text:
Transfer multiple google accounts to a new device
I have several google accounts for different games, work and personal. I have 2 new devices on Android 7.0 Nougat. I would like to know how to transfer then all to the new devices without having to type each and everyone in the devices.

I don't see another way of doing this than type each individual adress + password!

So far, that's the way it looks. I used the Samsung smart switch to transfer my data and everything, but the accounts won't transfer. My Samsung email address transferred but not my google.

It restores what you previously typed.

Thx esQmo. Appreciate your help. I hope that someone will know a better answer than what we already have. lol

have a look at this: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/29192/how-is-the-gmail-password-stored-in-android-and-where

Well I copied those files and put them on the other device, changed the permissions but nothing happened.

I have the same trouble and came across this video on Youtube. You may want to check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lZ7dyDd2Nc


text:
Can Android be used in IPv6-only networks? What level of IPv4 faking is necessary?
I'm using several Android devices that have Android 6.0.x and 6.0.1, and that I want to use in an IPv6 island ("private") network. The Android devices are either attached to a WiFi-to-Ethernet bridge, or some tablets even accept USB 2.0 Ethernet dongles using OTG cables. The IPv6 network has RAs signalling the IPv6 prefix to use, as well as DNS IPv6 server address, and optionally some more-specific IPv6 routes. There are neither DHCPv6 nor DHCPv4 servers available. Well, there are DHCPv6 servers in this network, but they only respond with delegated prefixes.
Unfortunately, I cannot reliably connect my Android devices to this network. For cross-checking, an ordinary Linux Raspbian-equipped Pi does immediately become connected and works correctly, using DNS and getting proper addresses.
Even when I set a static IPv4 address, my Android devices often don't correctly connect in that they don't use IPv6 DNS, albeit it is getting advertised (RFC 5006). I have to set fake IPv4 DNS server addresses to be able to set the static IPv4 parameters. But even then, the Android devices aren't properly working, either not correctly using DNS or even getting disconnected after some seconds.
What kind of IPv4 connectivity do Android devices expect?

So after some more testing, using an especially made Brouter using a Raspberry Pi Zero W, I now know from my tests that Android 5.x, 6.0/6.1, and 7.0 in fact do support IPv6-only networks. However, the caveat is that as soon as Android neither gets an IPv4 address nor an IPv6 global address, the network manager will declare this network unusable and will disconnect from it.
The reason why I was experiencing such disconnects was because I was connecting my Android devices to a test network, where I shut down the link-local router from time to time for fixing, and only after some delay restarted it. And during these spans without IPv6 RAs advertising global prefixes and without IPv4, Android declared my network dead and disconnected.
Some more background information gained over time:

Some Android versions are allergic to ULA DNS server addresses, and only deem GUAs proper. However, the same Android versions happily accept ULA prefixes. The symptom then is that these Android devices keep connected to an IPv6 network using ULAs, but cannot resolve any DNS names after some seconds. Using one of the better diagnosis apps I notice that these Android versions first learn the DNS server address, then remove it after around 15-30 seconds. It seems as if newer Android versions 7.x are less rigid in their expectations at the moment.
Some Android versions react allergic to documentary addresses, that is, the 2001:db8::/32 address range. They are ignoring these addresses, especially for DNS servers. More recent Android versions 7.x seem to be tolerant of using the documentary address block in networks.

In the end, the safe side is as follows, unless you can avoid especially Android 5.x, but also some 6.x releases for sure:

ULAs fc00::/7 are evil ;) Please note that this includes the fd00::/8 often taught as "best practice" in IPv6 courses, so be careful.
documentary IPv6 addresses 2001:db8::/32 are evil too.
stick to real global addresses, even if they're faked.

Can you please share it is possible to work IPV6 alone in Android 6.0 via LAN cable?. If possible please share the implementation source or guide.

Since Android 5.0 IPv6-only with RFC 5006(8106) should work completely without ipv4.
Do you have dns64/NAT64 implemented?
Android tries to start 464xlat internally (clat). This fails without dns64/NAT64.

I have NAT64 running, but not 464XLAT. I'm preparing my DNS using a special scanner, as I don't have A RRs, so DNS64 doesn't make sense.

Unfortunately, this does not answer my original question: what kind of IPv4 connectivity does Android and its ConnectivityManager expect in terms of IPv4 and DNS? Sureley 464XLAT ain't mandatory...?

MacOS gives a comprehensive method to test ipv6 with NAT64 internet sharing.
- https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/NetworkingInternetWeb/Conceptual/NetworkingOverview/UnderstandingandPreparingfortheIPv6Transition/UnderstandingandPreparingfortheIPv6Transition.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40010220-CH213-SW16
But I found that all my Android phones (Nexus5 with Android 8.1.0, LG V30 with Android 9) are successfully connected, but failed to communicate to the internet. Well, iPhone works fine.
Three IPv6 was allocated to a phone; two 2001:2::/48 (benchmarking purpose range) and one ff0x link-local address.
As @TheDiveO stated, it seems true that Android itself blocks ULA DNS or a link-local network.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


text:
Is it safe to use OTA update while rooted with TWRP
I have a Lenovo Tab 2 A7-10 F, in which I have installed TWRP and rooted with SuperSu. Recently it notified me of an OTA update:

T2_A7_10F_S000057_160701_ROW

But I am not sure if I should install it or not. Is it safe to download and install this update in the aforementioned configuration or will it damage my device? And if I try to do this,  will it even install? Or should I try to find a flashable zip file???Please Help

If the update is 5.0 or later, it will not be updated because of block based authentication as explained here https://android.stackexchange.com/q/159797/131553

My device is already on 5.0. It's just a more stable version.

If I just remove root and TWRP, Will I be able to receive the OTA????

No because /system is modified by root and will not pass checking

So...is there any way to get the update??

I don't know.. Please search on XDA or wait for an answer

You have to rewrite your system partition from scratch to get an OTA update to be installed. Alternatively,  a full OTA update or fastboot type ROM can help you out. But if you do that, you could lose root as well as modifications done in system partition (such as Xposed framework). I don't have that particular device, so that's all I can suggest.

I have its original ROM of a previous version, which I flashed using sp flash tool.So if I flash it again, Will I be able to get the update???

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


text:
Why the game is compatible in BlueStacks, but not in Genymotion?
I've tried to install KoA game in Genymotion on Demand on Android 5.1, 6.0 and 7.0 using Google Play Store app (by following these steps), but it reads that it's not compatible.

Your device isn't compatible with this version.

However I was able to install in BlueStacks on Mac. Both Android platforms are x86 compatible.

Genymotion
root@cloud:/ # getprop | grep -w cpu
[ro.product.cpu.abi]: [x86_64]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist32]: [x86]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist64]: [x86_64]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist]: [x86_64,x86]

BlueStacks

Where is the compatibility problem? Is it because of Android 4.4.2 vs Android 5.1-7.0, or it's something else?

It sounds like the application is only compatible with ARM CPUs, but not with x86. Genymotion doesn't have an ARM translation libraries installed due to intellectual property reasons where Bluestacks have them installed by default.
Here is the response which I've received from Genymotion support team explaining this in details:

We do not offer 32-bits AMI images. However, it shouldn't be a problem because 32-bits applications should be compatible with x86-64 CPUs that Genymotion on Demand is using.
It rather seem that this application is only compatible with ARM CPUs. There is an ARM translation tool that can make your application work on Genymotion. This ARM translation tool is present in Bluestacks and not Genymotion by default.
We do not provide ARM translation tool by default because it's not our intellectual property.
Genymotion support team

As per above message, an ARM translation tool needs to be installed on Genymotion in order to make the application work properly.
Normally if you're developer, you only need to add the x86 build target to your current targets.
Otherwise, you need to install ARM to x86 translation libraries, which you can find on the Internet or you can contact the developer of the application to ask for x86 architecture support.

An ARM application running on Genymotion is less stable and efficient than an x86 application. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you only use x86 applications with Genymotion.

Source: Why does Genymotion return an error message when I try to install an ARM application?

Suggested steps to install an ARM translation tool for Genymotion:

Download an ARM Translation tool (e.g. Genymotion-ARM-Translation_v1.1.zip).
Drag & drop the ARM Translation tool to the Genymotion Home Screen
Once you see ARM Translation flash message, confirm with OK.
Restart device if required (e.g. adb reboot).

Source: How To Download & Install ARM Translation v1.1.zip for Genymotion.
Related: Genymotion with Google Play Services for ARM at Gist.


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How to install adb tools on Linux with no GUI?
I need to use the adb command on my Linux machine which does not have a GUI. Is it possible to install SDK tools without a GUI? I am using Debian 8

From the command-line, you can run:
sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

Source: Installing ADB and Fastboot.
Note: If you're already logged as root, you can skip sudo.

I get 404 after running apt-get update https://pastebin.com/W8NSzqXW


text:
How to create Android EC2 AMI from scratch?
I've tested all Genymotion on-Demand AMIs, but they doesn't work for me, since some apps are not compatible with 64-bit platform.
I'd like to create my own x86 (32-bit) AMI where I can install The Open GApps, then install some other apps. What would be a good starting point to do that?

How is this of interest to Android end-users?

Site is for 'users of the Android operating system', and Genymotion emulator is using it. You've also tag for Genymotion, so I don't see the problem here about sharing the knowledge about Android and Genymotion stuff. I'm also the end-user playing with Android apps in Genymotion emulator.

To save compile times of the entire Android OS (see: Requirements and Building of Android OS) and your custom ROM builds from hours, it is possible to use Android Open Source Project AMI as a starting point for building the entire AOSP build environment which is pre-configured and completely synced with the repo on this app and ready to go.
Once the instance is ready, run these commands to compile the Android OS:
$ cd aosp && . build/envsetup.sh
$ lunch aosp_arm-BUILDTYPE
$ make -j4

The BUILDTYPE is one of the following:

user: limited access; suited for production,
userdebug: like "user", but with root access,
eng: development configuration with additional debugging tools.

See: Preparing to build.
The solution above eliminates the need to host a build environment on the local machine, or require the Linux OS.


text:
Can Always-On Display on my Galaxy A5 (2017) cause screen burn-in?
Ever since I bought my Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), I've been using its Always-On Display feature, which displays a clock or calendar with unread notification icons, or one of four preinstalled images on the screen while it's in the "off" state (e.g. locked).

I'm using the Image option as you can see on the screenshot above. I've heard recently that Samsung phones are notorious for being susceptible to screen burn-in because of their AMOLED displays. Is that something I should be concerned about when using the Always-On Display feature?

I have been looking around phone shops and playing with the Samsung A5 as I am wanting to get it, and every shop that I went into there the A5 had really bad screen burn. The man explained it was because they were constantly playing in demo mode and never going off, but having the time and and constantly on could cause screen burn so be careful and maybe change the setting.

Well, this should not happen. If you had it turned on for a a while, you will notice always on items actually move around on the screen from time to time, so there will not be any screen burn even though it's an AMOLED screen


text:
S3 mini Teamwin boot loop
I was running Novafusion's LineageOS 14.1 on my Samsung SIII mini but it was slow, so I decided to go back to Android 6.0.1.
I booted into recovery, formatted the cache partition to ext4, but left the data partition in f2fs, flashed Resurrection Remix 6.0.1.
When it booted I got an error "Encryption interrupted… you have to factory reset your phone" and I accepted. But I never enabled encryption on my phone.
Now it is stuck at teamwin logo screen flashing every 5 seconds or so. I can access download mode so:
I tried:

Flashing TWRP recovery using heimdall
Flashing LOS 14.1 using heimdall
Flashing Param.lfs using heimdall (reference https://android.stackexchange.com/a/130061/25234)

Now if I try to boot normally, it gets stuck on the Samsung Galaxy SIIImini logo. If I try booting to recovery I get the same boot loop as before.
Please help.

Now flash a full stock firmware and it should be fine

Some threads say you need to flash stock recovery too. Can't find that online.

The stock firmware already contains the recovery. Just use Heimdall to flash it

I'm posting an answer for the benefit of others that might end up in a similar situation.
Download Stock firmware
This was the first hurdle. There are many sites and many versions. Finally I used the firmware from sammobile.com for the gt-I8190 for Italy.
Boot in Download mode
Next step was to boot in download mode by pressing Vol-, HOME and Power until it vibrates. Then release the buttons and connect the USB cable to the PC.
Flash stock firmware
I'm using Linux so I installed heimdall, opened the heimdall GUI and flashed: Kernel (boot.img), Kernel2 (recovery.img), System and Cache. (Windows users would have to install Samsung drivers and ODIN from what I read but never actually used.)
First boot
The first boot informed me of the same problem that the custom ROM had found about encryption of the Data partition and asked for a reset. This time the reset worked perfectly and on the second boot I was presented with the initial setup screen.


text:
can't flash or enter recovery mode
hi i got a xiaomi redmi note 3 pro and i wanted to flash the latest version of miui, so my previous build that i got was a rooted phone with twrp and i wanted to flash with otg. i did the common process y'know wipe etc.
but while it was restarting it stop at the boot logo a long time.....
and still , i can just enter fastboot mode and not the recovery..
when i'm trying to restart it or anithing like this i shows the logo again
i started my research to find a solution and tried to start recovery with adb fastboot on my pc, but my pc didn't detect my device. i searched the internbet for a suitable driver but found nothing.
and now i need help. plsssss i need your help

You'll use fastboot mode to flash a ROM to your phone. A Windows computer is needed.
Important Note: Make sure that your device is fully charged or has enough power for this process. This guide will help you update your device to the latest MIUI ROM version. All user data will be purged in this process. Please back up your data and think twice before proceeding.

Download full ROM from the official site
Download MIUI ROM Flashing tool
Download drivers ans install them
Turn off the device. Press the Volume down button and the Power button at the same time to enter Fastboot mode. Then connect the device to the computer via a micro USB cable.
Unzip the ROM you previously downloaded. Open the file folder for the unzipped ROM pack, and copy its path on the computer.
Unzip the MIUI ROM flashing tool downloaded in Step 2, and double click on it to install. After installation is completed, open MiFlash.exe and paste into the address bar the ROM file folder path copied in the previous step.
Click on the first button (circled out in yellow) to Refresh, and MiFlash should automatically recognize the device. Then click the second button (circled out in red) to flash the ROM file to the device.
Wait until the progress bar inside MiFlash turns fully green, which means the ROM has been successfully installed. Then your device should automatically boot to the new version.
Done.

i did it, also with the edl command but my pc didn't recognize my device . i was also using mi flash tool but i didn't show any device when i am clicking refresh

Install drivers already! Check USB cable or phone connector

I've added the link for drivers. Install them and try again

sry but it didn't work , windows device manmager is srtill showing a problem, code 43 unknown usb-device

Something wrong with USB connection. Change USB/port. Try in another computer. I assume that you are booted in fastboot mode?

i solve the problem , yes it was because of the port . I connected it in the usb 3.0 port .after i putted in the usb 2.0, it came up new an option came up in the device manager. Then i looked up the internet and found and forum with the same problem.  http://en.miui.com/thread-235865-1-1.html

i foolwed the instruction and now my device is ready to go

It works now? If so please accept this answer to help other with the same problem find it.


text:
D855 CM13 Nightly to Lineage 14.1 Nightly Upgrade
I have the latest nightly build of CM13(cm-13.0-20161108-NIGHTLY-d855.zip) installed on my LG G3(d855). And I want to upgrade it to Lineage OS 14.1 nightly builds(for example latest right now: lineage-14.1-20170529-nightly-d855-signed.zip).
Is it possible to upgrade without wiping the data?

Found the Answer:
If you already have CM or an unofficial AOSP based ROM, you don't have to wipe your device - in the download section there's an "experimental" build that you can install over your existing AOSP based ROM and it will migrate you to LOS without needing to wipe (potentially - it may not work and boot loop, in which case you'd need to wipe anyway).
To install:

Download both the nightly/weekly/stable version of LOS 14.1 and the "experimental" image.
Boot to TWRP
Install the "experimental" build
Reboot

After a reboot, the system should load and a watermark saying "cm to lineage migration build" should be all over the screen. If this is the case - everything worked fine! Continue to the next step. If it didn't boot, just reboot to TWRP and wipe the device as per the instructions above and continue with the instructions in the article.
If everything went fine, reboot, go back to TWRP, install the regular image and reboot back to a fully working Lineage OS.

Reference:

In the following web page in the comment section by someone called: Oded Arbel · Software Architect at Greenfield Technologies Ltd

However, now I need to find experimental build which was removed from LineageOS download section couple of months ago.
Thanks anyways


text:
Hiding Boot Logo on Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Lite SM-T116BU
I'm trying to hide this Samsung boot logo splash from my tablet

The closest that I get was trying the method described on this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2529133 but after writing the PARAM back to the device, nothing happened.
Trying to solve by myself I started looking at the SBOOT partition on my device, dumped it from /dev/block/platform/sprd-sdhci.3/by-name/SBOOT and opened it on a hex-editor, looking at the result I found the "logo.jpg" reference on the hex result, and now comes my question.

Do you guys have any recommendation/tips on how to avoid the logo.jpg being showed on the device screen? Maybe patching the SBOOT?
Is it too stupid changing the hex from modifying the "logo.jpg" string to avoid the file being located?

I have the same issue on my Tab E Lite 7.0, it seems like they are hiding in different places now. You should look at this https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2529133
I thought mine was hidden in /dev/block/platform/sprd-sdhci.3/by-name/PARAM , I got all the files extracted, but the screen was not replaced :-( I don't know where else they hide the screen !

That's the easiest way to end up in hardbrick. Don't try that. Remember samsung has no Fastboot mode. If it ends up in HBrick and close you out of Download  Mode, you're ruined totally unless you are a Samsung Hardware and Software Engineer.


text:
Scroll to a particular date in Whatsapp
Is there a way which I can select a particular date or a date range in Whatsapp and view those messages under those specific date(s)?

I don't think WhatsApp has implemented such functionality. But you can search for specific word and every message containing that word will appear

WhatsApp search features as of now don't have this kind of search for.
I required this feature some months ago to search based on dates and content. Googling led me to Bag a Chat app ( can't link it from play store since it is not available on my country). I download from apkpure , used the app for a few days and uninstalled it ( Two reasons - it was a one time requirement for me and second, because of the permissions it wanted)
From memory, you need to save the chats you want to search using the app and filter them based on your search needs. You can search based not only on dates but many other parameters as explained

You can also do the following without using an extra app specialized on searching through WhatsApp.
Go to options (the "..." symbol) -> "more" -> "send chat per email". This way you can export a txt file including date, time and message content and send it per e-mail. This file can be imported to excel or smth and filtered using normal functions of the program you import it to.

Do u know how far back does the log goes??

This isn't exactly a go to date feature but it will get you close and uses the standard whatsapp app.  Look at the media in a chat (3 dots, "Media, links, and docs") and when you move the scrollbar slider it will show the month and year so you can use that to quickly jump close to the date you wanted.  Then open up one of the media items, click the 3 dots, and select "Show in chat".  You'll be on the date the media item is from which is hopefully close to the date you wanted to look at.
For greater accuracy you can swipe through the media items before selecting "Show in chat".  It will show the date at the top of the screen which should let you find something closer to the date you wanted.  This second option might help you get there faster with less scrolling but it kind of depends on how often you have media in this chat and how many messages you might need to scroll through.  It might be faster to just jump to the right month and start scrolling a little.


text:
How do I tether my android phone mic to my windows computer
I do not want to buy a standalone mic to be used on my Windows computer. Can I use the mic in my android phone as the mic for my Windows computer?

The easiest thing would probably be WO Mic.


text:
Recover old Naver Line messages from Titanium Backup
Ok, I recently flashed my Samsung S7 with the latest stock firmware and rooted it so all my files got deleted. I did a backup on Titanium but my mistake was that after rooting, I logged on my Line (without restoring the Line backup first) and clicked yes to deleting the messages in "the other device". Stupid, I know.
I know Line recognizes devices based on Android ID. So the new Android ID on my latest firmware is now the default account and I got logged out on my "old device" with my previous Android ID.
I tried restoring Line on Titanium without restoring my previous Android ID (since my new Android ID is now the default) but it doesn't work, Line simply crashes and would not launch.
Now I am fine if there is really no way to use my old chat history on my new firmware. What I just want is at least be able to recover my Line messages from the Titanium Backup file. It's got all my messages from years back, so many important and sentimental stuff in there, including money I paid to my landlord lol.
Any ideas? Thanks!
PS
I really wish Line would stop this security feature of using only one device for one account. Heck I wish they just follow Facebook messenger and upload all data to the cloud so that it won't be a huge headache when people migrate to new devices.

TiBu has the feature of restoring or changing Android ID,, IIRC. Maybe you can flash ROM again , restore to earlier ID and restore line - you would of course lose  current messages

See this for restoring ID https://www.google.co.in/search?client=ms-android-motorola&q=titanium+backup+restore+Android+ID&oq=titanium+backup+restore+Android+ID&aqs=mobile-gws-lite..

that's not what I meant. restoring my old Android ID will not work because it's not the default ID anymore attached to my account. But anyway, I still did it and Line simply crashed

I believe the solution to this question is the answer at https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/121069/transfer-line-account-from-a-phone-to-another-without-loosing-friends-and-chat-h I let you decide whether the question is a duplicate or not, cheers!


text:
Can not find moved-to-system app after update
I moved some apps (WhatsApp and Amaze) to /system/app using the /system/app/mover some time ago. Now my phone did an update (I have a Meizu MX5 with Flyme OS) and I can't seem to find the apps anywhere, neither in the F-Droid Apps section for Amaze, in the /system/app/mover application, in the /system/app folder or in Settings/Apps.
When I try to install the apps from the application market, it says that the apps are already installed and I see the same version number like this:

When I press continue nothing seems to happen and I still cannot find the app anywhere. How can I retrieve these apps?

This is a typical problem with systemless root- reported here also. Only way to is remove systemless , root normal and convert- my understanding

I don't think it's systemless, I checked /system/xbin and there is a su shell file.


text:
root access failed or busybox was not found
Phone: Xiaomi Redmi 4 prime
Rom (custom): lineage-13.0
Xposed: xposed-v87-sdk23-arm64
Root: SuperSU.Pro.2.82

Right now everything works just fine and those apps that need root privileges to work properly, asking for root permission and after granting, they work fine;
There's just one app call Performance Profile (an xposed module) that after running asserts that: "root access failed or busybox was not found"
I do have successfully installed BusyBox 6.7.3.0
What is the problem with this app?
Update 1: I uninstalled BusyBox 6.7.3.0 and installed BusyBox 1.26.2 and using BusyBox Checker Pro 2.0 got the following results showing that everything is ok.

Have you checked if the app has all the neccessary permissions in settings?

The app was ok with current BusyBox on the rooted stock room. And the only permission that app needs is "storage" which is granted to it already.

Maybe the module itself doesn't support CyanogenMod 13+?

@beeshyams
I think the problem is what you've said.

flash rooting using SuperSU-v2.65 solved the problem.

Glad it got solved

A wild guess: You did not correctly install busybox.
BusyBox is not a simple application, it's a executable binary that should supposedly be located in /system/xbin. A correct installation of BusyBox includes copying the binary and creating symbolic links.
Judging by the version number you gave, you might probably installed something like "BusyBox installer" from Google Play or so. The (currently) newest BusyBox binary version is 1.26.1, so you may want to check again if BusyBox is installed correctly, not an app from GP.

Based on what you've suggested, I've done some changes that is reflected in the post.


text:
Is Samsung S6 battery usage screen inferior? Alternatives?
I've started experiencing bad battery drain on My S6.
The last time I had to diagnose battery drain was long time ago on an LG G2 that I'd rooted. It had a really good battery diagnostics showing usage by hardware as well as services etc IIRC.
But my S6 (with latest updates) gives very little information - and it seems incomplete. Over night my battery went down from near 100% to completely dead, but the battery usage screen showed just 13% usage by the screen, and 6 apps / services using a total of 7% between them, so total percentage being under 20%! What about the other 80%? I don't trust the results at all.
I've tried various battery usage apps and they all just direct the user back to Samsung's battery usage screen.
What can I do to get a hold on what's all of a sudden causing this battery drain? I've done reading online and what's suggested is very hit and miss. I don't want to spend hours or even days playing the guessing game and having to experiment to find the problem!!!

Is this device rooted?

@beeshyams no it's never been rooted


text:
Exporting contacts via adb
I have a phone whose screen broke, but I'd like to export its contacts to .vcf so I can import them to another phone. I usually do this with the built-in import/export function in the Contacts app overflow menu, but without a screen it is inaccessible. Is it possible to do this via adb?

Does your phone support OTG?  If so, you could plug in a mouse to control/click on the screen to do the backup, then either upload to a cloud location or boot to recovery, and use adb pull to pull the backup file off of the device to your computer.

Similar question here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/25646/how-do-i-backup-data-sms-contacts-from-a-device-with-a-broken-screen

A root method: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/215426/218526

The contacts database can be queried using the ADB shell:
adb shell content query --uri content://com.android.contacts/data

The command will dump all the content of the database only if the shell have the permission READ_CONTACTS, else it will fail.

adb shell content query --uri content://com.android.contacts/data >> contacts.vcf saves the contacts to a file (Linux).

@user598527 While this does dump some data to a file, but it is not a valid .vcf and can't be imported by the contacts app. Also, vcf-validator from vcftools also says it is not valid too.

Yes and no. If your screen is working, you can use an OTG cable or a MicroUSB to USB adapter and plug a mouse into your phone.  Works like a dream. If you have no visual display that is another matter.

You must have already enabled USB debugging.
You must have already connected the phone to your computer and verified it.
You must have already rooted your phone to access the contacts file.

It's extremely difficult
If you have done the above then you send the adb pull request to the correct location, and with that received file you will have to do a couple of things.

Find out the correct format for your phone's contacts DB.
Figure out the correct conversation script to convert to the new phone's DB format.
Send the converted file to the new phone.

Easiest Solution
Just make sure your contacts are backed up and linked to your Gmail email.


text:
How to update the pagination on MS Arrow Launcher
I think in previous versions of the MS Arrow Launcher when I swipe up and down to see all my widgets there was no 'pagination'. In other words as I scrolled up and down the page, I could stop it at any point.
Now it appears I am paging up and down. The issue I have is some of my widgets expand over this pagination border. For example, I have a vertical weather app which is 1 grid box wide and 4 grid boxes high. Part of it is over 1 of my pagination and so is the other.
How can I disable this pagination?


text:
How to change my default save location from sd to internal memory card of phone?
I have a dooge x5 max pro android 6.0 . How can i change the save location by simple steps?

The steps for changing default Storage is the same for many Android devices.  You just need to go in Settings > Storage and charge the Preferred Install Location to SD Card.

ohh. when i press to change a setting it does nothing...

What do you mean by it does nothing? What do you expect

for example, i want to change the time. when i go there and i press the corresponding setting it does nothing like i didn't press it

Are the fields grayed out? Can you upload a screenshot of the setting?

white. when i press something, then the pressing is grey field, without result

I can't fully understand the issue without a screenshot. Can you upload that?

this phone is not mine. my mother has it. if she has a virus, how they do it? they doesn't serf in web

I don't get you! What are we talking about? The question is asking how to set a default storage. Did my answer solve it? If yes please accept this answer.

And ask a new question.


text:
S8+ stock always on display not showing notifications
I recently got myself an S8+ running Android 7.0.
One of the most (arguably) shallow reasons for getting this nice new phone was for the always on display it offered, where it would show the clock, your battery and the date.
It also promised to show me my notifications, and for about a week or two, that's exactly what it did.
It would show everything, from missed calls, to applications from the store, to weather updates. It showed every notification I had from any application without doubt or question. And I loved it.
Recently however it's just stopped. It doesn't show anything except the time, the battery and the date. No notifications. No missed calls. No new texts. No nothing.
I have my always on display checked as "on", run a default theme that came with the phone (although I have tried others). I have it set to show "Home button and clock or information" (which is the default) and have "Show always" on too.
I'm not that much of a power-user and I haven't tampered with the phone's services or anything, so I don't really know what else I can tell you about the problem. If I'm leaving out some key information please tell me.
How can I go about bringing my notifications back to the always on display?
The only thing that is not an option is resetting the phone.

Make sure in Settings - Notifications - Advanced in upper-right - "Always on Display" is set to "Allowed".  Back out of here back to Settings, then Lock screen and security - Other security settings - Notification access - make sure "Always On Display" it turned On.

Sorry mate, both of those settings were already in the state you described :(

I have noticed that my S8+ seems to get stuck.  Most recently my fingerprint stopped working as if I didn't have the setting turned on.  I did a full power off and back on and it started working again.  I wonder if there are problems with the system trying to do too much and it looses settings.

There are possible reasons why these notifications no longer show:

Type  of Always on Display (AOD) mode you are using (Clock/Calender)

It has been noted that if you're using the calendar AOD mode then you won't see any notifications, just the clock, calendar, and battery %.

I could not get any notifications when using the calender AOD, but I do get messages and missed calls when using just the clock options in AOD. Nothing on emails in either, and I'm using the stock email app for an exchange work account. I could not get any notifications when using the calender AOD, but I do get messages and missed calls when using just the clock options in AOD.

Email client incompatibility

Sometimes there's some incompatibity or bug in the stock email application causing this. Check your email clients and if possible try switching to Gmail client. It somehow worked for one user.

I switched my email accounts from the Samsung email app to the Gmail app (both email accounts are non-Gmail types).  Now my notifications are working fine.  I'll assume there is some problem with the Samsung email app regarding notifications going to the Always On Screen.

New changes introduced in AOD updates

It could be that new updates in the AOD features have brought some changes with it, for example the most notable change was the requirement of screen lock option.

You must use one of the screen lock options for notifications icons to appear when phone is in AOD mode. Before the update this was not necessary.
I picked the Swipe in the lock screen options and my notifications came back. It was working before that last update

Possible solutions
In addition to the above you may additionally try the following to resolve the AOD issue:

Clearing app data

Do a clear data for Always On Display. Go your device’s Settings >> Applications >> Application Manager >> Always On Display > Storage > Clear data

Fine tuning miscellaneous notifications

Make sure notifications are allowed for Messages. In the device’s Settings >> Notifications, make sure the switch next to Messages is turned on.

Switch to another Always On Display layout

Other workarounds

Install alternative  Always On AMOLED – BETA from Google Playstore

References

No notifications in Always On Display mode
S8 Always On Screen Notifications Intermittant
No more missed call and message notifications on Always-on-Display Galaxy S7 Edge
Customize-samsung-galaxy-s8-always-on-display

Clearing the app data worked for me! Thank you!

Thats great ! Anytime :)


text:
Phone not receiving text messages unless messaging app happens to be open when message is sent
My phone only receives text messages if the messaging is open when they are sent.
Messages that are sent at other times (eg when I've just opened a different app) never show up on my phone, even when I later open the messaging app.
(I tested this by sending myself texts from a different phone.)
This is the case no matter which SIM card is in the phone (tried 3, multiple carriers).
My phone is a BLU Advance 4.0 L2 running Android 6.0, and I'm using the default messaging app called Messages.
Edit:
I tried using Textra instead and had the same issue.
I tried clearing the cache partition from recovery mode. The problem persists.
How might I fix this?

Can you check if the issue happens only with the default SMS app or any SMS app. Try with Google Messages and let us know.

The default app was Google Messages. I just tried Textra as well; same issue.

Sometimes clearing the phone cache in the recovery may solve this issue.


text:
Is it possible to do a TWRP restore from laptop - would adb restore do the same? Other ways to perform restore?
This is a pretty annoying situation I've found myself in.
A section of my screen has become non-responsive, sort of across the top, where the top row of digits would be.
I read online that a possible fix would be performing a factory reset. which I did. Didn't solve the issue, so I think the digitizer might be damaged somewhat, which I'm going to look into getting repaired.
Anyway, I had previously done a backup of my data through TWRP but, wouldn't you know it, the section that is nonresponsive falls exactly where the Backup/Restore buttons are, so I can't restore my data now.
Are there alternative means for me to restore this data? I know there's a thing called adb restore, but I'm not sure if it's the same and wanted to make sure before toying with anything.
I know that TWRP has a Terminal under Advanced. Is it possible to do anything with that?
The bootloader on the phone is unlocked and was rooted, up until now, I guess.
EDIT:
OK. I figured out that you can use adb through TWRP recovery.
adb shell twrp restore
However when I do this through CMD it says no partitions selected.
Any idea?

This would help you for sure: http://wiki.rootzwiki.com/OpenRecoveryScript. Read it from "The following commands and parameters are available"

You need to supply the filename of the backup file. Did you move your TWRP backup to your PC?


text:
Random text string in messages
Recently i factory reset my LG Tribute HD. As soon as setup compleated. I got a message from a random number.
Any clue what this is? It reminds me if stagefright.

The linked image cannot be opened

The number seems to be from your carrier. Although the message is somehow broken, may be an automatic internet configuration or a promotional message...

What's your carrier?

I use sprint as my carrier.

Wild guess: It's an encoded message from a terrorism organization telling about a scheduled event :)
Serious Analysis: Call your carrier support for more information. This looks like some internal information (metadata) that accidentally leaked out. I made this guess because that message

Uses colon for field separator (very common in Unix systems)
Contains a time stamp (1496949959776 is 19:25:59.776, Jun 8, 2017 UTC)
Contains a Base64-encoded data, which gives a 20-byte nonsense after decoding
Contains an unused number from Seville, Ohio
Contains a 32-character code in an unknown format

If you don't want to dig too deep or you're not so curious, then you can safely ignore it.

I'm actually extremely curious about it.  And that "unused" number looks familiar...


text:
Mounting a ext4 formatted sdcard on Android Marshmallow
I trying to mount an ext4 sdcard on a Samsung Galaxy Tab a6 (sm-t580) running Android 6.0.1. It has the original ROM, but is rooted and has TWRP installed.
I've tried the following commands on adb:
mkdir /mnt/media_rw/0000-FFFF
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 /mnt/media_rw/0000-FFFF

This sucessfully mounts the volume and the volume can be viewed on the command line but is invisible to the gui. I follow with this command.
/system/bin/sdcard -u 1023 -g 1023 -U -1 /mnt/media_rw/0000-FFFF 0000-FFFF

But this spawns the following error:
E sdcard  : cannot mount sdcardfs filesystem in default (error 2)

When I run the last the sdcard command as an ordinary user I get
E sdcard  : Error setting RLIMIT_NOFILE, errno = 1
E sdcard  : installd fs upgrade not yet complete. Waiting...

The second line of which repeats indefinitely.
I also tried running vold but that just prints out Aborted on the standard output. Running the following command triggers a mount
/system/bin/vold --blkid_context=u:r:blkid:s0 --blkid_untrusted_context=u:r:blkid_untrusted:s0 --fsck_context=u:r:fsck:s0 --fsck_untrusted_context=u:r:fsck_untrusted:s0

but just results in the following on logcat
no match partition type(131) -> change table to kUnknown
disk:179,32 has unknown partition table; trying entire device
...
Failed to pclose /system/bin/blkid -c /dev/null -s TYPE -s UUID -s LABEL
/dev/block/vold/disk:179,32 : File exists
[WARNING] blkid failed to identify /dev/block/vold/disk:179,32
disk:179,32 failed to identify, giving up

Which is the same as when you insert the sdcard in to the device.
Any takers?

I also like mount my usb with ext4 in android marshmallow

UPDATE an better solution https://android.stackexchange.com/a/204616/119381
First steps:
I could mount and use my pen usb with ext4 after install [1] but still bery tricky (need root) I need first do
   adb shell
   su -
   mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /mnt/sdcard/usbStorage/sda1/

and after umount and mount sda1 with stickmount.
For some reason stickmount (when works alone) says that device is mount but it is not , I need mount it as root ... , after I mount it , stickmount do the rest of the work ...
[1]
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.stickmount&hl=en
Update 2017-12-26:
After read:
https://android.stackexchange.com/a/131839/119381
https://source.android.com/devices/storage/config.html
and
https://stackoverflow.com/a/28018008/778517
I did is and works on kodi and other apps ,
adb root
adb connect 192.168.1.160
adb shell mount -o rw,remount /;

adb shell

(edit) /fstab.hardware and change vfat to ext4
vi fstab.rk30board
/devices/30040000.otg*     auto ext4 defaults      voldmanaged=usb:auto

mkdir /data/media/0/usb1
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /data/media/0/usb1/
mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /storage/emulated/0/usb1/

I also used [root] adb wireless from google play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dshylai.adbwifiwidget&hl=en but now I see that I have more options
More info:
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Moto-X-Play/Android-ext4-support/td-p/3262765

Thanks but unfortunately this didn't have any effect on my sdcard.

answer updated !

Apologies for never getting back to you on this. After I tried the first version of your answer, I changed to LineageOS and I was never able to try the new answer out.

Hi Sergio am bit late but wont the fstab be overwritten with every boot ?

yes , I got a better solution now (but it still requires root) , I will try update the answer soon

Ok Still have not heard back. I have 3 Ext4's I can mount them manually But I need these to be handled by vold so that they can be emulated like any other 'fat partition`

https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/204123/how-mount-or-auto-mount-an-usb-stick-formated-with-ext4-and-be-visible-or-work/204616#204616


text:
Half of my android contacts disappeared from my phone but are still in Gmail. Won't sync back
I have a Samsung S5 (not rooted) linked to a single gmail account.  Several months ago I started noticing contacts disappearing.  I would attempt to call or text them and they wouldn't come up in the search.  It has recently gotten much worse (or maybe I just didn't notice before), but now roughly half of my contacts are now missing.
I can log into gmail via a browser and see them all there.  (I don't have gmail app on my phone).  I can add new contacts either in gmail or on my phone and they sync down within minutes.  However there are many of my old important contacts that are in gmail but will not sync to the phone.  I have even tried modifying a few and they do not show up on the phone.
I'm not trying to do anything fancy here.  It seems like some of these contacts are messed up somehow and I can't figure out what is going on. Another hint: at some point I imported a bunch of contacts into gmail via CSV file, but don't see any pattern with the ones that are having problems.
Thanks,
Eric

What group(s) are they in, when viewed in the browser? I believe that with some devices/settings only the contacts in "My Contacts" group are synchronised.

That was helpful, thanks!  I poked around and realized my missing contacts are listed in Gmail's 'Other Contacts'.  I guess my follow-up question now is why did this happen and is there a way to mass convert 'Other Contacts' to Contacts.  There is a button to do them individually but that would take a while.

Great! I've added it as answer. Mass convert should be directly possible, added to answer.

Check the groups the contacts appear in, in web Google Contacts. With some devices/settings only the contacts in "My Contacts" group are synchronised. (In some cases it's possible they are synchronised but not displayed or returned in normal searches.)
If this is the problem, moving the contacts back into "My Contacts" would fix it.
You should be able to do this clicking Other contacts in the left panel, then the checkbox in the header row to select all, then click the Add to my contacts button. (If that button doesn't appear, click the groups button and check My Contacts.)

Not sure of this will help, but all of a sudden all of my contacts, from S-Z, were gone in my phone and my Google account.
I finally had success retrieving them by going to my Google account. I went under Contacts and selected more. Then I selected Undo changes and customized the time because I knew all of my contacts were there 5 hours before. As soon as I did that, all of my contacts reappeared on my phone and my Google account.
Hope that helps someone else. Not sure how it happened in the first place.


text:
Stop Facebook and Instagram from running in background
In developer settings I can stop both Facebook and Instagram but those pesky apps just bounce right back within seconds.  One reason I moved from Apple to Android was to be able to control my device and I find this frustrating.  Is my only option to delete these apps and just run them from a mobile web browser?
I don't want to be told that these apps need to be running all the time and I can just ignore it.  They can run when I start them until I close them.  This is for data, privacy and battery usage concerns whether real or perceived I want this control of my device.
Also I do not want to root my phone and keep the OS stock.  Running 7.1.1 on a Nexus 5x

You can install Greenify to prevent these apps from running in the background. If something else than tapping on the app starts the app again Greenify will notice and it'll give you the option to cut off this wakeup path.

Applications like Facebook messenger, always leave a few processes and services running in the background. Even using task killers is not very effective in preventing them from running, because soon they will continue running.
In a situation like this, hibernating is more efficient because it takes care of both the proceses and services running in background. It will also prevent that application from starting up again until you start it.
Having said that a good remedy is to use hibernation applications like Greenify and see if it resolves the issue. The good news is that it is available for non root users as well.
More detailed instructions for setting up are found here: How to Optimize Your Android Phone’s Battery Life with Greenify

Greenify asks for some low level permissions and basically has access to my entire system.  I did not feel that great about using it, perhaps this and deleting the app are the only ways.

Do you have any other solution in mind ? In that case please feel free to write your own answer:) otherwise you may tick to accept this answer. AFAIK these permissions are needed for Greenify to work properly (same as you get when using other 3rd party tools to achieve this). What permissions are you sensitive with ? Besides hibernation is the most effective was to stop background applications from running.

My final solution is just to delete Facebook and Messenger entirely from my phone as Greenify is just another problem in my opinion.  The reduced data and time wasted looking at Facebook while I am out and about is a great reward.

Glad you chose the best way to deal with this once and for all :)


text:
Does ZTE prevent the use of adoptive storage with Marshmallow?
I was trying to format a 32 GB Samsung SD card for adoptive storage in a ZTE Z815 running Marshmallow, but the only option is portable. What's going on here?

Your device doesn't have this feature enabled by OEM . Similar to other models as you can see from Google search and for another ZTE model Convert portable SD to Internal SD where option is unavailable
Same is the case with some Samsung devices. You would need to search at places like XDA for workaround like this
Also see this question for workarounds
How can I move apps to SD on non-adopted Marshmallow storage?


text:
Where can I find the list of all updates released by Google for Nexus devices?
it's been a while since I updated my Nexus 10 tablet and with each new update, I'm being notified of further newer updates. I've updated my device 6-7 times in 3 days. Where can I find the list of all released updates so I can decide whether I want to update to get certain feature in a later update or not?

Don't worry, Nexus 10 is EOL long ago. Finishing your current batch of upgrades will only catch you up to the last one available... back in April 2016. Any newer patch you see on the security bulletin you found won't be available for your device (unless you decide to dive into the world of custom ROMs, of course).

In the link below they have the factory images for all the versions of Androids for Nexus and Pixel devices
https://developers.google.com/android/images

Ok. I found that there's a list of all security updates here:
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/
Edit: will update if I find the list for each device.

It has been found by an another user. Here: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/176221/96277


text:
What is a safe way to root a device ?
It looks like rooting a device require using uncertified app, are any of these app open source ? how do we know they are safe to use ?

Possible duplicate of Pros and cons of rooting using apps ("Soft Root") compared to other methods ("Hard Root")

There are different methods to root for every device....

What do you mean, "uncertified app"? Unlike Apple's App Store, there's no certification process for Android apps.

The best method would be this way:
 unlock bootloader>flash custom recovery from fastboot>flash super SU .zip file from recovery
if this is possible, on some phones it isn't..
If you by safe way mean "the way that won't screw your device" then there is no way, in every possible way of rooting it's possible that something goes wrong but in most times flashing stock firmware resolve trouble.

As previously mentioned, there are many different methods on how to root your device. The one crucial thing is to find out exactly what phone model do you have, and with that in mind do some research about it.
Usually a good place to start is: https://forum.xda-developers.com/
They have some pretty good tutorials on rooting/customizing phones, unlocking bootloaders etc.
I am not quiet sure what do u exactly mean by "app" and if it is open source, but the usually safe practice is not to install anything from that is not coming from the Play Store itself. If u however wish to risk it, at least make sure it is verified by developers as open source, meaning it has community of developers behind it that are trusted and are working on the app constantly. Hope this helps.


text:
Cannot install whatsapp in android 2.3.4
I've a quite old version of android in my smartphone. I use whatsapp regularly, except yesterday where I had to try to update, and I couldn't do it because I don't have enough space on my smartphone. I've removed whatsapp and try the reinstallation but it doesn't work... Is there anything I can do? I read that there's probably some procedure I could try using both root privileges (that I have) and an emulated terminal.
This is not the first time that happens, usually I just remove apps that I don't use, but now I don't really know what to do.
Any suggestions?

You should know that WhatsApp is no longer supported on device bellow android 4.0. Newer update won't simply work. You should upgrade to a newer phone.

You should know that WhatsApp is no longer supported on devices running android 2.3 and below. Newer updates won't simply install. The support had to end on june, and we're on june.
You should consider upgrading to a newer phone.
However, in some exceptions, WhatsApp can be installed when you download directly the APK file.
Try downloading the file from here.

That's exactly what I did at last (but not because of whatsapp, that was a side effect)

Try to completely delete the Whatsapp folder form a file explorer and also locate and delete the data folder using a root explorer (ES File Explorer). Try again. Maybe even factory reset ans retry if you can afford to factory reset or maybe take a backup and factory reset anyway.
OR
Maybe earlier version of Whatsapp was small enough to fit on your phone and newer version is now heavier so there is no way for you to install it.

Shall I delete the whole "data" folder? are you sure that is safe?

I've downloaded the file explorer, and I'm looking through the "data" folder. It doesn't seem to me safe at all removing blindly the stuff. So if you could clarify why I may want to do that would help.

Don't delete that folder you'll mess things up

No I meant the whatsapp app folder inside data folder. It should go like "com.xxx.whatsapp"

I don't see how doing this will solve your problem! Check my answer and try what I suggested.


text:
Cannot add extra language under Android Secure Folder
I use Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) with Secure Folder.
So far I need to add extra language (English is primary one) Android starts to download but nothing is downloading under super-fast WiFi.
I am sure this is a Secure Folder issue.
Any clue?

I found solution.
You have to download new language by Secure Folder Settings menu and NOT by keyboard settings icon within any installed apps of Secure Folder.


text:
How to bypass hourly limit of outgoing messages?
How do one bypass hourly limit of 100 outgoing SMS on Android 6 without replacing completely current system provided by OEM?

Might be related: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/38468/5342

Maybe rebooting the device resets counter?

@geffchang Related but not applicable to Marshmallow

@ballzak Rebooting imply missing messages  and draining the battery very quickly in addition to unproven results (maybe).


text:
Make TWRP recovery permanent
Phone: Xiaomi Redmi 4 prime (unlocked)
Rom (custom): lineage-13.0

By entering into fastboot, using the twrp 3.0.2.0 recovery image (made specifically for this phone) and issuing the following commands, I can successfully boot into recovery and use twrp;
fastboot flash recovery cofface_twrp_recovery_markw_1121.img
fastboot boot cofface_twrp_recovery_markw_1121.img

The problem is, the flashing of recovery is not permanent and as soon as I reboot into system, I will lost the twrp recovery and have to use fastboot and flashing recovery again;
How can I make the twrp recovery permanent?
Update 1: If I don't use fastboot boot cofface_twrp_recovery_markw_1121.img at the end and use the hardware keys to enter into recovery while the phone is off, it remains at oem logo (MI logo) forever.
Update 2: When I was using the stock rom (MIUI 8.2) and applying the above procedure, the first time that twrp showed up, it asked to make the flashing permanent and it became permanent in spite of numerous system reboots.

Well if you have run flash command from fastboot than  it should be flashed and stay there permanently. Also why do you use boot command after flash if it's flashed (when you use boot command it just boots to recovery from external file it doesn't flash it). Try accessing it with combination of buttons during boot.

I did that, the problem is after using the hardware keys to enter into recovery (phone is off) it remains at oem logo (MI logo) forever.

here it says you should be pressing volume up key when xiaomi logo appears to enter the recovery. What about other users of that phone does anyone have same issue?

Isn't "Update 2" actually an answer to your own question? If so, you'd better post it as an answer :) // PS: On many devices, that's the trick: Immediately after flashing, boot into it so it makes itself permanent. Otherwise, the system is reverting back, as you've experienced.

The thing is in the new custom rom, when booting into twrp recovery even for the first time, it doesn't prompt to make it permanent!

Many devices will restore the factory the factory recovery on boot, many Moto devices are this way, but it can be circumvented by flashing TWRP and starting it immediately without booting the OS, allowing changes to system, and then going to TWRP's reboot menu and performing a Reboot Recovery, after the reboot in TWRP it makes a change to the recovery replacement script in /system so it doesn't replace TWRP. Might work or might not, if it does I will supply it as an answer.

It might be /system/recovery-from-boot.p that's overwriting stock recovery back. I doubt if that exists in LineageOS, though...

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Moto G 3rd Gen - SD Card stopped working
This morning my SD Card suddenly stopped working. As soon as I removed it and reinserted it, nothing happens. It does not even tell me to format it. I also tried to insert it in my PC but it says that it is corrupted and needs format.
If possible I'd like to avoid to format it since I've got all my photos on it.
The SD Card is a Samsung EVO 32 GB one, and it's also pretty new, since I bought it 2 months ago.
Does anyone have any clue of why this happens and a way to fix it?

If data on the SD card is corrupted, the only wait to use your card is to format it.

There is a way to access data on a card that can't be read in the Moto G 2015 with the use of another identical or larger card... sometimes... Try this: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/174799/moto-g3-android-marshmallow-not-detecting-sd-card-anymore-solution

Unfortunately I only have the answer for the first part of your question. There are many reasons why an SD Card can go corrupt. (e.d. Physical Damage, not removing it properly etc.) As far as the latter is considered, Android has the option to eject the SD Card in Settings before you physically remove it from the phone. This option exists only to serve this one purpose, to stop things like this from happening (e.d. getting your SD Card corrupted).
I don't think there is much you can do at this point but reformat it, which of course as you probably know deletes all of your files.
HOWEVER do NOT reformat it still only because I am not familiar with any options of restoring it to proper function. I have heard of different types of software that claim they can do the thing for you, BUT be careful! As they are many of them that come in a form of some malware.


text:
Reboot when uninstaling the application LG G4
my LG G4 have a problem with updating software and deleting applications.
Everytime I want to delete an application, system throws me an error
com.android.settings was stopped
I can not get even into application settings...
also, when I want to upgrade OS, files are downloaded but once phone is restarted, I got an "Error" without detail informations about error....
I've tryed to execute this
adb shell pm clear com.android.settings

but it just reboot my phone. No changes.
Have you ever faced same problem ? ... It's a bit anoying, being unable to delete application
Thank you

Have you installed any custom software on your phone recently? If so than that could explain some issues. First of all the bugs you are experiencing with the settings, but also when trying to update the phone. Many of the custom versions of Android do not support the OTA (Over the Air) updates.
However, if you do have stock version of Android there could be numerous issues. My recommendation would be to backup all of your files and simply restore your phone. Sometimes this can resolve any internal issue that Android is experiencing.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for the answer.
I've just got the phone and yes, it might have custom software, despite everything looks like original one.
I've installed the application - root checker and it's didn't shows that root has been made..., so I'm bit in doubts.
I would like to reinstall everything to the original, factory state, but I'm afraid that simple restoring will not help as I've already did that.
I don't mind to have phone rooted, but I would like to have everything under control... can you please help me how to get the original software back ? Thank you

Well in theory, when u install a new rom, it doesn't really have to have root. Sometimes upon installing a new rom you need to root your phone again (for some roms, others may keep root). If you don't believe you have a stock rom it is really best you install it yourself, as you can never be sure what you got and what that rom actually does.
Usually a good place to start is LG's official website. If you cannot find it there look on this link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/g4 Here you will find some factory and many custom roms. As this page is for developers it should be safe. Goodluck!


text:
Why does my setting looks like this?
New Phone, Galaxy S7
I rather like the previous, categorized labelled version. Can I get those?

I have an S7 edge on Nougat and I have the old layout.  There's an overflow menu (the three dots) that lets me toggle the layout.  I'm not sure why you don't have that option.

That is Samsung's "take" on the Settings layout for their skinned version of Android 7.0.  As far as I know, there is no way to get the old layout back.


text:
What is the app that has a logo like 'p' inside a square?
Where is this app logo that looks like 'p' inside a square come from?

That's the Peel Smart Remote old logo. Peel make your compatible android phone as a remote controller for various devices, such as televisions, set top boxes, digital video recorders (DVRs) and other devices.
It allows users to tune in directly to a TV show or movie, record the show on their DVR, set up a calendar reminder or share with contacts by clicking a promotional banner.

Learn more about  Peel Technologies

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


text:
Is it possible to root an android phone while a specific application is running?
Basically I'm using SafetyNet by Google to check at the beginning whenever my application is opened to see if a phone is rooted. If it is, I'll prevent my app from running. So as you can tell if it is possible to root an android phone while a specific app is running, then what I'm doing can be bypassed. So is it possible?

It's even possible to root while the recovery is booted, thus with Android (and apps) inactive.

Here's a comment from the other end (the end-user): even if you put a root blocker in your app, there are easy ways of getting around it. Can you explain why you don't want root?

I hope I understood the question right, you have an app and you wish to detect if the phone is rooted, and if it is, than you stop your app from running?
If that's the case I am not sure. Simply because, what code can you write in your app that checks if your phone is rooted or not? Since the user is the king in that case, and your app is not system app but rather a third party if you will, you have a limited set of permissions you can ask from the user to give you. None of these permissions will help you however to determine if the phone is rooted or not. Hence, as far as I know, not possible. However if you ever stumble across some hack that let's you do it, please let me know :)

Pardon me, isn't root detection one of the most obvious things SafetyNet does? Developers just need to make use of the API. OP already said he plans to use it to detect root environment; the problem is whether SN detects an ongoing root process.

Than I didn't get the question right, I was thinking the OP wants to bypass SafetyNet actions upon detection of device. Sorry for the confusion. To answer the question finally than, in theory it is. I don't think SN supports the option of tracking an ongoing rooting process and hence it's detection. But than again when you root your phone it usually needs to restart. When your app is started again (after restart of the device), the SN starts with it too, and than it detects the device and everything should work properly (in theory).

How did they do this with Pokemon GO?

@Dejan Not every one-clickers reboot the phone, as my (limited) experience with one-clickers have shown... But yeah that's one reasonable point.

So if it is possible if the user roots their phone using king root(or any rooter that doesn't require a full reboot), then what would be a counter for this? Instead of checking only once whenever the app is run in the beginning, start a background service thread in the app that routinely calls safetynet every X amount of duration of time and act accordingly?

@RichyDavisWindow3 That would most probably be one possible solution. In fact, to be honest I don't see any other. It may put some weight on your app performance, but if your main goal is to keep rooted phones away from your app at all times I guess it's worth the price (of course, I don't think it will affect it so the user notices it, depends on implementation). Since I don't know the concept of your app I can't really tell you much more. At this moment it all comes down to what is the most important aspect for your app :)

If you want to root your phone with third party applications like king root.. Yes you can root with background applications running. BG apps should not be a problem.. But if you want to do it by the standard method.. You ll have to close all background apps. Sorry if my answer was inappropriate to your question

So if it is possible if the user roots their phone using king root, then what would be a counter for this? Instead of checking only once whenever the app is run in the beginning, start a background service thread in the app that routinely calls safetynet every X amount of duration of time and act accordingly?

@RichyDavisWindow3 This isn't a developer site, so I'm afraid we can't really advise you how to write your app.


text:
replace internal memory
Is it possible to replace internal memory of a android phone ?
How difficult it is?
Is internal memory part of System On Chip itself, so that it is next to impossible to remove them ?
Have anybody tried this out ?
My device is "Redmi Note" - but you can consider this as a generic question. If these is any device where replacing internal memory is  possible, I will switch to that device :)
Thanks

Is it possible to replace internal memory of a android phone ?

Yes.
Lots of Taobao (think of it as Chinese eBay?) merchants actually offer services of enlarging RAM and internal storage by replacing the chip, and these are actually quite popular, at least around me. Most are for Apple and Xiaomi phones which are popular and often lacking in storage. For example, they could expand the storage of a Xiaomi MI 5 to 6GB+128GB, a configuration Xiaomi themselves never offered.
Here's a very simple search with the keywords "Xiaomi" + "capacity enlargement" (in Chinese):

The internal storage chip (eMMC/UFS) is not an integral part of the SoC, but on most modern phones, it's packaged together with the SoC, often stacked on top of it, as the picture below demonstrates:

(AP≈SoC)
(Source article - also worth a read)

Have anybody tried this out ?

There are several factors preventing you from trying it out, however:

The tiny size and mass amount of pins connecting the two together means you need professional devices to de-solder and re-solder them. The merchants above are usually situated in Shenzhen in real life - known for flourishing electronic industry, so they are well-equipped for such, but same can't be said for a random DIYer.
You can't handily buy replacement chips unless you are familiar with the supply chains, and even then you can't make sure what you bought is compatible.
You also need to load the blank chip with basic data (such as partition tables), which usually only professionals have access to.

Even if you are professional enough to overcome all of this, the stability of the modification is questionable - there are numerous examples of unstable re-solder job undermining the connection, causing the phone to fail. Such mods, naturally, are not covered within warranties, and therefore only you get to shoulder the consequences.
TL;DR: YES technically, but NO realistically.


text:
Where are failed installed Android system images in Windows
I was trying updating my Android System Image via Android SDK Manager. It was downloaded but failed to install because unfortunately, all C: disk memory was exhausted. I tried finding it in temp directories but wasn't there. I need to delete those failed system images and want to change the directory of temporary download location/installation of system images. Any help will be really appreciated.

First make sure your clear the download cache from SDK manager:

If you believe you downloaded the system images, but failed to install them then probably they were extracted to respective directories i.e User\Android\android-sdk\system-images and in SDK manager they should show as broken with a typical icon like shown below:

It could be that you aren't able to start your AVD or emulator is complaining of low space on C: drive then you have to delete the .tmp files in this directory: Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\AndroidEmulator

Ironically, I  actually have a temp file of around 1.5GB (not sure why its there as I clear up my temporary files regulary).
Also make sure other unnecessary files are clear in your PC e.g emptying recycle bin etc.
I not really sure if there is a way to change the sdk temp directory in Windows.


text:
Log app with reminders
I want to log some 1-10 parameters multiple times a day, i.e. mood, energy, hunger etc ...
After two hours of googling, I did not find a simple app that completes the following:

Log multiple things on a scale 1-10
Set multiple reminders during the day

Ideal scenario:
Let's say I set daily reminders at 10:00, 13:00, 19:00, 23:00 for hunger and happiness
at 10:00, I will get a notification/reminder. Upon rolling the screen from the top (to display all notifications), there would be two sliders, one for hunger and one for happiness.
Does this exist?
If not, anyone wanna create one with react native with me?
Will be open sourced, compensated if u wish :)
Thanks in advance for any help!

You can try it with tasker.
Variables can be queried at the desired times and then written to a text file, for example.
If there are actually sliders, you probably need to design your own scene.
My recommendation is to simply try out if you can do with tasker.
To get started, there are countless tutorials. On the homepage there is one 7 days trial version.

Holy hell Tasker looks AMAZING! I have so many use cases in mind. Trying it now, thanks!

For many profiles there are already finished solutions in various forums. For the problem in your question there will be none, but perhaps for the other ideas you still have.


text:
Detect Which App is Sending SMS
I noticed on my phone bill that I have a lot of sent SMS messages which I'm not aware of and can't find in the sms app.
Is there a way to find out which app is sending these messages? And how to view the details of these messages on my android phone (I'm using Galaxy S7 Edge).

you can set permission on each app's sms usage(android version > 6.0). Go to settings -> Apps - > Permissions. Uncheck the Message/Sms.

You can begin your search by using a permission viewer/analyzer type app, such as aSpotcat. They can categorize apps based on the common permissions.

Does this answer your question? Determine app sending SMS Premium messages

Well first take a look at what is your standard SMS App. If it is anything that is not native to your phone (e.d. third party App) or something you installed away from google play store (e.d. untrusted source) it can be some sort of malware.
But before jumping to conclusions it is recommended you check every app in your phone and try to see which apps are even capable of sending SMS. To check if the app is capable of sending SMS, go to your Settings -> Apps and than click on each App individually. It should display a list of permissions the App has on your phone. If you see that the app has the permission of sending and recieving SMS, but is not the App used normally for communication, uninstall it immediately. Of course, this doesn't include Apps such as Viber, because they can indeed send SMS messages.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Dejan, I am using the stock sms app. For the permissions to send sms I have checked that and they are all look legitimate apps that I need to keep.
My question was how to find out which app was sending these messages and how to view the content/details of the messages.

Well I guess in that case you'll need to go trough each app manually and look trough each message that has been sent. If you are still unable to find these messages than I can think of 2 possible factors.

Human Factor
Somebody's been sending these messages from your phone and than deleting them

Malware
You have a malware on your phone and that is the cause of all these messages.

If it is the latter, or you have a reason to believe that you have malware installed, please backup your files and restore your phone (to factory) settings immediately, as this can be a huge problem.


text:
Cannot flash Moto X Style - Due to "Pre-flash validation failed" error
I have bricked my device (The Motorola Moto X Style (UK)) after trying to install SuperSU on my device running the latest MM build.
Through hours and hours of research, I am trying to flash a stock build to my device, downloaded from this website https://firmware.center/firmware/Motorola/Moto%20X%20Style/Stock/XT1572/
I am following the instructions in this thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-style/development/firmware-moto-x-style-pure-stock-t3272486
These are the commands you are told to enter into command prompt:
fastboot oem lock begin
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.6
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.7
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.8
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.9
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot oem lock
fastboot reboot

I have tried 2 different builds, both of them failing when reaching the same commands.  This is my console window at the moment after reaching the sparsechunk.2 file
    D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot devices
TA391006KH      fastboot

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash partition D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\gpt.bin
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:partition: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'partition' (32 KB)...
OKAY [  0.016s]
writing 'partition'...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 0.393s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash bootloader D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\bootloader.img
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:bootloader: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'bootloader' (2699 KB)...
OKAY [  0.155s]
writing 'bootloader'...
(bootloader) flashing aboot ...
(bootloader) flashing sbl1 ...
(bootloader) flashing pmic ...
(bootloader) flashing rpm ...
(bootloader) flashing tz ...
(bootloader) flashing hyp ...
(bootloader) flashing sdi ...
OKAY [  1.637s]
finished. total time: 1.805s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash logo D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\logo.bin
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:logo: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'logo' (3687 KB)...
OKAY [  0.081s]
writing 'logo'...
OKAY [  0.116s]
finished. total time: 0.204s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash boot D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\boot.img
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:boot: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'boot' (40960 KB)...
OKAY [  0.985s]
writing 'boot'...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 1.702s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash recovery D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\recovery.img
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:recovery: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (41040 KB)...
OKAY [  0.961s]
writing 'recovery'...
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 1.728s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash system D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\system.img_sparsechunk.0
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'system' (257199 KB)...
OKAY [  5.813s]
writing 'system'...
(bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 6.232s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash system D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\system.img_sparsechunk.1
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'system' (255632 KB)...
OKAY [  5.848s]
writing 'system'...
(bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 5.917s

D:\platform-tools-latest-windows\platform-tools>fastboot flash system D:\XT1572_CLARK_RETEU_6.0.1_MPHS24.107-58-5_cid7_subsidy-DEFAULT_CFC.xml\system.img_sparsechunk.2
(bootloader) slot-count: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) slot-suffixes: not found
(bootloader) has-slot:system: not found
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'system' (255866 KB)...
OKAY [  5.851s]
writing 'system'...
(bootloader) Invalid signed image
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 5.920s

What am I doing wrong?  Do these errors mean that I am trying to flash the wrong firmware?
Thanks for any help in advance!

Did you get the phone from a retailer, or did it come "branded" by your phone carrier (3, Virgin, or whoever)?

I bought it 'unbranded', unlocked from any carrier

OK, that rules out the obvious answer then.

I have managed to wipe, and do a clean install of Lineage 14.1, so i have a working device again! I'll leave this post up incase someone can come up with a solution

To answer your question specifically: In Moto devices, Preflash Validation Error means the factory image you are attempting to flash is older than the one you have currently installed and Moto devices do not support downgrading of the bootloader or partition table (gpt.bin) regardless if the bootloader is locked or unlocked.
There is also a second issue here with the system sparsechunks failing, but that is more related to having other "stuff" in the system folder that is remaining from other ROMs or flashed patches, typically a format (different from a wipe) of /system and /data in TWRP before starting the flash process clears this up.
You are also not beginning or ending your flash process correctly for the image you are using...You should begin with "fastboot oem fb_mode_set" and end with "fastboot oem fb_mode_clear" prior to the reboot, more on this in a second...
There are really 2 options here, you can skip the partition table (gpt.bin), and possibly the bootloader.img file if it fails, and continue the flash process. It should complete and operate normally and you can accept OTA updates. Or you can wait until a newer factory image becomes available.
Performing a "relock" of the bootloader is not possible when downgrading, meaning you got a preflash validation error, because you are not flashing a complete image. Performing an oem lock begin and oem lock requires ALL pieces of the factory image be flashed successfully, which is not possible if you are downgrading.
To answer the obvious next question, we do not have the latest factory images for this device, we are one to two versions behind depending on the variant, and Moto/Lenovo is less than forthcoming with providing them so we tend to get them by "other" means.
I have written a complete tutorial on XDA on returning this device to it's factory state, it is available here. All of these issue have been discussed and answered in this thread in great detail, most are recoverable issues but not all without a current factory image.

+1.By any chance did you make a guide like this for Moto X Play?

@beeshyams No... X and G, but all recent Moto's are essentially the same process, the specific commands can be derived from flashfile.xml included with each factory image.

find flashfile.bat then run it instead run manual
or you should start to run 2 command:

fastboot getvar max-sparse-size
fastboot oem fb_mode_set

full example of :
Motorola_Moto_X_Style_XT1572_CLARK_RETLA_DS_7.0_NPHS25.200-15-8_CID12
echo off
fastboot getvar max-sparse-size
fastboot oem fb_mode_set
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.6
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.7
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.8
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.9
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.10
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot flash bluetooth BTFM.bin
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase customize
fastboot erase clogo
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot flash bluetooth BTFM.bin
fastboot oem fb_mode_clear
echo -------------------------------------------------------------------------
echo please scroll up and check your flash for any errors
echo -------------------------------------------------------------------------
pause
fastboot reboot
exit


text:
How to change stored password in Skype4Business app?
My domain password changed and the Skype4Businnes app on my phone started to complain about wrong credentials. How can the password in it be changed?
I searched everywhere and ended up reinstalling the app and entering the credentials on first start.

Isn't Skype4Business controlled through Office365? I think you need to change those passwords at the source. Check using your Office sign-in. Visit the MS Office Password Reset site for further details.

@wbogacz No, as it says, the password is stored in the app.

After starting Skype4B:

open the menu by swiping into the screen from left
select "Sign Out" (last option)
the login page appears
there edit/delete the old password and enter the new one
click the big arrow icon to sign in


text:
Update WebView without using Google Play
I have an Android 6 device, where I have full root access. On this device, we are using an app which basically uses a WebView to display a website. The app is installed as a privileged system app. It is working good, however the webview-version on the stock device has a few bugs and we would like to upgrade to a more recent version.
I could update system.android.webview via Google Play, but due to the number of devices that need to be udpated this is not a viable solution.
So my question is: How can I update the system webview on android 6 without google playstore? I need a way to extract the updated app from one device and install it on another without Google Play.
Ideally,  we want to install without internet access but over adb so that we could script it easily for reliable installation on a larger number of devices.
The method suggested here for Android 5.1 seems to not work anymore on Android 6.

This is my answer. It's working on 6.

/data/app/com.google.android.webview does not exist on my devices, could you give me a hint where to find the apk on the updated device?

I assume just copying over the .apk and trying to install it as a normal app doesn't work?

@AnishMajumder: I tried installing the apk via adb install -r .... Installation was successful, but my app could no longer instantiante the WebView, the causing exception seen in logcat was 06-08 10:20:39.878  3467  3467 E WebViewFactory: Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Cannot load WebView 06-08 10:20:39.878  3467  3467 E WebViewFactory:        at com.android.webview.chromium.WebViewChromiumFactoryProvider.initialize(WebViewChromiumFactoryProvider.java:5068)

@iBug I could actually make a slightly extended version of your answer work. I took /data/app/com.google.android.webview-1 from a device updated via play store and put it on the new device. To make it use the updated webview, I had to remove /system/app/WebViewGoogle/. Do you want to put this as an answer here?

If you don't mind factory resetting your phone, you can try to unlock your phone's bootloader, flash TWRP Recovery and then install Open GApps, which installs/reinstalls Google apps and can give you ones that you cannot get from Google play.
Disclaimer:- I am not responsible for what may happen to your device during this process.
It installs WebView with it (if selected) and can remove stock (AOSP) Apps (Your default WebView). If it does not work you can still flash SuperSU and uninstall the system app.
-Daniel ✓
Edit: Since you already have full root access, you can try to uninstall WebView and install a fresh one from the web. Just be sure to download one prior to uninstalling.

Thanks for the answer, this sounds interesting! The main point, however,
(and I realize that I did not point that out in the question), is that the ideal solution would work without internet access but over adb so that we could script it easily for reliable installation on a larger number of devices. I will update the question accordingly.


text:
Wipe HTC One M8 for sale without losing root
I have a rooted VZW HTC One M8 that I'm about to replace. I want to sell it, but I don't want to lose root or S-Off because I think that might be a selling point. I've never actually rooted or wiped a phone, only thing I've done is flash ROMs. I'd like to know, how do I wipe my stuff off this phone to sell it without losing root and S-Off, or is that even possible. I'm still running a 5.0.1 ROM, FluentRom V 6.0, just never have bothered to update to Marshmallow or Nougat with it. Thanks!

What I think you are looking for is this: http://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-one-m8/howto/696022.html
However I am not sure if this removes the root. If it does, there is also another possibility, depending if you have this option. If you already flashed rom's, you may have done it trough fastboot. In the fastboot menu, there should also be an option to delete data (or wipe data) and delete cache. That will delete or your stored files on the phone, without loosing root.

No flashed through TWRP.

@prw94 well have you tried the first solution?

Not yet, wanting to get my new phone in hand and up and running before I do anything with this one. Will advise. Thanks.


text:
I want to carry on using hangouts for sms
I assume i can install an older apk before the sms integration timer was added, freeze updates and use hangouts for SMS forever.
I have two questions
1) how can i find the most recent version that won't have the warning message
2) where are my SMS stored, will i lose the history?

I've managed to get this all good. I went through apkmirror and kept updating versions of hangouts until I found one that didn't throw the "SMS will not work in hangouts soon".
I stopped on version 16, but could possibly have gone one higher I think. I'm not too bothered about having the latest features for hangouts, it's just a text messenger.
I then disabled updates in play store and I'm good to go.
Thanks for the answers everyone

You can check previous versions at this link. You SMS are stored on your device locally. You can always change to another SMS application like Textra
or Default Android Messages

Yeah I'm aware of apkmirror, I should've mentioned that in the question. I was more accurately asking if anyone knew which version, or a way of me finding out which version, I could install that wouldn't keep telling me that SMS will stop working soon. I'm currently working my way up through versions until I get that error message!

Yeah got it. But if they have any server side lock then it will not possible I think. Your messages are stored locally. You can switch over another messaging application if you wish. :)


text:
Audio jack not working on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
I have the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and this phone is NOT rooted yet. However, I am not sure if this is a hardware-specific issue or not. The phone is a day old, so I don't know if it should have been working before.
When I insert an audio jack (headphones, tried two pairs), no audio is played through them, but instead, continues playing through the main speakers.
Xiaomi support lines are reportedly bad, so I won't try, especially since I can't find their support email/ticket site in the first place.
Following is the specs:
Device Android ID/Codename: Nikel
Android: 6.0.1 MMB29M - MIUI8
Patch Level: 2017-04-01
MIUI Version: MIUI Global 8.2 Stable (8.2.5.0 MCFMIDL)
CPU: Octa-Core Max 2.00GHz
RAM: 3.00 GB
Internal: 32GB
Kernel: 3.18.24-perf-g798c6bf

Is this a hardware issue, or a software issue?
If it's software, what should I do to fix it, and is this a known issue?

I rebooted and it started working, but I'll leave this question unanswered because I don't know what the problem was.

Seeing that it works (see question's comment), this answer is somewhat unnecessary, but for the future in a Q&A fashion, I'll put in my 2 cents.
There are a couple of things to know here. Glitches happen, and stuff breaks. We obviously prefer the first. Here's a couple of steps to isolate the cause.

Quoting the IT crowd "Have you tried turning it off and on again?". Seems dumb, but it works. If this fixes it, it's a software issue. (Hopefully one you won't be seeing again)
Quoting the IT crowd again, "Is it plugged in?". Check that the connections inside the port are clean and nothing is stuck in there. Don't go sticking anything wet in there, but maybe a very very mildly damp q-tip could do the trick.
If neither of these do anything, try a factory reset. If that doesn't work, it's hardware damage.


text:
Facebook individual tone
Is there a way in Facebook messenger to customize the message tone for individual people? I can change the Default tone for everyone but I want to change for individual people.

If by 'tone' you mean colour, then you sure can: Go to Messages Tab -> (Contact) -> Press the  in the top right corner -> Scroll down until you see 'colour', enjoy the colours.
-Daniel ✓


text:
RSSI range for WiFi icons
What is stock RSSI range for the WiFi indicator icon in notification bar?

I didn't look back through older versions, but here's information accurate as of Android 7.1.2.
The code that performs the transformation from RSSI to signal "level" is found in the WifiManager.calculateSignalLevel method:
public static int calculateSignalLevel(int rssi, int numLevels) {
    if (rssi <= MIN_RSSI) {
        return 0;
    } else if (rssi >= MAX_RSSI) {
        return numLevels - 1;
    } else {
        float inputRange = (MAX_RSSI - MIN_RSSI);
        float outputRange = (numLevels - 1);
        return (int)((float)(rssi - MIN_RSSI) * outputRange / inputRange);
    }
}

...where MIN_RSSI is -100 and MAX_RSSI is -55 (source). The input range is "dynamic" in the sense that its based off of how many resource files are available for the WiFi icon, but in AOSP this value will be 5 because it has icons for 0-4 bars. Using the above logic and values, the ranges come out to approximately:

-55 or higher: 4 bars
-56 to -66: 3 bars
-67 to -77: 2 bars
-78 to -88: 1 bar
-89 or lower: 0 bars