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removing an Icon from home screen but not uninstalling them,
I want to remove an icon shortcut from home screen. But not uninstalling them. OS is Lollipop and rooted. Is any way to hide an icon from home screen by terminal emulator. I don't want to change to nova launcher or any other app. Thanks in advance.

Please clarify: from the homescreen (workspace), or from the app drawer? If it's the former case, you should be able to drag anything off the workspace into a "remove" icon fairly easily.

If you tap and hold the icon, you should see a option at the top of the screen to remove or uninstall it. Choose remove.


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Installing Google play services without flashing
Can installing Play Services rather than flashing GApps ? I know that play services drains battery. Flashing GApps makes it as a system app and byusing greenify(as root) reduces the battery usage made by play services by force stopping it. But it restarts again.
So my question is , Is it possible to install it rather than flashing it? Cause installing it makes a non system app and greenify can do a much better work on it.

GApps includes Play Services.  What does Greenify have to do with it?  Using Greenify is orthogonal to what other apps you might have.

@MatthewRead Greenify cannot deal with system apps (unless device is rooted and/or the donation package installed – don't remember if both or just one of the two). Still, doesn't help – as Play Services must be installed as system apps or won't work correctly AFAIR.

Already saw your edit. Izzy has already answered - Play Services has to reside in /system for its privileges.

Tried to do this, too after my first few flashes, but this did not work. As far as I know it makes a difference for some apps if they are system Apps or just installed and I think this is here the case, too. After all you could install the smallest packet, then you have got less system apps if this helps. Another idea would be to disable the background processes as showed in this video from XDA and then those apps should just work if you really open them up. This would not involve greenify but would have the same effect as far as I can tell.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Removing apk of inbuilt apps completely (without rooting)
I'm working on Samsung Galaxy On7, Android 6.0.1-Marshmallow.
My internal memory is 8 GB, due to which I have disabled several inbuilt apps which I do not need at all.
The problem is that, these disabled apps are still taking up space, even though they are disabled and replaced by their factory versions.
Is there any way I can completely free up the space the Google apps are using up (like Facebook and its Manager, which are taking up almost no space):
(Click the image to enlarge it)

Please note that I do not want to root my phone. I had previously rooted my other phone with kingo root, but could never unroot it.

Possible duplicate of How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor?

Don't be too stubborn. You can never remove a system app without root. Also it doesn't occupy the space for your personal data so you don't have to free them up.

"I had previously rooted my other phone with kingo root, but could never unroot it." But why would you want to unroot it anyway? As a power user I make a lot of use of root, and would never buy a phone that can't be rooted. The first time I ever got a smartphone, I rooted it within a week and never wanted anything else. It's like having a restricted user account in Windows corporate environments. Hell no, this is my device.

I had read that rooting makes the phone more vulnerable to security threats, and that's why I tried to unroot it.

Unfortunately, that is just not possible. The apk of system apps resides within system partition. The privileges (access rights) required to make changes in system partition are not given to ordinary users. We can only gain such higher privilege through rooting.
That said, if you are dealing with space issues than you are looking at wrong front. System partition has nothing to do with those space issues since only a system wide update/upgrade makes changes in it. They are caused by data partition. It is possible that you may have updated some system apps, so now, they would be having an apk in system partition and another apk (the latest update) in the data partition (now that is one precious space). You can delete the ones in data partition by disabling that system app. When you attempt to do that you would get something like this:

OK, and the apk from the data partition would get deleted.

Can't you use ADB to mess with that partition without rooting?

I don't think so. AFAIK, the system partition is mounted as readonly. To mess with that partition would require adb remount which requires the root access.

I had one very cheap no-brand device where adb shell would give you a root shell, no actual rooting required. But I doubt it will do that on a Samsung device.

@immibis That's only possible on eng builds - the maker of your cheap device must have been very careless to leave such a build on a production device.

@AndyYan Well it was extremely cheap for a reason! It also would overheat and crash if running anything CPU-intensive, and I burned out the included charger by trying to charge it while running something CPU-intensive.

You could argue that this is like single-boot rooting, but you could boot into a recovery image that will allow you write access to the system partition. You'll need to have an unlocked bootloader (look up a guide for your system—note that this is different from rooting and carrier unlocking), and doing this will take some familiarity with adb and fastboot. If your concern is just space, I would stick with Firelord's advice, as doing this would be a lot of effort for very little space saving.

Good point. With a recovery basically OP could just have the phone rooted easily, though, and that's what he didn't do, plainly out of the fear of failure to root.

Some apps like Ghost Commander off the Play Store can allow you to get Root Access within the Root Folder without having to Root your phone, but I don't exactly know if it could delete such files within the root folder, but it might be able to.

You should be sure that your method works; at least you should have tested it somewhere. "but I don't exactly" - shows that you have done no testing. This would be better as a comment, not an answer.

try sd maid, it will find large files, eg it  found thumbnails from 'gallery
' . I also changed to camera360 app that dont leave thumbnails so large in size.
use osmonitor app, it  will find the apps that at are using up ram , and you can remove them.
Finally use a firewall, i use 'no root firewall' and it disables access to the internet by app, you whitelist  the apps you need to access internet. eg Gallery was pinging the net, and why? photos are local

Hello. Can you please explain how SD Maid can find system apps' apk and delete them? The asker is looking to solve that. As for the last two paragraphs, though helpful in general, they are rather irrelevant with respect to the scope of the question.

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

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Does changing a PIN decrypt and encrypt everything again?
From this answer and comments on it, a PIN is used to encrypt the phone and it must be used to decrypt it. So what happens when a PIN is changed or even removed?

Does changing the PIN necessarily decrypt the entire phone and encrypt again?
If not, does the phone need to remember every PIN ever used?
If a PIN is removed and the Slide to Unlock security measure is used, does the phone become decrypted? Or does it remain encrypted with the old PIN?

I don't have the sources now, but the PIN is only used to encrypt the key that is actually used to encrypt and decrypt everything. So you only decrypt and then encrypt the key. The key itself doesn't change, thus you don't need to encrypt everything again.

@GiantTree Do you mean this: https://source.android.com/security/encryption/full-disk#changing_the_password?

@Firelord exactly that. I didn't feel like searching though, it's a weekend and I want to relax :)

A phone is encrypted with a randomly generated dedicated key, then the key is encrypted with PIN and stored somewhere else.
When you replace the PIN, it's the key that gets decrypted and encrypted again. When you remove the PIN, the key is decrypted.
It's a bad practice to encrypt the device with an easily-changeable PIN because encryption takes time, and comsumes power.


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I have broken my Motorola Moto E 1 Screen I was wondering if I could plug my Phone into a Monitor and a mouse
I have broken my Motorola Moto E 1 Screen I was wondering if I could plug my Phone into a Monitor and a mouse, so i could use the mouse to put in my passcode.
The bad thing is that my passowrd is a pattern and the screen is unresponsive, i need to backup my stuff and i can only do that when i have unlocked the device.
So if anyone could point me in a way that would make me be able to connect my phone to a screen i would be very happy.

A mouse connected to an OTG USB adapter would likely work, but there is no way to project the screen on that device since it doesn't support MHL /Slim-port or micro-HDMI. If the screen is not at least viewable the mouse will be of no help at all. Was the device rooted prior to this, do you have ADB access at all?

There is a Chrome plugin called Vysor that I have used successfully in the past when my screen was completely broken and I had to extract my data. I believe it needs USB-debugging to be enabled to install on your device, but it's free so you could give it a shot. (In my case, USB-debugging was enabled before it broke because I make apps)
Once the apk is installed, it mirrors your screen on the pc and you are able to control the phone through there (and make the pattern to unlock with your mouse, or even enter the SIM-pin).

Okay yeah i have tryed that but no devices are found also do I have to unlock and download vysor on my phone


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Battery Drains Way Too Quickly. What's Going On?
I know there are many forums and posts already discussing battery issues, but I am posting here because I would like constructive and detailed feedback.
I have a S7 Edge running Nougat 7.1 not rooted, and a couple months ago, the battery used to drain by 5-10% overnight. Now, it drains by about 20-30%. I have tried different things to try to pin down the issue and/or alleviate it, but none seems to have worked.
Note that I have used the pm uninstall to get rid of some known bloatware and services.
I have tried 1) factory reset, 2) booting to Safe Mode, and 3) wiping the cache partition. The attached figures show the battery status at night and then the morning, and the captions indicate what action had been performed that night. I have pictures for all actions, but due to my reputation I can only post 2. Basically, the trend is that Android OS and Android System seem to always be in the range of 5-12% battery usage by the morning.
After all these methods, I really don't know what can be going on. Another interesting observation is that I lose more battery overnight, than during the day if my phone is just sitting in idle mode. Any constructive help/advice would be appreciated.
Update: Usually, the battery plot needs to stabilize overnight, indicating the phone is in deep sleep (or doze mode). I am thinking my phone is not able to reach doze and/or stay in that mode for a long time. Any ideas on that? I already have optimized all my applications.

Have you tried simple things like varying placement throughout your overnight residence? Is it consistently bad ? Is this one night? A straight line needs at least 2 points; more points yields better theories. Your notification bar seems busy; chances are your phone is too, in a period of supposed downtime.

yeah, this is one night. Other nights are similar too. I literally don't have much on my phone. Unless it's some weird unknown background process, I would know about it.

Seems like a wakelock issue. Have you gotten any new Bluetooth devices?

Ok, how do I monitor wakelock apps? I am not rooted and kinda don't plan to root. Ideas?


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Connecting S7 to home wifi brings the wifi down
I have a WiFi network at home and several devices connect to it fine. As soon as I connect my phone to the wifi, all other devices and my own get disconnected after a couple of minutes. After this the wifi becomes unavailable for hours. I can still use the internet with a wired connection but the WiFi is gone. I have tried switching wifi channels and any other settings but nothing works (including restarts). Sometimes if I power down my phone the wifi comes right back up and all other devices can connect again, sometimes it takes a few hours.
I haven't been able to key any pieces of this together. My phone, which is a galaxy S7 edge is clearly the cause but I can't understand why.

Which Wi-Fi channel did you switch to?

The router has 13 channels. I tried them all


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Forgot alternative password for encrypted & fingerprint-protected Samsung Galaxy S5: how to reset it?
So I have an encrypted Samsung Galaxy S5 with Android 6.0 and set fingerprints for its lockscreen (fingerprint is set as lockscreen-type for the setting device encryption). Now it seems like I forgot my alternative password - or at least what I tried didn't work.
I can still unencrypt my phone with my password and unlock it with my fingerprints. I didn't need the alternative password so far.
But I'm not sure if it's possible that this could change - e.g. if I happen to make too many false fingerprint-attempts(?) What would you recommend me to do?
I'd prefer changing / resetting the alternative password only if that's possible.
This page has some info which could be relevant here. However that's not for encrypted phones plus I'd like to make sure that I'm not breaking anything.

Okay so it basically solved itself by now: I tried to enter the passphrase many times. Then I used my phone as always and then I shut down. After reboot it showed a screen with an option to change the alternative password. Great!
I think I might have failed to enter the passphrase correctly because it only accepts 16 characters and iirc the password I had was longer than that. Actually what I thought was my alternative password was shorter than 16 characters.
Follow-up question: "Alternative password has been set as the decryption password"
Another follow-up: now the data on my encrypted SD card has been wiped. Not sure why this was done - the apps still work but the photos on it are just unreadable files. Great.


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How can I copy photo caption in Whatsapp?
How can I copy photo caption in Whatsapp?
I tried to copy photo caption but it not able to select text.

Yes you can, but not forwarding but using sharing option.
If you received a message with captions OR you sent an image with caption and you want to share/forward the same message with multiple contacts, then
Select the image with caption -> Press Share (instead of forward) -> Choose Contacts
Voila! You can now share image with captions :)

Source : How can I forward an image with captions in WhatsApp?
UPDATE
Follow these steps for sharing a media with captions.

Select the media with caption
Click on vertical triple dot icon on top right corner
It will open a menu and it will have a share menu item
Clicking on share menu item will show the list of apps
Select WhatsApp and then choose the contact to whom the media is to be set with caption (refer below given screenshot).

+1 WhatsApp should make it work like this for both share and forward...

I do not see the Share option at all. Is it because of Android 6?

@sureshvv I have added the steps in update section, please check. I am using Android 5.1. WhatsApp has v2.21.3.8

Universal Copy does that

Copy text from any application: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Tumblr, News Republic...

(also works with WhatsApp)
If you are on Marshmallow , make sure you give the app Priority notification access so that it shows  in your notification bar and can be activated by tapping app icon


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What is this type of headphone icon in notification bar?
My phone (LG G3) shows two different types of headphone icons. They are the leftmost icons in the images below. The first is a normal headphone icon. What is the second one?
I think it might be USB headphone, but that doesn't make sense, because I don't have USB headphones and never use USB headphones with the device.
I have noticed sometimes when I use the aux cable for my car, it displays the second icon instead of the first one. It shows the first icon whether I use headphones with a built-in mic or headphones that don't have a mic - it's the same icon.
Image 1: normal headphone icon

Image 2: ??

Any thoughts?
Edited images to make them smaller

@Rahul I saw that question. My icons do not look like that one, though, so it's not a duplicate.

Line-out is different from headphones - probably that's what you're looking for.

@AndyYan I think you're right as is the selected answer. Thanks.

Second one is showing a line out or auxiliary audio
 icon, which means that it had recognised that a jack had been plugged in ( but it doesn't detect a speaker or maybe it detects the speaker ) but fundamentally to differentiate  between  regular headset (with or  without mic) and speaker connected with line out
If this happens when you connect to regular headphone, it indicates some dirt or pocket flint , preventing recognition of head phone. Cleaning with a tooth pick , ear bud and blowing air to dislodge muck should fix. If it doesn't, try app mentioned here
What is this icon in my status bar?
Later versions of LG also differentiate between headphone with speaker and without speaker
I had this icon show up on a Dopod phone, owned a decade ago


text:
Force specific folder to be added to Photos?
How can I force media-scanner to index a particular folder?
I use an app that takes photos and stores them in a sub-folder of it's own data folder. The data folder has a .nomedia file, so the photos sub-folder is ignored by Gallery etc. Is there an opposite of .nomedia file?
The data folder has a lot of other files an folders which should be ignored by media-scanner.
The ultimate aim is to have these photos backed up to my Google Photos account.
The target folder is not listed under Google Photos >> Settings >> Backup & Sync >> Device Folders.
I tried creating a symlink from (...)/sdcard/DCIM/foobaz to the (...)/foobaz/data/photos folder but get a message that the operation is not permitted.
Android 7.0, not rooted. (Samsung S6)

Delete the .nomedia file to force media scanning  (
restart the phone. It is then that media scanner database is re indexed )
and it should appear in Google photos folder list for sync.
If you don't want that folder to be scanned by media folder at all, create a new folder in gallery ( use a third party file explorer from Play store , if your built in explorer can't do this ) and copy those photos into this folder manually. Verify, it's showing up in Gallery options to sync
Obviously, you wouldn't want to manually do this every time you use that app, so automate it. Macrodroid app implement it this way

Trigger: Application Launched / Closed → Closed → Select your app
Action:  File operation → Select   paths and move / copy options
This ensures that everytime you close your app, pictures are moved / copied into gallery sub folder and available for sync

I deleted the nomedia file but it doesn't appear in folder list. I tried forcing a re-index by installing and running "SD Scanner" app by Jeremy Erickson but that hasn't changed things. I'll let it sit for a day to see if it just needs more time

Restarted phone but Photos still doesn't see it. ... Then discovered the nomedia file keeps being recreated. Looks like I have no choice but to copy the files as suggested for option 2.(might run out of room for that)

Instead of copy, there is a move option also, which will prevent duplication

You can  experiment with file operation V2 Actions also if  it helps

Moving isn't an option because the app still needs the photos. For now I manually copied the photos using ES File Explorer, let them back up, then used 'delete from device'


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What is the file sharing protocol via Wifi Direct?
I'm developing Wifi Direct communication between Android and Linux System.
Actually I can make Wifi Direct connection, and succeeded FTP file sharing.
But I want make more simple file sharing system, like Android's Wifi Direct file sharing. FTP connection needs some configurations, but as you know, just few touches are enough to share files between Androids via wifi direct.
My question is :

Is Android has specific file transfer protocol via Wifi Direct?
what is the best way for file transfer between Linux and Android systems?

Thanks for read.

Is Android has specific file transfer protocol via Wifi Direct?

WiFi direct is a communication protocol just like Bluetooth. What differentiates between the two bluetooth has a transfer protocol; Object Exchange (OBEX) that facilitates the exchange of binary objects between devices) while the former doesn't.
AFAIK  there is no standard protocol for file sharing even in Android environment.
WiFi direct is just one layer in a whole stack of different communication technologies and protocols required to get file sharing over network connections to function.
Basically you need to layer transport and session protocols layers on top (like TCP/IP), additionally you need to layer application protocols on top of TCP/IP, (like FTP, NFS, CIFS)

what is the best way for file transfer between Linux and Android systems?

Well it depends, perhaps using USB connection? you're guaranteed realibity and speed. Sometimes we don't need to complicate things.
Wireless methods? (i.e bluetooth, wi-fi Wi-Fi direct etc) but again other factors come into play: compatibility, session protocols (FTP, CIFS etc) some protocols are associated with high speeds and reliability e.g cifs> ftp etc.
See one example of such scenario using wi-fi: File transfer with linux pc through mobile hotspot
Credits:
WIFI Direct is now enabled in wp8.1-- devs can we expect file sharing apps using wifi direct APIs???

Thanks for your reply. My question No2 was the case on wifi direct environment, but I fully understood there's no other better than FTP, NFS etc.

Thank you for accepting, sorry I misunderstood the second part I assumed it was general comparison


text:
Can WiFi and Bluetooth be enabled through adb using Fire TV Sticks USB connection?
Think I've bricked my first-gen Amazon Fire TV Stick. It's had a good run though, installed a bunch of different apps and one was a task optimizer.
It has disabled the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the device and now it can't be remotely controlled at all. I have the stick plugged into the laptop through USB and connected to adb but no idea if I can control it through that or input a code to enable either the WiFi or Bluetooth.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Sure, try this: Can I restart Bluetooth from the terminal?

Thank you for your reply Dan. Unfortunately none of that worked  does the fact my firetick is unrooted make a difference? Is that code only for rooted device?

Oh yes, you need rooted device hence the 'su' prior to command

Ah ok thank you, is there anything that can be done with an unrooted device to turn WiFi or Bluetooth back on? Apologies for my persistence pretty frustrated with it.

The most probable way is doing it via input key events as suggested here: How to turn off Wifi via ADB?
But in this case we need to turn it on using a similar proceedure
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.wifi.WifiSettings
adb shell input keyevent 19 & adb shell input keyevent 19 & adb shell input keyevent 23

The first line launch "wifi.WifiSettings" activity which open the WiFi Settings page. The second line simulate key presses.

These keys may not be the exact for your device in which case use appropriate key events and play around until you hit the best match :)
Also for bluetooth try this:
Using adb enter;
am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_ENABLE & input keyevent 20 & adb shell input keyevent 21 & adb shell input keyevent 23
Source: Can I restart Bluetooth from the terminal?

Use your TV remote to control it. As long as your TV supports HDMI CEC, you can control the FireStick with the TV. Just make sure HDMI CEC is enabled in TV settings as well as in FireStick settings.
If that doesn't work, try a powered USB OTG cable and plug in a USB controller that has XInput, or plug in a PlayStation controller or Xbox One controller via a micro USB cable.

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


text:
adb shell immediately terminates
I have an emulator that I started with:
~/Android/Sdk/emulator/emulator -avd Nexus_5X_API_25_x86 &

I run "adb shell" and it enters the shell for about 4 seconds and then it terminates:
me@mycomp:~/codec/vlc-x86-android-master$ adb shell
adb server is out of date.  killing...
* daemon started successfully *
generic_x86:/ $ me@mycomp:~/codec/vlc-x86-android-master$

what might be the problem?

have you installed htc sync or any similar application on your PC? This usually happens if multiple instances of adb are running.

I have "sync" installed on my pc

This usually happens if multiple instances of adb are running.
Many OEM's sync applications (e.g. HTC sync or droid explorer) runs adb automatically so you will get the error.
Kill all these instances beforehand from task manager and then start an adb server.
Or uninstall these sync application and everything will work fine.
If you want to use the sync application also then download adb fix from this link.


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"Invalid Input" error when trying to set a service center number
On an LG G4 (Android 6.0), I'm unable to send SMS messages, when I called my provider they told me that I need to change the Service center number in the Messaging app settings. Currently it's +7, when I try to change it to the correct number (+97253989999) I get an "Invalid input" error.
UPDATE
When I restarted the device, the problem corrected itself and the correct number was set as the service center number.
Does anyone knows what the cause for this can be (it's not the first time this happens)?

Tried 02989999 ?

@beeshyams, the same, "Invalid input".

My provider is "Hot mobile" in Israel. I've checked with someone else who has the same provider and they have that number in their settings.

Suggest delete the APN settings altogether and s start fresh . Settings > more> mobile network > AP N. This should make it like installing a SIM in new phone and ask your provider of they send configuration settings by SMS ( Indian provides do this - just need to click on SMS and settings are applied ). If they don't apply manually. Also clear the cache of messaging app

Restarting the phone fixed the issue.
Since then it happened maybe one or two more times, restarting the phone fixes this every time. I couldn't find a permanent solution for the problem, but restarting the phone works well enough for me.

I faced the same issue and finally found that the issue was SIM.
Changed my SIM by contacting service provider and it worked fine with me :)


text:
related to technical working of hotspot in android
As we know every device came with an application of tethering.As it is obvious that somewhere in our device definitely the matching of the passwords typed by a second person and the correct password is being done, So I want to know how this matching happens on the Android devices.

This is security related question that's why everyone wants to know how the functionality of android works and I think everyone should know.
So let me explain about this topic :
suppose there are two devices A and B.
The device which want to connect to WIFI connection (suppose mobile: A)and the device which has tethering hotspot enabled(suppose mobile: B).
Here the A sends the request to B for connecting with wifi network and share the data.In response to this request device B sends the challenge of 8 byte with encryption on key and hash if the device B has password protection otherwise device A can directly invited to connect with that open network.
Now, Device A must match the credentials(challenge) to connect with that network, to do that device A enters a password and hit the enter button.After that the request with password is sent to the device B.The entered password is also sent with encryption algorithm to device B.
There are so many algorithms available for password checking.Here checking of password is done with algorithms which are stored in android somewhere.The matching will be done with stored encrypted password and user entered password.If the password pattern matches then device B send a flag with success, otherwise it will send bad request message to the device B and again ask for password.
If the password matches successfully the device A connects with device B and the device b stores the physical address of the device A to locate the device.
I hope it will helpful information.


text:
Is it a good idea to force stop apps after using them?
I find myself using force stop for every application once I have finished using them. Is this a good practice? Are there any performance or security benefits of doing this? Is force stopping an app necessary to get it out of RAM?

Well I do have a similar habit as you, but mostly for battery life and peace of mind (screw the constant notifications) instead of RAM. IMO, forcing them out of RAM, especially out of "cached" (not "running") state will increase loading power consumption / time. I use most apps very sparingly so I wouldn't care, though.

TL;DR:
No, it's not a good or advisable idea.
Explanation and some background:
Force-stopping apps is not intended for "routine use", but for "emergency purposes" (eg. if an app runs out of control and cannot be stopped otherwise, or if an issue causes you to clear cache and delete data from a misbehaving app). Generally spoken, it's neither a "performance booster" nor a "RAM optimizer".
In many cases it won't save battery life either, but rather deplete the battery even faster. Apps don't only start when you tap their icon, they can also get started via intents or broadcasts (eg. on battery low, network changed, USB device connected – but also on many more). So when you "force-stopped" it, on its next start it will have to do a "full init" (loading from the storage(s) and the network) instead of just going back to its "last state" still stored in RAM (unless the system had to clear it out – see our oom-priority tag-wiki for details on that process) – what Andy described as "will increase loading power consumption / time" in his comment on your question.

Would this also apply to iOS? Or should that be asked as a separate question on [apple.se]?

@StevenVascellaro Definitely a separate question.

I would also add that users who want to make sure they close out of an activity/app completely should use the back button instead of the home button, as using the home button may leave it running in the background for multitasking purposes.

@oldmud0: Not "Running", it gets stopped. But it remains, yes.

Some apps misbehave on a pretty regular basis - for example, the official youtube clients, some messengers. Is it possible that they keep doing some faulty crap in the background, depleting the battery? I have a strong (albeit not backed up by any statistics) feeling that they do...

@Headcrab that's a separate question. But in the context of this one here: yes, a valid reason for a force-stop (until the issue is fixed by the corresponding devs).

What about if you set Background Process Limit in Developer Options?

@BamsBamx different question, but IMHO same effect: it's "hidden" there for a reason (and not exposed to the "average Joe"). I'd keep my fingers off it unless you know exactly what you're doing and why.

@Izzy Why, it is quite relevant in the context of this question. In a better world you may not have to force-stop anything, ever. We live in the real world, though, and not everything works exactly as envisioned by Android architects. Some apps have those issues. You still need to use them. They never get fixed. So, yes, force-stopping an app is not such a bad idea, occasionally.

@Headcrab isn't that what I wrote? Force-stopping is for curing trouble with a misbehaving app. But you shouldn't do it with all apps everytime you've used them (ie. even without misbehaviour of the app – iow, if your Youtube app misbehaves, why force-stop your mail client?). That was what OP asked for. If FS were a generally bad idea under any circumstances, it wouldn't be there in the first place :)


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Is it better to use Android System Webview when not using Chrome as default browser?
I've a phone and tablet running Android 7.0. In both cases I do not use Chrome as my default browser.
I believe that the use of Chrome Webview was to reduce resource use by sharing code.
Does it make sense, when one is not using Chrome, to disable Chrome and use Android System webview as default?

From Nougat onwards Chrome is web view. It replaces web view and web view is not available on Play Store as an independent app to install / update separately. In other words, web view is integrated with Chrome

Google Chrome to Replace WebView in Android 7.0 Nougat

....WebView component will actually become a part of Chrome to bring in more data and memory efficiency.

Google explains how Chrome will become WebView in Android 7.0

....Starting in Android 7.0 Nougat, WebView will actually be Chrome....The standalone WebView APK will no longer be updated via the Play Store as long as the Chrome rendering remains enabled on your device.

From Android developers

You can choose your WebView provider by enabling Developer Options and selecting WebView implementation. You can use any compatible Chrome version (Dev, Beta or Stable) that is installed on your device or the standalone Webview APK to act as the WebView implementation.

But webview is not updated anymore nor available ,
so using Chrome is the way forward.
You can also try Chromer a lightweight open sourced Chrome which is less resource hungry

Android System Webview is installed but disabled. It seems it can be enabled and updated from the Play Store.

I don't think so. Please see the link on second line of answer quoting Google help , where it says that it cannot. I am basing answer from sources as I don't have Nougat

Reading it again, if you disabled Chrome, you can update webview -  as the standalone WebView APK will no longer be updated as long as Chrome remains enabled

Elsewhere , it says that if you had upgraded from Marshmallow to Nougat, webview will continue to be visible but can't be updated

More clarification here

Just to clarify, Android System WebView is still updated, even in 2019. (For those using it)

Android System WebView, last updated Mar 1, 2019

Yes, Chrome is trying to be like WebView with multiple similarities, but it is different. There is no plans to get rid of until Chrome can catch up, but it has a long ways to go.

Appreciate the refutation, but please don't do personal attack as it's against Code of Conduct. Meanwhile, if possible, please also expand this answer by [edit]ing it to explain the differences between Chrome's and Android's WebView so that future readers can evaluate them unbiasedly.


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Can't visit " https " sites with an Android device using Wi-Fi
I have a strange problem on one of my old phones. I have an old Android device running Android 2.3.4, and it works perfectly. But, I found that, it can't access to https sites with the basic browser installed on the phone when it is connected to my Wi-Fi network.
But, if I visit the same site, for example " https://www.google.com " , with an another browser, for example Opera mini, that have a VPN integrated, it works perfectly.
The strange thing is if I use another connection, for example another Wi-Fi network, it works, also with the basic browser.
This problem doesn't happen with other devices, the modem/router works perfectly with all the type of devices that I have on my house.
I already perform a factory reset on my device and also a factory reset of modem, but the problem is still here.
How can I solve this problem?

@Izzy When I try to reach " https://www.google.it " logcat shows these warnings:
W/System.err: java.io.IOException: www.google.it/2a00:1450:4009:811::2003:443 - Network is unreachable
W/System.err: at android.net.http.HttpsConnection.openConnection(HttpsConnection.java:335)
W/System.err: at android.net.http.Connection.openHttpConnection(Connection.java:389)
W/System.err: at android.net.http.Connection.processRequests(Connection.java:250)
W/System.err: at android.net.http.ConnectionThread.run(ConnectionThread.java:144)

Not a solution (hence a comment instead of an answer), but to know what's going on you could investigate the logs. If the browser has trouble, it should put something there. Watch out for the "E:" (error) and "W:" (warning) lines, they are the most likely to give you a clue.

Thanks,..the router doesn't have any proxy at all,..Opera mini uses his VPN to tunnel traffic, with VPN enabled the https sites work but if i disable the VPN, the https sites doesn't show in Opera mini,.....I think it's a problem extended to multiple browsers.....I'm looking at the logs.

Some problems with https may occur because system date is incorrect. Other problem is old android may not have complete list of trusted certificates, VPN works because they handle this.

@Kenumir Thanks, the date on my phone and the date in the router's settings is ok, ...for the certificates, is it possible that these certificates are out of date?,...because I don't think that I haven't the certificate of the https site of google.com, ...How can I verify that it is actually a certificate issue?


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Troubles restoring ADB backups
(Android 7.0, Shield Tablet)

I found myself in the situation of having to back up my data without root multiple times, and till now everything went pretty well.

Regarding apps and relative data (on data/data), I use Helium which performs a per-app adb backup with apk, similar to what Adebar does, then I restore them individually using the adb restore command (restore through Helium never worked for me).

This worked flawlessly till now.

I regularly backed up my apps, and respective .adb files of believable size were created, then, after a data wipe, i proceeded to restore my backups, but I found out they weren't restoring right.
Here's the adb restore log, received trough adb logcat -s BackupManagerService:

    07-17 19:14:39.562   759  2184 I BackupManagerService: Beginning full restore...
    07-17 19:14:39.604   759  2184 D BackupManagerService: Starting restore confirmation UI, token=761002928
    07-17 19:14:39.620   759  2184 D BackupManagerService: Waiting for full restore completion...
    07-17 19:14:41.125   759  3508 D BackupManagerService: acknowledgeFullBackupOrRestore : token=761002928 allow=true
    07-17 19:14:41.127   759 16894 I BackupManagerService: --- Performing full-dataset restore ---
    07-17 19:14:41.142   759 16894 I BackupManagerService: Package org.fdroid.fdroid not installed; requiring apk in dataset
    07-17 19:14:41.144   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: APK file; installing
    07-17 19:14:41.144   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: Installing from backup: org.fdroid.fdroid
    07-17 19:14:41.968   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.968   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.969   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.970   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.970   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.971   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.971   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.971   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.972   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.972   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.973   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:41.976   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:42.548   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:42.548   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:42.548   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:42.549   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: [discarding file content]
    07-17 19:14:42.549   759 16894 W BackupManagerService: Saw type=0 in tar header block, info=FileMetadata{null,0,null:,0}
    07-17 19:14:42.550   759  2184 I BackupManagerService: Full restore processing complete.
    07-17 19:14:42.551   759 16894 D BackupManagerService: Full restore pass complete.

Here I tried to restore the FDroid app, for example, and I see a lot of weird [discarding file content] messages. So, I tried to restore them with Titanium Backup, but it showed me this empty screen:
[![Titanium backup adb restore screen][1]][1]
I tried to export an .adb file to a tar file too, using this tool, but all I got was a META-INF folder with a MANIFEST.MF file.
Are my adb backups irreversibly corrupted?
Edit: I perfectly know that I shouldn't rely on non-root backup systems, but I unexpectedly lost root privileges after the infamous SuperSu v2.80 update, and I ended up with a corrupted boot image, so this was all I could do. I completed successfully the same process other times before, before deciding to root my device.

Can you try running a command as follows:
dd if=<your-file>.ab bs=24 skip=1 | pigz -d | tar -tvf - > file-list.txt

For example, this is the output:
dd if=backup-2018-10-19-2.ab bs=24 skip=1 | pigz -d | tar -tvf - > backup-file.ab.list

The output might look like:
56606374+1 records in
56606374+1 records out
1358552980 bytes (1.4 GB, 1.3 GiB) copied, 74.4385 s, 18.3 MB/s

But if you also see:
pigz: skipping: <stdin>: corrupted -- incomplete deflate data
pigz: abort: internal threads error
tar: Unexpected EOF in archive
tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

... then there's a good chance your ab file is corrupted. Maybe the backup didn't complete fully, or the disk was bad, or something else bad happened.


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deleting contacts in watsapp
If I've deleted a contact from my phone, but they still show in watsapp is this because they haven't deleted me from their phonebook? Also, if messages deliver but are not read, does this mean your blocked? Or is it more likely read receipts are off or your 'muted'? I cant understand how calls are blocked but watsapp messages deliver? Thanks

The contact which you deleted from Contacts list might still appear on Whatsapp, if the Contacts list of Whatsapp isn't refreshed. However, on newer versions of Whatsapp, this happens instantly. And no, it has nothing to do with your number being saved on their Contacts list.
Coming to the scenario related to blocking, once you block a contact on Whatsapp, the message is sent from their phone but not delivered to you, in which case they get a single tick, this however stays the same even after you unblock them, i.e. you still wouldn't get their message. This is so because the message sent by them is stored on Whatsapp servers rather than being delivered to you because they were blocked. With calls too, the person who is blocked cannot get their call through to you if they are blocked.
I would like to suggest you to first search for information already present on Google before posting a question.


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ALCATEL IDOL 2 6037k won't connect via USB cable
My Alcatel Idol 2 running Android 4.2.2 , won't connect to my laptop but it charges. I tried

Installing "right" drivers on my laptop
I tried 4 different USB cables and it still doesn't work
I tried also to connect other phones via those cable and they charge but my Idol 2 won't connect to transfer some files
I also tried to connect to another 3 laptops (with different windows (7,10) and it won't connect either
I tried to turn on and off USB debugging. Also looked up for some USB settings and found nothing in mobile closed)
Safe mode and factory reset didn't help either

I need to flash a new ROM because my mac adress and bluetooth adress got somehow deleted, so I can't download nor send any softwares in it (i don't have enough internet data to download the ROM to my Idol 2, and I can't connect to any hotspot)
Any ideas how to fix it?

Please make your posts readable by proper formatting and correct grammar. I attempted to improve. You can [edit] to  revise


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Restrict permissons when app is in background
Is there any app, tool, ROM, etc. for Android that lets you restrict selected individual permissions of an app, ONLY when it is in the background?
This should function similarly to the "Restrict background data" feature that help reduce mobile data usage by preventing background apps from using network resources.
For example, you may want an app to have access to your location when you're actively using it, but you don't want it to keep the GPS on in the background, either because it drains the battery and/or is tracking your movements.
Same thing with other permissions like accessing the microphone and camera; because it is very rare for most people to intentionally record audio/video/photos from a background app. Other examples are: send SMS, reading/modifying contacts, write to internal/external storage.

With just a few improvements, this will be a good question to post on the Software Recommendations SE.

While off-topic on this site, I quite like the question in itself. Upvoted.

I think it should be fine for this site. It's not a list question or "what is the best app". The user's looking to achieve a specific goal and explicitly says the answer doesn't have to be an app.

Your device needs to be rooted to modify permissions. XPrivacy and App ops Xposed module are good for this but both lack (AFAIK) any plugins for automation. When the app is in background, limited actions like kill data, location accuracy changes (off/ high accuracy/battery saving/ device only) are possible using Macrodroid Automation app

If you haven't rooted yet, go to your sercurity and see the permissions
If you have rooted, just use Rom toolbox

My way of getting around the problem is as easy as it gets, because there is no requirement of any kind of rooting or installing a custom ROM. All you have to do is:

Open Settings/About Phone;
Then click on build version until you become a developer.
Now, Open Settings/Developer Options;
Scroll down until you find background processes limit - set it to disable background processes.

This should do the trick!


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Side load apps on android wear watch through iOS app
I am wondering if it's possible to side load apps on an android wear watch through Bluetooth debugging from the android wear app on iOS.
I have a Moto 360 2nd Gen and I recently bought an iPhone. I feel quite limited in terms of watch faces and apps In general.
Unfortunately, my watch doesn't have any ports as it charges wirelessly and the only way to sideload apps is by doing it through Bluetooth. Now seeming as there is a debug function on the android wear app for iOS (haven't seen this function yet, so correct me if there isn't) I can conclude that if i download the adb drivers for my watch, the computer can communicate with the watch, using the iPhone as a tunnel.
My main question is whether this is possible. I may have misunderstood something, in case of that please correct me and direct me towards the right way.
Thanks for your time, any help and suggestions are much appreciated.
Sid.


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Privacy, Malware & Android Permissions
From a privacy perspective is the sheepoll app ok to use? Whilst the owner has reassured us they're not looking to snoop there is a possibility of a nefarious deeds being done so comments? It's for a polling entertainment show so not important to install.
It also has this scary permission description:

Device ID & call information
Allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs, whether a call is active and the remote number connected by a call

The app owner's reply:

Hey Darryn, the new app has a heap of new features we couldn't do playing from just a web browser. As for the device and call info, I think you have misunderstood it. All the app does is identify your phone so when you log back in it picks up from where you left off. There is no recording of the numbers of people you call. We ain't the CIA. We do hope to see you at our shows though. Can't wait to see your Baabaatar!

From a privacy perspective, any app that requires more permissions than its actual usage is not a secure or private app. Is there a valid reason why they would need your call information? Is the software related to managing calls? From what I can tell, not really. You can never trust developers for their words. Many people in the past claimed they will not spy or collect additional data even with permissions, many more people will do that in the future, yet there are a lot of them who do break their "promise".
I am personally relatively paranoid, so if an app is just a news browsing app, if it requires permissions like my SMS history or anything more than its initial purpose, It is a massive no go.

I've quoted what the owner reply was in addition to my link. He says he needs it to identify the phone although a cookie could of done the same I guess?

Yeah, I think so, no reason why a cookie couldn't, well if you clear them, it might be an issue. I would need to investigate further on the possible identification options for apps. Login could be a reliable one.

Unfortunately login requires friction which would prevent uptake of the app usage. But I guess that is an option especially for those with multiple devices.

I'm part of the development team of the Sheepoll App. Glad you came up with the question.
When developing an Android app, you have a lot of Android hardware/software functionalities that require permission to be used.
These permissions are declared in a "Manifest", basically a file that says:

This app needs internet
This app needs to use the device camera
This app needs to write data to the external storage.

And so forth.
After investigating, we found out that unnecessary permissions indeed were being requested by our app. These permissions have been added by default during our development phase. This issue has been identified and fixed, as seen here.
These permissions will be removed in the next release of the Sheepoll App. :)

Thanks for your reply. I tried to find a way to PM you but couldn't. I've also asked this question here https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/6nwrob/privacy_android_permissions_sheepoll_app/

Why do you need draw over other apps?


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Why is Cortana failing to search online?
In case it matters: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0, running Android 6.0.1 (plus whatever Samsung's put on top of it, too). Region is Australia.
Just got the Cortana Assistant app a couple days ago. Mostly just to try it out, but actually really enjoying it all so far. I even have it set as my default assistant app now, so that with one long home-button press, up she pops from any screen, ready to take my request. There is, however, one glaring issue...
If the app can't find what I'm looking for, it looks like it tries to find it online (which is correct behaviour, of course) but... it can't? To wit, I'll just type in something like "linkedin", it'll think about it for about 5 seconds, then this screen will come up saying "No results found for linkedin", plus generic terms for making sure I'm searching correctly, e.g. "Ensure words are spelled correctly", "Try rephrasing keywords or using synonyms", etc.
She can say jokes, put in reminders, do all the stuff she needs to do to integrate with other apps on my tablet. But when I ask anything which requires an internet search, she fails onto this screen.
I thought maybe it was some weird thing to do with Bing, so I then did things like install the Bing app, made Bing the default search engine in the Android settings, then restarted the tablet, but that did nothing (I didn't think it would do anything - I thought if Cortana relied on having another app installed then she would've just told me rather than having this generic "no results found" screen - but I thought it was worth a shot).
I also looked extensively online, but I couldn't find any answer to this particular problem.
So... Any help?

EDIT: Hmm, it seems like Bing can be reached, or not quite? Now it's getting stranger...
It looks like Bing can be reached, possibly, because if it's something that clearly was meant to be a search, it will occasionally show Bing Ads above the message telling me that nothing could be found for the query. However, the Bing ads are definitely related to the query I entered.
Other times, if it's looking for something, the screen which is obviously meant to show results from a search is just completely white/blank.
Something else is obviously going on here, but I'm still stumped as to what...

I have the same problem here with my Galaxy Tab A 9.7 and Android 7.1.1

@clst Well I'm glad I'm not the only one... though if I'm not, then Microsoft is seriously dropping the ball. Because I got so bored of this issue, I just swapped to using all Google stuff, no more Cortana on my tablet. I will also update the question with a new tag though, because I was still getting the issue when my tablet updated to Android 7, which is when I decided to call it quits on Cortana.

I just checked on my HTC One M8 that is still running Android 4.4. There it works perfectly fine. I used Cortana beta 2.7.1 which claims it is the latest version (but I am pretty sure it isn't). Seems MS dropped proper Android support quite a while ago :(


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Why does my internet only work in certain places?
ok so i had this problem for a bout a day ago and i tried to restart the phone and the router and i forgot my wifi and pasword and put it in again and it says im connected but it keeps unconecting and reconnecting but the weird part about it is that everyone in the house is connected and it works for them and the second weird thing about it is that when i go to the living room where the wifi router i can access my instagram and other social media apps but when i head back to my room it doesnt work anymore it wont let me access my instagram or anything else i have to use my brothers hotspot plz help i have a lgk7 plz help ive really tried everything possible but nothing is not working ☹
disclamer: it always worked when i was in my room

According to GSMArena, your device (LG K7) uses Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n standards. According to my findings, this standard tends to have limited coverage on some bands.
More explanation on different wifi standards has been described here:
My suspicion is that probably something/someone messed up the router settings to operate on a certain band, perhaps the 5GHz one or another. This normally covers a pretty small area, but is associated with such high speeds and is less congested. On the other hand;

The shorter waves used by the 5 GHz band makes it less able to
  penetrate walls and solid objects

I suspect this may be the reason you can't get exclusive connection (instead you get disconnections and reconnections) the moment you move further away from the router.
Consider this illustration:

It gives a clear picture on extent of Wi-Fi coverage on common bands.
It may be the way round that you unknowingly tweaked these specific settings.
As a workaround You may need to revert to default configuration either on  your router or your device and see if the situation changes.

i mean i never had this problem before it always worked when i was in my room but just yesterday it stopped working like its weird for it to not work again

@DqrkShadowZ , you did a factory reset on your lg device?

Yea and im still having the problem is there anyother way that it will work like i went to my room this afternoon and it connected fine but when and also when I went in there it was slow and it dissconnects it sucks bc i have to go to bed without wifi so plz if u could help that would be awsome thx :,)


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DualSim: Select Data SIM for each app
I'm wondering if with a DualSim smartphone with Android can be a made a customization like: "for this app use data of SIM1, for this app use data of SIM2".
On one of the 2 SIMs I have, there is a plan for flat Spotify traffic, so I can listen to music w/o consuming data volume.
I want to make Spotify use always data of a specific SIM, even if the other one is configured as default.
Is this possible? An app-level data configuration?

See if this app works for you , if it does, it offers Tasker plugin


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How to boot into emergency mode in LG ( L3 E400)
How can I enter into emergency mode, using adb or command or any application, without pressing down volume button. Because, my device's volume down button is broken.

Related: Enter recovery mode from command line

After installing appropriate usb drivers, and enabling usb debugging in developer options in your device. Enter this code to reboot in recovery/emergency mode (don't know if that term is specific to your device):
adb reboot recovery you should boot into recovery mode.
If successful you should see  a number of options:

reboot system
apply update from SD card
apply update from cache
wipe data/factory reset

try navigating the options with the other vol button and power button as "enter"


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How do I receive push notifications for all posts in a Facebook group?
I used to be able to receive push notifications for all postings to a specific Facebook group, but that option no longer appears anymore.
Here is the current Facebook setting:

How do I receive push notifications for all posts in a Facebook group again?


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Cannot get to fastboot/bootloader menu on xiaomi mi5
I have forgotten pattern/passcode for my brand new Xiaomi Mi5. So, I need to do a factory reset to recover the access.
However, when I try to boot to the fastboot/bootloader menu (using power and volume keys, as instructed on other posts), it gets stuck at the screen showing the fastboot logo and a little white animal fixing the little android robot (which appears to be the fastboot logo). No menus are displayed for reset etc. It just doesn't go past this screen.
I've also tried installing the android SDK to try and run commands from PC command line, but -
a) I cannot find the commands
b) The device is not being recognised by the PC. But I'd rather just factory reset manually if possible, cause the SDK way looks complicated.

Fastboot != recovery.

Thanks for your comment, where exactly do I enter this 'command', if that's what it is?

!= means that it is different than

so fastboot is not recovery

You should be able to enter recovery mode using the key combo VOL_UP+POWER. The thing is, due to security concerns, the official recovery might not allow you to wipe from it. If that's indeed the case, you WILL have to flash an official ROM via fastboot.

Can't you just use your google account to recover the locked phone?
Anyway, if not, keep the device on, the type in cmd adb devices
If the device is not displayed you should, in effect, flash a ROM, in order to use it again, if the phone asks for permissions give them to it and do adb reboot recovery
Then you can proceed to wipe the data

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


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How do I unpair my Bluetooth Headphones from my phone without access to my phone?
I've a complex problem.
My phone refuses to turn its screen on. Its touch screen has proven to still work, but it just simply refuses to open the screen.
I bought a new phone, but my problem consists of the fact that my wireless headphones are still paired up through bluetooth to the phone that wont open its screen anymore.
I dont remember how to navigate to the bluetooth screen in the settings with a black screen.
My problematic phone is an Allview P6 Qmax.
My headphones are a Panasonic RPBTD5K.
I would like to know if its possible to use... Maybe a third party program, thats capable of unpairing my problematic phone from my headphones.
Or if my headphones have a command to unpair from what they're paired with.
Thanks.

I've found that I can long press the power button on the headphones to unpair them from the phone. Thanks me.
Anyhow, if anyone here does know the answer to some third party program or some other solution to unpairing bluetooth devices from unresponsive phones, please comment for future visitors.

The headphones probably connect to the last device they were connected to. Just move your phone away a certain distance so that the headphones are out of reach for the bluetooth to connect. Then connect the headphones to a different device, to stop it from automatically connecting to your broken phone.


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Identify spammy application
From time to time I get a window with spam on a Galaxy Tab 3.
If I press multitask key i get the name of the app is "Ads", but i don't have any app called "Ads".
My first question is why after pressing multitask key I cannot long press on the title of the thumbnail of the application to go to the application settings, and reveal its real name? (I can do that in a Nexus 6).
My second question is how to identify this application if I cannot fix previous question.

To 1: Compare the Android versions. Your Tab3 most likely runs some Android 4.x. The feature you refer to was introduced with 5.x AFAIR. To 2: Try our nice search feature, we had that topic a couple of times already. Also check other questions tagged spam, and you'll find related things like Find what app is causing popups, NOT in notification bar ;)

Install Notification History to help track that application generating that toast message. Next step would be to uninstall that to see if the problem is fixed

I finally found the answer, you have to enable developer mode for it to work.
Now I can click multitask button, then long press on the name of the app and it will take me to the application settings.
Note: The Galaxy Tab 3 is officially on Android 5.0.1


text:
How can I stop the camera from switching back to the launcher?
I am trying to use my camera to record some videos. I have it set up on the tripod and then go and set up whatever I'm shooting and after 2 minutes, the camera always exits and goes back to the launcher screen. So I have to restart the camera again, and then re-do whatever settings I had (like zoom in again). Is there a way to have the camera app just stay open without automatically closing? Thanks.
Edit: I'm using a Samsung Galaxy 7 with the latest OS. And I'm referring to the built-in camera app. (If there's a better alternative, I'd be glad to hear it. I've seen reviews of several but nothing that seemed compelling enough to try.)

And which camera app? Maybe try an alternative? (Disclosure: Link goes to my site)

Wow @Izzy, that's comprehensive! It'll take me a while to read through all that.

Enjoy! My recommendations are pointed out clearly. One of them was already picked by @beeshyams in his answer – clearly my favorite (I use it myself, of course).

As an alternative to this answer from beeshyams, if you cannot afford to replace your preferred camera app than try screen pinning that app.

You can pin an app's screen to keep it in view until you unpin it.
For example, you can pin an app and hand your phone to a friend. With the screen pinned, your friend can use only that app. To use your other apps again, you can unpin the screen.

Alternatively, you can use a kiosk-mode app from Play Store to temporarily restrict usage of the device to your camera app.

Thanks to Izzy's list of  camera apps
Open Camera is an excellent ad - free (FOSS),  open source camera app which has a timer that can be set from upto 5 minute delay for both camera and video. And it has voice command activation too !
Other features quoting Izzy

Developer is Almalence, known from a set of high quality camera apps (a specialist in this area) which are also available in "free trials" and paid versions on the Playstore.

The "full program" would be A Better Camera,  which combines his Night Camera, HDR Camera and more ( you can read in reviews and tutorials on Izzy's description )

This app is available at huge discount now !
Tested it and this should solve your problem. Of course, you can try other apps on that list as well


text:
Samsung Galaxy devices issue: "Server error occurred. Restart Camera"
When using the stock camera app on a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone, I sometimes get the error "Server error occurred. Restart Camera."
It's then necessary to close the camera app and restart it. It's a hassle that often results in missing photographic shots.  Plus, the last photo taken is not saved.
I have tried clearing the data and cache for the camera app. I have also updated the stock ROM to the latest Nougat version available.  I have performed a factory reset.  Finally, I have sent in the phone THREE TIMES to Samsung for repairs.  None of these actions has resulted in a solution.
Questions:

What is causing this?
What server is the error referring to?
What is the solution to prevent this error?

Try clearing cache/data for the Camera app and the Gallery app.

@RMarkwald Thanks.  Tried it, but server error still occurs. :(


text:
Hibernate apps, but have them wake up periodically for a short time
Many of us Android users have probably already heard of Greenify – an app that can automatically hibernate apps as soon as you turn off the screen. That even works while keeping their GCM functionality working – so whenever a cloud message for them comes in, they get awake again.
Unfortunately, that wakeup only works with GCM. Now I want to hibernate a non-GCM app, but have it awaken in intervalls (eg. de-hibernate it all 30 min for 1 min, then auto-hibernate it again).
Is this possible – and if so, how?
My device is rooted, the XPosed framework is installed, and tasker available as well – so solutions involving one or more of those criteria are perfectly welcome as well.

Oh well, oh my … question almost included the answer. Still needs some testing (I've just set it up now), using tasker which has a Greenify plugin:

Condition:

Event › Display › Display Off

Task:

Task › Wait: 20 s (just in case)
Task › Anchor: (Name, optional step)
Plugin › Greenify › Hibernate: Pick the app
Task › Wait: 30 min (or however long you want to have the app hibernated)
Plugin › Greenify › Wakeup: Pick the app again¹
Task › Goto: Action Number, 2

Exit Task:

Plugin › Greenify › Wakeup: Pick the app again¹

Note: That's how I would set it up. Had to skip the exit task as Tasker won't let me add one. So that's the crux here: I have to trust Tasker to restore the "previous state" correctly. If that doesn't work, I'll have to create a second profile for Event › Display: Display On (which would, being an EVENT, fire when the display will be turned on – it's not a state) and have a single task to do what otherwise the exit task would do.
Note 2: In order for this to work, you need to add the "target app" to Greenify's hibernation list first (i.e. tell Greenify it should hibernate it when turning the display off). If you don't do that, it won't ever be hibernated at all.

¹ if your app doesn't react on the wake-up command, see Xavier's answer for an alternative shell command to try

@beeshyams A bug in Conversations (the "Jabber" messenger), which I use the F-Droid version of (comes without GCM). Often turns up to be the top consumer (50% and more). Before I started using that, I had a battery time of ~5 days. With it, it's 2..3 days when I'm lucky. I don't really need to react immediately if someone pings me – so I want to have it hibernated, and only check every 30min if there's something new – for which I grant it 3min currently. As I wrote, I'm not yet sure how it works – should be able to tell in a few days (will accept the answer if it does).

@Izzy Good workaround I was in the same situation where I wanted to wake non GCM apps after hibernating them with Greenify plugin, but some wouldn't respond to the "wake up" command provided by Greenify plugin.. I will short put my workaround as answer :)

My candidate doesn't seem to respond to the "Freeze!" command :( Was on 78% battery usage when I killed it. Crazy enough, 2h later I found Hangouts running (accounting for another 12%), which I don't use at all – I'm totally confused now. Killed and disabled it Grmpf!

I found out some of the hibernated apps wouldn't respond to the Greenify Wake command, instead I used the start service command to "wake" the target application (without opening its UI)
Profile  Context

Event › Display › Display Off

Task

Click "+" to add new Action
Task › Wait: any preset e.g 20s (like above)
Task › Anchor: (Name, optional step)
Plugin › Greenify › Hibernate: Pick the app
Task › Wait: 30 min (or however long you want to have the app hibernated)
Code >> Run Shell [ Command (am startservice -n com.package.name/.service name
, Tick "Use Root"]
NB: service name is just a declared service in Android manifest that starts an application without opening UI i.e in background, there are also tools to use if you're not sure of the service name)
Tap back to exit from this task
Click "+" to add another action
Task >> Goto [Action Number, 2 (anchor task)]
Like @Izzy said you can rely on Tasker 'previous state' to reset the config, because adding an exit task is not probable

My workaround simply involves starting the service of the hibernated app (IMO=waking the app) because sometimes the app won't wake up using the Greenify wake option as I previously encountered :)

Mmm I doubt if it needs donation pack,  in the meantime have you checked if secure lock is possibly interefering with greenify functionality? Found this here: Facing issues while using plugins such as greenify, autoshortcut etc

Donation pack not needed for this functionality, correct. Trick was something else – see "Note 2" in my (updated) answer: the app must be in Greenify's "Todo List" ;)

Yes and no. Without that restriction you've had the chance to hibernate apps under certain conditions only (e.g. only if no WiFi available, only if the battery is below a certain threshold, etc.). With this restriction, that becomes harder. But of course it's good to know this restriction exists – or you'd wonder, like me, why the profile is not working ;)


text:
Xposed, disable pattern required on boot
On my phone, a Nexus 6p, rooted and obviously has Xposed, it asks for my pattern after every single boot, and I can't use my fingerprint. This is extremely annoying, and I dgaf about security. The only reason I even have a pattern is because of the stealing morons in my school.
So I have looked into disabling this, but to no avail. I am trying to find were this is happening in the code but I cannot find it. I am fairly sure it is somewhere in SystemUI, but I don't know exactly where. I have searched in com.android.systemui.keygaurds two classes, and cannot find it. I have searched in every class that looked relevant to my problem.
I absolutely cannot find it. Can anybody help me out here please? I want to be able to have my phone boot, and I can automatically unlock it with my fingerprint, but I always have to enter my pattern before I can use my fingerprint.
Thanks!

Just asking, do you want the pattern at all? There is a way to let the fingerprint stay without another "mandatory" PIN/pass/pattern, just not sure if that's what you're looking for.

@AndyYan sorry for the late reply. yes i still want the pattern there, i just dont want to have to enter it on every boot


text:
Screen privacy : Xposed module for keeping away prying eyes
I was traveling by crowded metro the other day and was engaged in a WhatsApp conversation tying up the exact location of our meeting.
I realised that my chat was pretty much visible to others close to me in that crowded metro. I don't blame them if they looked , I blame myself for not being more careful.
Anyway, searching for solutions lead me to BlackBerry Privacy Shade (amongst others ), which does an admirable job of blanking out portions of screen ( reasonable permissions ) , as you can see from pictures from Play Store. Other apps weren't as good and some had questionable permissions

Only problem with this is that , I need to install BlackBerry Hub Services, which is a framework for Blackberry apps, to make it work ( trial app limitation can be overcome by downloading from Izzy's F-Droid repo
)
Is there any  Xposed module for achieving this ?
(Not looking for apps , I am aware of couple of other apps on Play store but wasn't comfortable with them in terms of performance / permissions )
Needless to mention, Googling didn't help
Device: Moto X Play, Stock 6.0.1,  Rooted with Xposed framework installed


text:
When I call, I dont want other party to record my voice.How can I do that?
When I call, I don't want other party to record my voice. How can I do that?

Not possible. If the other party installs an app that can record calls or if his ROM permits recording of calls, there is nothing you can do about it

You can't do anything about it but as a precaution you can follow some tips

Do not use cellular calls for such sensitive calls because call recording for such calls is easily available and some OEM such as Xiomi have default settings for do so.

Not to mention bug is SS7 protocol for cellular communications.

Use some other method for call like skype, whatsapp or hangout.

I have not seen any method to record these calls but this is not a full proof solution just a precaution. He can easily record it via putting call on loudspeaker and recording it form another device.
But you will be alert if someone does this because there will be echo of your own voice on loudspeaker.


text:
Images in PDF File are distorted
I have a PDF file, when I open it on my computer (Linux) the Images in the PDF file is displayed properly  (Its sharp)
But when I copy the same PDF from the computer to Android device and opened it there,
It looks like this

What can be the reason for this image distortion. What is the difference in opening this in computer and Android?
Any suggestions can lead me to a better search.

PDF files are designed to maintain their content across platforms ,be immune to the application or OS
Hence, recommendation was to try alternate PDF app, which worked for OP. Adobe PDF reader used earlier was buggy, it looks like
Here's a list of PDF readers, thanks to izzy


text:
Tapping the screen to bring back from screen dimming without registering the tap
I had been an iOS user for the past 10 years. Now I have switched to LG G6 Android phone.
There are quite a few quirks that I somehow find very disturbing.
For example this:
I have set the screen dimming at 1 minute. When I tap the screen after it has dimmed after 1 minute inactivity, it registers the a tab on the screen. In iOS you could touch anywhere on the screen, it would just remove the dimming effect but it wouldn't register a tap.
I am not trying to wake the device from sleep. I am trying to wake from the dimmed state.
Is it possible solve this problem?

I am not trying to wake the phone from sleep. I am trying to wake from the dimmed state.

it locks the screen.


text:
Fastboot failed with (data transfer failure (No error))
Sorry for newbie question,
I'm running fastboot on windows and sometimes fastboot returns this error
FAILED (data transfer failure (No error))

and when it get this error it continue to send this error until I reboot the PC and re-run it again.
C:\>fastboot.exe -s tcp:192.168.1.73 flash system_i C:\system.img
target reported max download size of 268435456 bytes
erasing 'system_i'...
OKAY [ 60.543s]
sending sparse 'system_i' 1/2 (262140 KB)...
FAILED (data transfer failure (No error))
finished. total time: 86.195s

C:\>

Note: it usually happen on large files, but when it happen, it also fails on all other files including small ones until I reboot the PC.
I have not encounter this problem on Linux, it seems it's specific to Windows version, probably fastboot itself or windows setup. (different fastboot version tried).
I search and did not find any complain for this kind of error!
Note: fastboot downloaded from internet. https://developer.android.com

I found the answer:
This problem happen in case that the fastboot is not compatible with software version, e.g. when we want to run a fastboot.exe from Windows and connect to a device that has software has been built with Linux machine.

Change USB port
Update USB drivers, Install Intel USB Android driver, uninstall Kies / other USB connecting application.
Change USB cable
Change PC (you might have problem with your board USB or driver)

yo @ mudy s, thank you! Changing the USB cable worked for me! I would have never thought of that... It's funny how sometimes fixes are so simple but unexpected.

Charge USB port and/or USB cable. That worked in my case.


text:
How to open files copied to android file system using Adobe pdf reader
I have copied two dozen pdf's to the DCIM on the Android. How do I access them?
The Adobe Reader offers the following options:

My Documents - which points to a directory underneath the Adobe Reader and does not offer any way to configure (no File Open dialog)
Local - which only has one file "Getting Started.pdf"
Document Cloud
DropBox

So .. where is the standard File Open dialog to allow navigation to the  directory containing the copied pdf's?   This is an 6.0.1 Android device.
Update  I also copied the files to the Android/data/com.adobe.reader/files/Downloads directory (where the "Getting Started.pdf" lives).  They still do not show up.

DCIM? That's for camera images, not documents.

The files that I copied over did eventually show up: after several minutes.  The files are showing up now in both the DCIM, Downloads and the Android/data/com.adobe.reader/files/Downloads directories.
It is not clear why the delay .. Simply closing and re-opening the Acrobat Reader did not solve it.

Comments added to PDF files using Adobe Reader on Android are lost forever. So start crying NOW and then you can start picking up your life again sooner.
By lost I mean they are stuck on the device and cannot be moved off the device by any means known to man.
I realize this doesn't answer the OP's question. But my travails led me here.
BTW, Foxit on Android seems to somehow be able to access the comments from the hidden Reader file. I had another copy of the file on the SD Card containing the uncommented file. Opening this file in Reader caused it to save the file in the hidden location. But opening the uncommented file in Foxit seems to have somehow extracted the Reader comments from the hidden file. This seems pretty unlikely, so I suggest testing.

This is a reasonable new / separate question: if you format it as such I can upvote. It is not an answer to this question so is - as you noted- not perfectly situated here. good luck!


text:
Why do Android phone manufacturers describe RAM in powers of 1,000 but not 1,024 (as PCs do)?
For PC RAMs, when a manufacturer say they produce a 4GB memory bank, they are producing a memory bank with 4,294,967,296 bytes (4 GiB). The same applies to CPU cache, i.e. a CPU with 2MB L3 cache means 2,097,152 bytes (2 MiB) of L3 cache.
For hard drives, flash drives (USB drives, SSDs, eMMCs and UFSs) and optical discs (CDs, DVDs and BDs), manufacturers use powers of 103 for B, KB, MB and GB, so a 4GB USB drive has roughly 4,000,000,000 bytes.
According to my observation, Android phone manufaturers use the latter kind of units when advertising RAM. That does not sound reasonable to me because PCs' RAMs aren't advertised that way.
Edit: I am an experienced Android user. I have investigated the kernel and made sure that other components' sharing RAM does not affect my observation.

You're almost certainly seeing a lower value for RAM because of things like the Radio and GPU stealing areas of RAM from the CPU.

See Does Android hide some amount of RAM from the User? and Why does it seem like I have less RAM than advertised?

Possible duplicate of Why does it seem like I have less RAM than advertised?

@Mokubai I've seen that post. Other components sharing system RAM is not the answer I'm looking for, and it does not affect answers to my question.

@Mokubai I wouldn't have written the title as "unit switching issue" if I was looking for a general RAM shortage answer. I'm asking specifically of issue with units.

Where exactly are you "observing" that Android is using a different notation from PCs?

@Mokubai cat /proc/meminfo Line 1: MemTotal: 7909028 kB. Small k means roughly 7,909,028,000 bytes, which is far from 8 GiB = 8,589,934,592 bytes.

The Linux kernel will not necessarily see memory allocated to the graphics chip or radio. It will be cordoned off for their dedicated use before Linux sees it. I'm not disputing the small-k and Linux could be showing it using non-binary prefixes but that would actually make it appear that you had more memory available as memory chips use the old notation to denote size which would make a system showing decimal notation for size show a larger figure.

To clarify, some devices do not share system RAM, they actively block the rest of the system from accessing that area of RAM.

tl:dr:  Android memory is more in line with hard disk memory and uses the SI or decimal standards unlike PC memory. Standards support this

Basing my answer on What is the advantage to using a factor of 1024 instead of 1000 for disk size units? - Software Engineering Stack Exchange and bringing out only the key aspects. Details can be referred in that question

In the case of PC's, quoting  from the accepted answer binary addressing was adopted

It is kind of convenience and optimization for getting the most usable, addressable space between the two considerations of addressing and physical platter size

For Disk drives SI units were adopted. From Bobson's answer

The disk drive industry followed a different pattern. Industry practice, more thoroughly documented at Timeline of binary prefixes
   and continuing today, is to specify hard drives using SI prefixes and symbols in their SI or "decimal" interpretation. Unlike binary-addressed computer main memory, there is nothing in a disk drive that influences it to have a total capacity easily expressed using a power of 1024.

(Emphasis Supplied)
That explains in brief the reasons for binary and SI

Evolution of Mobile Phones and Standards

The earliest commercial model phone  DynaTAC 8000Xappeared on the scene in  1983. It couldn't do anything more than basic calls so RAM doesn't come into play
By 1987 hard drives were marked in SI units as can be seen from the binary timeline linked
Feature Phones: IBM Simon was the first feature phone in 1994, which had 1 MB of RAM and 1MB of storage expandable to 2 MB - you read that right :) So, when the feature phone cane out , SI standards were in vogue

So, likely reasons :

SI standards were automatically applied to mobile memory as they were more viewed as storage elements rather than computational requirements
Fact that memory was / is not based on platters (see accepted answer ) ,  adopting binary system made no sense . Instead of having separate nomenclature for storage and RAM, SI units were adopted for both. But in the case of PC's legacy continued, though one could argue that it is incorrect. Mac OS since
has since version 10.6 (Mountain Lion in 2011) shown hard drive size using decimal prefixes and continues to do so
By 1998

IEC     introduces unambiguous prefixes for binary multiples (KiB, MiB, GiB etc.), reserving kB, MB, GB and so on for their decimal sense

By 2001 Linux Kernel (used in Android) adopted IEC standards

I like the point which states perhaps " SI standards were automatically applied to mobile memory as they were more viewed as storage elements rather than computational requirements", it could explain the "theory of conspiracy by manufacturers sticking to SI probably it was an added advantage to marketing RAM

According to Wikipedia:

The use of gigabyte may  be ambiguous. Hard disk capacities as
  described and marketed by drive manufacturers use the standard metric
  definition of the gigabyte. Therefore, one gigabyte is 1 000 000 000
  bytes(GB).

This is true even for phone manufacturers, in fact just as rjknight pointed out, The RAM marketing strategy is similar to the "hard drive maker conspiracy" story is driven by the fact that manufacturers have no real incentive to switch to binary prefixes, because that would make their drives (RAM in this case) look "smaller".

AFAICT, using the mebibyte (MiB), gibibyte (GiB) and so on, is a more accurate way of presenting the volume of data stored in these quantities.
In depth

The gibibyte or binary gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for
  digital information . The binary prefix gibi means 2^30 , therefore
  one gibibyte is equal to 1 073 741 824 bytes = 1024 mebibytes .

These other binary prefixes (kibi, mebi, tebi, etc.) were introduced in an attempt to reduce such confusion, but these prefixes have yet to see widespread adoption.
In PC 2GB of ram refers to gibibytes, not gigabytes. RAM comes in allocation in powers of 2 due to architecture. Memory addressing is done in binary form, this implies it is going to be a power of two.
So, since writing memory addresses in binary always results in a binary number, RAM developers have (almost) always stuck to creating RAM in units of powers of 2, combining individual chips which are (almost) always combining to powers of 2.
Here is another explanation:

RAM is addressable by an index called an address . The most efficient
  way to construct this address is as a binary number which corresponds
  to the physical area on the chip where the byte or word of memory is
  accessed from. As a matter of efficiency its expensive to check this
  address for validity (does the address really correspond to a real
  address?) for every access. The only way to restrict the address
  range
  without having to check the value is to allow for every possible
  combination of bits, but set the exact number of valid bits that are
  supported for the RAM chip. But that means your range has to be a
  power of 2.

Mobile phones

RAM that is used in smartphones is technically DRAM, with the D
  standing for dynamic. The structure of DRAM is such that each
  capacitor on the RAM board stores a bit, and the capacitors leak
  charge and require constant “refreshing”; thus the “dynamic” nature of
  the RAM. It also means that the contents of the DRAM module can be
  changed quickly and easily to store different files.

And as expected, the exact number of bytes in a DRAM module is always an integral power of two.
Conclusion
This is is more like a business idea, that takes advantage of confusion regarding the common usage of "gigabyte" instead of "gibibytes" much like ISPs advertise 8Mbps (= 1MBps) as 8MBps, so it needs awareness from end users or customers.
It seems most manufacturers hide under metric system or SI units to "advertise" to  the unsuspecting consumers, although in real terms the say what they don't mean.
Acknowledgements

Gigabyte
Why is 1 GB equal to 10^9 bytes instead of 2^30?
Why does RAM come in specific sizes (256, 512, 1024, 2048, etc)
About Random Access Memory (RAM)

You said the RAMs in mobile phones are DRAMs, but that makes no difference because PC RAMs are also DRAMs. Also your PC won't fail if you install banks with different capacities, making the total RAM not a integral power of 2.


text:
MB Data affect on texting
I have a Samsung model SM-S120VL phone that I bought through Tracfone. This may be specific to Tracfone, I'm not sure. The problem is at times I can not view text mesages sent to groups and I can not view images sent to me. If I try and send an image in a text the text will time-out and not send. I have correlated these problems with my Tracfone account showing zero in the MB DATA usage available. My son-in-law who is an Android user tells me that MB Data should not have anything to do with text images or my group text problems, so I'm confused. I am thinking about trading in Tracfone as a provider and going with Mobil, though I don't know if I would have the same problems.
Can someone tell me if this is a Tracfone only problem or specific to Android phones?

MMS uses data
The Multimedia Messaging Service uses data. Without data you can't receive or send MMS's. MMS's include photos, videos, audio, or sometimes group texting.
I am also a Trac phone user.


text:
Volume settings for notifications and ringtone keeps turning on after spam call
Currently running android 7 on an HTC 10, and constantly having spam callers reach my number all day.
Normally when I'm working I have my ringtone and notification volume set to vibrate only.  However, whenever a spam or scam caller reaches my number (I don't pick up), the volume for my notifications and ringtone goes back up after the call is declined, so the next scam call blasts my phone at a high volume while I'm working.  I've tried blocking the numbers, but these scammers keep calling from different numbers and my phone keeps blasting sounds loudly in the workplace everytime it happens after the first!  What can I do about this, or is there a setting that I have not checked?

Never mind, turned out to be the CallBlocker app causing the volume to go back up.  Uninstalled that and installed Truecaller instead.


text:
GT-P5210 bootloop
I've been trying to root my Galaxy tab 3 (i think 4.2.2) for a while and recently did it. But after I installed supersu from TWRP, my tab wouldn't boot normally and would keep looping. I tried flashing the firmware back and rooting it again but it didn't do anything. I appreciate any ideas.

SuperSU sometime gives many bootloops while booting first time. But if it is in bootloop for a long long time then apparantly you have flashed a wrong version.
I will recommend you to flash MagiskSU . It works every time for me.

I think it only works for 5.0 and up

Use super SU 2.1 - 2.3 for jelly bean


text:
What app creates files with random numbers as names on my SD card?
I have multiple files that appear seamingly randomly on my SD card with numbers as names such as :

40956591289
531333794524
19002876503010

The files are empty and can be created multiples times a day (with other names).
How do I find out which app creates them ?

Location of these files is directly in sdcard or in some folder inside sd card?

At the root of the SD card

It may be cache files. Just a guess


text:
What's the difference between the LG G6 model numbers h870, h870s, h870k and h870v?
I am considering to buy a LG G6.
I am living in Germany and when I did some research, I found that the model number of the G6 version sold in Europe is 'h870'.
But I also found that there are the model numbers 'h870s', 'h870k' and 'h870v' out there.
As I wasn't able to find any difference between those four on the web, I wanted to ask if anyone could please help me with this and point out the differences (if there are any).
EDIT
Apparently there was a typo in one of my sources and there isn't a V model but a L model.
https://www.techwalls.com/lg-g6-model-numbers-differences/

Suffix variants are meant for different regions and carriers around the world, mostly for support of different regional LTE bands.
From PDAdb: H870 supports 14 bands; H870S supports 8; H870K only supports 5. I don't see a "V" variant listed (it's against the naming norm of LG, actually).
AFAIK, Europe uses LTE Band 20 primarily, so both H870 and H870S should do the job locally just fine, but considering international roaming capabilities, H870 is the one you want to get if you do have the money to shell out (EU variants are almost always the most expensive).
One more thing: if you want to tinker with the phone at all (even just rooting, even not immediately), buy the EU variant without hesitation. Only EU (H870) and US Open (US997) variants will ever get official bootloader unlock from LG - not even the Australian variant (which also bears H870 with no suffix).

The EU models aren't only expensive, they also don't have wireless charging, 64 GBs internal storage, Quad-DAC, etc. .

What about the DS (dual SIM) model?

Sure, this year LG has a really strange release strategy (you know they pushed out a "G6+" recently that adds those perks but doesn't change that Snapdragon 821).

The DS variant seems to have the same band support as the non-suffixed version. Needless to say it can't be BL unlocked either (or I would've bought myself one already).

@AndyYan There is an H870V version (at least in Brazil). It is called LG G6 Dual thanks to being able to have two Nano-SIM cards. Still with a Snapdragon 821 but with 64GB of internal storage. I have a photo of a demo displayed in a store selling those very H870V. And, despite not being able to use photos, I think this will serve as proof: https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-h870v-firmwares/

@José Thanks for letting know - I didn't find valid mentions of the V model at the time I wrote the answer.


text:
BlackBerry priv: double tap to wake up isn't working
All of a sudden from yesterday morning, double tap screen to wakeup the phone isn't working. I read few forums where I understood even hard reset isn't working.
Please help to solve this issue.

This got fixed automatically this morning. It was clearly not a software issue as there was no update. I suspect it might be the cause of placing the phone's screen face down few days before this issue, which got fixed when I stopped doing so.

OK I have had this problem sometime with my Oneplus X. Sometimes this is a bit buggy and you have to turn the screen on and off which will result in a refresh. Problem solved. Even if it is not the way one would prefere this, but if you wanted to fix this in another way you would have to tune the kernel. If you want to do this... OK, but I don't think this is worth it.


text:
How do I reset my phone without losing everything?
I have an Alcatel Dawn phone and it's lagging and turning on and off. I want to reset it but I will lose my photos and contacts. I don't have an SD card. I don't know which one I should buy or where I can get one for my phone. It didn't come in the box with the phone. How do I reset my phone without losing everything since I don't have on SD card?

The phone has an internal storage, right? Or where would your photos be stored right now? Just connect to PC and copy them off the device. As for contacts, the contacts app will offer a way to export them to storage.

This part I have done successfully. Unless you are planning to change accounts, you do not have to do anything with your contacts. A a safety net, you can Export them from Gmail on a computer by going into Contacts, Selecting All (Top box with a checkbox) and selecting Export from the More menu. This will let you even import than into a new account.
Images are even easier to deal with. When you connect your phone to a computer via USB cable, a device or drive (depending on the OS) will appear and you can go into the DCIM folder and copy its contents onto your computer.
After your phone is reset, you can copy back the content of DCIM into the new empty DCIM folder of the phone. Logging in to the same account will retrieve your contacts from Google. If not, you can use the export file (obtained as above) and import them back. If this does not automatically happen on your phone, go into settings and enable Sync for Contacts.