text:
How to modify the "systemless hosts” file under the newer Magisk?
It seems to be under /system_root/etc but the hosts file really is just a symbolic link to /system/etc/hosts.
How to modify the "systemless hosts” file under the newer Magisk?

It might look like that, but doesn't Magisk use an overlay file system here?

What does that mean and what can I do?

If you doubt Magisk is handling systemless root (and systemless hosts), either don't use it if you want to avoid it – or ask at the Magisk issue tracker to make sure.

@Izzy no no, I mean how can I manually modify systemless hosts with adb shell?

Ah. Well, as you would modify it else: vi /system/etc/hosts. The overlay is at file system level, so it should work via ADB as well.

@Izzy so I would just edit system files as if they were system files but Magisk takes care of the overlay for me?

That's how I understand it. After all, Magisk claims you can use e.g. AdAway this way – and there's no setting in AdAway for "systemless hosts" (at least there wasn't when I last looked). What's more: What do you guess where the Android system would look for the file? In the "original place" of course. So what sense would it make if that wouldn't resolve to the "systemless hosts" you edited?

In recent versions of Magisk and "Systemless Hosts" module you can no longer directly edit the file /system/etc/hosts.
Instead you have to modify the hosts file in the Magisk modules directory of the hosts module (the internal name of the "Systemless Hosts" module).

Open Magisk -> Settings -> touch Systemless hosts (this will create the necessary directory structure and the hosts file.

Use an editor of your choice and edit the file

/data/adb/modules/hosts/system/etc/hosts

Any change to that file will directly be visible in /system/etc/hosts respectively /etc/hosts.
The Magisk modules directory and it's file-system structure is explained here:
https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/guides.html#magisk-modules


text:
Android File Transfer not working between El Capitan and Android 6
I have a Nexus 7 and a MacBook Pro running El Capitan (10.11.6).  I just installed Android File Transfer (1.0.11) and connected my Nexus.
Result: Android File Transfer automatically opens, but says:

Can't access device storage.
Make sure your device is unlocked and "File Transfer" or "MTP" mode is selected.

I found Google's troubleshooting page, and updated Android as per the advice there.  I'm now running Android 6.0.1 with security patch level August, 2016.  I got the same result.
My device was unlocked and there was no notification on the device when I connected it.
I found https://android.stackexchange.com/a/125679/190389 and followed those steps, but found that MTP mode was already selected, so that wasn't the issue.
I tried with more than one USB cable; one dinky cable resulted in the computer not recognizing that the device was connected at all (i.e. the device charged but Android File Transfer didn't open automatically, and when opened manually it said no Android device connected).  But the cable resulting in the error message above was a sturdy good one that I got from WASD Keyboards along with my high-end keyboard purchase.
How can I get Android File Transfer working?

After struggling a lot and checking many solutions off the internet, my issue turned out to be related to "turning off and on again" the SIP (System Integrity Protection) on my Mac. I did the following and it magically works again:

csrutil disable (and then reboot) → ADB/Android File Transfer not working yet.
csrutil enable (and then reboot) → ADB/Android File Transfer already working up to this point.
csrutil enable --without debug → I've gotta do this because I'm using XtraFinder and want to make it work for El Capitan.

See if this resolves yours :)

I’ve never messed with SIP before, so doubt that is the cause; had you adjusted it previously?

Uhm yeah, because I'm using XtraFinder. But I guess it won't hurt to give it a try. The default state of the SIP is all enabled.

Hey, @Wildcard! :) Coming back to this thread almost 3 years later, only to realise that you've been right all along. This got nothing to do with SIP. I guess I've got to accept that my N7 has a faulty/buggy hardware USB port. https://android.stackexchange.com/q/61020/261045

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
"Save as" like window's saving
I see that in Android (MiMax 2 with Android 7) the downloads fall in the same and unique folder. I have a Dropbox. In the Dropbox I can save my files offline. But when I want to move a file from the downloads to the Dropbox, and make it available offline, it seems like it uploaded and downloaded in two steps. Can I make this in one step, i.e to download from a website in Dropbox as outline available?

please have a screenshot of the issue.

How can I make screenshot?

pull down notification bar from top, there you can see screen shot tile. tap on it when you were on the required page

OK but when I try to paste it it is not copied

With the screenshot I can share edit or trash, not copy

Its okay, no problem. please wait for answer from those who  know this issue well.

You can't paste the screenshots into a comment. But when you [edit] your question, the editor has a symbol to upload them.

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


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Symbolic link permission denied
I'm trying to create a symbolic link on my Android N phone, so that my photos are accessible from the Pictures folder. I want to be able to sync all my pictures in a single folder using Syncthing.
My phone isn't rooted, so I booted into a TWRP image using fastboot boot twrp.img, where I have root access to the filesystem. I was then able to log in using adb shell, create the symlink and change its owner.
cd /data/media/0/DCIM
mv Camera Camera.bak
ln -s ../Pictures/Camera Camera
chown -h media_rw:media_rw Camera

Unfortunately the camera app fails to open, with an error message saying No storage found. Attempting to navigate to the symlink results in a Permission denied error.
Is there a way to get this working properly?
Note that in Android /data/media is mounted to /storage/emulated. The filesystem of /data is ext4, which supports symlinks, and the link works correctly from within TWRP.

sdcard usually uses a filesystem that doesn't support permission/symlinking.

I should have noted that my phone (a Nexus 5) doesn't have a physical SD card. /sdcard is just a confusing mount point used by TWRP. I've updated my question to be clearer.

That's not the point; FUSE and the filesystem behind it is usually the culprit. See this I wrote earlier, and this from the TWRP crew.

Thanks for the clarification. I found this article useful to help in understanding. https://www.xda-developers.com/diving-into-sdcardfs-how-googles-fuse-replacement-will-reduce-io-overhead/


text:
Insert ROM in PDA file
I have a problem. I am new in the domain of android customization and that is why I am testing.
I have a PDA file for my old GT-S6102 Galaxy Y, which contains the following files:

boot.img
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
system.img
userdata.img

I also downloaded a custom ROM from the internet called evo_x2.1 (evo_x2.1.zip) which contains the following files:

META-INF (folder)
system (folder)
installbusybox (file)

Normaly this file is supposed to be put on /sdcard and update the system partition only from recovery mode.
But I have a question: Can I edit my PDA file mentioned above by inserting this ROM in it? (so that when I flash this firmware with odin into my phone I will no longer have to update it with this ROM separately afterwards, manually)
I tried to create a system.img which contained the files included in the ROM file and replaced the system.img in the PDA file with the system.img I just created from the ROM file.But when I try to flash the PDA with Odin, it crashes while analyzing the file.
NOTE: there is no md5 hashsum at the end of the PDA so there is no problem concerning the integrity of the file.
Thank you, and any observations are welcomed.

IIRC the .img has to be EXT4... I never even thought of doing it this way so I don't have further info.


text:
How do I reliably access my music library in Google Play music from my car's bluetooth system
i have a Samsung Galaxy S6 and 2015 Mazda. In general, access my music via bluetooth in my car works much better when I disable Google PLay Music and only use the native music app. However, I would prefer to use Google Play Music simply because when I purchase music from the app and download them to the phone, they are not available to the native app (or any app other than Google Play music...argh!)
So, I am using Tasker to successfully automatically play Google Play Music when it connects to the car's bluetooth, and that works very well. And the music does play.
However, and this is my specific problem, sometimes I cannot access the library screen on my cars bluetooth system, where I choose the artist, track, playlist, album, etc.
Specifically, when I try to select the library icon, it says: "unable to view the content of the connected device."
Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.

Are you using Android Auto? That is the only way I have been able to access anything other then Pause/Play and Previous & Next track via Bluetooth, I have no access to a library and I am using a 2018 Hyundai Sonata (but the Android Auto is awesome!). Guess I am confused that this is even a possibility...

Is your phone plugged in by USB as well? Usually choosing a track from the car is only available for plugging in USB storage to the car, not for Bluetooth (except Android Auto, as acejavelin says).

I've answered my own question. Things are working well. Basically, to get a Mazda 2015 Bluetooth to work well with a Samsung Galaxy S6 i did the following:

used Tasker to set the phone up such that the moment the phone is connected to the car's bluetooh Google PLay is launched

To get it working, sometimes you have to click "forward" and then "play" on the car's bluetooth screen"

There are times when the car's bluetooth will not read the phone's library. This necessitates turning the phone's bluetooth off and then on again. It seems to work well then.

You should write an answer then and mark it accepted

I ended up using Tasker to set the phone up such that the moment the phone is connected to the car's bluetooth, Google Play is launched and a song is played. Then, you'll be able to control the phone's music in Google Play through the car's head unit.


text:
I have restricted background data but i am still getting whatsapp and facebook messages,,, am using an android 8.1 oreo
I have restricted background data but i am still getting Whatsapp and Facebook messages notifications.
I'm using an android 8.1 Oreo.

Push messages are usually not received by the app itself, but by the Google Push Notification Service (part of the "Google [Play] Services"). This prevents that every app have to built their own notification system which would cost a lot of battery and traffic.

To elaborate on this a little, in general you cannot disable background data for Google Services... Background data on or off is not relevant, this is considered an essential service and always has access to data when it is available. Most apps such as Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, and most messaging apps, even many Echange email compatible apps, use the Google Push Notification service. To my knowledge this cannot be disabled without Airplane mode, or root access using 3rd party tools as disabling causes lots of other things to not function correctly.

@acejavelin While I haven't tested whether or not it works, I can "flip the switch" on Google Services' access to mobile data on my phone. I have a Honor, so it's probably a feature of EMUI.


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What do these screen mean black background yellow or blue with date and time?
Some times my phone gets stuck at this screen. I can take a screen shot but it is otherwise unresponsive. What does this screen mean. It's usually yellow or blue with the time.

I want to think if I can take a screen shoot, I can otherwise recover from them. But each time I get it I have to restart the phone. I got these with Lineage 14.1, and now I'm getting them with 15.1 too.

Believe it is the flip cover, due to faulty hall sensor. Disable in settings (after reboot) seems to be the answer. According to this post, the setting can be disabled by going

Settings
Connected Devices
Smart cover
Off


text:
Every time I walk past a hotel
...my phone thinks I need to know what amenities the hotel has. I've managed to shut off most of the other annoying alerts my phone wanted to throw out, but this one I haven't found in the menus. Where do I go to tell my phone I don't need to know about every hotel?

First you have to find out which app is pushing those messages. If you got the app you can disable notifications for that app: https://www.howtogeek.com/204187/how-to-disable-app-notifications-in-android/

The notifications are coming from the "Google" app. Looking over its notification options, I don't see an option for "Hotels" I can turn off. And "Google" is not an app whose permissions I can afford to revoke entirely.

Although it sounds different, this is exactly the same feature that causes problems in Why am I getting shopping trolley notifications about local store savings?, and my answer there also applies to these notifications.


text:
Internal storage to SD card issues
I have an Alcatel-4060A mobile and the internal storage is forever full. I only have two games and maybe 4 pics downloaded. Since I buy an 8 GB sd card. It only lets me download 4 apps on sd . Also says I'VE still got 7.28GB free on sd card. Won't let me download anymore apps. Please Help!

From the settings you will have to go to storage settings and then you will have to enable the sd card storage which would probably allow you to install all the apps and other downloads easily on sd card nd I would also prefer to buy an card with larger space in it.

You should check if there is an option "format sd-card as internal" or similar. If you enable it the storage of your device and the sd-card will be joined.
WARNING: One you format your sd-card as internal memory you will no longer be able to remove or replace the sd-card. Removing the sd-card will cause a (complete) data loss!


text:
Screen Overlay Terror
My phone has recently started a glitch with the screen overly prompt coming up whenever I try to access some of my apps.
I can't do anything anymore - there's this floating app I have. I thought it was share it until I deleted it, but the problem persists. It takes me back right where I started over and over and over again.

Shut down your device, power it back on, but press both the Volume keys as soon as the screen turns on. You end up in Safe Mode. Can you remove the floating widget app from there (in Settings > Apps)?

I had the same issue and I already know the solution, so if you start an app and it shows the the screen overlay text then you will have to open settings and try switching off all the apps which consists screen overlay. And if you won't get me, then you can just dm me the ss of your display screen and I can help you further.


text:
Make the home button go the middle screen?
With Android 8.1, the wallpaper can cover all three screens. So when you move from the first screen to the second, and from the second to the third, the wallpaper pans to a different part.
This is a cool effect.
How can I make my home button take me to the second screen -- in the middle of 1 & 3, so the wallpaper shows the cool stuff when I first launch into my phone.

Try a different launcher? Trebuchet (the default) is quite short on customization options.

You definitely need another launcher if the current one doesn't provide such a functionality.


text:
Rooted Moto Z2 Play seemingly bricked after accidental OTA update. Any chance to save it?
I have had my Z2 Play for half a year, and soon after I got it I unlocked the bootloader with Motorola's official method, installed TWRP, rooted it with Magisk and installed Xposed Framework.  I was on Nougat all the time and used it happily. A few months ago it started repeatedly asking to OTA update, but I just ignored the messages. Then one day, I must have accidentally pressed something, because I think it tried to update. I got a message that the update failed or something like that.
The phone gradually got worse after that, randomly rebooting into TWRP. I could somehow get it to boot Android by going to the bootloader and chosing "factory mode" but mostly the modem would not work at all and the phone would not be usable.
Trying to solve it, I decided to flash a whole ROM, hoping to remove all of the damage done by the botchered update. Since I already had unlocked my bootloader and TWRP, I decided to just flash a custom ROM, since I did not know if flashing stock would work with TWRP. I found some of the custom ROMs on XDA, and tried to flash them with TWRP. However, flashing would not work. I got some error code 255. I am attaching a screenshot of the error.

I tried both flashing via the adb sideload method via my Mac and via USB OTG (flash drive) but I got the same result for both.
Having seen this, I decided to try to relock the bootloader and restore stock firmware. I tried following this tutorial. However, that did not seem to work. Here is my fastboot output:
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot devices
ZY224BLVMC  fastboot
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fasboot oem lock begin
-bash: ./fasboot: No such file or directory
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ fastboot oem lock begin
-bash: fastboot: command not found
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot oem lock begin
(bootloader) WARNING: This command erases all user data.
(bootloader) Please re-run this command to continue.
OKAY [  0.003s]
Finished. Total time: 0.005s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot oem lock begin
(bootloader) Flash valid Android images now
(bootloader) Then re-run this command to lock
OKAY [  0.018s]
Finished. Total time: 0.018s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
(bootloader) has-slot:partition: not found
Sending 'partition' (45 KB)                        OKAY [  0.008s]
Writing 'partition'                                (bootloader) Validating 'gpt.default.xml'
(bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image primary_gpt failed validation
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
(bootloader) Cancelling 'gpt.default.xml'
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 0.264s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ sudo fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
Password:
sudo: fastboot: command not found
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ sudo ./fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
(bootloader) has-slot:partition: not found
Sending 'partition' (45 KB)                        OKAY [  0.005s]
Writing 'partition'                                (bootloader) Validating 'gpt.default.xml'
(bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image primary_gpt failed validation
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
(bootloader) Cancelling 'gpt.default.xml'
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 0.259s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
(bootloader) has-slot:bootloader: not found
Sending 'bootloader' (5115 KB)                     OKAY [  0.209s]
Writing 'bootloader'                               (bootloader) Validating 'bootloader.default.xml'
(bootloader) Committing 'bootloader.default.xml'
(bootloader) - flashing 'emmc_appsboot.mbn' to 'aboot'
(bootloader) - flashing 'rpm.mbn' to 'rpm'
(bootloader) - flashing 'tz.mbn' to 'tz'
(bootloader) - flashing 'devcfg.mbn' to 'devcfg'
(bootloader) - flashing 'cmnlib.mbn' to 'cmnlib'
(bootloader) - flashing 'cmnlib64.mbn' to 'cmnlib64'
(bootloader) - flashing 'keymaster.mbn' to 'keymaster'
(bootloader) - flashing 'prov.mbn' to 'prov'
(bootloader) - flashing 'sbl1.mbn' to 'sbl1'
OKAY [  0.548s]
Finished. Total time: 0.943s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash logo logo.bin
(bootloader) has-slot:logo: not found
Sending 'logo' (2192 KB)                           OKAY [  0.093s]
Writing 'logo'                                     OKAY [  0.066s]
Finished. Total time: 0.344s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
(bootloader) has-slot:recovery: not found
Sending 'recovery' (20580 KB)                      OKAY [  0.838s]
Writing 'recovery'                                 (bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image recovery failed validation
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 1.234s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
(bootloader) has-slot:recovery: not found
Sending 'recovery' (20580 KB)                      OKAY [  0.729s]
Writing 'recovery'                                 (bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image recovery failed validation
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 1.125s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash dsp adspso.bin
(bootloader) has-slot:dsp: not found
Sending 'dsp' (16384 KB)                           OKAY [  0.667s]
Writing 'dsp'                                      OKAY [  0.132s]
Finished. Total time: 0.984s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash oem oem.img
(bootloader) has-slot:oem: not found
Sending 'oem' (232923 KB)                          OKAY [ 10.302s]
Writing 'oem'                                      (bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image o failed validation
(bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 10.554s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.0
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (517135 KB)                       OKAY [ 20.549s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Security version downgrade
(bootloader) Image s failed validation
(bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.1
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (522979 KB)                       OKAY [ 20.458s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 20.674s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.2
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (524215 KB)                       OKAY [ 20.487s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 20.704s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.3
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (521087 KB)                       OKAY [ 19.126s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 19.330s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.4
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (518083 KB)                       OKAY [ 19.082s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 19.295s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.5
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (515569 KB)                       OKAY [ 18.974s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 19.192s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.6
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
Sending 'system' (250209 KB)                       OKAY [  9.380s]
Writing 'system'                                   (bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 9.579s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.7
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
fastboot: error: cannot load 'system.img_sparsechunk.7': No such file or directory
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
(bootloader) has-slot:modem: not found
Sending 'modem' (75092 KB)                         OKAY [  2.888s]
Writing 'modem'                                    OKAY [  1.878s]
Finished. Total time: 4.954s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase modemst1
(bootloader) has-slot:modemst1: not found
Erasing 'modemst1'                                 OKAY [  0.020s]
Finished. Total time: 0.210s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase modemst2
(bootloader) has-slot:modemst2: not found
Erasing 'modemst2'                                 OKAY [  0.020s]
Finished. Total time: 0.210s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
(bootloader) has-slot:fsg: not found
Sending 'fsg' (2932 KB)                            OKAY [  0.114s]
Writing 'fsg'                                      OKAY [  0.065s]
Finished. Total time: 0.364s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase cache
(bootloader) has-slot:cache: not found
Erasing 'cache'                                    OKAY [  0.016s]
Finished. Total time: 0.206s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase userdata
(bootloader) has-slot:userdata: not found
Erasing 'userdata'                                 OKAY [  2.252s]
Finished. Total time: 2.442s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase customize
(bootloader) has-slot:customize: not found
Erasing 'customize'                                (bootloader) Permission denied
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 0.194s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase customize
(bootloader) has-slot:customize: not found
Erasing 'customize'                                (bootloader) Permission denied
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 0.194s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot erase clogo
(bootloader) has-slot:clogo: not found
Erasing 'clogo'                                    (bootloader) Permission denied
FAILED (remote failure)
Finished. Total time: 0.192s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot oem lock
(bootloader) Still require signed boot.img
OKAY [  0.003s]
Finished. Total time: 0.003s
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot reboot
Rebooting
Finished. Total time: 0.005s

This seemed to do nothing to my device. I wondered if maybe the bootloader was in some sort of locked/unlocked limbo, so I tried to unlock the bootloader again using the key I got from Moto by email. That did not work either.
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot oem unlock THECODEFORMYDEVICE
(bootloader) invalid boot state
OKAY [  0.005s]
Finished. Total time: 0.008s

So I seem to be getting nowhere. There has to be some way to totally wipe everything, to get a fresh start? I do not care if I have to restore stock firmware, stock bootloader, whatever. I just want to be able to at least use my phone somehow. Is my device totally bricked? Is there nothing I can do?
I used adb and fastboot on macOS High Sierra.
At the request of @acejavelin, I am posting some more information:
Pals-MacBook-Air:platform-tools Fiksdal$ ./fastboot getvar all
(bootloader) version: 0.5
(bootloader) version-bootloader: moto-msm8953-C0.C7
(bootloader) product: albus
(bootloader) board: albus
(bootloader) secure: yes
(bootloader) hwrev: P4
(bootloader) radio: 3
(bootloader) storage-type: emmc
(bootloader) emmc: 64GB SKHYNIX HCG8a4 RV=08 PV=A2 FV=00000000000000A2
(bootloader) ram: 4GB SKHYNIX LP3 DIE=8Gb M5=06 M6=03 M7=00 M8=5F
(bootloader) cpu: MSM8953
(bootloader) serialno: ZY224BLVMC
(bootloader) cid: 0x0032
(bootloader) channelid: 0x40
(bootloader) uid: B5E66CBA00000000000000000000
(bootloader) securestate: flashing_unlocked
(bootloader) verity-state: enforcing
(bootloader) iswarrantyvoid: yes
(bootloader) max-download-size: 536870912
(bootloader) reason: Last time flashing failed
(bootloader) imei: *****************
(bootloader) meid:
(bootloader) date: 07-29-2017
(bootloader) sku: XT1710-09
(bootloader) battid: SNN5983B
(bootloader) iccid:
(bootloader) cust_md5:
(bootloader) max-sparse-size: 268435456
(bootloader) current-time: "Sat Jan  3 17:37:25 UTC 1970"
(bootloader) ro.build.fingerprint[0]: motorola/albus/albus:7.1.1/NPSS26.
(bootloader) ro.build.fingerprint[1]: 118-19-18/24:user/release-keys
(bootloader) poweroffalarm: 1
(bootloader) ro.build.version.full[0]: Blur_Version.26.261.24.albus.reta
(bootloader) ro.build.version.full[1]: il.en.US
(bootloader) ro.build.version.qcom: LA.UM.5.6.r1-03800-89xx.0
(bootloader) version-baseband: M8953P_23.33.07.34R ALBUS_EMEADSDS_CUST
(bootloader) kernel.version[0]: Linux version 3.18.31-perf-gf3fa6ef (hud
(bootloader) kernel.version[1]: soncm@ilclbld83) (gcc version 4.9 201501
(bootloader) kernel.version[2]: 23 (prerelease) (GCC) ) #1 SMP PREEMPT T
(bootloader) kernel.version[3]: ue Dec 5 00:03:05 CST 2017
(bootloader) sbl1.git: git=MBM-NG-VC0.C7-0-ge9cd975
(bootloader) rpm.git: git=5578f74
(bootloader) tz.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) devcfg.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) keymaster.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) cmnlib.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) cmnlib64.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) prov.git: git=MBM-NG-VC2.06-0-g82f94af-dirty
(bootloader) aboot.git: git=MBM-NG-VC0.C7-0-gb6d4956
(bootloader) qe: qe 1/1
(bootloader) frp-state: no protection (77)
(bootloader) ro.carrier: reteu
all: listed above
Finished. Total time: 0.034s

Did you ask in the forum thread you got the tutorial from? This is a very common Moto flashing issue, as downgrading is not supported and you need a newer version of the stock firmware image (must be the same or newer than installed on your device) and by just glancing over the logs shown, you are likely trying to flash the wrong factory image for your device. I highly suggest going back to XDA and reread the thread and post there.

@acejavelin Did already, no replies.

Can you please post the output of fastboot getvar all and mask out IMEI and any other personally identifiable information.

@acejavelin Alright, I will do it when I get home.

@acejavelin Done.

Your bootloader is properly unlocked, you need a ROM image newer than NPSS26.118-19-18/24 for the XT1710-09, if you can't get one the same version or newer it won't work... Often this can be corrected by just skipping bootloader & gpt.bin, but you cannot relock that way. In your image file should be file called "flashfile.xml" with a little reading into it,will give you the version and proper commands to flash without locking.

It seems like your device has upgraded his android version and doesn't let you downgrade.
So, the TWRP error 255 it seems like you wanted to flash a 64bit rom on an 32bit recovery.
Try to find a stock Oreo image or flash the 64bit twrp.
If I find something I will edit this message.
P.S. No, your device isn't bricked, there is no OS installed :)

Use this https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=1322778262904007189
It really helped me with the problem


text:
Add badge number outlook
There is a badge number setting on Android how to get it to show badge number for Outlook on the home screen.
I had assumed this would be pretty standard but does not appear to be.
Tesla Unread fails to work.

I use Telsa Unread... It works fine. Do you own Nova Launcher Prime? You must own the purchased version of Nova Launcher for Tesla Unread to function.

@acejavelin for some reason it doesn't work for all badge count set all and unfocused on Oreo on my decide. Badge count works for all apps but outlook consistently for me. Yes I paid for it.

Notyfer it the Play Store seems to work correctly.  Create a notyfer widget with Outlook.
Simply disable foucesed inbox under settings and enable Badge Count->All.

Go to Settings, Display, Home Screen and make sure "App Icon Badges" is enabled.


text:
Not able to tick items in SP Flash Tool after selecting scatter .txt file.How to check Boxes?
I download SP Flash Tool And recovery file zip,extracted recovery zip which contain three files:
1)scatter .txt file
2)recovery image file
3)recovery read me file
After that i opened tool.exe and select the scatter file but don't able to tick the recovery name object

You need to select a file to write each partition you want to select. Double click on the location column for the partition you want to write to and select an img file, e.g. twrp.


text:
Stop notifications from briefly lowering media volume
I have an LG G6 running Oreo and whenever media is playing and a notification sound comes through something briefly lowers (not fully muted) my media volume. How can I stop this? I don't want notification sounds to change my media volume.

Updated Answer
I first thought that the OP was asking about modifying the behavior of the sources of the notifications which can be done in with finer levels than before using Notification Categories in Android 8.0 Oreo.
However via the comments, it appears that the OP wants to stop Audio Ducking
from happening in the media player. Unfortunately this is a feature of the
media app playing the music itself and requires the developer of the app to configure. See
similar question: Prevent music volume from being lowered when using turn-by-turn navigation
Original Answer
In Android 8.0 Oreo the App can now have Notification Categories
Check the notification setting screen in:
Settings->Apps & Notification->[App Name]->App Notifications

For the App(s) that are interrupting see if you can either disable sound or adjust the priority to one which suits your needs.

That seems like only a stopgap measure. What about in cases like receiving texts? I need to be able to receive those sound notifications BUT I don't want them to effect the volume of my music.

You are referring to Audio Ducking. The app that is playing music handles the ducking. See: Prevent music volume from being lowered when using turn-by-turn navigation

Make thst comment into an answer and I'll accept it.

Rocket Player, is a music player that will let you choose between ducking and pausing, and will allow you to disable it completely, (The setting is under Settings->Sound->Audio Focus->Temp Focus Action)".
It does give the option to IGNORE all other apps. Just tested it: maps, camera shutter sound, notifications - all make sounds but no longer "duck" (more like stutter!) my music, listening via 3.5mm right now but should be same for BT.

To automate the Do Not Disturb toggle, you can use Tasker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&hl=en).

Create a task that sets Do Not Disturb to "No Interruptions"
Create a task that sets *Do Not Disburb" to "Allow All"
Create a profile

Add trigger to the "No Interruptions" task when a specific application is launched (i.e. YouTube Music),
link an Exit task that triggers "Allow all"

If your device supports the Do Not Disturb mode, you can use it to achieve this effect system-wide for any music app as far as notifications are concerned. However, turn-by-turn navigation in Google Maps may still duck the audio. (I usually change it to Alerts Only and check the map visually for directions.)
By default, Do Not Disturb will suppress notification alerts completely, stacking the notifications up in the drawer silently. But depending on your phone model and ROM version, you may be able to fine tune the behavior to allow status bar icons and banner notifications.
Whether or not you allow the icons or banners, Do Not Disturb will always suppress the notification sounds. This will allow your music to continue playing uninterrupted even when notifications are getting added to the drawer or even popping up at the top of the screen.


text:
Huawei Ascend P7: "Log In WiFi Network", but WiFi works well, and a very strange issue
I have a problem with my Huawei Ascend P7
The cell phone connects perfectly to WiFi but I have several problems related to this:

Repeatedly asks me to "Log in WiFi network".
Certainly, it connects to the internet, but only for a few moments, the speed
of the connection goes down until it is constantly lost (for long periods of
time).

EDIT: Well, I tried connecting in my cousin's WiFi and worked, now I
  know that the issue happens only in my WiFi

Important data:

This problem does not happen when I connect to a HotSpot, or a public network
(which asks me to login)
My router works perfectly.
Update the ROM (officially) to Lollipop 5.1.1

"Strange" things that happen in this case

The notification of "start session in wifi network" appears for a few seconds, and then disappears.

Once I was able to open the notification, I could even "log in" to my Wi-Fi
       network with Google Sites, but nothing happened

The problem suddenly appeared, I do not know when it happened.

I tried:

Change to static IP.
Check the "Wireless" section of my router
Reset my phone.
Wipe data

I hope to find help to solve this problem, this is the only phone that I will have for a long time (that's why I updated it)
Of course, thank you.

Check to see if wifi service is actually an app called tispy ..
It hides under the name wifi service


text:
I have an old HTC Sense and i am having problems getting market to open or even updating to google play store.
I have an old HTC Sense Android, running 2.3.4, I'm not new to this scene, i currently have a galaxy S6 Active and a S8+, but im still learning, ANYWAY this phone doesnt have service, just wifi, i was bored and It has market, but won't connect. Did they make updates to install google play store, ?? Does the Android market even still exist..?? I appreciate any help.       - D.W.O
I have just seen that in settings it says 2.3.4 but somewhere else i saw 2.3.6...also this device is stock, i have no clue about rooting...would like to learn

FYI, "HTC Sense" is the name of HTC's Android skin. It's not the model of the phone.

Thanks for the heads up Dan, i just happen to see the skin version is like 2.1 i believe. Anyway phone screen shattered after posting this, so moving on....

"Android Market" has been renamed to "Google Play Store" long ago. Afraid Google also changed the API since and deprecated the old one, so you won't be able to use this "ancient" version anymore.
For an alternative, you could try F-Droid, an open source Android "market" which should still work with "ancient versions". There you'd also find apps like Yalp Store, which would allow you accessing Play Store.

Thanks man, i knew about Fdroid, but thought i had seen somewhere, that play store would run on older market devices...i appreciate your help. Funny end note though, rite after i posted this, my wife knocked phone off table...screen cracked to hell....still useable, but barely.

Sad to read. A case for our broken-screen tag-wiki then. Take a special look at the "second use" section.

Yeah...actually that's the reason i started this whole mess...i was going to use as a "project" security cam and try apps like Alfred. Now, i have uncovered more than i knew existed, i believe i am an Android addict...lol

LOL Enjoy your addiction then. I live with that for 8 years now #D

Hey Izzy, if you have time, as i know you are pretty busy, by the looks of ur profile, i have a couple questions that would probably be easily answered by you, about an earlier android running "Froyo" i believe. I checked ur other sites, but did not see how to contact you, besides twitter, and i don't really screw around with twitter...i would just leave my email, but am kinda scared to do so, just because everyone on this site os a badass...thanks man.

@MurphyzLaw that doesn't really belong here, but my Android site also offers Mastodon – and a mail address in its imprint.


text:
How do I change the Umi Super's shortcut button to take screenshots?
I have a Umi Super (rooted) device with one shortcut button (press it, and it opens an app of your choice)
I want to remap the key to take screenshots.
I have tried Button Mapper - but it takes to much time to take the screen shot, or sometimes it does not even take it.
I am open to any solutions, exposed modules /root apps / etc

Install Xposed edge module (see the help and support section on basics of how to use this module)
Select Keys from main menu and tap to reveal the next screen which has hardware keys listed (You can also add hardware keys if not listed). In the corresponding drop down menu you have actions of click, double click and long press. Map the action to taking screenshot (full screen / selected region)


text:
What acts as the internal storage of an android device?
Just like HDD/SSD act as the internal storage for a PC, what exactly acts as the internal storage for an android device?

It's eMMC or UFS flash memory, embedded with SoC.

It's a flash memory chip on the mainboard of the phone. Usually it has the same electronic interface as an MMC, just soldered onto the board instead of in a socket.

An android's or any other mobile or tablet has storage chip that's embedded on to its motherboard.
To better explain that a typical HDD or Hard disk stores the data on a magnetic tape (slow). RAM will have multiple storage chips where the data will be stored on a circuit so that the data can been accessed quickly. SSD is an upgraded version of RAM with increased storage size (fast) . A mobile device has a chip on its motherboard to store data the same as the chips on a RAM or an SSD.

It's using flash chips, similar to those you have in USB drives. Almost exactly the same.
The storage technology is called EMMC. Linked wikipedia article has some pictures too.
This is an example of a 64GB eMMC flash storage module, basically the exact same thing that is used in android phones/tablets too.


text:
Partial display failure
The lower 1.5 to 2 cm of the screen of my OnePlus 3 failed:

(The white part in the middle is just censored information. The problem only exists in the bottom.)
When I power my phone completely off,the part in the bottom is black and slowly turns green (but not uniformly green). There also is a colorful (now mostly white) line originating from the right side of the screen between the failed part of the screen and the part that works normally.
When I turn the display off, the failed part stays on a bit longer than the rest. When I turn it on again, it's green from the beginning if it has only been off for a few seconds. If it has been off for longer, it starts from being black. Probably just the same as if I turn it off completely because I waited before powering it up again.
Touch works normally anywhere on the screen. The buttons below the screen (return, home, app list) work normally too.
Is this a loose connection? Should I buy and install a new screen? How do I solve this problem?
I posted this on the OnePlus forum already (https://forums.oneplus.com/threads/partial-display-failure.882605/) and will answer this question myself if a solution is found there.

You can use adb's dumpsys utility to get more information about your display and maybe find the cause for this there.


text:
How do I change what "Web Search" in Gmail opens as its search engine?
Question Summary
How do I stop Samsung Internet from popping up when I select text in Gmail and click on the 'Web Search' "button", and instead bring up something else, such as DuckDuckGo search, or Google search, but not Samsung Internet?
I do not want to root this device in order to fix this issue, because if I had to go to that level, then I would just cope with it by copying the text to tge clipboard, followed by pasting into a web search engine outside of the Gmail app.
Android version

Device Model

Detailed Problem Description
Recently, perhaps due to some Android update on my Samsung Galaxy tab S3, the behavior of the 'Web Search' popup dialog (see first image below) has changed. Before, it would allow me to search in some browser or other app, but now it pops up something called 'Samsung Internet':

This is a screenshot of what pops up when I click on 'Web Search':

Things that I tried
I have tried selecting text in other apps, and I see something different, and that difference is acceptable to me, as it is searching in DuckDuckGo search engine (this other app happens to be Firefox):

I looked inside the Gmail settings, and there does not seem to be anything there that indicates how to change the default search engine that it uses.

I looked at Settings/Apps/Gmail that was referenced by https://www.greenbot.com/article/2879150/how-to-change-the-default-search-engine-in-android.html but I did not see any indication of which search engine Gmail itself would use. My theory was that Firefox has some specific setting that can be changed, so I figured that Gmail itself would as well but that is not the case.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/forum/bing_gettingstarted-bing_tips/how-do-i-set-bing-as-default-search-engine-in-my/b725b25b-3ac8-4c3e-a1ed-0a44a1769164
'Settings, choose Advanced, then Set Search Engine' does not show anything about search engines at all.

I have the same issue. "Search" opens Edge and "Search in Edge" opens Edge again.

For Android 12 (and maybe your phone):
Settings -> Apps -> Samsung Internet (or whatever app you are trying to avoid) -> set as default -> clear defaults.
This worked for me when Google took over "web search" events in gmail.


text:
Remove boot password from the command line
I just tried to remove the boot password on a Android Oreo device using the following command:
$ vdc cryptfs changepw password original_password ""
200 5478 0

Even though the status indicated success (I've previously used this command to change the password without problems), the device does neither accept the original password nor does it boot without putting in a password. The password prompt still shows up.
I'm pretty sure this is only recoverable with a factory reset. (I'll still gladly take alternative hints on how to unlock this ;-))
My question is: How can I remove the boot password using adb without making the device unbootable?
vdc cryptfs clearpw seemed to me, like it would to the job. After reviewing the source, I found out, that it unfortunately only removes the password from  memory. I've also tried setting the password to default_password. This leads to the password still being required on bootup.

vdc cryptfs changepw default current_password default_password

does the trick. Replace current_password with the real current password.
I believe the new password specified is irrelevant, as the DEFAULT_PASSWORD constant is used anyway. However, the current password seems to be required, atleast when using hardware-based encryption.
(see https://github.com/LineageOS/android_system_vold/blob/61a3249612495e7a5b2a1950859e9eb43dfc4559/cryptfs.cpp#L2858)

What would this change the password to, since you say the DEFAULT_PASSWORD constant is used anyway? Or would it simply remove the password?

From a theoretical standpoint, it sets the password to 'default_password', and the password type to 'default'. In practice, there is no password anymore when booting the phone.


text:
How can I view which program wakes up my Android screen?
From time to time, I see my Android screen turns on. How can I view which program wakes up my Android screen?
I use unrooted Android 6.0 on LG4. The screen is locked.

Is your device rooted?

@beeshyams no~~

It's likely a wakelock created by an app to keep the screen on.  You can try solutions here to identify the truant app and uninstall that

You should look into dumpsys. This works without root, using ADB.
First, enable developer mode on your phone (tap the build number in settings -> information/about this phone 7 times). Then go to settings -> developer settings and enable USB debugging there.
On your PC install ADB, there are many versions, minimal ADB and fastboot is quite nice.
Once you got all that you can execute adb dumpsys on your PC within ADB to get a f**kton of increible information, from detailed battery usage to SMS history, LCD debug information, wifi radio information and a ton more. All without root, so that's pretty cool.
The dumpsys utility is divided into multiple modules, which you can individually access by appending their names onto the adb dumpsys command.
The module you should be looking at would probably be usagestats, so give adb dumpsys usagestats a run. That should show you which app was active at the time your display turns on.


text:
How to copy the phone number of the sender of a text message in Android default messaging program?
How to copy the phone number of the sender of a text message in Android default messaging program? Does one have to go through "create a new contact" through the + menu, or is there any faster way?
I use unrooted Android 6.0 on LG4.
I don't see any "people & options" in the menu:

I did not pay attention on the phone and Android version when I answered. I will delete my answer.

@ReddyLutonadio you're welcome to keep the answer, it's still very useful to know for more recent versions.

Does one have to go through "create a new contact" through the + menu, or is there any faster way?

You can copy the phone number without selecting "Create a new contact". I don't know if there is a faster way but here is how to do it:

On the default messaging app, open the text message (SMS) whose phone number you want to copy.
Click the 3-dot, then "People & options".
Long press the phone number. A message "Copy to clipboard?" will appear, click on "Copy".

Edit: The answer is probably more useful if using Android 7 and above. I deleted, then restored it based on the comments. If it is against the rules, moderators please take the appropriate action(s).

Thank you, I don't see any "people & options" in the menu: https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKcdO.jpg


text:
How to change Google assistant associated account?
If I have multiple Google account signed in. How do I change the associated account which Google assistant will use?
So Google assistant will load the personalized settings from the correct account.

Open Google Assistant by holding Home button.
Go to Explorer (Tap the Explorer icon on Top-Right Side).

Tap the Menu icon and choose Account, Then select your account.

Done.


text:
How to restore backup from Google Drive
I've a Sony Xperia Z tablet (SGP311) that has a specific setting to enable online backups. It reads (translated from Spanish):

Back up application data, wifi passwords and other settings in Google servers

I wanted to do a factory reset to clean up storage so I enabled it and I waited several hours until the copy showed in Google Drive (my tablet lacks the "Backup up data now" mentioned in generic Google documentation).
After the factory reset, the wizard never offered to restore any copy. I added the Google account to the device but absolutely no data has been restored. There's no option anywhere to restore the copy. This is utterly different from my experience with an LG phone, where everything (and I mean everything) was restored automatically upon first star up.
I have two questions:

Did I misunderstand the purpose of Google backups in the context of Xperia?
Is there a way to restore the backup I have in Google Drive?

(Additionally, I copied into my desktop PC all files and folders that are possible to copy though USB and I made a backup with Xperia Companion.
 As last resource, I tried restoring the Companion backup—the program runs for a while and then closes unexpectedly... but I guess that's another question.)

Regarding second question, this may help https://android.stackexchange.com/q/191320/131553

I've given up on Drive's backup. I eventually managed to restore the Companion one—it's as simple as running it several times until it doesn't crash. As advertised, it just contains media files and little else, so I had to create all users from scratch, install apps from Google Play's collection and configure them one by one. You can trigger intallations from a desktop browser (some users receive them, some don't, no idea why). I'll leave the question open in case someone comes in with information that can help others.


text:
Show which photos are not backed up to Google yet
I was using Google Photos in my Samsung J7 + Android 6, and it overlaid a small symbol on each photo which was in my phone and not synced to G Photos yet (I had disabled auto backup, so I did it manually).
I switched phones to Samsung J7 Prime + Android 7, and now I cannot see that small symbol anymore.
So I do not know which photos are synced and which are not.
Can that be done under Android 7?

I don't think It's an Android 7 problem. The app was updated maybe a year ago and it simply stopped showing the symbol. Are you sure that the app on the older phone is up to date?

@SSS - You seem to be right. I had reset my old phone, but still with Marshmallow. Now it doesn't show the symbol anymore either, so I guess it has a new version of the app as well.


text:
Installing custom recovery using Odin will erase data or not?
My phone's model is sm-g5108q(SAMSUNG G5108Q Galaxy Core Max).
I'm going to install custom recovery on my phone.
But I can't found custom recovery package suitable my phone.
So I prepare custom recovery package similar version.

Installing custom recovery will erase data?
Is there any problem others?

It will not wipe data; however, using an image for another device is always a dangerous (if it flashes at all) idea.

The installation itself will not erase any user data, but to boot a custom system image or custom recovery, your bootloader needs to be unlocked. If it isn't already, then unlocking the bootloader will erase all user data.
Note also that it is generally not possible to use a system image or recovery that was prepared for a different phone. Samsung in particular tends to release two completely different phone models under the same marketing name. Commonly one has an SM- model number like yours, and the other has a GT- model number. ROMs made for one model will not work at all on the other model.


text:
Is Mobdro only for ARM now?
I'm trying to use Mobro on the Android SDK emulator.  It only seems to install on ARM images.  Is this a Mobdro limitation?

There is a universal architecture (armeabi-v7a + x86)  available at APKmirror repository (Mobdro Version: 2.1.4 (21412604)). This variant is larger in size (33.22 MB) than the arm counterpart.
For interest sake, I downloaded it and installed it, it is working fine on my x86 virtual device (API level 22):

This was uploaded on May 10, 2018, I guess you could be right that it is now being developed only for arm architecture, if you desperately need to run it on x86 then grab it on this repo. This is just a speculation

Oops I apologise, even this universal version is giving odd error that it is an unsupported version or unsupported device when accessing streams. I guess I will have to take down the answer :(


text:
My Moto Z is stuck in a bootloader mode AND will not communicate with my Windows 10 PC
Before it became problematic, the bootloader on my Moto Z was unlocked, developer options were on and so was USB Debugging. Then a friend tried to root it and that's when my problems began.
Now, when I connect my Moto Z to my PC the usual "USB connected" sound is heard and the android device (Moto Z) appears without error under Windows Device Manager.
As far as I know, my major issue is that the phone only connects to the PC in charging mode. I've tried various cables, including one that specifically claims to be for data transfer. I also have the correct universal drivers installed. These were installed after I removed the Motorola drivers (they didn't seem to work, either).
Any idea how I can get my Moto Z to communicate with my Windows 10 PC so I can transfer the necessary files to the phone to get it out of this "soft-brick" mode?
Thanks.
John ODwyer

What kind of USB connection were you trying to use? At the bootloader screen, only fastboot will connect to the phone: you can't use adb or transfer files via MTP. That's entirely normal.

have you tried to connect in bootloader mode?
hold power button plus volume down when device turn on untill it boots into boot loader and from there flash TWRP then you can transfer files via TWRP.
you gonna need ADB tools tho.


text:
Tasker - read the ping time
we can use ping shell command in tasker to see if a domain is online or not but can we get the ping time too?
like in pc when you ping that shows a "time=xx" can we somehow access to that in tasker?

A1: Run Shell [ Command:ping -c 1 8.8.8.8 Timeout (Seconds):0 Use Root:Off Store Output In:%PING Store Errors In: Store Result In: Continue Task After Error:On ]

A2: Variable Section [ Name:%PING From:88 Length:11 Adapt To Fit:Off Store Result In:%TEST ]

A3: Flash [ Text:%TEST Long:On ]

I get the response times like this:
ping -qc1 google.com 2>&1 | awk -F'/' 'END{ print (/^rtt/? "OK "$5" ms":"FAIL") }'
Example output: OK 1.038 ms
You could modify the output to get only the numeric value, so the output can be directly piped to a variable in tasker, eg:
ping -qc1 google.com 2>&1 | awk -F'/' 'END{ print (/^rtt/? $5 : 0) }'
Exmaple output: 1.038 or in case of a failure: 0
__
credits: https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/409203/ping-show-only-results


text:
Does the fastboot erase cache command wipe all your data off your phone?
As the title says. As i was trying to flash a new recovery to my phone, i followed a tutorial and that said i needed to do this command but now the OS isnt booting up anymore.
Did this command wipe all the data?
I'm using the phone: Oneplus 5t and used this tutorial
https://www.techrrival.com/flash-recovery-adb-fastboot/

Our fastboot tag-wiki is a good starting point for such questions. fastboot erase cache should just have erased the cache partition (check the output from that command). But I can't tell how your OS would deal with an unformatted cache partition. If you can still boot into recovery, that should give you a "wipe cache" option. Try that. If it doesn't help. please [edit] your question and include details on which device it is, which ROM you've flashed, what tutorial you refer to, etc.

Possible duplicate of What fastboot erase actually does?


text:
Using audio and mic from device used to answer phone
I have 2 bluetooth devices:
1. Wristband - which can also act as an earpiece
2. Bluetooth earphones with a mic.
My wristband is always connected via bluetooth to my device, and my ear phones are only connected when i use them.
When someone phones me, doesn't matter with what i answer, there is a single device which is selected as the audio/mic device.
I know I can set a specific device to act as the one used when taking calls.
But, I want the device i use to answer to be the one i click when the phone rings, i.e.:
1. If I click on the phone - the phone is used
2. If I click on my wristband, then that is used
3. If I click on .... you get the picture
I think this is a logical request.
Searched the web, failed to find a solution.


text:
When i try to capture a screenshot i get an "USB Storage may be in use" error. I can't install or use almost any app as well
First of all, I have a Galaxy Note 2. Hello, I've read more than an answer for this issue but none of them solved my problem. The problem is when I try to capture a screenshot it gives me an error message that says "Unable to save the screenshot, USB storage may be in use". I can't also use any application. When I open any application it gives me the "{Application name} has stopped"
What is the solution? It ought to be mentioned that I've tried to wipe the cash partition but it didn't work. Thanks in advance.

Did you try factory reset (save your important data before doing that)

@beeshyams No i didn't, but i think it will help. tho i solved the problem without doing that, it may help anyone else.

After surfing the internet and trying more than a solution (i tried everything but the factory reset because I don't wanna do that) I discovered that this is a board problem. It's caused by many things. In my case, uninstalling Google Drive solved it. I got Link2SD and removed that app and that solved the problem. None of the tons of the solutions I read have mentioned that this problem may be caused because of some software need to be uninstalled. So, if you have the same problem and you reached this answer, try to play around your mobile phone and it will be solved. Because I and you have the same problem, but for different reasons.
If you are too lazy to do that, do a factory reset. It always helps.


text:
Delivery List (DL) or Mailing List for Texts
I have a group of friends who like board games, and want me to text them any time we have a board game pick up night come up. But as friends move away or new friends are made I want to update this list.
At this point the list is a couple dozen people long and so manually texting that many people on short notice is hard. I'd like a 'few button clicks away' way of sending all of them a single, simple, text. IE "Board games tonight at my house at six!"
The Question
Is there a series of operations (on any app) that will let me keep a list of phone numbers that I can conveniently group text?
Complications

I will routinely add and remove numbers from this list. (basically a Delivery List)
I won't have access to other communications platforms for these people. (can't make them use an app or connect to their facebook or anything like that)

Other Notes

I'm willing to use pretty much any app if it does this (and isn't blatantly evil)

Ah! Much clearer now. I had a completely different picture before. You could use the "groups" functionality in the "people"/contacts app for that. Could you check if this approach works for you?

I appear to have 'contacts' instead of 'people' and I can't find any groups options within it. I'm not sure if this is a version of android issue (BLU studio energy 2 running  Android version 5.0 as the about page puts it) or if it's due to the oem changes. >.< I wish it worked, it looks like what I want.

I just checked on my Android 6 device. Found the group function in the contacts app, but could not figure how to send a message to a group. Maybe you'd need a 3rd party SMS app for that (link goes to my site, but I haven't tried any of those apps, had no need yet). Pulse SMS reportedly has that feature, but comes with trackers. Ah: QKSMS, preferably from F-Droid (no trackers in the F-Droid version) should do. Please confirm if it does, so I can sum up an answer :)

After some work with QKSMS (also a big fan of fdroid ^_^) I believe they do NOT have this functionality. Instead their stuff appears to be referencing the ability to set messages with multiple recipients to either run as a 'group message' or as a series of texts in their options menu.

Yuck. Same thing is offered by the default SMS app shipping with Android. Sorry, then I'm out of ideas.


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Is SuperSU still downloadable anywhere or is the project dead?
I am trying to root an Asus Tinkerboard and I've come across some instructions that mention downloading the flashable zips from the SuperSu.com downloads page. However it seems all of these links on the page are dead now, possibly pointing to files hosted on AWS that no longer exist.
Does anyone know if there is a new place where these might be hosted so that I can download them? In researching a bit I've come to understand that chainfire parted ways with them early this year but seems to indicate that the project would live on in his absence. It's been several months now did it end up not really living on as anticipated? Has it just moved elsewhere? Is it just a temporary issue? I checked throughout the weekend and they've been dead links the whole time so I don't think it's temporary, but only been looking a few days.

I don't have an answer for you, but I know that the Chinese company Chainfire passed SuperSU to, was purported as a company of proved experience, and yet no proof of this experience existed.

We have seen nothing from the company Chainfire sold SuperSU to, and he has ended all root development https://plus.google.com/+Chainfire/posts/ZVDG2SnmgM5 there has been some speculation that this was merely a corporate conspiracy to end rooting (which failed) but the SuperSU project is essentially dead.

See; https://www.supersubeta.com and their blog


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Is battery temperature reading, dependent on the ROM that is installed on the phone
On my original Android installation, the battery temperature was 31-37°C depending on what I was doing. Now I've installed a custom ROM and the temperature is usually 35-41°C.
This 4°C difference is something that I should feel with my hand, but I doubt there is that much difference.
Is it possible that two different ROMs are reading the same temperatures differently?
PS: Power consumption is not much different either

You are not going to feel a 4C difference with your hand.


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Spell check for more than 1 languages in Android
I try to make the spell check work for more than one language on my Pixel 2 (Android 8.1) with Gboard. My question is not about auto-correction or word prediction.
The spell check is activated and the two languages (UK and German) are activated in Language preferences and Gboard preferences. Changing the language while typing via the space bar does not solve the problem.
So far, it is only working in Google Docs:

I read the answers on Stack Overflow - Adding a second dictionary to the spell-check in Android 4.3?, but they did not solve the problem.
I guess a solution for SwiftKey is even more difficult?

The fact that it's only working in google docs makes me think that this has nothing to do with the keyboard at all. Instead, I assume it has to do with the apps, which use the system language for their spellchecking.

This is a known bug in Gboard:
https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/72386511
I tested flesky and SwiftKey and they do at least a spell check for one language.
Even if I only chose one system language and only one dedicated spell check language Gboard underlines nothing. In general this is the same for every App. Only Google Docs seems to have its own spell check.


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Only some apps on my moto g5 have internet access
I have had a Motorola Moto G5 for around a month now and today, suddenly it seems that apps like Instagram are unable to connect to the internet.
I have restarted the phone, restarted the modem, reset the internet settings, forgot the wifi network, reconnected but nothing seems to work. When I turn on my 4G everything works fine. When I open chrome, I can access Google.
My Version of Android is 7.0 and it has the July 2018 Security patch level that was recently installed, could this be the problem?

Ah Ha! I may know the issue. My ISP, Talk Talk, has randomly enabled Kid Safe and is blocking some websites including the servers of the apps with no internet. When I use a VPN, everything starts working again due to KidSafe being bypassed. After disabling, it all starts working again without the VPN!


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Is there a way to run adb as host on android without root?
I have an android phone and an android tablet. Both not rooted. I want to use adb as host on the tablet and as client on the phone, using an USB-OTG adapter.
I downloaded connectbot as terminal emulator on the tablet. I also downloaded the ARM binary for adb onto the tablet. However I'm getting the following error when I try to execute the binary:
user@tablet:/storage/sdcard0/download $ ./adb-arm-binary.bin devices
/system/bin/sh: ./adb-arm-binary.bin: can't execute: Permission denied

Is there anyway to get ADB as a host to run on an android 4.4.2 tablet without root?
OR: Is there any way to root said tablet without a PC?
The whole reason I need this is because I need to access dumpsys logs from the phone but I do not have a PC or laptop. A way to get dumpsys logs directly on the phone without root would suffice too, but AFAIK dumpsys is impossible to access for non-system application.

if somebody wants to root their phone, they'd use adb and run various commands, so no you don't need root to use adb. I can't comment much on the rest.  But, you can download a terminal app and run linux commands like ls, see how far you can see without 'root', you may need to 'root' your phone, to see what you want to see, I don't know. You won't need a PC or adb to download a terminal app and ls and look around and see limitations e.g. try cd / see if it works

It's trickier than that. I need root to run adb as a host on android. I can't use a terminal app on the phone because they don't have the permission to use dumpsys, only system apps do. I need root to make an app a system app.

Just tried on my own device; dumpsys works as long as the app has root, no system application required. The permission problem is, the entire sdcard is mounted so that nothing on it is executable, so you can't run any binary from it.

Thanks for that info, I only got my information from google and XDA-devs. Sadly, I don't have root on that phone. It's a motorola E4 by the way. AFAIK no way to root it without a computer.

Which tablet is this?

See if this method works for rooting. I would be surprised if it does but give it a try please. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71218028&postcount=2

I actually got root using kingroot. Right now I'm trying to figure out another problem. I placed the binary for adb in /system/bin and chmod 755'd it. /system was mounted as rw. That did work and ls -l /system/bin/adb shows that it's there with correct permissions (everything done on tablet ofc) but when I try to run it adb or /system/bin/adb it says File not found. (Trying to run it as root). which adb also reports File not found. I'm not sure whether to make a new question or edit this one or what is even causing this or I dont know......

Ask a new question please and self-answer this one on how you rooted your Android device.

@Firelord I will post some comments from OP here on the wrong thing that rostami posted 'cos it had some info .  "It is possible to create adb connections from android to android via USB-OTG, but it seems to require root on the host side. Is there a way to root a motorola E4 or an astar y3 without a computer? "   I can't retrieve other comments

@Firelord  yeah a new q, but with a note on this one that there is an issue he faced  that might be connected to rooting it that way.

I won't be able to test it until tomorrow, but once I did I will either self-answer if it worked or open a new question with a link back to this one if it doesn't, and self-answer this one with rooting instructions that worked for me.

It's possible to do this without root, there are multiple solutions, such as using an app(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.sisik.hackendebug) or using it through WebUSB https://webadb.com through Chrome(you need to have relatively recent versions though)

Alright, I got it to work, here is what I did:
1. Rooted the tablet
I was able to use kingroot to root the tablet.
2. Install adb on the tablet
I basically followed these instructions, however the files in the OP there are outdated and not downloadable anymore. So I used a file someone posted much later in that thread, this file seems outdated though, but I'm unsure about that and will open a new question about that.

Downloaded the adb.bin file on the tablet (in /storage/sdcard0/Download)
Downloaded Connectbot from f-droid and setup a local shell connection to the tablet
Ran the following commands (everything after (including) the # is just a comment)

su # gain root priviledges
cd /storage/sdcard0/Download # change working directory to download folder
mount -o remount,rw /system # re-mount /system partition so we can write on it
cp adb.bin /system/bin/adb # copy it to bin folder so it's accessible as a command
chmod 755 /system/bin/adb # make it executable

Rebooted tablet

3. Enjoy adb as host on android!
This worked for me and got me an executable adb running. I still can't connect to my phone but since this is another issue I opened a new question.

Previously  root may be the only option to use an Android device as an ADB host. However, there are applications that allow us to do this without root now.
You can achieve this through ADB through WebUSB.
Chrome (including Chrome Android) supports WebUSB, which is a protocol for websites to access USB devices.
Note: I'm not the creator of this platform.
Make sure you're using Chrome, if not this wouldn't work.

Go to https://webadb.com
Click "Start"
Click "Add device" in the side menu

Connect to your device

Press the "Connect" button next to the "Add device" button.
Allow the ADB prompt on your client device
Press interactive shell at the left sidebar.

Enjoy your ADB access!
Edit: I found an ad-free version here:
https://yume-chan.github.io/ya-webadb/


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Device won't boot - Shows g.co/ABH secutiry error
Device is a pretty much new LG V30 from verizon, running android 8.
I have done pretty much nothing with the device yet. No root, no tinkering, nothing. I accidentally accepted the software update request it showed me today, which I didn't want. I shut the device down but every time I would turn it on it would start the update progress.
The only other option I had was booting into recovery, so I did that. I was presented with the following options:

So I went with factory reset. After that the phone won't boot anymore, and all I see is this screen:

What can I do now? I could use warranty, but is there anything I can do myself right now?
Again: No root. No unlocked bootloader. Nothing. I used LG's "require password on boot" feature though, which I assume is equal to android's full disk encryption. (?)

Edit: Just talked to LG. Since my phone has [very minor] physical damage on its back, the warranty stands void per LG. What can I do now?
I can't even access fastboot. It just puts me into recovery. What am I doing wrong and what do I need to flash, assuming I can make it into fastboot?

[Googling error] (https://support.google.com/android/answer/6185381?visit_id=1-636692181638229495-149233797&p=verified_boot&rd=1) suggests it's best to contact OEM. Best to do that given it's in warranty

I'd just love to understand why/how this happened. I assume it has something to do with the encryption but since I requested a full factory reset that should vanish, shouldn'it it?

Factory reset sets the encryption to default keys not remove it, if that's what you are implying

Default keys being what? Shouldn't there be no key by default? I mean, when I first got the new phone it wasn't encrypted at all. (?) At least it didn't ask for a password on boot..

By default phones of recent versions are encrypted. Password on boot is additional (optional) thing to ensure that phone can't be used for basic services lulls making /answering calls without entering password

Now that explains why the "whole encryption" only took 5 seconds. Thank you a lot for clearifying that. I guess I'll take it to verizon then and see what they say.

@beeshyamsI have edited the question and added new information. LG claims the warrenty is void so now I have to fix it myself. Never LG again. That's ridiculous.

That's sad. Hope you get useful help soon


text:
How to generate QR code that connects phone to wifi AND opens website?
I know it's pretty easy to generate a QR code that connects your phone to a wifi or open a website. But I can't find a way to do both with just one QR code. Is this possible? If yes, can someone tell me how or mention a tool that does this?
PS: I hope this is the right stack to post this.

AFAIK you can't combine two QR codes into one. Therefore what you want is not possible.

You probably have to make your custom app which will get password and url in same QR code. Step 1: https://stackoverflow.com/a/8818490/4287377  Step 2: https://stackoverflow.com/a/2201999/4287377

You might try a normal QR code that joins an open network with a captive portal.

@ChrisB well that's the approach I took in the end. But thanks for the answer, it might still be useful for others.


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Android phone Bluetooth connection with Android head unit keeps dropping
I recently bought a used car and it has a (relatively new) Android head unit (i.e., the main radio unit is an Android tablet). The head unit itself is pretty slow and reflective in daylight so I want to just continue to use my phone (with a car mount) for navigation and music / podcasts while driving.
The head unit came preloaded with a "Bluetooth" app that pairs with my phone and allows to stream music from my phone to the head unit. However, the Bluetooth connection keeps disconnecting. After the first disconnect in a single ride, I usually can't even get the music playing again via the head unit even though it reconnects. I have Android Auto on my phone which is set up to automatically start when it's connected to the head unit Bluetooth and automatically close when it's disconnected - so I have a pretty good indication that the connection is flaky as it starts and stops several times during my 15 minute commute.
I tried looking for an alternative for the preloaded "Bluetooth" app, but I can't find one that intended to RECEIVE audio.
More details:

There's no AUX or USB port on the head unit.
My phone is Pixel 2.
The head unit is (I think) Allwinner t3 running Android 7.1.1.
My phone has no trouble connecting to other Bluetooth devices - I have a smartwatch and several Bluetooth headphones and it handles them without any connection issues, ever.

The ideal solution for me would be that the head unit would connect to my phone via Bluetooth on boot and do nothing else than channeling the audio to the speakers.
UPDATE: Okay, this is really weird. Upon more experimentation, it looks like the problem is with specific tracks. Using Google Play Music to stream music to the head unit, everything works fine. But with some podcast episodes I'm trying to play in Pocket Casts, the head unit immediately disconnects. I thought maybe the head unit has trouble displaying Hebrew track names, but I ruled that out with other episodes / songs. Any ideas what could trip the connection?

Is there any way you can get the android head unit into an adb shell from your laptop or something like that? A look at dumpsys or logcat would help a lot here.

If I recall correctly, this requires a USB connection? At least for the initial connection. Unfortunately the head unit doesn't have a USB port.

Not even in the back? It shouldn't be a USB-A port. It should be a micro-USB (female) port, usually on the back. Sometimes a special connector is needed. Do you know the exact name of the android unit you have?

On the back means to take the head unit out?

They write that Allwinner T3 head units have USB but (at least some of them) require hardwre modifications to enable ADB mode.
But you can try other possibilities:
Connect ADB via WiFi.
Collect Bluetooth HCI snoop logs from your smartphone for working/non-working cases and try to find the differences.


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Cast Chrome desktop browser tab to Android device
I want to mirror the content from a Chrome desktop tab on my Android device.
Is it possible to cast a Chrome browser tab from desktop to an Android (OS 8.1) device?

You can install WebRTC Desktop Sharing extension on your Chrome browser for Desktop. Click on its icon → Chrome tab + Speakers → choose your tab to share → wait for the extension to give you a URL.
Use that URL into your Android device's browser. It will take few seconds to initialize everything and then you can have a real-time Chrome tab sharing from Desktop to anywhere.
Alternatively, if you are using Windows, enable Remote Desktop Sharing in it, setup a Remote Desktop connection and use Chrome Remote Desktop app to share the whole screen with Android. I haven't tested this one though.

Two years and two days later and found this answer via Google. Option two works a treat for my purposes.

As far as "Cast" goes, you can only cast to Chromecast devices or Android TV devices from cast-enabled devices. Not from other devices to your phone.
What you can do is use apps like Splashtop or TeamViewer, to "handle" or use your computer from the mobile device.


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Difference between system files charging_enabled vs battery_charging_enabled
I have a oneplus2 and I need to know the difference between charging_enabled vs battery_charging_enabled files present in /sys/class/power_supply/battery
I am using an app called Battery Charge Limit that is currently using battery_charging_enabled file to toggle charging when the preset limit is reached but even though I can see my phone is discharging (the app stop phone's charging even though the cable is plugged in), the discharging current is unusually very small as compared to "normal" discharging (without the app). Why is this happening? From where is it getting the extra power (if not from the battery) to keep up with the activities done on the phone.
I was wondering if the full charge condition (the ability of the phone to run directly on plugged power source instead of battery after it charges to 100%)  was being applied at 90% (which I have set as the max charge limit in the app).
Also I checked the status of charging_enabled while the app was activated and it was 1, which means that it was not affected  by the app (which is obvious as the control file used by the app is different).
Edit: I just changed the control file of the app from battery_charging_enabled to  charging_enabled  and now the battery drain seems normal.
Can anyone explain the difference between these control files ?
Edit: Adding device codes snippets from the file /android/lineage/kernel/oneplus/msm8994/drivers/power/qpnp-smbcharger.c . Hope it helps.
case POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_BATTERY_CHARGING_ENABLED:
                smbchg_battchg_en(chip, val->intval,
                                REASON_BATTCHG_USER, &unused);
                pr_err("chg_en form userspace battery charging enable: %d\n",val->intval);
                break;
case POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_CHARGING_ENABLED:
                smbchg_usb_en(chip, val->intval, REASON_USER);
                smbchg_dc_en(chip, val->intval, REASON_USER);
                chip->chg_enabled = val->intval;
                pr_err("chg_en form userspace charging enable: %d\n",chip->chg_enabled);
                schedule_work(&chip->usb_set_online_work);
                break;
------------------------------------------------------------------------
case POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_BATTERY_CHARGING_ENABLED:
                val->intval = smcghg_is_battchg_en(chip, REASON_BATTCHG_USER);
                break;
case POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_CHARGING_ENABLED:
                val->intval = chip->chg_enabled;

@beeshyams Couldn't find anything on net except some differences in device code.

I had mailed this to developer requesting to answer here , instead he answered on mail to me. Quoting verbatim

You are right. Different control files behave differently. battery_charging_enabled tries to maintain the charge. It takes required power from charger, and it didn't charge/discharge battery. This behaviour is ideal, and if it works, then you should be using it.
charging_enabled completely cuts off power supply from cable. This case we need the threshold limit to start charging again
I have a OnePlus 3, I have both files, but the former doesn't work. I have no choice but to use the latter.

The thing is the former works(i.e. It stops charging) on my oneplus2 but the discharging is very slow about 10-50mAh which is 20-40 times less than normal. Probably some android developer can help with an even more precise answer.

It seems like expected - it is drawing power from charger so the rate of discharge is slower compared to the second case where the battery is taking full load and discharging faster. Related https://android.stackexchange.com/q/130000/131553

Seems like this is an acceptable answer although I would love to know the precise function of battery_charging_enabled . Thank you for your help.

Thanks for accepting. I would also suggest reaching out to developers on XDA


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What is the keyboard shortcut to send mail in Google Inbox?
I often use a bluetooth keyboard with my tablet and use keyboard shortcuts everywhere.
In the Gmail app and in the web versions of both gmail and inbox, the shortcut to send a mail you're writing is ctrl + Enter. This shortcut doesn't work in the Inbox app for Android, but it seems there is a shortcut, because I've accidentally sent emails before finishing them, but I don't have a clue what triggered the action.
A Google search didn't give me an answer to this question, so I'm asking here. What is the shortcut to send a message went composing a message in the app version of Google Inbox?

I didn't find a real shortcut, but discovered that if you press TAB while typing it will take you to the "add attachment" button. At this point, you can press the right cursor key followed by Enter.

According to Keyboard shortcuts for Gmail, Ctrl + Enter is the correct shortcut for sending emails on Android (just as the other version stated in your question).

If you plug an external keyboard into your Android device, you can use the shortcuts below. This works with most kinds of external keyboards.

Here are the available shortcuts.


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Certain apps not showing up in app list after upgrade to Pie
I have a pixel 1 and I upgraded to Android Pie yesterday. Now I have started to notice missing apps in the app list. They are still installed and appear in widget form on the main screen but do not show up in the app list.
They all appear finance related which is also interesting.
Is there a new AI "feature" that filters rarely used apps from the list or something? Can I turn it off?

Did you figure out how to list all apps? So annoying!


text:
Problems with two-step verification on a new SIM
I recently purchased a new SIM. When I try to install WhatsApp, it asks for a PIN that was apparently created by the previous owner for two-step verification. What should I do?

I'm not sure I understood what is the problem - you purchased a SIM that had a previous owner? That's kind of unusual... Have you followed these steps?

I just experienced the same problem and according to WhatsApp support there is no real solution for it.
I also got a new SIM with a phone number that was used by someone else before. This previous users WhatsApp account had two-step verification activated which means I couldn't activate WhatsApp since it was asking for the pin that I don't have and that can only be reset with an e-mail adress that is not mine.
The answer from WhatsApp support is to wait 7 days and then I will be able to reset the account without the pin. They said there is no alternative or other way to speed up the process.
Update
The account reset worked as expected after 7 days.
Any messages that I might have received in the meantime were not delivered and deleted.
This whole process doesn't seem very optimal to me.


text:
Sony Xperia L1 Screen Always Open, I Cannot Lock
I have a Xperia L1. When I press lock button, the screen locked and re-opened in 2 seconds every time. I cannot find the fix for it. Are anyone encountered with this issue ? Thanks.

The problem has been solved. Proximity sensor seems broken due to service report. After a fix, it resolved. Thanks.


text:
How do I update the browser of the Sony ebook reader PRS-T1?
I've an old PRS-T1 ebook reader that is still a very good reader. Occasionally I use the browser that is included, but this is very outdated (based on Android 2.2) and often gives errors about security certificates and other errors.
I've rooted this device so I think that it might be possible to manually update the browser for a smoother browsing experience.
Is there a way to update the system browser or install a similar browser (apk) that is e-ink screen friendly?


text:
How do I transfer files to ebook reader from phone using either an OTG cable or wifi?
I've a rooted Sony reader PRS-T1 (based on Android 2.2) and usually when I need to copy files to it, I connect it to my laptop with a USB cable. However, sometimes I travel without my laptop and have only my phone/tablet.
I tried using an OTG cable, but my phone does not seem to be able to read the reader storage.
Is there a way of transfering files to my reader from my phone without using an external sd-card?
In the past I used to connect to Dropbox in the reader's browser to download files or send the files thorugh gmail, but the browser is very old and this is no longer possible.

Now there are plenty of ways to do this;  perhaps the easiest method given that you have the OTG cable, is just to use a suitable file explorer (preferably MiXplorer which has custom OTG drivers) in case your storage device is formatted in a different file system.
I wrote a guide on MiForum on how to achieve this:  Alternative easy way to mount Pendrive(NTFS FileSystem) via OTG without root its not only limited to ntfs but can also use others like exfat etc.

In your case you just need a USB Flash drive (pendrive) that you can insert on the OTG female port then,
Simply open the app, tap on the three dot menu → More settings → Enable Custom driver for USB OTG (tick the box to enable).
Done, now insert you OTG cable and place the pendrive on the port. The  pendrive will  be recognised without errors, and open the files you need  and copy to and fro the tablet <=> phone as you wish.

Alternatively I have posted a related method here, showing how to do it using wi-fi (which is pretty much related to what you're trying to achieve):

Android to Android file explorer using wifi direct

Or

File transfer with linux pc through mobile hotspot
Is there a way to access the phone filesystem from computer, wireless?

(In above cases the target tablet will be the pc or "second android device" respectively)
Hope this helps

I found a working wireless solution using FTP. The reader has Total Commander installed and there's an FTP plugin you can install for it.
So on my phone, using Amaze File Manager, I created an FTP server (protected with username and password). Then on the reader I added the details of the server and I could copy the files to my reader with ease.


text:
Connecting a USB keyboard to Xiaomi Mi A1
I am trying to use a basic USB keyboard with my Xiaomi Mi A1 and it's not working.
I connected the phone to the keyboard using a female-to-female USB adaptor. Nothing shows up on the phone. I tried the USB Host Controller app, but it says "Root hub is not present, USB Host mode not active or not available".
I have tried enabling USB debugging. Not sure what else to do? I also tried plugging my mouse in instead but nothing happens.

Have you tried a USB OTG adapter? I'm not sure if female-to-female adapters work, I'm actually quite sure they don't.

I have the same device. Female to female adapter as pointed out in comments doesn't work. You have to use OTG adapter. I use it for USB storage
Aside, phone only works with vfat formatted USB / Ext. SD unless you use custom kernel


text:
How to restore app data backups like logging in to a new device?
Basically, I have lost 60% of all my events in google calendar on both desktop and on android. I know there is a backup of the android app data from yesterday which should hopefully contain the events, how can I restore this backup from google drive?

Even if the Google calendar is included in the backup you may face two problems: 1. app backups don't have to include all the data - the developer can specify which data to backup and which not. As the google calendar data are just a local copy it may be excluded from the backup. 2. even if you manager to restore the app backup the data from the server is newer and will override the restored data.


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How to hide or spoof bootloader info from any app?
I have spent hours trying to perfect build.prop and when I finally was at the end I forgot about this leakage. Any app can easily know device's bootloader info. I realized this when I ran CPU-Z. Installed Magisk and Xposed in systemless mode. Running Lineage OS 14.1. I by no means an expert as it is clearly evident from my question otherwise.
Idea is to hide or fake this information from any app including system apps. But I am failing miserably at achieving this since I have no deep understanding of Android.
I searched Git and XDA but answers were not met with requirement. Final search with keywords "getprop ro.bootloader" shade some light about the fundamental commands about getting this info. I am exhausted right now and I might be not thinking in the right direction so your input matters a lot.
I await your instructions!

Have you installed and configured Magisk Hide?

Magisk Hide only hides the Root status. CPU-Z is able to get bootloader info.

True, but it even says in it's description "Hide Magisk from detections: Google SafetyNet, enterprise / bank system integrity checks, game tamper checks." Other than that, I don't believe what you want is possible without actually relocking the bootloader, but remember that can be detected as well.

I mean there has to be some way we can know how CPU-Z gets this info from, right? Once we can know that, there is a chance of hiding or faking it. For example how Xprivacy module does it. So what I am looking for is: Either to hide it and shield its original info. Spoof it otherwise.

Install XprivacyLua and select use tracking Pics below show the difference in output

For spoofing instead of hiding you may have to use custom hooks. You can ask on the XDA thread of the app or use the pro version of the module to change values globally or on per app basis

Caveat
Quoting Namnodorel from comments

Note that this only works if the apps tries to retrieve bootloader status via Java. XPrivacyLua can't do anything if an app uses native code to check the bootloader.

Note that this only works if the apps tries to retrieve bootloader status via Java. XPrivacyLua can't do anything if an app uses native code to check the bootloader.

@beeshyams - That did it! (Nowhere on the Internet this question has been answered. I had tried XDA, Reddit and what not!)

Glad to help. That module is worth it's weight for the  power it has

Absolutely. I had been a user of previous verions of Xprivacy. Recently had switched to Lua and it is quite empowring indeed. I don't have Pro features right now to test with. Nevertheless, an amazing module!

I did manage to create a seprate post over there but got no response. So had to go several places to get an answer. Only here I got one.


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Chrome keeps logging me out of websites
For the last few months, my Android Pixel 2 XL (running 8, now 9) often shows me the login page on my frequently visited websites. I've managed to reproduce it with these steps:

Open Chrome (68.0.3440.85)
Visit facebook.com and login
Using tab switcher, swipe away (close) Chrome
Open Chrome again

Behaviour:
Returns to the facebook page, but asks me to login again
Expected:
A cookie is stored that ensures I'm still logged in
I'm not rooted, have tried rebooting, have ensured I have the latest Chrome version. I haven't tried a factory reset but would like to avoid that if possible. I also have a password manager (Dashlane) that offers to log me in, if that matters.

From the 3 dots menu> Settings >Site settings>Make sure cookies status is set to allowed. Also third party cookies. If already allowed, toggle off and on check if behaviour changes

Both settings were enabled. I toggled them on and off, but the behaviour persists.

As confirmed by OP disabling Chrome app fixed the problem (Settings →apps & notifications → select system apps→Chrome →disable app (to revert to the original version before updates)
I have no idea what caused this problem and only guess is Android Pie + Chrome updates didn't gel


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android phone displays numbers info even for uknown ones to my adressbook
A question of a general nature, the call to the numbers of which is not in the phone book. android shows information such as a call name. where does this information come from, if the source is open and google take it from web, can this information be changed?

Hard to say without knowing what device you have, what Android version it runs, and what apps you've installed. Raw guess: Open your phone app, tap the 3 vertical dots in the upper-right corner, and check the settings. Most likely there's some CallerID service enabled. Or you've installed a specific CallerID app – but then you wouldn't ask. Though, such an app might have been pre-installed on your device, so that's something else you can check.

using native android 8.1 telephone app. on nokia

Thanks Yurij. Which Nokia? And have you checked the places I've mentioned?

I have to clarify that this outbound/incoming call info is related to external things such a mobile network and area telephone network. as this caller info is propagated for any other android phones. (samsung, meizu, no matter case). I suppose that google collect that info in some place. I don't know how to correct is without contact creating. may be it worth to ask google suppport

Yurij, we cannot much help you if you don't provide the details we need. So again: Have you checked the places indicated above? What have you found?

Thanks, once i v checked settings, i found it. that is https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/3459196?visit_id=1-636694071743884895-233081447&p=dialer_google_caller_id&rd=2&hl=en

Caller ID by Google shows the names of companies and services with a Google My Business listing. It also looks for matches in any directory that shows caller information for work or school accounts. ref
If you want you can answer my question, as you push me to that discovery

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Please don't forget to answer your own question as promised :)