backups of system apps are not compatible across major Android versions. I'm not sure what you can do about it at this stage.

Will install Helium now to attempt a backup, in order to determine its format. I'll update you if I find anything useful.

It seems that Helium's backup is the same as adb... @Izzy, this is more of your field.

Thanks guys for your answers, I hope we'll find a 'fix' soon :) (if we can)

Ok. I eventually got my SMS back. But if someone is searching for an answer, here is my solution that, I hope, will help.
I guessed the problem came from the android version. So, basically, I did the following:
1. Grap your old phone under Android 4.0.4 (you can use someone else's phone, just make sure to backup their messages before you do anything. To be (almost) sure THIS backup will work, I recommand "sms backup +" or "sms backup and restore")
2. Now, install Helium and backup their SMS with it. It will create a backup file. (it should be inside a folder called "carbon" and sould be named "com.android.providers.telephony")
3. Then, take your old backup (same name under same folder in your new phone), and replace the one you just created at step 2 with it.
4. Click restore, and all your sms should be back (if you've taken someone else's phone, you should delete all their sms, otherwise yours and theirs will be mixed. Again, make sure to backup everything before)
5. Then, backup these sms freshly restored with the app downloaded at step 1. I recommand to use the Gmail backup, so you don't have to travel your backup file from one phone to the other with your PC, etc... but that's your choice.
6. Finally, install the same app as step 1 on your new device, restore your sms with the backup file you just created, and that's it!
I hope this little explanation is clear enough, it is waaay simpler than it seems (because I tried to cover most cases). If you encounter problems, leave a comment below, and I'll see if I'm able to answer (I don't promise anything okay? :p).
Thanks
PS:Again, I hope my English isn't too bad, but I tried my best, if you see mistakes, just tell them me in the comments section :)


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Without telephony and GPS apps/libraries, security subsections crash?
In CyanogenMod 13, I've removed all telecom/telephony/GPS support from a ROM in an effort to reduce the device to basically be a wifi-only mini tablet. This entailed removing all relevant apps and a few libraries.
The ROM boots fine after removal, but lockscreen, security, and privacy aren't accessible in the settings; settings crashes when attempts are made to access any of them.
On previous versions of CyanogenMod on the same and another device this didn't happen, but then again I've updated the script I use to be more comprehensive as I discover new parts of the system that address telephony.
I've cross referenced the options in each settings subsection with the apps and libraries removed, and there seems to be zero crossover. Nothing in privacy, lockscreen, or security references GPS or telephony in any way.
I've done some tests to replace removed apps to try and do a process of elimination, but there are a lot of apps the script I use removes. I've only gotten through two or three of them so far, but none of them restored access. The obvious one seemed like it would be dialer.apk, but allowing that one did nothing.
Anyone know:

what telephony/GPS apps are required to run the aforementioned settings
what the reasoning is behind this counter-intuitive entanglement, and
how to maybe rebuild the ROM so that these apps and libs aren't required to access the full settings?


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Deleting system files
I've been trying for a few weeks to root my android device. I'm running a ZTE Whirl 2 (Z667G) and none of the 25 one-click root programs have worked on it. I've given up on that path.
So I started researching rooting with ADB but I've had so many different problems there. Here are all the different methods I've tried, and their error messages:
psneuter: 'Failed to set prot mask: inappropriate ioctl for device'
zergRush: does nothing at all
adb root: 'adbd cannot run as root in production builds'
adb remount: 'remount failed: operation not permitted'
mount -o remount,rw /system: 'mount: operation not permitted'
All I'm trying to do here is remove the useless system apps from /system/app. I'd like to root my phone but the main reason I'm doing so is to get that crap off my device. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

Have you already tried KingRoot? it worked on all of my Devices (Alcatel,Samsung) https://kingroot.net/

Try kingoapp.I rooted all the phones using this. you can root it using adb also Try it https://www.kingoapp.com/

FYI, The OP is running Android 4.3.3 because that's what all ZTE Z667G's run.

@ShulkerHD Doesn't work for the said device.

@thepurkayasta Doesn't work for the said device.

this is a partial root, but might work: https://www.reddit.com/r/perktv/comments/35w5mn/zte_whirl_2_partially_rooted/

@MarkYisri If you can explain that in an answer within 18 hours, the bounty is yours.

@MDXF Not trying to rob that bounty, but the guide said it will not lift write protection on /system, so not directly useful to OP's motive of rooting. Whether it could pave the way towards perm root is another thing, though.

@MDXF Hurry please !!

@AndyYan Yes, it doesn't immediately lift the write protection, but it's close enough to a root and to what I needed. I believe I can work around the write protection with enough time and a rooted ADB shell :P

PSNeuter and ZergRush are too old-school (2.3.x-era), no wonder why they won't work.
This is a very unpopular phone so it doesn't have a custom recovery either. If the one-clickers (usually comes with the latest exploits) won't work then you're out of luck for now.

While this will not allow you to run traditional root apps (ZTE has write-protected all relevant system partitions making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to install a su binary), it does give you full, persistent root access over ADB.
What does this mean? While you can't run apps like Beermoney Assist (unless the developer rewrites it to funnel commands through ADB somehow), you can set up network ADB access and clear the data via ADB from your computer via task scheduler, for example.
This is specifically for the Whirl 2 and will not work with the Zinger, which is not vulnerable to the same exploits. As with any device modification tool, use this at your own risk.
The instructions are on XDA Developers and aren't going anywhere soon :)
Discussions Thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/zte-zinger-z667t-10-android-gsm-t2936545/
Partial Rooting Tool: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=60725232&postcount=447
This may not work for you but it is the best I could find. Good luck !!


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Is it possible to use an app to disable the power button from switching the phone off?
Is it possible to have an android application such that if the user starts it the phone will not switch off by pressing the side button? It means the only means to switch off it will be remove the battery, and taking all sort of permission from user is not an issue here.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nezdroid.lockscreenprotector
Is for you, I think it is ok, but need to use .

No, it's not possible. The functionality to turn off the device if the power button is held down is at a very low level of the system, so that even if Android gets into some broken state, the user can still switch the device off to prevent it overheating. This is especially important on devices without a removable battery!
Only replacing the kernel with a custom-built one can disable the power button completely. This may or may not be possible depending on what device you're targeting and whether all the drivers and kernel source for that device are available.

It is possible to disable or even change what hardware keys do even without an app.
In my case I just commented out (added a # at beginning of) the lines starting with POWER in the /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl  file
(with root and rw access to /system . To access /system as rw just use this command: mount -o remount,rw /system)
and rebooted the device. After this my physical power button doesn't work anymore. I tested this more by making my physical home button type the letter a in the same way.
(You can get an idea what changes can be made by reading that file. MEDIA_PLAY , CAMERA , CALL , CONTACTS , BRIGTHESS and more are all there. I suppose that in the same way it is possible to change what virtual keys (like virtual keyboard keys) do).


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Updated Samsung galaxy A5 to Marshmallow but look and feel remains that of Lollipop
I have a Samsung galaxy A5 (SM-A500H) I didn't get a notification for an update from settings so I grabbed android 6.0.1 from Sammobile, I downloaded the South African version since there's no version for my country.
Everything is working and if I go to settings about phone, I see it's 6.0.1 and if I tap I get the marshmallow logo and the game that looks like flappy bird. And everything is working.
But it still feels like Lollipop. The color is still blue rather than black, the marshmallow themes and wallpapers are missing. When the phone boots I don't see the marshmallow animation, the scrolling in the app drawer is horizontal not vertical etc.
Is there a way to verify that what I'm using is really marshmallow? Could it be a knockoff?

May be if it is some knockoff, they may not have changed the API level to prevent app issues. Download some app like Dev Tools from play store and see if the API Level is reporting 23 (Marshmellow).

@beeshyams i guess you'd call it dirty since I didn't remove lollipop, i just upgraded to marshmallow without uninstalling anything

@Madushan dev tools says api level 23, codename marshmallow,  version 6.0.1   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.becomputer06.adt&hl=en

@beeshyams and yes odin 3.11 by strictly following the instructions here http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/90719/A500HXXU1CPH8_A500HOJV1CPH4_XFE/

@beeshyams ok will let you know when im done, this time im downloading the Kazakhstan version

I think you should go with AndyYan's answer- sorry, I wasn't aware of this

Lower-end phones usually won't get the new manufacturer skin (that's on the new flagship phone) with a new Android version.
As for the launcher, bootanimation and stuff, it's how Samsung chose to make it in their TouchWiz skin - they don't necessarily follow how Google do it on Nexus.
Try installing Google Now Launcher if you want the vertical scrolling experience. Not looking as harmonious on top of all the TouchWiz icons but better than nothing.

so no need for a clean flash?

@Lynob Trying doesn't hurt, but clean flash shouldn't change the fact. A firmware from a different region has a possibility although that's also marginal.

@AndyYan: This is new to me ! Specific for low end devices?

@beeshyams Also to old (>1 year) flagships. For example Note 4 never got Note 5's new UX officially, thus its bump to Lollipop appears largely unchanged at first sight. With a jump as subtle from Lollipop to Marshmallow, it'll be even less obvious.

Thanks..wasn't aware of this. In which case my answer may not help much- Note 2 was my last (4 years) +1

you are correct but i had to clean flash just because i had permission issues but you are correct

@beeshyams i had to clean flash though. but he is correct about the look and feel

Thanks for letting me know. Undeleted the answer as it was useful in solving permission issues

in API 23(Marshmallow) Android apps should request permissions at runtime so all you need is open an app that uses your location or reading your sd card
try with google maps or download and install file explorer apps
and when you run the app you can see a dialog pops up for requesting permissions


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Screen permanently black with broken proximity sensor and Proximity Sensor Accelerometer App
My phone's proximity sensor is broken and constantly signals "covered". The screen turns black when I'm called.
I installed an app Proximity Sensor Accelerometer to solve this and played around with the features.
Now my screen is permanently black.
How can I disable or uninstall the app? Maybe remotely? Maybe install another app remotely to fix this?
I don't have usb debugging enabled on the phone. Plugging in the charger doesn't reactivate the screen.
Device: Sony Xperia Z2, not sure of Android version

It's a Sony Xperia Z2. The version is quite new but I don't know for sure. Can I find out from my computer via Playstore?

Hey, I now was able to restart the phone using power + volume up (couldn't restart before). Could disable the app. Thanks for your help.

Yes, you can. Also maybe you have an idea on how to turn off my broken proximity sensor? But I could also do this in a different question or research first.

The app settings are reset after the phone is restarted so I did this: power button + volume up.
Press it at the same time for a few seconds to turn off the screen without needing to use touch. Then start the phone and the app is reset.


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No root zip works on galaxy ace s5830
Yes, my phones old but it does me fine. The only prob really is the phones internal storage. I would like to delete loads of bloatware and be able to move stuff completely to the SD card. I am no idiot. I have tried numerous root zip files, followed the methods but never works.
My phone is running android 2.3.6 gingerbread BVKT4. I read somewhere that the latest update to BVKT4 blocks rooting. Is there anyway to get around this. Much thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

With such an old phone, and modern rooting method, including one-click apps, would most probably work. Stock recovery will prevent flashing zips of course, and that's why you need a custom recovery.

*"any modern rooting method". Sorry - can't edit previous comment now.

hi andy.by stock recovery,do u mean when u boot the phone after installing the zip.ie a custom recovery is another file that needs to be installed to boot the phone from? where do u find those i wonder?

Look around XDA-Developers for relevant resource. For a phone of this age and (past) popularity, not only root is readily available, you can also get custom ROMs up to KitKat (not necessarily stable).
One of the possible ways: flash a stock-ROM-compatible custom recovery, then flash SuperUser/SuperSU zip in there. If that's all you need then this thread seems to be an alright starting point.
As always told, make a backup in the recovery for safety.

thanks andy i will have another go.i did try xda at one point, but only used the root zip on its own.


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Make calls from another Android phone over Internet
I have 2 Android phones. First phone is in country A. Of course it has an Internet connection over WiFi. Second phone is in another country B, as me.
So, I need to make phone calls while I'm in country B (over Internet) remotely using the phone and its sim-card, which is in counrty A.
What Android software do I need?

You can use some screen mirroring softwares like Airdroid or Mobizen for Samsung and make the calls from country B using your computer. But you need to configure it before hand. You can login from the same account in your mobile and computer so that you can access it even when they're in different networks

But Airdroid, for example, works only over wifi...

You can sync your Facebook or Google account and sign in from it

From another computer?

Yes. Use your same account to login on both your phone and computer. I think it works that way

and what about Mobizen? Can I do the same with it? And can Airdroid send sound?

I'm not sure if Mobizen works for other than Samsung but yeah. It works in your case.

@MohitVellanki Could you please [edit] your answer and integrate the details from the comments?


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Sharing Windows PC Internet via USB cable
I cannot see any option to share My Windows PC Internet via USB cable.
How can I share PC internet to phone via USB? Please help.

what do you want to do, usb is not capable of sharing INTERNET.
If you are referring to sharing files, they you don't need usb, if you have wifi, where both your pc and phone connect, preferably a private home wifi.
to use the ftp on wifi: phone to pc, set sharing on phone, and pc will ftp. while pc to phone,  set sharing on a folder and use ftp or file explorer like es-file explorer to folder. I use this all the time to transfer photos. es if i want to post to intsagram from a digital photo(after transfer from camera to pc)

USB is capable of sharing internet. See the tethering and reverse tethering tags.


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How can I recover my phone (factory reset doesn't work)?
My phone is Asus Zenfone 5 and I want to recover my phone but I can't because it always stucks in the screen with the Asus logo.
I've tried recovering it by using the factory data reset in the settings and a hard reset but it just stucks on the Asus logo.
I also have heard about recovering it on a computer but I couldn't find the link to download a suitable recovery version for my phone.
Notes:

I use Android 4.3.

My phone version is:

ASUS_T00J_WW_user_1.15.40.35_20140715_3835release-keys 010175_201401130121

Get factory firmware here. There are versions matching exactly what you have (scroll down below), though ideally you need the one that also matches your SKU (region). It should come with instruction and tools (I can't verify), report back if not.


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Recovery data from nexus 5
I have a nexus 5 that give me a Black screen when i unlock it with sign-code.I can't utilize it but i have to recovery my data.I thought to install an update image with adb sideload to see if my phone restarts to work well and recover my data but I don't know if the update images wipe my data.Do update images wipe my data.Are there other methods to recover my data?

Sounds like your launcher (home screen) is acting up. Turn on USB Debugging if you haven't (go to Settings from the notification bar), then adb install another launcher from your PC. After that press HOME and select what's installed.
Don't try updating stuff yet - there are ways to recover even if the above fails (though more complicated).

I can't access to the operating system.After I insert the sign the screen become black and I can do nothing:(I tried to do that but I can't...

I can't access the operating system...i tried to flash partitions from fastboot but flashing them my data will be erased...i have adb not enabled and I tried also to wipe cache partition but nothing...

I also thought to wipe my phone and then use a program to recover wiped data...I don't know what to do...

link - not a good idea to double post, man. You should just edit this question to reflect updated details (which also bumps your question to the top), or you can just remove this question if it's no longer relevant. Either way, since @Firelord has already provided the info you need now, I'm out.


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Link2SD is showing "mount: operation not permitted"
I have rooted my Sony Xperia M2 Dual (D2302) using KingRoot and it currently has Sony stock firmware (android 5.1.1, build: 18.6.A.0.182) with locked bootloader. I have checked the root availability using Rootchecker app from play store. To link the apps to micro SD card Link2SD app has been installed from play store. A 16 GB class 10 micro SD card has been used to provide the second partition. The partitions I have tried (using Minitool) are-

8 GB FAT32 + 6.8 GB EXT2
8 GB FAT32 + 6.8 GB EXT4
8 GB FAT32 + 6.8 GB FAT32

In each and every case when Link2SD is launched, selecting ext2/ext4/fat32 shows "Mount script cannot be created. mount: Operation not permitted" error. I have rebooted the phone several times, checked root permission again and also tried to "su" from terminal and there were no error. In the Link2SD storage info the second partition is shown as "not mounted" partition. Why this error is being occurred? What should be the solution to this problem? Is it possible to solve the problem by running custom mount script?

i have the same problem, i have installed an app, then i make it as a system app and now i cant make it a user app again, shows me that error message: "mount: operation no permitted" did you fix it?

Yeah, I have fixed it. The KingRoot didn't actually root the phone with all of the r/w permissions at /boot and /system. So, I have unrooted the phone and rooted again with EagleRoot and got full access to the /system and /boot directory. So that, Link2SD didn't show this error anymore. To root using Eagleroot you can follow this link (https://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-m2/general/eagleroottool-t3390663)


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Android Device Manager lock doesn't prompt for password
My phone stopped taking my normal password all of a sudden, so I'm using Android Device Manager to set a new password.  Android Device Manager is working fine and allowing me to call my phone and change the message on the lock screen.
However, the screen won't let me input any sort of password to login.  If I hit the Android back button, it takes me to the standard unlock screen, but that screen won't accept my password.
How do I get back into my phone after setting a Lock in Android Device Manager?
(I'm on a Samsung Galaxy S7 if it matters)

I never got to the point where I could enter the temporary lock password.  However, I later powered-off, waited a few seconds, and powered back on.  At that point, my old password still worked.

You have to allow Device Manager to access the phone while you still have access to it (a little like allowing an app to access a feature on your phone).
There is also a Samsung-related program, which, if you have a Samsung account linked on your phone, you can use to get in (via Kies maybe?).
After-the-fact, it seems like the only options are to factory reset, flash new firmware (possibly blocked by bootloader locks), or sideload an exploit in Download Mode.


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IR blaster of Xiaomi Redmi 3s prime is not working properly. What to do?
I am trying to use the IR blaster to control my set top box and TV. While the remote for TV is working fine. But the remote for Dish TV set top box is not responding. How to solve this issue? Any help would be great. Thanks.

Did you configure the IR precisely to the model of your TV set-top box? Could you provide your TV box details? (brand, model)

I open the remote app and download the Dish TV set top box remote directly. My TV is of LG company and TV remote is working fine but set top box remote is not working. It's brand is Dish TV


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Restore WhatsApp media from Google photos
I set up my phone to automatically backup WhatsApp media to Google Photos. Now I want to print one of my conversations as a book using a service like Zapptales. The problem is, that all media, that has already been backed up, is no longer available:
'Sorry, this media file doesn't exist on your SD card.'

However, the photos and videos are all still available on Google Photos. Is there a way to restore certain or all WhatsApp media from there back to my device?

Downloading the photos, keeping the names the same and putting them back in the
/storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images/

folder will work for most of them. Some photos might have been resized or other meta data changed during the upload to google photos and so it might not work for all.
If you are talking about a large number of photos, then you can download ALL your google photos from here (could take a while):
https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout#

to your PC, and then select all the ones with a WhatsApp-style name, e.g:
IMG-20160913-WA0000.jpg

If you have set up google drive backup (Settings -> Chats -> Chat backup), then you might stand a chance by uninstalling WhatsApp, deleting the local backup from the phone, and allowing WhatsApp to retrive the backup from Google Drive. Before going to all that effort however, it is probably worth checking the size of the backup listed under (Settings -> Chats -> Chat backup). If it is large then it might contain all your photos. If it is small then it is unlikely to be worth the effort.

Thank you for the answer! Is there a way to filter for Whatsapp photos before downloading? I have several (probably hundreds) of GB of photos. Downloading them all is -  almost - out of the question. It's hard to believe there's no way to figure out which folder photos were synced from or search for ones with certain name patterns inside Google Photos.

It is hard to believe isn't it. My Google photos is a complete mess of folders mixed together and there doesn't seem to be any way back. Anyway, the best I can come up with for downloading whatsapp photos is to go to Google photos, search for "IMG WA". Select all by clicking the first one, then scroll down, press shift and select the last one. Then download as a zip.


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After Factory Reset - Please Sign in using one of the owner's account for this device - Asus Zenfone 2
I'm using Asus Zenfone 2 laser Android device. For a specific reason I did factory reset. After reset I tried to access my mobile. It asked me to use Google account which I used before in that device for sync. I did that too. But again and again i'm seeing "Please sign in using one of the owner's account for this device". I tried so many times using all my previous Gmail ids which ever used in my mobile. How to resolve this issue? I checked in Google and got results for some Bypass Technic which I don't want. I need the root cause and the proper solution.
Note: Before resetting my mobile I changed the password of my Gmail id and I used the updated password. I'm not sure whether it would be the reason. If so how to fix this?

This is a specific feature - FRP (Factory Reset Protection), and there are many questions here to suggest resolutions. Here is a starting query with similar questions and answers.

Possible duplicate of How to bypass "Verify your account" (Factory Reset Protection)

@wbogacz Please not I didn't need to By Pass "Verify your account" and I needed the root cause. I got the solution too. I checked in Google and got results for some Bypass Technic which I don't want. I need the root cause and the proper solution. - notes from my question.

This issue resolved in the next 48 hours of resetting my mobile. The reason for this issue was changing my Gmail password before resetting my mobile. If we changed the password we needs to want for 48 hours after resetting our mobile to Sign in using our already used account in our device.
Because device will expect our old password for 48 hours then the updated password will be acceptable for the device us to enter the Main screen of our device.
If any one changed the password and experiencing this issue, please wait for another 48 hours. Your issue will be resolved in 2 days ;-)


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Why does the messenger app don't open chat head?
I am facing this problem in my device Redmi note 3. It says in notification bar that chat head is active but actually there is nothing on the screen.Please help.

Troubleshooting the app by clearing all data and cache might solve the problem. Also update the app.

If @MANI solutions do not work, try ensuring the app is allowed to use notifications. It uses a persistent one to keep the bubbles on top.


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Can I use my Mobile's wifi adapter in Desktop PC
My desktop has broadband connection. But I do not have any wifi adapter. I want to use my cell phone's wifi adapter and wifi hotspot facility to make internet available for other systems. How can I do that?

It is possible but for that you need to use reverse tethering and then create a wifi hotspot.You can view this XDA thread for more information
PS:- Do you have a laptop? If yes, then you can use wifi hotspot apps to create a hotspot from your laptop


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Ota images for nexus 5
I want to update my nexus 5 with an ota image because it freezes after I unlock it with the sign code and I can't access the os.So I want to update my system with adb sideload and an ota image that I download directly from Google to see if the problem will be solved.I don't want to erase my data so my question is:Does a flash of an ota image through adb sideload wipe my data?

Google has noted here:

[Manually updating your Nexus device using OTA binary image files] has the same effect of flashing the corresponding factory images, but without the need of wiping the device.

(Emphasis mine)
On the contrary, by OTA update, if you meant incremental platform/system updates, then even so, user data would not be wiped out.
User data would also not be wiped out if the factory image files are flashed manually (not via the included script) and userdata partition is skipped from flashing.
Note: It is my assumption that the question refers to data as everything created or added by the user (directly or indirectly - via an app or system) since the last time the factory reset was done. Data hence corresponds to files stored in the userdata partition, mounted at /data.
 In simpler terms, data here is everything that would be deleted if a factory reset is performed on the device.

In what way can I flash factory images files without unlocking bootloader?I tried to flash cache partition with fastboot but it requires me to unlock bootloader...


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How to prevent android from automatically rearranging home screen icons?
I don't know in which which version of android this has been added but it seems like a really frustrating feature.
Once I delete an icon on my home screen, every other icon gets rearranged automatically towards the left top corner.
This is problematic because some of my apps are placed in a way that is easy to access with right thumb.
This means that every time I remove something from my home screen I need to manually rearrange all the icons back to how they ware, and I can't seem to find a setting that would fix this.
Version of Android - 6.0.1
But the same thing was happening in 5+
The smartphone I'm using is Sony Xperia Z3 compact.
As to the launcher I'm not sure which one Sony uses.

This functionality is generally part of the Launcher - usually specific to the device and the OEM. So, please complete the question by supplying those missing details. Thanks.

Based on your additional info, the appropriate User Guide is on the web. The specifics of handling apps and widgets on the Home Screen are covered on pages 14-17, with uninstalling in the last section. It makes no mention of the expected activity surrounding uninstalling apps, so any specific setting to control the app icon flow has to be related to the 'Own Order' setting, which it is apparent you know about.

Apps > the more button (3 dots placed vertically) > settings > turn off "automatically place icons together"

Works great! Awesome!

Hold down on a blank space of the home screen until the settings option shows. Select settings, select automatically place icons together


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Moto G 1st gen getting "unfortunately google play services has stopped" message even in safe mode
I hope you can help.
I have a Moto G 1st gen phone and for the last two days I have had the dreaded "Unfortunately google play services has stopped" message.
I cannot "force stop" the app as suggested elsewhere, since the only buttons still working are "disable" and "manage space".
The "force stop" and "uninstall updates" buttons are greyed out.
The "clear cache" button is not greyed out but doesn't do anything when pressed.
I have tried changing to "safe mode" and even then I still get the same "unfortunately...." message.  Apparently that means it isn't a problem with any of my many installed apps (?)
I cannot update the app manually as it doesn't exist on "play store".
I did have an incident yesterday where Norton closed down internet access for a time, having discovered "malware" in an app which I then had to delete to reinstate the internet connection and continue using the phone.  I can't remember if the play services message was appearing before that incident or not.
Please advise in straightforward terms what I can do next - is a factory reset my only option or could you suggest something else?  If you can suggest something else, please advise in simple terms what I need to do and where to find what I need, if you can.
The version of Google play services I have on my phone is
Version 9.4.52 and obviously it isn't running the latest operating system as there was never an upgrade available for my phone.
Thank you !

If I'm correct, the best way to handle this is usually this: Tediously, navigate to settings. Once in there, go to accounts and remove all your accounts. Once this is done, back out of that to the main settings. Then navigate to apps. Look for Google Play Services. Force stop it, then clear cache and data. Do the same with Google Play Store. Once this is done, go open up the Play Store. If done correctly, usually it'll ask you to accept the Terms of Service. If you get that, then you can sign in and it should be fixed. Sometimes you have to repeat this a couple times because sometimes it doesn't trigger whatever it is that fixes it.


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Cannot undo "forget Bluetooth device"
I have an Asus Zenfone running Android 6.0.1. and a Bluetooth headset (Philips SHQ6500) that I had paired but accidentally selected the forget option. Now it's impossible to re-connect it because the phone cannot see the headset at all. I restarted both devices and did a hard reset for network settings but the problem persists. Googling didn't help so I'm stuck at the moment.

Forgetting a BT device shouldn't make it constantly denied. Did you cross-check both devices' BT to see if they work with other devices?

I think it's the headset's fault. Check the manual - for example, on my Tracer Mobile BT, the headphones will only accept new connections if the power button was pressed for more than few seconds when starting the headphones

Try this app, may help

Headset won't be discoverable if it thinks it is already paired. Need to somehow reset the headset. Having said that, android BT stack has so many bugs its unreal. A third party BT scan app is probably a good thing to try.

YES!!!!
Thank you so very much! It worked!! I didn't need to do step 2 :)

@SusanaGraça. Great! But what worked? LOL.

I had this problem with my Backbeat headphones. I pressed and held the right main button and the phone again saw them.

I faced a similar situation. Following steps worked for me. Some of the steps might be redudent.
1) restart your phone
2) reset network settings (Setting> back and restore )
3) change the phone bluetooth name. (I assume this is the solution)
4) set the bluetooth device in pairing mode (long press the power key).
And it worked for me. Probably, executing only step 3 would be sufficient.
I hope I saved your precious 30 minutes:)


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Permission problems with LinuxDeploy
I installed LinuxDeploy and got Debian Jessie up and running. It was all relatively easy.
The issue that I am having is that the user I define in the ui is not able to write to custom mounts (like sd card etc).
I can use the Root user in the chroot environment to read/write but that is not right. I want to be able to be a regular user with read/write permissions.
I am using Lollipop 5.1/LinuxDeploy on Samsung Note
thanks

I think this is a software issue with KitKat upwards .. The External SD permission has to be specifically accepted because of the Developer Options " Protect External Storage "      ...... ....... ...... ..... I would suggest you download a SD Card Permission Fixer.. This will patch the security issue to allow external writing and reading......... On the other hand, the internal storage should still be accessible by any app, Unless you have 5.0 and above, This requires accepting the permission with ( Show SD Card ) .. You might be able to add an error exception to run the Show SD Card script

well, the normal user cant write to any of the memory. I already did the sd card permission fixer things., None worked for me.

Update:
Confirmed that permissions of /dev/fuse probably just needs to be updated.  It is initially set to 700 by default for some reason which would only allow root to execute. It doesn't matter from where or how you chmod it, just chmod it to 770 or 777 if necessary.
sudo chmod 777 /dev/fuse
Also doesn't hurt to do it properly and setup a fuse group if one doesn't already exist and add users to it as needed.
/Update
Was having a similar problem, will document what I did exactly.  This is assuming you've setup your install as a directory.

Download FX File Manager + it's root extension companion app from Play Store.
Navigate using the root explorer option to the roots of your Debian install(by default /data/user/linux deploy.package.name.or.similar/0/env
Find /dev/fuse of your Debian install with FX.  Long press on the folder, swipe over to / tap security.
Tap all the squares so /dev/fuse is set to 777 access
Stop and start your image, try accessing mounted directories.

Now I suppose you could try simply chmodding /dev/fuse to 777 from within Debian or whatever access you deem necessary, but I didn't try that.  Most likely that will work too -intuitively sounds fine, but not what I did.
It was.kind of odd that /dev/fuse was set to 700 in the first place, but whatever.
Oh also, I had to add in a fuse group prior to that, and add users to it.  All though my guess is that if you set /dev/fuse to 777 it would make this step unnecessary.  Perhaps a 770 would necessitate the fuse group?

try this fix: https://winaero.com/blog/unlock-external-sd-card-writing-for-all-apps-in-android-4-4-kitkat/
I tried this on Termux and it allow me to write to usb in the termux default user.
It may also work with Linux Deploy. Please reply me with the result


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I accidentally uninstalled the kingroot app and I can't find a way to completely unroot now
So all the sudden after having my phone rooted for a month, my phone freaked out and sent me a notification that said kingroot was "hurting" my phone. So I tried to click on it and apparently I hit the uninstall button in the notification and now I can't completely unroot to reroot and fix this. I can't just install another root and I've looked thru all of my files in the preinstalled "my files* app and there is nothing kingroot related if I understand correctly. Help pleeeaasee! Without root my battery is very bad and every stupid bloatware app autostarts.

Have you tried flashing the latest OFFICIAL ROM?

just go to kingo root webiste and root again: https://www.kingoapp.com/

Try installing it again and then removing root, but UNTICK the KEEP BACKUP checkbox.


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Working root method for Alcatel OT Pixi7 l213?
I Want to root my Alcatel OneTouch Pixi 7 (l213). Android 4.4.2
I tried adb manual from linux terminal, but stopped at "readonly partition"
I have not sufficient knowledge and no actual clear instructions.
Kingroot failed at about 70%, without any error messages.
Any idea or link to insruction highly welcome

Have you tried KingRoot, you can download it from their website? Not 100% guaranteed but supports the most phones. Also you could try SuperSU's Update.zip too.

OP states that KingRoot fails. Also, there's likely no custom recovery available for such an unpopular device, so SuperSU might not be feasible.


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Android 6, delete file from /data/user/0/
I have an un-rooted Samsung Galaxy running Android 6.0.1 and for an app to work properly, I must delete a (lock-)file from the following path:
/data/user/0/com.some.app/some.dir/lkc904d56b5dbe600e60d121882bb2a1f2
How can I delete that file (without rooting the device)?
Thanx a lot for your help!
BR,
D.
PS: I tried mounting the device storage to my Ubuntu 16.04 machine, but could not find the folder.

There is no way you can access the /data partition unless you are rooted.
So, you need to root the device again to delete it..
Or, if you have a custom recovery installed, then you can just easily delete it, like:

For TWRP, open 'Advanced' and go to 'File Manager' and delete the file.
For CWM/Philz, just use (flash) the AROMA Filemanager Zip and browse & delete the file.
Or else, you could create a flashable zip to delete the file from the exact file location, or you could do it from the Terminal of the custom recovery (if it provides one)

Or else, if you don't have custom recovery, and if you don't want to root, the only way would be to factory reset (you might want to take backups before that).

PS: I tried mounting the device storage to my Ubuntu 16.04 machine, but could not find the folder.

The device storage (internal storage) shows the files under /data/media/0, so you won't see it there..


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Lost hidden images
I used an app to hide certain images on my phone and I transferred the image folders from the phone to an SD card. Now it's not showing and the folders are empty :( how can I restore them?

Apps I've seen usually hide the images by changing their format and saving them in hidden folders at some random locations.

You can check the default saving location used by the app in the preferences. Explore the location from a file explorer and backup the file.
Uninstall the app and reinstall it.
copy the backed up files into the default location again.
try unhiding the files again from the app


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How to stop System Update from Canvas A1?
Android version of my Canvas A1 (AQ4501) is 4.4.4. And its rooted.
Now I am getting System Update for Android 6.0.
How to stop System Update for my rooted Canvas A1? and
If I update it to Android 6.0, will it affect root access?
Regards
Ugn10

How to stop System Update for my rooted Canvas A1?

PROCEDURE to disable the Google Official OTA updates completely:
*. You need to be rooted for this.

Install this app: Disable Services and open it.
Select the 'System' tab.
Select the "Google Services Framework" app and uncheck (disable) the following service: SystemUpdateService
Again, select the "Google Play Services" app and uncheck this service: SystemUpdateService

Tested and working on Android One devices & Google Nexus.
That's it! You'll never get the update notification and neither will you be able to check it manually.
If you feel you want the updates again, you can re-enable these services again to receive updates.
(Source: [TIP] How to disable the Google OTA updates completely)

If I update it to Android 6.0, will it affect root access?

Yes, definitely it will affect the root access.
BTW, you won't even be able to install the OTA zip (since you have rooted the stock KitKat, by which system partition is modified).

Hi..thank you for replying and giving resolution for my concern but dear..as I mentioned that my device is rooted and I given root access to Disable Services app. System Update Service was already unchecked. However I see the System Update. Currently I uncheck Google Play Service notification but I don't think, issue is fixed.

why dont you want to update? i would highly recomend updating as it will not affect root to my knowledge. if it does, just root it again? you can use kingo root: https://www.kingoapp.com/ it works most of the times.

Hi..in my family, there are two Canvas A1 (AQ4501). One is rooted with 4.4.4 and another is non-rooted with updated 6.0.1. Because of low internal memory (4GB), non-rooted and updated 6.0.1 Canvas A1 (AQ4501) works very slow and I tried to root it with many apps but it failed. That's why I don't want to update rooted 4.4.4 canvas A1 (AQ4501).

have you tried kingo root?

Yes..I tried Kingo Root with and without PC both and its failed at 13%. For this, I wrote to Kingo Root as well but they wasn't able to fix it.


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Change TMPDIR for Android shell script
I am working on a script that will be run from an android shell (e.g. adb shell). I have a problem with writing temporary files, as this demonstrates:
$ cat <<-EOF > foo
> EOF
sh: can't create temporary file /data/local/shd1v7x1.tmp: Permission denied

I want to direct the shell's temporary directory to somewhere that is writable. I would usually do this:
$ export TMPDIR=/path/to/somwehere/writable
$ cat <<-EOF > foo

but it makes no difference.
Is it possible to specify the location the shell should use for temporary files?
(I know that running as root is a work around but that isn't a solution)

/data/local/tmp should be writable on all Android and it works with that :-).
export TMPDIR=/data/local/tmp

yes, that works. I guess I must not have known of that location when I asked the question but I know about it now.


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SMS autoinstallable
How can I send a sms with net settings, like the one some providers send when you plug the sim first time?
P.S.: No hack intention! My girlfriend is anti-tech and 600 km. away. I want to send her APN settings so we could go online!

If memory serves, it requires setting up a Service center, which only providers can do. Can't they just download the settings?

Her provider don't send sms with settings. I do know the settings, but she can't handle and I don't remember her phone exact menus layout(and teamviewer work on internet only...) And that would be the ONLY internet in the area

Yeah, and team viewer can't work mobile > mobile either. Your only hope is doing the settings when you next see her.

But wat a service center has and a regular sms don't?

they can provide service messages to tweak settings. Only certain settings, don't worry. It's regulated by the SIM and the OS. Maybe with root, but if your gf is anti-tech, root is certainly a bad idea.

Should be a bit in sms that say „I am a installable settings msg”. No matter the route, the data are the same - the phone can't choose

the phone can't choose? Oh boy, it can, otherwise it would be buggier than than CyanogenMod nightlies. I see what you mean though- there is probably a bit in the SMS saying "Hey! I'm not normal!" Try getting in contact with the provider- they might have a method.

No problem. Let us know how it goes.


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Is there any android apk or process info library website/database?
I have a virus on Micromax canvas A104 and is on deep system(with root privilege) level. I tried removing it on safe mode, resetting the phone etc.
I rooted my canvas a104 rooted to find the virus source. But there are many System app which i can’t differentiate and find it risky to remove the core apps.
I want to know any database where i can get info about all my apps and process(like https://processlibrary.com where you can find info on windows processes).
My problem is similar to these threads:

Device wants desperately to install a package (com.google.system.s) on its own
How to remove a Virus that installs an unlimited amount of APPs causing the smartphone to stop once an internet connection has been established?

I have gone through many other threads but couldn't find anything useful.
One solution for this can be custom rom. But i didn't find any stable ROM and find it risky for my phone.
Any help on this or a solution to the problem will also be appreciated!!

If your aim is to only get rid of the virus, simpler would be to take backup of your data ( easier now that device IS rooted), locate reliable stock ROM download or get the service center to flash it . It is very unlikely that you would get a library you are seeking for and when if you did, you would require ROM chef's knowledge to isolate the culprit. Not worth the effort. +1 for diligence and spadework before asking the question- welcome to Android enthusiasts

I see stock ROM for your device here and I believe it is a good source . Can't vouch as I never used any mtk devices

Thanks for the the answer. I have been to that link but didn't find any reviews for these ROMs. I find this link somewhat useful. But there were processes which were not there.

You could edit your question to include all the names of system apps installed in your device, I might help you catch the culprit..

There may be dormant malicious system apps also (which are not currently running, so not a process). So include all system apps by pm list packages -s and pm list packages -f -s


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How to root Samsung Galaxy A5 (SM-A500H) running Android 6.0.1
I have Galaxy A5 (SM-A500H) When I was on Lollipop I rooted it using kingroot apk. Yesterday I upgraded to 6.0.1 from sammobile. And it has SS/pc not sure if that prevent rooting or anything like that, I'm using Uzbekistan's version.
Kingroot apk no longer works, it gets to 65% then tells me that no rooting strategy works. Kingroot exe seems to be offered exclusively in Chinese these days so I cannot use it.
The chainfire version doesn't work, if I use it, I get a little red warning on booting screen that I have breached the warranty or something like that, I don't care about the error but the phone won't boot, the only way to exit, is to press volume down and power and home button and wait like 10 seconds, enter download mode and flash the Sammobile firmware again.

Odin, this TWRP recovery and a SuperSU flashable zip (the thread also supplies one but it seems to be for Lollipop) should be all you need.
P.S. As of version 2.78, SuperSU is fully under the control of Chinese firm CCMT - use 2.76 if you don't trust that.

Can I use supersu from playstore? I bought that long ago to support the developer or it wont be installed unless the phone is rooted? i forgot since for the last few years I have been using kingroot exclusively

You should be able to restore Pro purchase after rooting. Directly installing SuperSU from store will not root the phone, mind you.


text:
Why such outlined fonts appearing randomly in my phone?
See the OK Google thing in the screenshot?

This is caused by a accessibility option. To turn this off, go to: settings > accessibility > high contrast text


text:
MIUI 8 extended icons
I have MIUI 8 installed on my smartphone.
 It looks great, however icons for non-stock apps look ugly. Is there any icon pack, so I can keep the stock theme, but have MIUI-style icons for popular third-party apps?

Finally, I've managed to do that:

You need to have a Xiaomi Designer Account, because MIUI 8 doen't allow installing custom themes unless you are a 'designer'
You should go to http://designer.xiaomi.com/, sign up and enter valid    data. After a day or so you will be able to import *.mtz files from the default MIUI theme manager.
Download an icon pack from MultiRom ROM. You can find them here:
https://multirom.me/read.php?tid=343 (download link is in first post, sorry for russian)
After that you should open a theme manager, go to themes and import downloaded file. The final step is to select these icons in 'components' menu in theme manager

use something like polycon icon pack:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thearclabs.polycon&hl=en

It doen't work with MIUI default launcher

maybe you can use nova launcher? i really like it and i think it's the best launcher out there in terms of all-round functionality and customizability

Install theme with extended icons
There are themes available which contains more icons for MIUI8, search for the theme's name in your theme manager / theme store:

eXtended 8 (1'000 icons visible for xiaomi.eu and official rom)
V8-extended-icons (visible for chinese stable and beta)
MultiROM Icons V8 (2'700 icons visible for chinese stable and beta)

If you have root and a custom recovery, you can flash:

MIUI v8 alpha rom icons (1'500 icons)
Mia Ex (12'200 icons)
MIUI 8 icons (1'500 icons)

Xposed module to enable MTZ import
You can install Xposed framework for MIUI (by solarwarez), and then load the module RootToolsNeo. This module allows you to have the "import MTZ" option in your Theme Manager, even without having a Designer account. "Theme Crack"
Official Designer Account to import any MTZ file
Another option is to apply with your Xiaomi Account as a Theme Designer. After your application has been granted, you will be able to import MTZ files that you've downloaded from anywhere.


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how to view saved passwords with root
How do I get the saved wifi passwords from my android kitkat phone. It is rooted and I have the adb tool. How do I do this? I know that I can download stuff to do it but I do not want to download any application as my device has no more storage. What other options do I have? I have looked around but I do not know what to do.

first, if using windows, go the the folder containing adb.exe. then shift right click on the folder and select open cmd here. then type adb devices to check is the device has developer options on. type adb root .then type adb shell. if the $ sign changes to # then it is now in root mode. type cd /data/misc/wifi. then type cat wpa_supplicant.conf. VOILA!

Keep in mind that some manufacturers (Samsung) usually encrypt those passwords. Good luck with those.


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Fastboot's command boot
What can I do with fastboot's boot command?Can i boot into twrp recovey with my bootloader locked?I have to recover some data from my phone but I have adb disabled...I have a nexus 5 and I have thought to some solution but nothing...I don't know what to do

Double-posting is disallowed even in forums, mind you: link

Fastboot boot command allows a Bootable image to be started on the device without flashing it permanently... It can be a custom boot kernel image, a recovery environment (TWRP, CWM, Philz), or other custom image. Having an unlocked bootloader is a requirement to boot an unsigned (meaning not stock) image like TWRP.

Damn!So I can't recover my data:(:(:(

@AndyYan I suggest you look into unlocking the bootloader without wiping, it is possible in the N4/5 devices... Google can give you that info.

@acejavelin Now that you mentioned it I remember it somewhat. However I looked it up and seems that it requires a booted-up, functional device to use the alternative unlocker, and if that's the case OP would've recovered data from it easily.


text:
How do I enforce charging only on USB and disallow data?
The US Federal Trade Commission now suggests consumers driving rental cars not plug in their mobile phones using USB, due to security concerns.
I understand for the security of my phone and data the physical solution is best; there is no way data can be transferred though the cigarette lighter, but this requires carrying additional hardware when traveling.
Is there a way to disallow data transfer over USB within Android? My primary concern is with unrooted Android 7.0 Nougat, but I am actually interested in prior Android versions as well.
I am aware of the "Use USB to" menu that shows up under notifications with  the following options:

Charge this device: Just charge this device
Supply power: Supply power to the other connected device
Transfer files: Transfer files to another device
Transfer photos (PTP): Transfer photos or files if MTP is not supported (PTP)
Use device as MIDI: use this device as MIDI

I am able to use USB debugging while "Charge this device" is selected, which is definitely sending data over USB and is in conflict with the description. Does this mean only explicitly allowed devices can send data over USB in "Charge this device" mode? Or are there other exceptions as well?
How do I enforce charging only for USB connections like a rental car and disallow data transfer?

Related Prevent USB data transfer (when phone is in use) and being charged for prior Android versions

Some methods mentioned in above answer should still hold good being version independent

First, don't leave ADB enabled except when you need it,  even though you have to authorize any device that uses ADB, as good safety practice... Other than that, Marshmallow and newer Android do not allow file transfer or other data transfer without authorization on a per connection basis.
In Marshmallow or newer, I think this is generally an unwarranted concern and usb connection in rental cars can safely be used. TBH, I doubt any legitimate rental company car is of concern at all.


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How can I set my bluetooth visibility on all the time with lollipop?
I use my phone as a beacon. When I show up places, other bits of hardware notice my bluetooth presence and do things.
As of lollipop apparently this doesn't work anymore because there is no way to have bluetooth visibility on all the time.
Is there a  way I can force bluetooth visibility on all the time?
I'd really rather avoid writing yet another app, especially if somebody already has one, but I have had no luck finding anything on the play store.

App recommendations are off topic so edited your question

Blue tooth auto connect description seems to allow that. I downloaded app today for something else but didn't try fully

doesn't seem to have any settings for visibility, just what to do when bluetooth is turned on and off.

This app sorta does what I want, but it doesn't start on boot, which means I've have to push some buttons which defeats the purpose. I'm trying to automate the process.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tcompany.bluetoothdiscovery&hl=en
So the answer will be, I write the app myself.
Thanks for the help.


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Making Google Reminders show today's items in my notification drawer
I currently use Google Tasks (Google Reminders' predecessor) with an app that displays today's items in my notification drawer so I don't forget about them.
I'd like to switch to Google Reminders so that I can see everything within the Calendar app. However, it doesn't seem to display today's reminders in my notification drawer by default. Is there a way to get today's Google Reminders to show up in your notification drawer?

Do you mean " Google Now reminders"?

In which case see https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/3122344?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en

I mean the reminder functionality inside Calendar: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/6285327


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Insufficient storage error message
I have bought new Samsung Galaxy S7. And it has available space of 27 GB, though whenever I try to download app it shows insufficient storage error.
Please help me to solve this issue.

try to reboot, check your storage settings or try using google:
http://recomhub.com/blog/galaxy-s7-how-to-fix-insufficient-storage-available-message/

Check your internal storage, It must be minimum free in order to install apps.
Can you send your storage details.


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Boot huawei's recovery on nexus 5
I have to recover some data from my phone.I know that huawei's recovery has a function to do a backup of data of android.So I had an idea:can I boot from fastboot through the command "boot" a huawei's recovery in a nexus 5 to recover my data?Is that possible?

You can't just boot an image from another device.
What exactly is the function you're looking for? Nothing "stock" should be more powerful than a custom recovery (e.g. TWRP), and backup is a must-have function in them. If by "recovering data" you mean backing them up in recovery and restoring them at a later time then this is the way to go; otherwise please further clarify what you intend to do.
EDIT: I see you double-posting yet again, -1 for that. @acejavelin has given you the definitive answer there - no, nothing can be done if your bootloader is locked. Unlocking is the first thing you should do when getting hands on a Nexus.

I am looking for a method to recover my data with my os blocked...I can't access my os.I have some important data in the phone and I would like to recover them.

If i recall correctly, You just need the HTC backup apk installed on another device, you then select the messages, contacts..etc and restore them with the actual apk file... only works from huawei to huawei ...
Maybe you could try a device copy app... they're supposed to be able to clone device data like contacts etc.. using Bluetooth or WiFi