text:
Changing some system file values in Android failing
I am trying to change some sys values but I don't seem to be having much success.
In my case I am trying to change values of files in the folder
"/sys/devices/platform/omap/musb-omap2430/musb-hdrc/usb1/1-0:1.0"
e.g. the file bInterfaceClass which currently has value 09
My tries: (In shell, as root)
chmod 777 bInterfaceClass
echo 07 >> bInterfaceClass

I didn't receive an error but when looking up the value
cat bInterfaceClass

It is still 09
Now looking up this file in Root Explorer, I can see that the last modification date of the file has changed, so my guess: something resets the value of such a sys file as soon as it changes.
Can anyone shine some more light on this issue?
How can I change the value?


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Android on my Galaxy Nexus is able to interpret iPhone emoticons, how can I send them back?
Recently I notice that my Galaxy Nexus (Verizon 4.1.1) was able to translate the iphone 4 emoticons for my Android phone as seen here:

Which is great. However the only way I can send them back is if I know the code for them or if I copy and paste one that I have already received.
Is there any App or Addon that gives me a full menu of the icons to insert into the message?

Android Jelly Bean has extended Emoji support. There are various possibilities to type emoji by yourself:

Install an emoji keyboard and enable the Language switch button on your default keyboard, to fast switch to the emoji keyboard. For example: New Emoji Keyboard
Use a messaging app which has in-app emoji support (obsolete since Android 4.x+ supports it by default), like WhatsApp or HandCent SMS or other 3rd party SMS replacements
You can enable basic emoji on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: Simply go into Settings > Language & input > Android keyboard (settings) > Add-on dictionaries > Emoji for English words. You may have to go back into Add-on dictionaries, click refresh and install again. Now, whenever you type out one of the emoji keywords in the regular Android keyboard, you should see an auto-complete suggestion for an emoji icon. (This is for AOSP Android, it may not work on custom roms or Samsung/HTC/LG/Sony etc)
If your rom doesn't support the above possibilities, then maybe obtain root and install Emoji Font Updater (root) to get natively supported emojis, but yeah you already have native Emoji support as I understand from your question so this is mainly obsolete and I just write it if other readers wanna try :)

emoji keywords:
Up, Down, Left, Right, Star, Smile, Voltage, Warning, Victory, Wheelchair, Five-eighths, Seven-eighths, Liter, Soccer, Woman, Man, Telephone, Phone, Flat, Sharp, Note, Multiplication, Plus, Minus, Divide, snowflake, flower, question, exclamation, circle, paper, rock, scissors, arrow, baseball, soccer, golf, fahrenheit, celsius, degree, aries, taurus, gemini, cancer, leo, virgo, libra, scorpius, sagittarius, capricorn, aquarius, pisces, phone, telephone, airplane, sailboat, aleph, king, queen, bishop, knight, rook, pawn, church, temple, differential, plus, minus, multiplication, divide, trademark, male, female, five-eighths, seven-eighths, one-thirds, two-thirds, happy, heart, star, hourglass, infinity, integral, reference, sharp, flat, wheelchair, warning, voltage, victory

I believe Handcent SMS has the ability to allow a user to choose between the Emoji style of iOS5 / iOS6 and Android. There is an additional Emoji plugin that one would need to install in order to get this functionality.

Yes, you can do this with HandCent, it's pretty sweet. You have access to the whole library of ios emoticons.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Can MAME4droid emulate a trackball?
I see trackballs mentioned in the MAME4droid settings, but only a virtual joystick appears when playing.  Is there support for emulating trackballs via the touchscreen?

Those settings might be referring to a physical trackball on a phone (like the Nexus One has) rather than an emulated one.

I had a feeling.  The touchscreen is a natural input analog to the trackball.  I can't believe the trackball isn't emulated yet.

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


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Google apps losing connection to the servers when on mobile data
I'm struggling with a weird connection problem I have with Google Maps 6.14.1 (#6140011) on the Galaxy Nexus (running Android 4.1.2/CM10).
The problem comes with the following symptoms when on mobile data:

The app stops loading additional tiles from the network that haven't previously been cached (while displaying cached ones without any problems).
The app no longer synchronizes starred places.
Whenever trying to calculate transit directions, it gets stuck on the "Getting transit directions" progress dialog (there is no error message, the dialog just stays there forever).
When trying to find a location (any search query), it gets stuck on the "Searching for: X" progress dialog (there is no error message, the dialog just stays there forever).
When switching to navigation, it gets stuck on the "Getting driving directions" progress dialog.

Things I've tried:

Rebooting: has no effect whatsoever.
Switching to wi-fi. Then everything works. This might make it sound like my network provider (a T-Mobile US MVNO) is blocking Google Maps traffic, but read on!
Tethering my tablet (CM9) to the phone: Google Maps works fine on the tablet, leading me to the conclusion that it's not the network blocking certain kind of data. However, when putting the SIM card directly into the same tablet, it again doesn't work.
Stopping the process, then clearing all data: this fixes this issue "for a while" (a few minutes to a few hours). I haven't yet figured out what causes the problem state to come back. It could be a fixed amount of time, it could be the first switch from mobile data to wi-fi and back, I don't know. UPDATE: I've had it happen 5mins after a 'clear data' with wi-fi all the time disabled, so the next connection to wi-fi does not seem to be the trigger.
Connect ddms: Getting transit directions does not cause any warnings or errors to be logged.
Reinstalling Google Maps: same as 'clear data', it helps for a few minutes.

Potentially related problems:

Gmail doesn't load any images. Other than that Gmail works perfectly, including background syncing e-mails on mobile data. This problem also occurs when on wi-fi.
Goggles always says "Network error" and "Authentication failed" (again, it works fine while on wi-fi).
Google Now reports "Requested content '…' cannot be accessed. Access is not allowed for this user agent."
In GMaps -> Settings -> About -> Network, I see the following error "Error - Bad HTTP response code: 403 for 62,71,72 class java.io.IOException". I can't get any additional information for this however. It might be weeks old, as I see this even while everything works perfectly fine.
Some things in the Facebook app work (notifications are shown), but some just lead to a "cannot find secure connection" error message (navigating to an individual post).
Other apps using the WebView control in some cases do not show content properly. (NewsRob for example can synchronize just fine, but when trying to switch to the web view of an article that was not previously cached, it shows an error message similar to the one of Google Now above.)

Further notes:

The mobile network indicator is blue/green during all of this (indicating a working connection to the Google servers) and everything else seems to work perfectly.
This has happened on various builds, including the CM10 final, installed from a factory reset.

This turned out to actually be a network provider problem (in my case: SimpleMobile in the US) and the fix is incredibly simple: remove the proxy server from the APN and everything works.
The final hint I needed was the Google Now error message, googling that took me to this thread on xda-developers.
I have no explanation for why 'clear data' fixed the issue for a few minutes and why this didn't occur when tethering the tablet through the phone (maybe a cached server connection somehow?). It does however explain why the problem occured again when putting the SIM card into the tablet (the APN comes with the problematic proxy as a preset), and that should have tipped me off, I guess.

I had this same problem on my Galaxy S4 on the H2O network (an AT&T MVNO). Their website says to set a proxy server in the APN settings, but after deleting the proxy my apps are now working on mobile data.


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Why is the HDR button missing?
This article mentions a new HDR camera mode that's available in Android 4.2:

but my Galaxy Nexus doesn't show that option:

Why not?

I've had a little look at this now that Android 4.2 source is out.
It turns out that HDR isn't done by the camera app itself, it's a scene mode that needs to be supported by the operating system implementation and/or drivers.
The camera app will remove the HDR button if:

You're not on API level 17 (Android 4.2) or above, or;
Camera.Parameters.getSupportedSceneModes() returns null or a list that doesn't contain the string "hdr"

So in short, the HDR mode is implemented by the operating system's camera driver itself and can't be added to the standard camera app without delving into the OS source. I've not done this yet, but if I do figure it out I'll post an update.

As far as I know, there is a thread on XDA that explained how to get a leaked 4.2 camera.apk running on a Galaxy Nexus. So it's not in the driver, it's some libcamera stuff (see the linked .zip in the thread for more)

@ce4 The camera app is backward compatible with 4.1 but like I said it will remove the HDR button from the screen if it fails either of the two tests above. The camera app just requests HDR mode from the operating system if it's available, I didn't source dive the C++ parts to see whether it was in the OS or the driver, but it's certainly not part of the camera/gallery application nor the Java parts of Android.


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About Extracting & Replacing files in a Custom ROM
Custom ROM's come in as a .zip file. Is it good to extract those and add a few apps like Settings.apk(replacing), MMS.apk (replacing) with the existing one? Doing so and after that compressing it back to a .zip file would work when i try to flash it or not?

Replacing will probably work. However adding or removing files might not, Flashable Zip's need to contain a script which tells them what to do (in this case: installing, moving, copying files) You need to change these scripts to your desire, I don't know much abou that but XDA-Developers has a lot information about it.
Another Problem might be some sort of checksum which verifies integrity. You can make a Nandroid-Backup and test it yourself ;)


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N7/4.2 Can't add lock screen widgets?
I was pretty excited to hear Android 4.2 brings lock screen widgets. But after updating my Nexus 7 tablet, I'm not able to do that: I just have a clock widget that I can remove (it reappears after sleep/wake), but I can't add any widgets in any way. At first I was able to swipe right and I got a "+" where I presumably could add them, but now that's gone.
Could it be because I have a corporate (i.e. exchange) account configured and because that forces me to have a password? Or is it some glitch? I have tried rebooting it.

I have the same issue, N7 with 4.2 with an Exchange Corporate Account that forces a password/pin.
You are correct that it has to do with corporate account.  I removed my corporate account and was able to add widgets, even with the security still set to "password to unlock".  I also changed to Pin and Slide to unlock and all of them worked as well.
I then re-added my corporate account and the widgets that I added were gone and I was unable to add any others.
That said it's not a huge issue for me as the only Widgets I had the option of adding were Clock, Gmail Inbox, and Calendar.  Clock is already there and I don't want my Email/Calendar displayed without unlocking the tablet.

Same here. I have added a second user to the tablet, who does not have a corporate exchange account, and that user is able to add lock-screen widgets freely.

Yup, it's probably because adding a corporate account makes the Email app a device administrator, and that restricts widgets on the lock screen (not just having a password). I wonder what will happen if I add a separate tablet account (Settings > Users) for my work stuff.

Felix: a brilliant idea!  I just set it up myself.  I was pleasantly surprised that I could use the same google account for both tablet accounts (I turned off sync on the second one).

In case anyone is wondering -- I did the above. I have two tablet accounts now -- one for personal stuff, one for work. When I select the personal one on the lock screen, I can add widgets.

I have Nexus 7 and now have JB 4.2.
Same problem with no additional widgets being visible, just the "+" box which does nothing if double tapped, held, dragged etc.
But I do NOT have a corporate account, as this N7 is my own personal device.  I bought the N7 from Google direct,  a couple of months ago.
I use Go Launcher EX but this is not the culprit either as disabling it made no difference.   Not happy!
Update!  Cracked it!  Disable screen lock PIN (set it to 'slide to unlock').  Next attempt at unlock and I can now access three widgets (only!  which is not impressive). I can now choose from Gmail, Calender and clock.  I selected calender.  Slide to unlock. Re-enabled 'PIN to unlock' in my settings menu, and relocked the screen.  Now I have Clock still as my first screen and slide left to right gives me calender, with a further slide giving me an other "+" which again does not allow additional widget, because I have 'PIN to unlock' enabled.

I have a pattern unlock, so when I press the + to add a new item, it highlights the pattern area for me to unlock the device before adding a new item.

In my case, running 4.2.1 on a Nexus 7, I started with calendar, clock and '+' widgets on the lock screen. I can scroll between these with a swipe.
Holding down on a widget shrinks it and brings in an 'X Remove' at the top of the screen; dragging the widget to it drops it from the lock screen. (This does not require authentication.) Removing the last widget will leave me with just the '+' until I cycle to sleep and then back to the lock screen again, where the clock widget now reappears.
Scrolling to the '+' widget and pressing it makes it ask for my unlock pattern, and then displays the available widgets to add, which for me are just clock, calendar and gmail. I'd certainly be interested in hearing about where to get others (in particular, a clock that displays UTC and something to do a better display of my "If found, return to..." information.)

This has to do with the accounts policies and it's not related to a specific device or version (so far). I have the same limitation on my Galaxy Nexus running 4.2.2, so don't expect that update to fix anything.
Actually, since the policy is enforced by the corporate account, we shouldn't see this as a problem but instead as an acceptable limitation. If you have a corporate account set on you phone you shouldn't be able to add widgets because if you can, anyone else could simple add another Calendar or Email (or some third party) widget and have access to the corporate data.

Android 4.2.2 fixes this problem - having a PIN lock code will allow adding widgets by pressing the "+" icon - it'll ask for a code and proceed to the add widgets screen.

Do you have a source for this information?

I may have just jumped to this based on other things in 4.2.2 working, but it personal experience shows it working for me. Sorry I can't provide more than that!


text:
Stop Spotify from finishing session due to lack of activity
I am a premium user, have my whole playlist downloaded to the phone and daily play it in offline mode. Either in offline and online mode after several songs or minutes all music stops, songs stop loading, the queue shows as empty and I have to return to the playlist view and click a new song for the session to restart.
Is there any way to bypass this timeout restriction?

You "have to return"?

It got cut. Editing.

I'm not sure why is this happening. I haven't used Spotify on mobile in a while but nothing like this happened to me. 4+ hour long playlists played without any problems.


text:
Change Spotify song while on the background
Sometimes I'm playing a game while listening to music, or my phone is just locked with Go Locker, and there is no hardkey/softkey to change song except by going to the application or widget, which takes some seconds and putting other apps to sleep.
Is there any way to set up long press of volume keys to this?

What Android version/ROM are you on?

Cyanogenmod allows this, like many other custom roms but only if the display is off.

Galaxy S3, 4.1.4, Vodafone's ROM.


text:
ROMManager does not backup my sd-ext
I am using rooted LG P500 running stock 2.3.3. Recently I partitioned my SD card using ROMManager in to three partitions (swap, ext and usb storage). I checked with Mini Partition Tool and understood that the sd-ext type is ext3. Link2SD created mount script and linked apps perfectly, releasing loads of space in memory.
To try an unofficial CM10 ROM, I backed up using ROMManager (NAndroid) and installed the unofficial CM10 ROM.  While using CM10, I wiped sd-ext partition and linked few apps with belief that backup is done. Since I was unhappy with the CM10 ROM I decided to restore the backup and while doing so only I observed that my sd-ext partition contents were not backed up.
Thinking that I might not have backed up properly, I tried again to back up in restored backup of stock 2.3.3 and observed a message:

"Could not mount sd-ext. sd-ext backup may not be supported on this device. Skipping backup of sd-ext"

Had if I had noticed this message, I would not have installed the CM10 ROM at all.
Question: How can I make ROMManager to backup sd-ext partitions as well? I guess just because it was unable to mount, it just skipped sd-ext backup. When Link2SD was able to mount, what is stopping ROMManager to mount it and how can I fix it?
Info:

I tried this with ClockworkMod Recovery version 5.0.2.7 and ROMManager version is 5.0.2.1
I have seen the question "Ext4 partition clockworkmod recovery backup" and this question differs because the partition used is ext3 and was created by ROMMananger itself.

Update:

I have seen this modaco forum thread and it just only helped me to come to a assumption that my present recovery version 5.0.2.7 does not support it. I will be glad to confirm it either from any authoritative source or burst the myth if some other user successfully backed up (either with 5.0.2.7) sd-ext.
When I attempted to use "mount and storage -> mount /sd-ext" option in CWM recovery console, I just get "Error mounting /sd-ext!" message.

Have you fixed this problem?

Not yet. I noticed few XDA threads claim Amon Ra recovery manager can backup sd-ext partition. As of now I haven't tried it yet. I also observed that my Rom manager fails to mount the partition through one of the menu options in recovery mode.

My suspicion that ROM Manager doesn't support sd-ext backup is quite confirmed with my experience. While looking for alternatives, I understood that there are these three recoveries available:

Clockwork Mod recovery (CWM)
Amon Ra recovery
TeamWin recovery (TWRP)

I tried the TWRP 2.2.2.1 from its XDA thread and I am glad to inform that it did back up my ext3 partition. Other than this benefit, I have a touch interface which is much easier in par with CMW's user interface.

A possible solution is described e.g. in this modaco forum thread. In case of that user, the sd-ext partition got corrupted as it was mounted wrongly by the Android system (he used GPartEd to create his partitions which, regardless of the filesystem created (ext2/3/4, fat32), then were mounted as ext4).
So what he basically did: He factory reset the phone, deleted the partitions on SDCard, recreated them on phone (i.e. not with the card mounted to any PC, but directly on the phone, using CWMs options as far as I understood).
I didn't try that solution myself, as I'm not affected by the problem.

Thanks @Izzy, I already saw it and recreated partitions using CWM as described. I posted this question after this attempt only.

Oh. Couldn't know that -- sorry to hear it didn't help in your case. Guess I still leave the answer here in the hope it might prove helpful to others with a similar problem.

To backup sd-ext
REQUIREMETS:

Device should be rooted
Root Explorer
Brain

Steps:

Open root explorer
Now go to root>data
The will be a folder names sdext 2
Open it
Copy all the the contents of sdext2 folder and paste it in your sd card

Here it is,now you have a backup of your sd-ext
TO RESTORE SD-EXT

Copy all the contents which we have backuped in previous steps
Now go to root>data
Now find sdext folder and open it
Now paste all the contents we had copied in the step1

Here it is,we have restored over sd-ext

I Think that CWM is not able to detect sd-ext because it is not mounted as"/sd-ext" but instead as "/data/sd-ext" by link2sd. But I do not know in detail abot Android Working  I cant fix it.


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Can I install takju ROM on unit with yakjuxw?
I bought my Galaxy Nexus a couple of months before Jelly Bean 4.2 was announced. It got updated to 4.0.4 fine, but did not find any 4.1 update at all. So I found this question which informed me of units that had ROMs updated by Samsung instead of Google for whatever reason. And my unit is of the Samsung update legacy, yakjuxw.
Since by the time I had concrete info on this yakju, takju or whatever the 4.2 release was nearing, I decided against flashing to yakju 4.1.2, and resorted to camp Android's factory image download page. And then 4.2 OTA rolled out on the 13th. Only for the takju units that is. The download page was similarly updated. But I am running out of patience, hence the question.
tl;dr refer to the title. I would like to know if there's any issues with flashing takju or a yakju device.

There are no issues changing between the two. As far as which is better? They are essentially the same with the one difference being that takju phones receive updates quicker. http://webtrickz.com/easiest-way-to-change-galaxy-nexus-from-yakjuxw-non-yakju-to-android-4-0-4-yakjutakju/ This describes what to do. Its a large article, so I'm only giving the link.

The answer is yes, you can install a takju ROM on a yakjuxw device.  For that matter, you can also install a yakju ROM, or one of many other custom Galaxy Nexus ROMs (e.g. Cyanogenmod) on a device that originally had yakjuxw.
I have personally flashed both yakju and takju ROMs on my Galaxy Nexus, which originally had a yakjux (Canada) ROM.  The only possible issue is that flashing a new ROM may erase user data from the SD card (pictures, SMS messages, wifi information, etc.).  So you may want to back up your data before flashing.

Thanks, choosing this answer on the account of personal experience.

go for takju, seems this is the first updated. i have yakju and waited about 3-4 weeks to receive 4.2 OTA update ,after the first takju OTA became available

This is an exert from A Guide to Manually Install Android 4.2 Takju on Non-Yakju Galaxy Nexus written 14th Nov. 2012 available at: http://webtrickz.com/guide-to-manually-install-android-4-2-takju-on-non-yakju-galaxy-nexus/
Following the availability of Nexus 4 and Nexus 10, Google has begun the rollout of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OTA update for Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 as well. Android 4.2 is currently available only for Takju variant of GSM/HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus and luckily Google has also released the Android 4.2 factory image for Takju Galaxy Nexus.
Apparently, Non-Yakju Galaxy Nexus users wont receive this new update anytime soon as their phone is updated by Samsung whereas Yakju & Takju firmware are updated directly by Google.
However, users with adequate technical know-how can easily convert their non-yakju (yakjuxw, yakjuux, yakjusc, yakjuzs, yakjudv, yakjukr and yakjujp) device to Takju to receive prompt future OTA updates from Google.
The above link will take you through the various steps needed to achieve what you desire (inc. video tutorial for Step 3). So yes you can install takju ROM on unit with yakjuxw.


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Connecting Sony Xperia U with my Windows XP laptop
I am unable to link my phone with my laptop. When I connect the USB it says st25i camera connected. I use a Sony Xperia U model and my laptop has Windows XP OS. What can be the issue?

Sounds like a driver issue. See if you can find the correct drivers for you phone on the Sony website.

maybe this help: link

When connected via USB, pull down your notification bar and check whether it has an "USB" entry. You might be able here to select the connection mode from e.g. "charge only", "MTP", "USB mass storage". If it's not there, check in the common Settings menu (usually Settings->Connections->USB connection) what is available.

Most probably driver issue, following resources may help you

http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/42763?start=0&tstart=0
http://www.priceandspecification.in/sony-xperia-u-pc-suite-pc-companion-software-download.html
http://developer.sonymobile.com/downloads/drivers/

first of all you need to install a Sony Pc Companions in your pc and then connect the device through it. after this u can share, transfer the pic and docs. you can download it from sony xperia site which is easily available.
Rao Saahil Umar

Why would you need a companion suite to connect a device and share its storage? How would users on Linux/MacOS and other systems do that then (as most of those "suites" are Windows-only)?

Right click on My Computer icon (on desktop) then Click "Manage"
Click on Device Manager, and select "Portable Devices" from the list. Double click on Device Manager and select ST25i (Your phone Device) from the list.
Right click on ST25i (Your phone Device) and click "Update Driver..." from the list (which will open a Hardware Update Wizard)
Click "Install the software automatically (Recommended)", then Next and
the wizard will search for correct Update automatically.
Click on Finish.


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OTA update for Nexus Prime in India?
I recently bought a Galaxy Nexus Prime from Hong Kong before the release of the Jelly Bean update. Now I'm unable to get the OTA update on my Nexus device.
Any advice?

Go to link provided below. It discribes how to update Galaxy nexus via OTA(over the air).
Instructions


text:
Cut and paste not working on Samsung Note 10.1?
I recently bought a Samsung Note 10.1 tablet. It has Android 4.0.4 (model number GT-N8000 / N8000XXLGA). All is fine, but I cannot understand why the cut and paste do not work. Is this a known problem? Can I update to a newer version or something...? Every application in which I try to copy/cut & paste from just crashes.
This is extremely annoying and I've been trying to find a solution online for about a week now.
Any ideas...?

An upgrade became available yesterday. Once I upgraded to 4.1.1, the cut and paste functionality started working again! :)


text:
why big sized images.show at low resolution in webview?
Example: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/up_goer_five.png
Opening that xkcd comic will show it in such a lower resolution on my nexus one that i can't even read the text.

Edit: This happens regardless of any network agent messing up with my data. I tested via Wifi, serving a big image in my own webserver in my own local area network.
Also, happens on every browser, hence why i think it is a webview issue. Tested on Stock and Dolphin.
I notice this issue since the earlier 2.3 official roms, even though now i'm usig cyanogen nightly.

Which browser are you using? Is there a setting which compresses and lowers image before downloading for lower data usage?

Forgot to mention, this happens on wifi too. Even downloading images from a server in my local LAN. And happens with both stock browser and dolphin.


text:
how to password protect settings dialog (wifi but specifically accounts part)?

Possible Duplicate:
Restrict access to device settings

I would like to disable the settings page so that users of our android devices cannot factory reset through settings and cannot use another account for buying or installing items from google play marketplace. Probably an app on google play would be best for this unless anyone has an idea.
Note: we are a school system so this is necessary to be CIPA complaint and teenagers can be an IT nightmare sometimes. Also, this is an lenovo tablet device so instructions might be different.

Possibly a duplicate of Restrict access to device settings

You should post another app or suggestion below in case the linked to thread does not apply in my situation. Any suggestions are welcome.

link is dead for suggested app from other thread. So that thread does not apply.

The fact that the link in the answer is dead doesn't mean that this question is different from that one (and the link has been fixed now). If the other question doesn't apply because your needs are different then perhaps you could explain that a bit more. Right now it is not evident.

Okay well I will check out the link if its fixed.

okay it fixed thanks for the link you can mark that as answer to prevent other answerers if you wish


text:
LAME3.98 encoded music has foreign title
I copied a couple albums to my Note 2 that have LAME3.98 encoding and they show up with  maybe Chinese for the Album and song name, it does this on both the stock music and play music apps, the songs show up fine on my computer. Maybe this is an issue with how android reads LAME3.98 songs? How can I get them to show properly without converting my music? It also has ID3 tag v2.3

You should add a screenshot.

I used the iTunes option to convert the ID3 tags to v2.2 and it fixed my issue.


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Cannot Factory Reset after Encrypting
I encrypted my phone but now want it not encrypted so have to factory reset. However, if I try to do this from the CWM Recovery it says
-- Wiping data...
Formatting /data...
Error mounting /data!
Skipping format...
Formatting /cache...
Formatting /sd-ext...
Formatting /sdcard/.android_secure...
Error mounting /sdcard/.android_secure!
Skipping format...
Data wipe complete.

When I try to factory reset from the normal GUI it doesn't give me an error but finishes very very quickly and hasn't worked (presumably the output above has happened in the logs).
What can I do?

Have you tried re-flashing the original recovery that shipped with the device? Perhaps that would allow you to perform a factory reset via the device's settings menu.

I've tried to do this but can't work out how to do it via Heimdall (Linux implementation of ODIN) - does it have to be via ODIN? Where would I find my original recovery?
I may be just doing it wrong - which HOWTO should I be following for this?

I would think Heimdall could do it as long as you could find a stock recovery image in the proper format. What specific device is it? Often the XDA sub-forum for a device will have a collection of various stock images, so that's where I'd start, personally; the manufacturer may provide them, too, though (I've never really checked if Samsung does this).

Is this right? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1863346

Hm, I'm not entirely sure if the ROM package in those instructions has a recovery image or not. If it does, then that should work. There's another thread on XDA that talks about unrooting the S3 which might help, too: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1710613 That should reflash your device back to stock Samsung firmware (it talks about Odin but you should be able to substitute Heimdall as far as I know).

Hi all! I flashed my phone eventually over Odin and it seemed to work. I restart it and it comes up with a different boot screen (so I was quite excited) but now it's still asking me to decrypt the phone. Except now my old password doesn't work!!

I have also encrypted the /data partition (on my Samsung I9300) and wanted to reset it for an upgrade. This failed with the error you mentioned, /tmp/recovery.log contains:
ClockworkMod Recovery v6.0.3.2
recovery filesystem table
=========================
  0 /tmp ramdisk (null) (null) 0
  1 /efs ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 (null) 0
  2 /boot emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p5 (null) 0
  3 /recovery emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p6 (null) 0
  4 /cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p8 (null) 0
  5 /system ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p9 (null) 0
  6 /data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 (null) -16384
  7 /preload ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p10 (null) 0
  8 /modem emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 (null) 0
  9 /sdcard datamedia /dev/null (null) 0
  10 /external_sd ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 (null) 0
<snip>
-- Wiping data...
Formatting /data...
I:Formatting unknown device.
W:failed to mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 (Invalid argument)
Error mounting /data!
Skipping format...

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsibility for anything that goes wrong, including (but not limited to) user error.
If you wish to wipe the /data partition completely (including media like photos), follow the below instructions:

Boot into recovery.
Run adb shell in a terminal (Linux) or Command Prompt ("CMD", Windows). After a few seconds, you should see a line containing ~ #.
WARNING. Triple-check the command that you are entering here. White space and capitalization are important. Make any mistake here and you may accidentally wipe your whole flash memory including recovery images.
NOTE: if you want to encrypt your partition later, you have to leave 16KiB unallocated space on the end of the partition.
In the adb shell, run the command mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p12. Substitute /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 and ext4 according to the recovery filesystem table (for /data). Output when running the command:
~ # mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p12
mke2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
Stride=0 blocks, Stripe width=0 blocks
755904 inodes, 3022848 blocks
151142 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=3095396352
93 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8128 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
        32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208

Writing inode tables: done
Creating journal (32768 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done

This filesystem will be automatically checked every 34 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first.  Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.

(Optional) Install new firmware (E.g. CM 10.1).
Reboot.
(Optional) In order to encrypt the partition while clearing your whole data partition, run vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe PIN_OR_PASSWORD (before Android 5.0) or vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password PASSWORD_IN_HEX (since Android 5.0, see this post for details).
Reconfigure device, choose language, enter name, install apps, etc.

Technical details below.
The factory reset menu item activates erase_volume("/data") in recovery.c which calls format_volume("/data").
format_volume is defined in roots.c:
int format_volume(const char* volume) {
    // <snip>
    // check to see if /data is being formatted, and if it is /data/media
    // Note: the /sdcard check is redundant probably, just being safe
    if (strstr(volume, "/data") == volume && is_data_media() && !handle_data_media) {
        return format_unknown_device(NULL, volume, NULL);
    }

Since the volume name indeed starts with /data, and the recovery filesystem table contains an entry for type datamedia and handle_data_media is initially zero, format format_unknown_device is called. That function is defined in extendedcommands.c as follows:
int format_unknown_device(const char *device, const char* path, const char *fs_type)
{
    LOGI("Formatting unknown device.\n");

    if (fs_type != NULL && get_flash_type(fs_type) != UNSUPPORTED)
        return erase_raw_partition(fs_type, device);

    // if this is SDEXT:, don't worry about it if it does not exist.
    if (0 == strcmp(path, "/sd-ext"))
    {
        // <snip>
    }

    if (NULL != fs_type) {
        // <snip>
    }

    if (0 != ensure_path_mounted(path))
    {
        ui_print("Error mounting %s!\n", path);
        ui_print("Skipping format...\n");
        return 0;
    }

fs_type is NULL and the path is /data. That means that the code path ends up at ensure_path_mounted(path) which is the place where this function fails. Looking at the name, ensure_path_mounted attempts to mount the partition by name which of course fails since the encrypted partition is not supported in CWM. Therefore, CWM refuses to "format" the partition (actually, all it does is erasing all files except for /data/media after mounting).
Therefore the goal is to format /data with ext4 (see recovery filesystem table) or mount the encrypted data partition somehow. I could not easily find the tools for mounting encrypted partitions, so I decided to go the easy way and just format the partition.

Note: apparently somebody managed to wipe his boot partition anyway. Hereby a friendly reminder: double-check that you are actually acting on the right partition!


text:
Why can't I turn off vibrate while keeping audio on when a e-mail comes in?
After my Galaxy Nexus upgraded itself to Jelly Bean last night, my phone refuses to turn vibrate off! It's set to Vibrate Never when email arrives, but it vibrates anyway. I've restarted the phone, taken the battery out, etc, but it still happens.

Mine too. I got this behavior to change by doing the following:

Open the Gmail app.
In the menu, select "Settings"
Select your Gmail account.
Select "Sound & Vibrate"
Set the Sound to "Silent", and the Vibrate to "Never"

This fixed it for me. My guess is that it is a bug or poor design (the Sound option seems to override the Vibrate option).

I'd like to keep the audio on but the vibrate off though :(


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Kies dies when trying to update Galaxy Note firmware
I downloaded and installed Kies in my Windows 7 laptop. (Toshiba Satellite.) I plug the phone in the USB, it is recognized and its storage shows in Explorer. Then I run Kies. It says there is a firmware upgrade available. I click to update. A window shows with a progress bar at the bottom, saying something like "downloading update components."
After the download goes to 100%, Kies just silently dies on the PC, no error messages, its windows just vanish. And nothing happens on the phone. My phone is not rooted, it still has the carrier-provided software, regularly updated via Play. It was bought here in Brazil.
Kies is trhe latest version, I had it check for upgrades. I also disabled the PC antivirus to no avail.

I had the same problem, did everything I could think of. Finally last night, I decided to try something different. I ran Kies in "Compatibility Mode for XP SP3" it took forever, left the phone plugged in while I went to bed, woke up this morning with 4.1 finally on it.
I run a Windows 7 Premium Home 64bit.  Not sure if this will help with everyone's problems with Kies but hopefully it will help a few people. It's worth a try.
My phone is a Galaxy S III from AT&T.  To change to "Compatibility Mode" do the following:

Go to C:\ drive, right click and click on `Explore'.
Go to \Program Files x86, look for Samsung then right click on that folder.
Click on Properties then click the Compatibility tab and choose XP SP3

If you are given the option, select Run as administrator.
I really hope this helps everyone else as it has me.

Kies is known not to work proper with Windows 64bit edition, regardless, its a very poorly written piece of software!

Just run the Kies with Administrator permission. For windows 7 right click on the "Samsung Kies" or the "Samsung Kies(Lite)" version and select "Run as Administrator"

Had the same problem with a Samsung Galaxy S.
I persisted and left it plugged in while I went on to do something else. When I came back later on the phone screen was all blue and the pc went to sleep:
THE PHONE WAS BRICKED
The app then says it needs to restore from an error but it freezed the same way it did on the initial update attempts.
I managed to get kies working "properly" on a computer with more memory. But it didn't unbrick my phone.
So if it goes silent don't insist. You can try on an other computer but my advice is NOT TO USE KIES.
You can flash the stock roms used in Kies with another application. (If you need I'll give more info when I get home).

+1 for the advice to not use Kies, as in my previous comment to another's answer above/below, it can soft-brick handsets, use Odin or Heimdall instead. :)

Same problem for me (SGS2 i777) on Windows 7 64bits:
I could fix it by going to control panel=>programs=>programs and features. There is an option called Run programs made for previous versions of windows: click on it, follow the steps, troubleshooting will start and a list of programs will appear, once the list is populated select Samsung Kies lite and select troubleshoot program, select start from there.

I had a similar problem with the previous version of Kies. Every time I started Kies (with or without the phone connected) Kies would show a message that some components needed to be updated, even though I had the latest version of Kies. After selecting OK, Kies would start the update process and after a while just close itself without any warning.
I experimented a bit and I think the problem has something to do with rights on your computer. I noticed that Kies does install the components update properly when run from the administrator account, but strangely not when run from another account even when you tell it to "run as administrator". I thought the problem would be fixed after I ran it in the administrator account, but when I started Kies again under my normal (not administrator) account, the update message appeared again, and again Kies shut itself down during the update. After that I gave up and just selected "cancel" every time the update message appeared.
I upgraded Kies itself this morning to version 2.5.0.12104_15 and now the problem seems to be fixed. The update components message does not appear when I start Kies, but I haven’t tried updating the phone’s firmware yet.

This is only due to the less memory on phone. Try to uninstall some applications and media file from phone memory. Automatically it will work.

Here is the solution:

Get sure that u have enough free space in your internal memory.
Update your samsung kies.
If you had connection problem with USB, download samsung mobile USB device:
http://samsung-mobile-usb-device-1-0.soft32.com/
Right click on samsung kies
Use compatibility mode ( windows pack 3)>
Before you start updating:
Go to your mobile and turn off music, wifi, bluetoot, gps..as well.
Start updating.


text:
How to migrate 4.1 primary user's app data to new 4.2 secondary user?
My wife has been playing games (Angry Birds Star Wars if that makes a difference) on my Nexus 7 which I have just updated from 4.1 to 4.2. Android 4.2 lets you have multiple users on a single device, so I would like to create a new user account on this device which has all of her game saves.
Without root, is it possible to migrate specific applications data to a new user account on the same device?

This post on Android Police basically says they will be offering accounts soon to the Star Wars game to backup data.

Find the data files for you applications and then upload to something like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Once you have upgraded, download the files.

Do you have any steps to do so?


text:
Facing Xperia U problems after updated to ICS

I had updated my Xperia U to 4.0, after updating my phone am unable  to use otg... one app was showing that drive unavailable.
Can't use call recording softwares it will record only my voice without opponents.
Getting too slow while using Chrome and few social working apps even camera.
How to downgrade to 2.3, & can we use pattern lock,music player, data softwares of 4.0 in 2.3?

I suggest not to go back but fix the problems, ICS is soo much better. Better install Cyanogenmod instead of ye olde 2.3. A) Reverting is not officially supported, you have to find a 2.3 .ftf file from somewhere and use the 3rd party flashtool B) You'll need to wipe too C) Call-recording is illegal in some countries and thus not supported probably. Here is the devel thread of CM9/10, it still has missing/buggy features being worked on though.

It even broke your shift key.

If your mobile is slow try to get a task killer from play store. It will kill apps that are open in your background and are not needed. (addendum not needed! - edit)
And to answer your last question I recently had to downgrade my Xperia U from 4.0.4 to 2.3.7. It's actually easier then it sounds, the process is the same when upgrading, you just have to download a few things ;D
Remember: Flashing will delete everything on your phone so make sure you backup your mobile.
Note
Back up your phone via Sony's PC Companion Suite before proceeding
Follow the steps:

Get the following:

Flashtool, found on github
Your Xperia Firmware
Xperia U Firmware 2.3.7: found on 4shared site
(put this one in a place that is "clean" best option desktop)

Install flashtool
go to your Phone's Settings > Developer options/USB debugging (and check that option)
Connect your phone to the PC (USB)
Before you continue
Go to the folder where you installed Flashtool, open Flashtool's drivers folder and run the installer. (Flashtools\Drivers)
In that installer select your phone and click next.
WARNING:
Xperia U is next to Xperia P it is not hard to find but you can easily miss it.
After installing proceed to step 5.
Open Flashtools (click yes if anything pops up, it could take a few second sto open)
Click the thunder-like symbol
Select Flashmode and click Ok. (NOT FLASHBOOT MODE!)
Click the (...) in front of the first line of the windows that will pop up
Select the place where you saved file from the above step II on. (This could be a bit tricky if you can't find the place on that Explorer copy/paste the file to the desktop to make it easier. The file won't appear in the window - don't worry it will detect it and load it automatically.)
Make sure everything on the wipe area is checked and that on the exclude area nothing is checked. Misc should be checked too (this is to prevent errors during the downgrade)
Follow the on-screen instructions. It will ask you to press a back button, on the Xperia U it's the VOLUME DOWN button. For some reason you have to unplug the cable from the PC too. After you turn off the mobile plug back in the USB to the PC and then press and hold the VOLUME DOWN key on your phone (keep it pressed and when you plug the USB back in the led's will light up green.) You can stop pressing the button when the process starts on Flashtool's window.
Wait until it's over, you can leave it. It should only take a few seconds
Your mobile will reboot when it's over.

Don't panic if you can't understand what it says
The file your installing is from T-Mobile's HU region. After it starts and you enter your SIM pin, it will take you again through the configuration.
You will have some apps on your mobile from T-Mobile, just uninstall them if you want.
Remember: Flashing will delete everything on your phone so make sure you backup your mobile.
Hope I helped!


text:
What Happens when I change processor frequency of my android phone
I have Xolo x900 phone. I have settings to set the processor frequency.
It is defaulted to 600mhz, yet my phone has a maximum of 1.6Ghz.
Can I change to 1.6 GHz? What would be the side effects of increasing the frequency?
Will it overheat, drain my battery?
Also, would like to know what would be the advantages on increased frequency.

Setting frequency to high end may cause problems like.
1.Heating up phone.
2.burn battery.
3.Even you may damage your phone completely.
Over-clocking frequency will speed up your phone's performance.

A faster clock frequency will let your phone go faster, but it comes with some costs.
The power use of the CPU is (roughly) proportional to the square of the clock frequency, so increasing from 600 MHz to 1600 MHz will use 2.5 times as much power. On top of that, that power gets turned into heat, so it'll be producing heat 2.5 times as quickly as well. Your phone will automatically slow the processor down if it gets too hot, so it may be that turning up the max clock speed actually makes the CPU slower overall - because it has to keep "throttling back" to avoid overheating.
Changing the CPU frequency doesn't make anything else faster but the CPU. That is, if you're trying to play a graphics-intensive game, it might not get faster because it's limited by the GPU speed; or if you're doing things on the web, your internet connection won't get any faster.
In this particular case, you're asking about changing the frequency within the design limits. This ought to be safe, but some mods and custom ROMs let you genuinely over-clock the processor faster than it was designed to go, or to change how and when the power management reduces the clock frequency. Using techniques like this can cause serious overheating, enough to permanently damage the phone's hardware. Be very cautious if you should decide to experiment.

And should you decide to test your luck, do NOT try and jump it straight up to 1.6 right off the bat, as that large of a jump is enough to potentially fry the phone.  jump it up a little at a time, let it run for a day or two, to make sure you don't have any side effects (phone rebooting, heating up too much, etc) before pushing up the speed again.


text:
Application being closed due to low memory error in Samsung Galaxy S
I am using a Samsung Galaxy S device. For the last month my device is continuously showing  "Application being Closed due to Low Memory Error" notifications.
There is no any question about Internal & External Storage memory, both are 16 GB. Also RAM & ROM are almost clear every time.
Please suggest a solution!

With continuously you mean, each time you start an app? Are there apps that do work properly?

Have you tried the usual remedies?

Clear your cache by going to storage-> Internal Storage-> Cached Files

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


text:
Root Phone Without Unlocking Lockscreen
Is it possible to root a phone without knowing a the phone's pattern/pin/password? This question isn't because I need to root a phone without a pattern/pin/password but because I was curious and thinking about the process. I'm assuming that you would have to put the image on an external SD card and then load it from there.

Short answer: Yes, it is possible. Different techniques can be used for this purpose (some of them are described e.g. in Andrew Hoog's book Android Forensics: Investigation, Analysis and Mobile Security for Google Android). It especially gets easy when USB Debugging is turned on.
Long answer: Please forgive me if I don't give this. Just a hint: There are exploits, and there are custom recovery images...

Thank you! This is the answer I was looking for (yes/no with explanation)


text:
Want to root Using windows which is on VirtualBox.How do i make it recognise the fone when phone is off?
I want to root my phone (Micromax A52) and i got the procedure.
But I use Ubuntu for everyday use and now for rooting i need Windows.
I installed it in virtualbox. Now in vbox,the usb device is recognised only if the host recognizes it.
But with the phone off for the flash process, how can i make the guest windows recognise the phone as ubuntu does not recognise

You might get better results with VMware.

If you have the ADB drivers on Ubuntu, try performing the tasks of installing busybox and su manually as detailed here - http://androidforums.com/a52-all-things-root/586982-how-root-any-android-device-manually.html
The author has used Nautilus on Ubuntu to perform the requisite tasks. YMMV, though upon reading through the thread.
As a workaround, perhaps you could use the root methods detailed in the relevant XDA thread(s) on a Windows machine.


text:
Cannot Reach Restore Progress Screen In Titanium Backup PRO
On a Samsung Galaxy S I-9000, I just installed CyanogenMod 10 Stable and the latest Google Apps for CM10. TB Pro is version 5.7.0.1.
I started a restore (missing apps with data) and during the restore I accidentally hit the home button. The restore is in progress, as evidenced by the status bar at 37%, but it is stuck at 37%. It might need a TB password or some other information to complete the restore of some app. My problem is that I CANNOT access the restore progress screen via TB or via the status bar. If I try to reinitiate the restore it tells me there is an operation already in progress.
How do I get back to the restore progress screen so I can give it the input it needs to complete the restore operation?

I had the same problem on Cyanogemod 7.2.0 HTC Wildfire.
In the end I simply stopped the TB service through the android application manager and ran the batch operation again. It will continue restoring all the apps that have not yet been restored.
This is a workaround, not a solution since you should logically be able to hit the home button and continue the batch process by simply accessing the notification.


text:
Can a change in the routing table cause an ARP storm?
I have an HTC EVO V with Android 4.1. While it doesn't lose the wifi signal, it periodically needs to be reset in order to make network connection. When I try to connect to Skype, for example, I might see the packet trace similar to this
20:09:06.516473 arp who-has 157.55.130.144 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:06.547123 arp who-has 65.55.223.16 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:06.826819 arp who-has 212.187.172.33 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.006629 arp who-has 157.55.235.151 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.036520 arp who-has 212.187.172.20 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.166537 arp who-has 195.46.253.234 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.546636 arp who-has 65.55.223.16 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.697075 arp who-has 64.4.23.142 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:07.836535 arp who-has 212.187.172.33 tell 192.168.0.68
20:09:08.006451 arp who-has 157.55.235.151 tell 192.168.0.68
...

I've never seen another network device exhibit this behavior, any ideas what could cause this? Even in this condition I can ping the device (192.168.0.68) from my firewall.

It's probably the only app that does this. Skype does some advanced network tricks (like firewall hole punching) so I am not suprised by your question either

That's a very useful summary of how Skype attempts to set up the media channel. Still, I don't see how it could start a storm of spurrious arp requests for addresses that are not locally connected.


text:
HTC One X Does not charge or turn on
A day ago my HTC One X would not turn on. When I booted into developer mode it said at the top "**LOCKED**" and "Security Warning" (or something similar). It also said "cpu-bootmode: disabled". I was able to get it to boot with recovery mode but it would just freeze after a minute and I would have to restart the phone through the above process.
Now, the battery is dead because it froze with its screen on (draining all the battery). It won't boot into developer mode or safe mode. It also doesn't charge (atleast I think so because I don't see the LED indicator light up).
Any ideas on how to charge my phone, fix the issue or even what the issue is?
I did not root my phone but I did install Apex Launcher (about a month ago).
Thanks,

What is developer mode? Never heard of it... care to post a screenshot or camera shot of it?

I was talking about this. The boot menu. I think someone told me it was a developer mode and I just used that term. http://www.hardreset.eu/images/google_nexus_one_hard_reset.jpg

That's referring to the Google Nexus One.....

I just found a picture online of what I was talking about. I dont have my HTC One X anymore to take a screenshot

This is awfully strange if you did not root your device - because normally, these are symptoms of a bricked device.
If you can get into recovery, please could you erase your data? You can attempt to get into recovery by holding the recovery key combo (minus the power button), and then plugging the charger in.
If this doesn't work - after erasing your data, then I would suggest taking it to a repair shop - you never rooted it, so your warranty is therefore still intact.

I can't seem to get into the developer menu anymore (I think it is because the battery has been drained). Do you think the phone will charge even if there is no indication by the LED if it is plugged in?


text:
Can I backup my HTC Desire to my laptop without a USB cable?
I want to backup my HTC Desire, but I don't have the USB cable handy for a while. Any Ideas?

A few more details (Android version, is the device rooted) might be helpful for more precise answers.

You can backup to your SD card, then use a card reader, the take out the SD card and physically copy the data to your computer. Backing up to the cloud via Drobox is another option.
There are number of apps that will help you with this. This describes a way to manage this: http://www.addictivetips.com/android/clickfree-for-android-backup-all-data-to-sd-card-or-dropbox-cloud/

Full backup
If your device is equipped with Android 4.0, and you've got the SDK installed on your computer, you might want to take a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices (for how to do a full backup using ADB), plus adbWireless, WiFi ADB, ADB WiFi, and similar apps (which allow you to connect your device to your computer via ADB without the need of an USB cable). I didn't check all of them, at least some of these apps require root. But you didn't give enough information to figure out whether that's an issue.
Partial backup
If you don't care about a full backup, there are several other apps available on the playstore featuring, amongst others, some kind of backup, and connect via WiFi. Most of them only backup your .apk files -- but some also offer several sets of data. On of those is AirDroid (offers e.g. to backup your apps), then there's Webkey (which requires root, but then e.g. offers to backup your contacts and call logs). There are a lot more options available, and I cannot list them all.
Other means
Then there's always the possibility to have some server app running on your Android device, and trigger actions directly on the device. If your computer runs Linux, you might be a bit familiar with SSH: Search the Playstore for sshd, and you find a bunch of server apps. Running one of those on your device, you can connect remotely via SSH, and directly execute commands from the command line (of course you need to find out which ones are suitable to you -- which very much depends on what you want to back up). Again, root on the device will prove very useful here. Setting up some other file server (e.g. FTP -- search the playstore for ftpd to get a list of possible apps), you can access the backup files for transfer to your computer.
Last word
You asked for Any ideas -- so there are some. No complete explanation, as that would get a bit long to do for all listed possibilities. But if you decided for one of them, and need more details: Simply ask a more specific question then ;)
P.S.: If that all sounds to complicated "for a while", simply go to the next store and buy some USB cable, they are usually not that expensive. This also is an idea to consider ;)


text:
Capture stock rom from samsung galaxy s3
I'm about to flash CM10 to my friends S III. However, if it doesn't work properly, I want to be able to get back to stock rom, so how would I capture it, as I have only found Verizon and A&T roms, and we live in finland, where's nothing like this.

Figure out the specific model name of your device, probably in Settings -> About, e.g. GT-i9300.  That will help you find appropriate ROMs.

Easiest way would probably be to use Clock Work Mod or TWRP or some other recovery to create a snapshot of his phone as it is now. Then you can simply flash back to his phone as it was.
This will back up his current ROM with all his apps, settings, etc. If you want a clean factory image, then do a factory restore on the phone and then back that up with a recovery.
You might want to do both:
Backup as is now, with apps, settings and all, then factory restore and backup again. This way you can restore either to his phone as it is now, or to clean stock. But that's up to you.
A very good tool for managing all this is JRummy's ROM Toolbox (there is a lite version also, not sure what is left out in the lite version).


text:
Video streaming among Android devices using Wi-Fi without Internet
I am looking for a way to stream online video between 2 or more Android devices over Wifi network created by hotspot tethering.
I found one that can stream audio online.
Is there something similar but for videos?

Your best bet would probably be using a DLNA server app (This one, for example, though there are lots of others) on one device and an appropriate player (example) on the other devices.  Not sure if it would work over a hotspot tether though, but there are free apps available for both ends, so it can't really hurt to try.
EDIT: Oh, misunderstood the question. That's about as easy. There are several apps on the store for running a camera server, like this one, for example. You then can use any compatible player to connect and view the camera feed

It seems the above solution is for file sharing. I am looking for online video (from camera) streaming. In other words, on one end I am recording video and I can see that online on the other end. Is there a solution?


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How to change Gmail settings to automatically unhide pictures in messages
Among the settings of recent versions of Gmail there is the following entry:

Hide pictures in messages
Until you allow by sender, pictures won’t display automatically

Tapping the entry brings this dialog:

Hide pictures in messages?
Cancel  OK

How do I change this setting so that Gmail automatically displays pictures in messages? I’m aware that it’s possible to display pictures on a message by message or sender by sender basis. Here I’m referring to reversing the effect of tapping OK in the above dialog. Tapping Cancel only dismisses the dialog without changing the setting.

I am not sure what version of Gmail you have, but the version I have (along with Android 4.1.2) allows me to "Show Pictures" in the message, then I have the option to "Always show pictures from this sender".

The option in the settings is to "Remove" the always show that you have set for any sender in the past.
The only way to always show images is by first showing them for a sender, then select the always show. And AFAIK, this can only be done per sender.

Uninstall the update. and update again. It worked for me.


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Internal storage, phone storage and SD card
I am new to Android (v4.0.4) and trying to understand it.
By looking at the storage setting, I found the followings are listed:

Internal storage: total space  807MB
Phone storage: total space 1.98GB
SD card: total space 14.91GB ---- I put it in, a 16GB SD Card

Manufacturer says that it is a 1GB RAM + 4GB ROM phone.

I am thinking that the Internal Storage and Phone Storage come from that 4GB ROM. Am I right? If I am right, where does another 1GB ROM go?
It seems the Internal Storage is not available for me to install. It only list Phone Storage and SD Card as available locations. That Phone Storage seems not big enough for the life to install all apps on it. If I use SD Card as the location to install apps, the backup/recovery cannot include SD card. How you manage your phone's storages?

I have the same specs; also 2GB 'Phone Storage', 16GB SD card, 1GB RAM, and 4GB ROM. I think the 'Internal storage' comes from your 1GB RAM. As soon as you have 'mounted' your 16GB SD card and set the 'write disk' under 'storage' in under Android settings to 'SD-card', the phone will not use the 2GB 'Phone storage' at all! I can't figure out how I can use this 2GB to install apps to. You can use it to store media (e.g. pictures, video) by setting the 'write disk' under settings > storage to 'phone storage', but I don't think you want that. When your phone crashes/dies, this storage will neve

Yes.  There's also several other partitions in the internal storage, which is what the other 1GB is taken up by.

/boot - Contains the bootloader, ramdisk image, and the Linux kernel image.
/system - Contains all the OS stuff (Both Linux and Android) as well as built in system apps (e.g. the launcher and the dialer).
/recovery - Contains the recovery OS, which is used for updating as also recovering from situations that prevent booting into Android proper.
/data - This is what you see as "internal storage".  This is where all your user installed apps (both from the play store and any other sources) go, as well as where they save their data.
/cache - Exactly what it sounds like.  Various bits of frequently needed stuff stored in a quick to access manner.
/misc - stores various miscellaneous system settings.
1.5 "Phone storage" is basically like a built-in SD card as far as the OS is concerned.  It's general user storage.

What exactly are you trying to install?  The internal storage (/data above) is where an app generally goes, but particularly big apps (e.g. games like the Asphalt series) will store the large resources in a user partition by default (rather than optionally via the "move to SD" option).

To 1.: Yes, you are correct. Remaining space probably goes to the /system partition (the Android system itself requires some space, you might have guessed). Everything else is just a guess and hard to say without a closer look; but it might have a separate "mount" for cache, temp, and some other system relevant stuff.
Not having any device with 4.x yet, I unfortunately cannot answer to 2. for sure -- so I leave that to somebody else. My device has 6GB inside, so I never installed any app to SD (what good would that be for, in my case?).


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How to customize the quick settings drop-down menu in android 4.2?
As of title, is there any way to customize the quick settings grid available in Android 4.2 ? This feature has potential, but in most cases it does not take advantage of the screen size.

Currently I can only find customization options through mods or other updates to the ROM. For example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1999125
It would really be great if stock Android 4.2 would provide functionality to add tiles, re-order tiles or change the function of long/short taps on tiles. This issue has some of those feature enhancement requests: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=40285

Basically meaning no you can not customize it through stock Android itself.

This can be done in Android 4.1.2 especially in Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Settings-> Display-> Notification Panel. Then drag and adjust required combinations.

I believe this is a Samsung only feature, it's not available on stock Android.

If there's still anyone interested in getting the answer, the best I know is by using Notification Toggle by j4velin. It can be customized to display toggles(Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) or to launch apps.

Looks like a useful app! But it also looks like it just adds a notification with its own buttons rather than customizing the system quick settings menu. Is that right?

My stock Android 4.2 and 4.4 devices doesn't allow Quick Settings customization. To customize it, I had to settle with Gravitybox [JB] which needs Xposed Framework and root access.
My initial stock Quick Settings were more or less similar to the one you posted. After my favorite tweaks it looks like (see an app's icon too):

The usage is simple. You install, activate, launch this app → Statusbar tweaks → QuickSettings management and do the tweaks as per your needs.
And don't worry regarding it's description related to Mediatek devices only. It works on Qualcomm ones as well.


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Is it possible to make 'admin' user apps available on other user accounts?
With 4.2 on my Nexus 7 I have a few separate user profiles.
I have a number of kids games installed on my tablet admin account ('Rob'), with that account attached to a Play account.
I'd like to make those games available on another non-admin ('Callum') account, which is not attached to a Play account.
How can I do this?

As far as I know: Not at all.
Each user account is strictly separated from another and there is no shared folder or app sharing concept at the moment.
I haven't checked your specific question in detail, however each user has their strictly separated userdata partition where everything is stored (even their media, on Nexus devices) and cannot access any other's data residing in their userdata section, which includes user installed apps (they're in /data/app/).

Interesting - so how can a user without a Play account install apps? I realise that this isn't possible on the primary account, but for a secondary account, this seems restrictive.

I guess you can get a multiuser setup working without setting up any play account, including the primary user. Side-loading will still work, i.e. just enable unknown origin apps under security. There are many alternative app stores

You can log into your play store account on the other profiles.  (Make sure to set a purchase pin if it's on a kids account.)  That way they will have access to any apps you purchase.

If you have root, I have created an app, AppShare, that will do what you want.
Paid apps will most likely require you to add the Google account that you purchased the app with to the secondary ('Callum') account or else they will probably fail the licence check. This may vary from app to app though.
You will have no problems with free apps though, and you should even be able to disable system apps such as Gmail etc. to prevent kids messing with anything you don't want them to touch!
Without root, I think the only way to do this is add your Play account on the secondary account and add some sort of PIN protection.

Although this means that your emails could be accessed on the second account, unless you then remove it after installing the desired app (which will be a pain everytime!).


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How to determine what capabilities are blocking an app from installing
My bank has an app for Android phones, but that same app won't install on my tablet.  Is there a way to determine what capability or permission is blocking it from even being listed in the Play store?

Hard without knowing the details. Could be the Android version, screen resolution, or one of many other things. Easiest way would be to contact the developer with your device details.

Thanks for the tip.  I'm hoping to find a generic way - go to the app page and have something other than "this app is incompatible with your device" listed - perhaps a reason would be nice there.

This you have to deal with Google itself, to extend its message to "this app is incompatible with your device because...". Until then, the "generic way" is to ask the developer (who should know what he put into the app's Manifest) -- or get a copy of the *.apk and check the Manifest yourself. Sorry, but I see no other way.


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Can't get Cyanogenmod onto internal root
So: I was following instructions on this page to install the latest Cyanogen Mod on my S3
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S:_Full_Update_Guide
I've installed the Hardcore kernel and Clockwork Mod.  However the site then says to place the CyanogenMod update.zip file on the root of the internal memory.  However I can't seem to do this.  The phone now won't boot (it keeps looping round).  I can get into clockwork mod however.
Can anyone advise how I can get the zip file onto the root of the internal memory?  I don't really understand why the site suggests I do this after installing Clockwork Mod.  Surely it would be wiser to do this before hand?

If you can get into CWM Recovery you can use ADB, see Matthews response below. Read more about ADB here: http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html

CWM shouldn't have put your phone into a loop.  In any case, you can use adb push from your PC to put the update.zip file onto your internal storage at /sdcard.  (ADB is include with the Android SDK Tools.)

There are 2 possible solutions I see here.

In the root menu of CWM there is an option mounts and storage. If you go into that, there should be an option to enable mount USB storage. That way you could place the zip file onto your internal memory. You can continue following your guide.

CWM also has an option to install a zip from an external SDcard. You could pull the SDcard out of your device and put it in your PC somehow. Then load the CyanogenMod zip onto your SDcard and insert it back into the device. After that you should find the option in CWM to install from your external SDcard. install zip from sdcard → choose zip from sdcard (instead of choose zip from internal sdcard).


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Full Backup of non-rooted devices (Android version 2.3.X and below)
This question is NOT a duplicate of this question but of an follow-up because the answers over there does not provided any solution for Android version 2.3.X and below.
In that question - Full Backup of non-rooted devices, User ryan-conrad provided a solution for Android version for 4.X devices. Another user sachin-shekhar mention using the Odin but from my understanding, Odin is used for flashing and not backup and also many people feel that Odin is still not stable and it is not open source.
Please note that the following requirements:
- Full backup of the phone
- No voiding the warranty
- No rooting before backup

So, are there any solution to perform Full backup for non-rooted Android version 2.3.X and below devices?

Good luck, Jack! In my question (which you linked) I especially asked for a widely applyable solution, at least on Gingerbread (quote from there). As the question even had a bounty, I'd say a solution, if existing, would have turned up. But who knows... Will be interesting to see :) So again: Good luck...

I just come by thread and the linked thread cause I am searching the same thing at the moment. It's true that it's hard or rather rare to find a solution of having any adb function to run without rooting the phone itself. I think my best advice is to create a backup function other than adb.

I'm looking for the same thing for Honeycomb (3.x)


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APN Settings Don't Save - Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4.2
I'm trying to setup my APN settings on my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, running Android 4.2.
The APN list is currently empty, and every time I try to add one (menu -> add -> fill out form -> save), nothing new appears.
I'm trying to connect to H2O wireless, when I fill out the instructions, I get a warning saying to enter the MCC and MNC (which H2O says to leave blank), the phone says the MCC and MNC are required, so I add in the MCC and MNC using sumac's instructions.  After I add the settings and click save, no new item is added to the list of APNs.
I think that there should be an item already in the list, as others mention the default settings, but there definitely should be an item after I add the APN.
Has anyone else dealt with this before?
People have suggested online to others that it may be a firmware issue.
Please let me know if there is anything else to add, this is the first time I have tried to get help with my phone.
Edit:
I've talked to H2O's support, and they said 310/410 should work.  They said the problem has been in Android since 4.0.2, and all they can suggest is a hard reset.  So now, it doesn't seem to be a problem with my carrier, my phone, or the settings.  Has anyone gotten around adding APNs on Android since 4.0.2?

Sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I rebooted the phone, and all of the APNs I had added were on the list.  Problem solved.

Your MCC and MNC are indeed required and must match the MCC and MNC detected by the phone.  I recommend using Market Enabler (requires root) to force set them if your phone isn't detecting it properly.  (It looks like ME has been removed from the Play Store and is now available here).

But even after I added MCC and MNC (that I found online), the APN wouldn't save.  Is this because I entered the wrong APN, or should it save either way?

@Rhino It should only not save if the MCC or MNC is wrong or not what the pphone thinks is correct.

Is there any way to find the MCC or MNC without root?  I looked on Wikipedia's list of MNCs, and the numbers that Sumac listed look possible.


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Facebook contact sync no longer working: "Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly"
As of a couple of weeks ago my Galaxy S3 (running Android 4.1.1) no longer syncs contacts from Facebook. I have the Facebook app installed and calendar and the gallery are syncing fine but the contacts fail. I get the following message:

Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly.

Just to be clear, it did used to sync the contacts fine, but then the above started happening. I have updated the Facebook app a few times but I cannot remember if it started happening immediately after one of these updates. Anyone know what's going on or how to fix it?

Samsung phones have a proprietary app to synch with social networks: SNS Provider. So to solve it you probably have to search/wait for an update to it in Galaxy Apps.
You can also check your preferences in Facebook app, it has its way to synch contacts and gallery. There should be an option related to contacts synch, check that it's activated.

Have you tried removing and re-adding the Facebook account in your "Accounts and Sync" settings? Sometimes something in the sync process can get corrupted (left half-finished, etc) and that prevents future sync attempts from working properly. If you clear the account info off the phone and then re-sync it (Wi-Fi recommended) you should get a clean copy.
If that doesn't work, something's borked with your Facebook app; try completely uninstalling and reinstalling the app (or at least remove all updates, if your phone/provider considers Facebook a "system app"). If you'd said that none of the Facebook sections were syncing properly, I'd say you were on a LAN that was blocking access to the domain, but that's apparently not the case here.

Tried removing the account and then re-adding it but no luck. I'm pretty sure I already tried deleting and reinstalling the whole app already with no success. Guess I might have to try again.

I have several photo albums from FB on my Galaxy S3 and noticed it was missing a few. Going into the phone's gallery -> settings -> accounts (FB)->remove account -> re-log back in and it's fixed both the calendar and the gallery sync. Note* make sure in gallery -> content to display -> content in Facebook is checked.

Try installing Facebook APK manually following this steps:

On your phone go to Settings > Security and check the "Allow unknown sources" check box
Download the latest (to the date of this answer) Facebook apk from here
After the download is finished, click on the apk in the list of downloaded items or go to /sdcard/downloads with a file manager app like ES File Explorer and open the apk file.
The installation screen should appear showing the permissions asked by the app. Click on "Install" at the bottom of the screen.
Wait for the installation to finish then click on "Open" to open the Facebook app.

Now you have the latest Facebook app - let's fix the Play Store issue:

Go to Settings > Applications > All. Search for the Play Store app and click on it.
The info about the Play Store will appear. Wait until the "Delete data" button is click-able then click on it and confirm.
0 Now go back to your same screen and launch the Play Store and wait for it to load your account, then go to the "My Applications" tab and you should see the Facebook app there (if it's not try rebooting your phone).

You are all set. You now have the latest Facebook version and it will be updated normally through the Play Store.


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How to play YouTube or any audio from my desktop Linux and send the audio playback to Android?
I have many music lists and local files which is playing in my Fedora, Ubuntu, ArchLinux, Solaris, FreeBSD.
How can I send the playback audio to my Android so that I can hear using my headphone from my smartphone? Where my laptop is actually playing the audio because in Android I can not play the music how Iwanted.
How can it be done?
Follow up:
A) Ubuntu Desktop where my music are playing I do:
$ sudo apt-get install openssh-server
[sudo] password for sun:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
openssh-server is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 27 not upgraded.

$ vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config
+ AllowUsers ssh-client
:wq
$ sudo useradd ssh-client
$ sudo passwd ssh-client
Enter new UNIX password: 1234
Retype new UNIX password: 1234
passwd: password updated successfully
$ su - ssh-client
Password: 1234
No directory, logging in with HOME=/
$ sudo echo helloworld
[sudo] password for ssh-client: 1234
ssh-client is not in the sudoers file.  This incident will be reported.

If you just want to stream music to your phone instead of using your phone as audio out, there are services like Google Music.

@LieRyan: But - "The Google Play music player is currently available in select territories.
"

There's a file in /etc/sudoers, that lists who can sudo which commands as which user. That file must be edited using the command visudo; however you do NOT want ssh-client to be able to sudo for security reasons. The warning message is expected.

Couple of different ways:

Since you're specifically talking about Linux, you can download Remote Audio from Google Play. It's free, and connects to your Linux computer using SSH, then listens to your soundcard via its dev/dsp mount.
Download a "Remote Desktop" app. There are several, most are paid apps, and they each target a particular remote admin protocol and/or desktop OS. Most of them will forward audio as well as video, turning your Android device into a full remote control for your desktop.

i have  tried remote audio. but it does not work because in Ubuntu 12.10 you dont have /dev/dsp or /dev/audio . So it failed to play, any other way?


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Where to change country information at Samsung App Store?
How can i change the country of Samsung App Store? i can't download any apps, because they said that "its not available for my country"?
Shows the following error

I have searched the internet for the solution, but didn't get the solution. For example#

http://www.sammobile.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2938
http://www.askmefast.com/How_can_i_change_the_country_of_my_samsung_galaxy_s3_i_cant_download_any_apps_because_they_said_that_its_not_available_for_my_country-qna3127637.html
http://www.justanswer.com/android-devices/6um7b-change-country-location-samsung-s3.html

Please help me.

Though it might not directly solve your issue, you might also want to take a look at similar questions, e.g. How to change country ?

Do as follows:

Go to Settings → Applications → Samsung Apps and then tap the clear data and clear cache buttons.
Back to all applications, find Samsung Apps and click on it. Select now the correct country.

Note: The correct country should be where you currently are, or the country in which you registered first. Try first country first, and if it is still does not work - simply repeat steps 1-2 above with the other country.
Hope it works for you!

If your device is rooted then just install the Market Enabler app (you can search for the APK as you have to manually install it)
Once you run, grant it root access and then back up your current carrier details. Do a search for SIM operator codes. You should get a list of all carriers in all countries and their corresponding 5 digit numerical code. Enter and apply a code of your choice (I chose Vodafone UK).
Not sure if the next steps are necessary but I cleared the data on the Samsung Apps Store and My Gear Store.
When I loaded them back up again, all content was in English and prices were in pounds and pence. Donation version gives the option for the code to be set every time you reboot. (Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to the developer, I'm just grateful to finally have a solution to this ridiculous issue!)

Can you link to the app on a legal distribution site?

Go to Application Manager under Settings and clear the app's stored info. Then, restart the app, and select the proper country.

I got out of a Middle Eastern language and back to English by pressing: Apps > Settings > Language and input > Samsung keyboard settings (and OK) > English UK.

Welcome to the site. The OP is not trying to change language, he's trying to use the Samsung App Store. Does your answer have anything to do with that?

You can't change the app store country, it's determined by the carrier you use. you can try searching the internet  for the app you want in apk. In china facebook is blocked and google play doesn't allow you to download it, but it's freely available elsewhere online in apk format.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Guess you've missed some points concerning this question. You still can can e.g. use a proxy abroad to make your device appear "elsewhere than you are". Apart from that, 2 different answers point out how to change the country within the app, one of them was accepted as solution. Did anything change? Does the solution no longer work? And who asked about "Google Play" here, and what has that to do with Samsung App Store?

Open samsung app, click samsung galaxy app link, read the URL at the end it should say "country code=  ", delete the country code you see, press enter, it will open a page saying select the country.
I hope it helps, let me know how it goes.

I have the solution!

Purchase a used SIM card from eBay from a carrier from a country where the Samsung app store is allowed.
Insert the SIM and connect to WiFi and the Samsung app store would then work and you can download everything you want.
When you're done remove the SIM and put back in your carrier's SIM card.

The problem isn't that an individual app is in the wrong language, it's that the Galaxy App (Applications Manager) runs in the wrong language

It is very simple. Create a new gmail id from the country where you are or change the country in the Gmail settings. I also faced the same problem but could install the app by changing the country.

You can try un-installing the app (in Application Manager), it will ask if you want to replace the un-installed version with the "factory version". When that is complete you should be able to select the country of your choice.
n.b.
I also un-installed all updates on the app before I un-installed the app, I'm not sure if this helped with the outcome.

Which app are you talking about?


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Play Store not registering my phone after root
I rooted my phone and after that for the 1st time, as I was just checking out stuff, Google Play recognized my device and registered it.
Later I did a factory reset and now for some reason it is not registering my phone and I cannot download anything!
Entering the "My apps" section only lists the installed apps. No update options, no all apps section!
What happened? Now what should I do?

Did you re-add the same accounts?  Has it upgraded to the latest app version?  Have you tried clearing the data for the app and rebooting?

Update to latest Play Store.
Clear Play Store app's Data and Cache.
Reboot your phone. They check whether problem exists or not.

I just did another factory reset and its all fine now! the behavior was weird though!

In my case, it's because of the Freedom app.
To fix it:

Download Root Explorer
Go to etc then click on mount on the upper part
Find the hosts and delete it
Restart the phone


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Where are the developer options in Android 4.2?
I wanted to access the developer options to enable adb access on Android 4.2 but cannot find it.
How can I enable that?
Once I've activated the menu, how can I hide it again?

...and any idea how to hide them again?

@pelms You should ask this in a new question.

@Flow: Is this really worth its own question? Besides this: Not sure you can do this, at least I haven't found a way to do so using the UI.

Since asking questions is free, yes. The voting process will then decide if it's a good question. And I would upvote such a question.

Starting with Android 4.2. developer options are hidden by default to clean up the options menu. They're nice for debugging but some overlay options may be very alienating for average users when they're accidentially enabled.

On Android 4.2 and newer, Developer options is hidden by default.
  To make it available, go to Settings -> About phone and tap Build number seven times. Return to the previous screen to find Developer options.

You see a popup hat reads You are now a developer when it was successful.
Source: http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html
It's not possible to hide it again unless you're root and delete this file:
/data/data/com.android.settings/shared_prefs/development.xml

EDIT: According to this answer it's also possible to just delete the App data of the Settings app (com.android.settings, located at Settings->Apps->All->Settings->Clear data).

Update: According to this answer it's possible to delete the settings app data (if you're willing to sacrifice other settings, of course)

Deleting the settings app data doesn't wipe your settings.  To wipe all the settings, you'd need to wipe out the data from the "settings storage" app, though (on my GS3 anyway), it won't let you do that.

A factory reset might do it? :P

Sure, but that seems to be a 'little' overkill...

What else does deleting the settings app do? I'm surprised you can't tap the build number seven times to hide it or anything like that.

Video showing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLQ7CZeMEVA


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Marking notifications as unread
(I use CyanogenMod 9.)
Here's something that bugs me.
Say that someone sent me a few text messages or left a few missed calls on my phone. I see them as notifications, which is great because it draws my attention to them as something I need to take care of.
But, once I tap the notification to see the text messages or the people who called, the notification is cleared. Sometimes I just want to look at them but still leave them for myself to deal with later.
The way this is done in emails is to mark emails as unread; you can read an email, then mark it as unread so you'll know you still need to handle it. I'd love to have something similar for Android notifications, or any other good solution to this problem.

Sounds less like you want to mark notifications as unread, and more like you want to mark text messages as unread. Question; does CM support tasks? on my HTC phone with Sense, I can turn any e-mail, text or social update into a task, which then organizes them in one place so I can easily come back to them later.

No, marking text messages as unread does not solve my problem because unread text messages do not get my attention. I never go into the SMS app to check for them. I rely on notifications.

I don't know of a single Android GUI layer/launcher that treats notifications as anything more than what they are; quick status updates that something happened in the background or while you weren't actively using your phone. Once you've seen them they've served their purpose. Some SMS apps can display a "persistent notification" as long as there are unread messages in your SMS app; that's app-dependent. Others show you that you have unread or new messages with something in their app/widget icon, with or without a notification (persistent or otherwise).

Yet another reason to move to CM10 - expandable notifications: you can pull down individual notifications for additional details without the need for dismissing them.

Sounds good, I think I'll upgrade :)

Its worth upgrading to cyanogenmod 10+
With it you can expand notifications to 'preview' the contents of the text or missed call, straight from the notification drawer. To do this, you simply pinch the notification and it will expand down. Try searching youtube for a video demonstration of this, it is a cool feature that will appear to solve your problem.


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Cancelling notifications for app updates
Every time an app automatically updates, it shows a notification. I find this ridiculous. For me, a notification means "something I should be notified about". The thought that I should be made aware every time a random app I never use gets updated from version 1.5.2 to 1.5.3 is so ludicrous that it makes me want to sit back in my reclining chair, take the backrest all the way down and think about how big the universe is and how small our lives are.
Is there any way to make Android not show those notifications?
(Note: I use CyanogenMod 9.)

I might suggest that the problem is less the notifications, and more that you need some counselling.

Switch to CM10 if you can - you can then adjust notifications on a per-app basis.
Note though, that for your problem, the only way to prevent " xxx app has been updated" notifications might be to disable the Play Store from showing notifications, which IMHO isn't a good idea.

Why would it not be a good idea? Sounds like exactly what the OP wants. Coupled with the "Update over Wi-Fi only" Play Store setting (so you know you're not sucking valuable bandwidth when you're out and about) and the fact that permissions changes require manual update, it's pretty easy to just let Play Store do its thing.

I don't see how this is a solution to my problem. I want to stop notifications about app updates for all apps, and I don't want to stop notifications for the Play store app.

@RamRachum Something has got to give. You can't disable notifications from an app and still expect to be notified at the same time - it's a global option.

@KeithS - Personally, I never allow apps to auto-update. I always read the comments prior to allowing a working app to update (in case others are facing difficulties with the new update). Also, if you encounter some behaviour that's out of the ordinary or something like abnormal battery usage, it's easier to narrow down the culprit if you know which apps have recently been changed/updated.

What exactly does the Play Store notify you about besides updates? What notifications would you be missing out on by disabling them for the Play Store? I genuinely cannot think of anything. I suppose you'd lose confirmation that apps are being downloaded and are installing, but you don't sound like the kind of person who would care about that.


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Stop Android File Transfer Popping Up
Bit annoying that Android File Transfer pops up whenever I connect my Nexus 7 to the Macbook. Is there any way to keep it active but hidden initially?

Solution Stop Android File Transfer application auto-starting on OS X  worked for me for mac.

In my case the Android File Transfer App made my whole Macbook touch input freeze, so I had to find a away around this problem. The solution from this page worked: https://cooltrainer.org/taming-android-file-transfer-on-mac-os-x/

Kill all Android File Transfer (AFT) processes using Activity Monitor
Remove AFT from your login items
Remove the agent with the following terminal command:
rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/Android\ File\Transfer/Android\ File\ Transfer\ Agent.app

Rename the agents copy with:
cd /Applications/Android\ File\ Transfer.app/Contents/Resources
mv Android\ File\ Transfer\ Agent.app Android\ File\ Transfer\Agent.app.disable

Go to System preferences > Users & groups
Choose your user
Select login items

In the list, select android file transfer agent and remove it using the button with a - on it.
Now, you are free :D

This only stops it appearing when logging in. (It's off by default anyway.) I want to prevent it when I connect Android devices.

Did you even tried ? This stop the agent to start. The role of the agent is to open the soft when you plug your phone.

Have you tried it yourself? It's just that I've read elsewhere the app will re-register itself when you run it. Unfortunately, I've messed something up using another suggestion to rename it, and can't easily try it now.

Obviously I tried myself. I won't post an answer if I didn't. I work every days on a mac and plus my android phone every day on it as well. I'm testing this every days.

This did not work for me.

Open Activity Monitor, select a process Android File Transfer Agent, click Quit Process.

Thanks but I want this to happen automatically every time. Also, I think that will kill it altogether rather than leaving it in the background.


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How do I open .pls files?
I downloaded a .pls file for an online radio, but I can't open it. Winamp, VLC player all fail when opening, and A Online Radio which according to the description can open this type doesn't show up in the "open with this" list.
What are my options?

Seems you have to wait a bit. Checking the description of AStream Media Streamer, it says it will soon implement support for pls (playlist files) which no app in the market currently can handle. I searched, and in fact could not find any such app. Not sure if copy-pasting the URL(s) included with the .pls file would be any help...

I pasted the url from the file into the app but it didn't work either. I'll wait for the update, thanks.

Was worth a try. Crossing fingers they really make this update. Often enough something was to come "real soon now" (and never appeared at all)...

Just tested and ServeStream can open .pls files to play online radio (looks like DeadBeeF Player and Stream Furious can as well.. When you click on the .pls link it should be an option to open with after it is installed.
Opening a web-linked .pls:

Then ServeStream opens the .pls file:

Since .pls is just a playlist file with the location to the real audio files you could try to convert it to other playlist files and see if you can open them. Examples are .asx and .m3u.
If you open the .pls file with a text editor, you should be able to see the location to the sound url(s). If it is a single url, you could try to copy/paste that one into a streaming client.

you can try to search for the streaming url and open it directly with this app: radio.
After that you can add the link to favorites so that you'll not have to type it every time

Try open it with RadioNerd, it is quite easy to use and battery-saving :)