text:
Audible does not download audiobook on mobile data
I'm using Audible for Android, and when I purchased a book, I'm not able to download it over mobile data.
I have ensured that background data is enabled both system-wide and for Audible, but Audible still would not download. After I tap Continue on the "Data Usage Notice", Audible only shows the following on the book:

Waiting to download...
Retrying 2 of 5
Retrying 3 of 5
Retrying 4 of 5
Retrying 5 of 5
Retrying 6 of 5 (huh?)
Invalid data format

Is there anything else I should do to have it download the audiobook over mobile data? Or is it possible to do it over WiFi only? (I can download over WiFi without any problem.)
It is possible that my mobile network service provider actively blocks Audible downloads, however, there were no reports about this that I could find online.
My device is OnePlus 2 running stock Android Marshmallow.

Can you try changing the format for the same audiobook and see ?

@beeshyams those instructions seem outdated. I don't find any such drop-down in the Library page. I also suspect that it's not really a format problem, but the app is incorrectly handling the condition of not being able to download.

@beeshyams I spoke too soon. Saw the option after I "expand" the book details and click "Download options". I will try and see if it works.

I don't think it is a mobile data issue, since

You have not reported any problems with any other downloads on data

It is more likely a format issue (error says Invalid Data Format) and Audible website says Not all portable devices support all formats. Details below

What is an Audible format, and how do I choose the one that best suits me? says

Audible offers four different types of audio formats to choose from, depending upon the device you wish to use to listen to your audiobooks. The audio format is determined by the rate of compression.
Note: Not all portable devices support all formats.

These formats correspond to quality as in AM, FM, MP3, CD
To change these formats one would need to log in desktop site per instructions on the linked page (in essence, Library →Audio quality drop down menu)

Your answer would only make sense if the Audible app is designed to download two different formats depending on whether I choose to download the book over mobile data or WiFi. Funny thing, it might just be designed that way (and I have no control over it, except maybe, just maybe, inconveniently through desktop site to be set per each book). Because when I had started the download over WiFi and later switched to mobile data, the download continued without any problem. This needs further investigation. I'll vote you up in any case.

I see your point, but it is perhaps best to write to the developer explaining your situation ,  and seeking clarity on Not all portable devices support all formats

Meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to see if changing the format for downloading on mobile makes a difference, your experiment of starting out on WiFi  and switching to mobile notwithstanding

No, I tried all the four formats through the desktop site, but the mobile app still would not download on mobile data. Once I connect to WiFi it downloads without any problem. I don't this there is an actual data format issue here. It's a modern smartphone, not some odd MP3 player. And the issue is isolated to one of the two channels of data transfer only. I think this is a bug in the app.

Surprising and best course would be to raise a bug report. All the best and do update your findings to help others in future. Thanks


text:
I am using HTC Desire HD A9191. When I place or receive a call my phone speaker is automatically turning ON and navigation is popping on the screen
I am using HTC Desire HD A9191. When I place or receive a call my phone speaker is automatically turning ON and for every 10-20 seconds navigation page is popping on the screen. Please help to fix this issue.I am facing problem from 3 weeks.

Have you tried any method from google for your problem ?
There is a software fix for this , try this :

Shutdown the phone, remove the battery, press the power button to discharge the phone. Install the battery again and turn the phone back on as normal.
Open the ‘All apps’ menu, open ‘Dock Mode’ press the phones menu button and select ‘Settings’. Un-tick the ‘Auto-launch’ option.
Open the phones settings menu. Open ‘Display’ and click on ‘G-Sensor calibration’. Follow the prompts to calibrate the sensor.
Open the phones settings menu.
Open ‘Sound’. Un-tick ‘Flip for speaker’.

Have you installed any new software or software updates recently? Uninstall the software and check if the issue still exists.
Clear the application cache for the car application.
Install Car Dock Settings from the android store. Using the application un-tick the ‘Enable speaker phone’ option.
Original source :  https://www.itsupportguides.com/htc-android-phones/solved-htc-phone-speakerphone-automatically-on-for-all-calls/
Hope it helps !

Hi Nilesh Jadav, As I followed the above URL before but the issue is not fixed as 'Dock Mode' is not available in HTC Desire HD A 9191 and I installed  "Install Car Dock Settings from the android store. Using the application un-tick the ‘Enable speaker phone’ option." and did the same but issue is not fixed.Please help if you have any other ways to fix this issue of shitty bug

Well havey tried factory reset ? Also I had seen in other forums that they had used proximity sensor apps to control speaker mode , you try that might it help ! If not then back up your data and factory reset.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Can Android 6 backups be manually deleted?
When using the new backup service introduced with Android 6, is there any way to explicitly delete an existing backup of an Android device stored in a Google account?

Google Operating System blog (unofficial) says

The Android section from Google Dashboard shows a lot of useful information about your Android devices (IMEI number, registered date, last activity date, carrier) and it also lets you delete backup data. "Please note that new backup data will be created if backup is enabled on any of your Android devices," informs Google.

XDA post-  How do I delete Google's Cloud Backups? says the same, with a picture below

Disabling backup from Settings will prevent future backups but not delete earlier ones
Disclaimer: Unverified, since I don't make Google back ups

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


text:
How to install CyanogenMod 12 or above on Galaxy S2
I have stock Galaxy S2 with gingerbread 2.3.X . Now i bought LG G5 so i want to install CyanogenMod 12 or above on old buddy S2 to give it new life  but i'm totally noob in this sort of thing.
What are the things involve in installing custom ROMS. A guide will be very helpful
Thanks ...

Tell us the exact model of your S2 first. Is it a GT-i9100, a i9100G, a US variant, or something else? Guides can be vastly different depending on model. Also, do give link a read to have a basic understanding. This does not cover starting from stock ROM though.

Its GT-i9100 , and no its not US variant. I'm using in Middle East. Android version = 2.3.3. Kernel Version = 2.6.35.7-i9100. I root-ed it while ago

First priority: get it updated to official Jelly Bean (4.1.x). Since you're rooted, you can't get it by checking for updates on the phone, so just do it via Odin. You need a PC with appropriate drivers installed, of course. Follow this guide, but get the official firmware for your region from SamMobile instead. Let the official ROM boot once before you proceed.
Keep a copy of the CM ROM you're about to flash either in internal storage or in a microSD card inserted in the device. The latter is preferred.
After that you're clear to read CM's official installation guide here, but instead of using Heimdall, keep using Odin which you used in the last step. Replace official firmware with this in the PDA/AP slot, leave other slots empty and start flashing. As the flashing comes to its end, quickly hold VOLUME +, HOME and POWER to boot right into recovery mode.
From there, use VOLUME keys for navigating in menu and HOME/POWER for confirmation. Choose wipe data / factory reset then choose install zip and select the location where you've put the ROM at. Select the ROM to start flashing. When done, do not immediately reboot, but instead install IsoRec TWRP recovery by following this guide, or else you'll have no usable recovery after boot. Reboot system now after that.
I know it's quite a mouthful for you to handle right now - do it step by step, report each error and choke points, and in case anything goes wrong, the first step (Odin + official firmware) should always reset things back to beginning.
To other members: although I had much experience flashing Samsung phones and Android devices in general, I don't own this particular device, so feel free to edit and correct faults if you have sufficient backing.

I followed the 1st paragraph and installed kitkat 4.1.2 but recovery mode is still "Android Recovery Mode <3e> " . After searching what i understood is there are two recovery mode "TWRP" and "CWM"  which one should i use ? easy one will be good ...

As of now you can't directly install TWRP because that one is in .img format which is not for Odin. Go for the CWM I linked to in the 3rd para.


text:
Apps got weird names and icons -> virus?
So, for instance one of apps renamed itself to "Content on this profile might be inappropriate for those under a certain age" and displays that message (and "Stopped.") in a MessageBox when started. Its icon also changed (to a grey heart; another changed to a grey edit-pencil). It works again after reinstalling it though. And my VLC player app is now called "_".
Do you think my phone fell victim to a virus? I got the Kaspersky virus scanner installed and when doing a full scan it finds nothing. I guess it's probably just some bug.
Maybe someone else had the same problem?
Edit: it appears that moving apps from my phone to the SD card was causing the icon-problem. The icon of Firefox changed to some grey icon after doing so. It changed back to the proper icon after I restarted the device. Not sure if that was also causing the app-names problem and I think it's unlikely to have caused that soundcloud-app-problem.

Your question is not clear. Please add screenshot

I haven't experienced the same issue myself but it definitely sounds like something caused by third party app(s).
What I would suggest is to boot your phone up in safe mode and systematically go through your apps, uninstall and install them until you have identified the offending app.
Example:
1. boot into safe mode
2. remove app1
3. boot up normally
4. check if resolved
5. if not, reinstall app1
6. repeat process for app2

If you have an approximate idea of when this happened, refer to your app installation history so you don't have to do this for all your installed apps and save some time!

How could the OP identify the offending app, if all of third-party apps cannot run at boot in safe mode?

My suggestion does not require third party apps to run, in fact, I suggested the safe boot method to force this situation.

If the offending app may not run in safe mode, how could OP identify it?

I would kindly refer you to the example steps I have included in my answer. If it's still unclear and OP doesn't understand, I'll happily edit my answer.


text:
foreign phone stuck at Edge
I have Samsung galaxy j2 ( j200h/ds). Phone is supposed to connect to 3g but it never does. My current network is T-Mobile.

What's your question?

Use OpenSignal to determine if your area actually does have 3G coverage from T-Mobile. I suspect that your area does not, and that is why you are not getting 3G service from T-Mobile. If you do get 3G coverage in your area, removing your SIM card and inserting it back into your phone will likely do the trick.


text:
“Screen overlay detected” dialog? Turned off everything, doesn't work
I started receiving the “Screen overlay detected” dialog when trying to change apps settings.
Tried to turn off all "draw over other apps" as it says here - "Screen overlay detected" dialog?, first without system and then with, but it still doesn't work.
Then, I restored apps to original settings and it just made a bigger mess, dialog continue appearing.
Any way to go back to previous settings???
Thanks!

Check apps with accessibility privileges, in the Accessibility section of Settings, and turn them all off.

There are three places to check. Mine was caused by the Forest app under Acessibilty.
Non-system Apps
Settings -> Application Manager -> Apps with Overlay Permissions -> Apps with Permissions
System Apps
Same as above, but with Show System Apps turned on
Accessibility Apps
Settings -> Acessibility -> Scroll to the bottom. It lists app names. Just turn them all off for now.

PIE Controls turned out to be the problem for me.
Long story short, after trying every suggested thing I could find (even disabled permissions of some system apps, I will hopefully remember which ones and will be able to set it back...) I started thinking to myself, "what application could draw over the screen other than those on this list?" and realized that I had GravityBox installed through Xposed, and pie controls enabled! As soon as I disabled that (didn't have to turn off the entire module, just setting "enable pie control" to "never" was enough) I was able to finally set permissions!


text:
Samsung mobile charging screen blink issue
While charging I my Samsung J7 mobile via wall charger it's shows charging ICON Blink. If try to power on it will always show startup logo (model name) and again turn off display and it's restart always.
But when I pressed Home+Power+VolumeDown It's shown boot window.But it's not blink or restart.That window work perfect and I try to install OS via Odin3 v3.09.But it's not resolve my issue because when device restart It can't update apps because withing 10-15 seconds device restart again.

Battery replaced and now it's working

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


text:
What is QuadRooter? Are 900 million Android devices vulnerable?
What actually is QuadRooter and how does it work on Android devices?
It is currently in the news that 900 millions Android devices are vulnerable:

Serious security flaws that could give attackers complete access to a phone's data have been found in software used on tens of millions of Android devices.
The bugs were uncovered by Checkpoint researchers looking at software running on chipsets made by US firm Qualcomm.
Qualcomm processors are found in about 900 million Android phones, the company said.

The article also said that it is something at the chipset level.
Is this true?
And how does this work internally?

I can't answer the question, but read the article closely to see the dishonest number game.  "software used on tens of millions... (unrelated) 900 million"  The press likes big numbers.  The bigger the better.  The answer to your question is probably "No, only those tens of millions are affected." but I don't know that for certain so I won't write an answer.

Any phone running Android 4.2 (JellyBean) or later will have Google's App Verify installed. This is on by default and will detect these vulnerabilities in any app installed, as long as Google Play Services is installed on the phone. So, nowhere near 900 million devices are affected, as 4.2 or higher is on about 80% of all Android devices. Only those with older android versions or cheap Android phones that don't license Google Play Services will be affected.

@ehambright Yet most if not all phones sold in China, be it cheap or not, made in China or not, have 4.2+ or not, are not loaded with GAPPS/PlayServices. They account for a significant portion of Android sales (not necessarily 900M though). Add to the fact that we Chinese use alternative markets exclusively, and we have a problem at least for ourselves.

What is QuadRooter?

Quadrooter is a name for a set of security vulnerabilities including

CVE-2016-2059
CVE-2016-2504
CVE-2016-2503
CVE-2016-5340

These are weaknesses in Linux/Android system software provided by chipset manufacturer Qualcomm.
They could be exploited by an app that you download, even one that does not ask for any special privileges. Such an app could exploit these vulnerabilities to gain higher level control of your phone, including access to any private data you have stored on it.

The US National Vulnerability Database gives the following description for the  vulnerabilities listed above
2059

The msm_ipc_router_bind_control_port function in net/ipc_router/ipc_router_core.c in the IPC router kernel module for the Linux kernel 3.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, does not verify that a port is a client port, which allows attackers to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (race condition and list corruption) by making many BIND_CONTROL_PORT ioctl calls.

2504

The Qualcomm GPU driver in Android before 2016-08-05 on Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P, and 7 (2013) devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28026365 and Qualcomm internal bug CR1002974.

2503

The Qualcomm GPU driver in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 5X and 6P devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28084795 and Qualcomm internal bug CR1006067.

5340

The is_ashmem_file function in drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c in a certain Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android patch for the Linux kernel 3.x mishandles pointer validation within the KGSL Linux Graphics Module, which allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions by using the /ashmem string as the dentry name.

You can download an app named "Quadrooter Scanner" from the Google Play store - it will tell you if your phone is vulnerable. The app was written by Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd. I have installed it, ran it and uninstalled it. Other than that, I cannot say if it is reliable in any way.
Qualcomm have issued software fixes to manufacturers
Google have addressed a couple of these in their security bulletins for July and August
Issue                                    CVE            Severity    Affects
                                                                    Nexus?
Elevation of privilege vulnerability in  CVE-2016-2503,  Critical   Yes
Qualcomm GPU driver (Device specific)    CVE-2016-2067

...
Elevation of privilege vulnerability in  CVE-2016-2504,  Critical   Yes
Qualcomm GPU driver                      CVE-2016-3842

...
Elevation of privilege vulnerability in Qualcomm GPU driver

An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm GPU driver could
enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the
context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Critical due to the
possibility of a local permanent device compromise, which may require
reflashing the operating system to repair the device.

CVE References  Severity    Updated Nexus devices   Date reported
CVE-2016-2504    Critical   Nexus 5, Nexus 5X,      Apr 5, 2016
A-28026365                  Nexus 6, Nexus 6P,
QC-CR#1002974               Nexus 7 (2013)

I suspect owners of vulnerable phones have a number of options including some or all of

wait for manufacturer to provide an over the air update to fix this.
don't download any new apps
prevent apps from being updated until vulnerabilities are fixed
uninstall all superfluous apps
power down the phone until sure a fix is ready

I guess many people would regard at least the last item as overkill.

Are 900 million Android devices vulnerable?

Worldwide sales of smartphones are of the order of 1 billion each year.
Qualcomm are a major manufacturer of integrated circuits used in smartphones. They sell a variety of ICs including the popular "Snapdragon" range of ARM-based CPUs. Their annual revenues are of the order of USD 25 billion.
According to Forbes

According to ABI Research, leading chipset maker Qualcomm remained a leader in the LTE baseband chipsets in 2015. The company held a massive 65% of the LTE baseband chipset market in the year.

There may be 2 billion smartphones in use in 2016. Of course, a lot of these will be IOS devices. There may still be one or two Windows phone users out there :-).
The average lifetime of a smartphone might be two years or might be four years. There is certainly a market in second hand smartphones. It seems plausible that many smartphones older than one year are still in use.
Of course, there are Android devices that are not smartphones. Google estimates there are 1.4 billion active Android devices worldwide. 65% of 1.4 billion is 910 million. This might be how journalists arrived at this figure. If so, it isn't at all accurate.
However, assuming that the vulnerable drivers have existed for several years, it seems plausible that hundreds of millions of devices might be affected. 900 million seems to be the extreme upper end of possible estimates.

Related

2016-08-10 "Google says most users 'protected' against 'Quadrooter' - Play Store should spot exploits"
2016-08-08 QuadRooter vulnerability: 5 things to know about this Android security scare

So, a custom kernel may or may not be enough to patch this vulnerability?

I'm wondering if the scanner tool can be trusted to do nothing further with the information it finds...

@JanDvorak: It atleast gives you an option to share the scan results or not

@beeshyams Which is a perfect excuse to make the user enable network access for you, so that you can send away that personal data you just gained access to.

Still no fix for Nexus devices with the CVE-2016-5340 bug? Guess I'm not downloading/updating apps for the next while.

as always it seems the answer is - assume your phone is already hacked, and to store no sensitive data on it, nor allow it to access sensitive data. These flaws (and lack of security updates) turn smartphones into toys, though that seems to be all they're used for anyway :-)

As a follow-up question: what can I do about it (apart from not storing sensitive data on it)?

@Sammy: See Ctrl+F "Options" above.

An excellent answer. I ran the vulnerability scanner, and it reported me vulnerable, so I contacted ATT. They claim it was patched in the July update.

More on Quadrooter
Traffic hijacking Linux flaw affects 80% of Android devices -- including Nougat - extracts

While there are a huge number of smartphones and tablets at risk, Lookout says that the flaw is difficult to exploit, somewhat mitigating the risks:

The vulnerability allows an attacker to remotely spy on people who are using unencrypted traffic or degrade encrypted connections. While a man in the middle attack is not required here, the attacker still needs to know a source and destination IP address to successfully execute the attack.

We can estimate then that all Android versions running the Linux Kernel 3.6 (approximately Android 4.4 KitKat) to the latest are vulnerable to this attack or 79.9 percent of the Android ecosystem.
We found the patch for the Linux kernel was authored on July 11, 2016. However, checking the latest developer preview of Android Nougat, it does not look like the Kernel is patched against this flaw. This is most likely because the patch was not available prior to the most recent Android update.

(Emphasis supplied)

In order to patch this vulnerability Android devices need to have their Linux kernel updated.  Fortunately, there are a few remedies a user can do until the patch is released:

Encrypt your communications to prevent them from being spied on. This means ensuring the websites you browse to and the apps you use are employing HTTPS with TLS. You can also use a VPN if you want to add an extra step of precaution.
If you have a rooted Android device you can make this attack harder by using the sysctl tool and changing the value for net.ipv4.tcp_challenge_ack_limit to something very large, e.g. net.ipv4.tcp_challenge_ack_limit = 999999999

Scammers put a bogus Android security patch app in Google Play- extracts

Scammers put a fake Android security patch app in Google Play to infect smartphones.
The bogus patch, packaged as an app, was briefly available in Google Play and purported to fix the so-called QuadRooter bugs that were revealed by security firm Check Point last week.
According to security firm ESET, Google has now pulled the two offending apps from Google Play. Both were both called “Fix Patch QuadRooter” from a publisher Kiwiapps Ltd.
ESET researchers said it is the first time fake Android security patches have been used to lure potential victims

What other Android resources (if any) are affected by raising the net.ipv4.tcp_challenge_ack_limit to something very large ? Will it inhibit or reduce anything net side? (I don't know that's why I'm asking)

@HasH_BrowN sorry, i have no idea


text:
Many files are visible from Android but not visible from USB
I was finding many times that many files are visible from within Android itself, but not visible from USB.
Latest example is OSMTracker files.
Here is the folder visible from Android itself:

And here is the same file as visible via USB:

I.e. there are 3 extra folders visible from inside.
How to fix this?
I would like to see all files from USB.

Settings-> Apps -> all apps -> find External Storage and clear cache.
Reboot, try again from here

Google source productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/Nexus/6lMKqYYXpXw

@beeshyams Since I'm also interested in and troubled by the question, I tried your tips, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to remedy the issue. For example, WeChat generates EXT_STORAGE/tencent/MicroMsg/downloads but it's invisible before and after doing what you posted.

@Dims If a reboot is out of the question (e.g. small/few files), consider moving the files to another place with a file explorer before finding it with PC - anywhere should do.


text:
Alcatel Onetouch Pop 3 5.5 bootloop
I've recently tried to root my device with this tutorial. But now when I start my phone it restarts after 5 seconds and then it shows the teamwin logo. After that it says:
Could not mount /data and unable to find crypto footer.
Failed to mount '/data' (Invalid argument)
Unable to recreate /data/media folder.
Updating partition details...
Failed to mount '/data' (Invalid argument)
...done
Unable to mount storage
Failed to mount '/data' (Invalid argument)
Full SELinux support is present.
Unable to mount /data/media/TWRP/.twrps
Running Recovery Commands
Failed to mount '/data' (Invalid argument)
Formatting Cache using make_ext4fs...
Failed to mount '/data' (Invalid argument)
Done processing script file
Renamed stock recovery file in /system to prevent
the stock ROM from replacing TWRP.

Does anyone know how to resolve this? I'm at the point that I don't care about the root anymore I just want my phone to act normal again.
Just to make sure everybody understands: my phone can't load recovery nor load fastboot mode.

I'm sorry to say, you may have bricked your phone...
pardon me for any mistakes, I am only 14 years old
try reinstalling the kernel and bootloader (I suggest using clockworkmod for bootloader) through Odin - Google how to do it if you don't know
then delete cache, dalvik cache and finally factory reset your phone - all through bootloader like ClockWorkMod
Download a ROM like Cyanogenmod
Download GAPPS for the ROM
Put all of this on SD card
Flash the Rom and GAPPS through bootloader
And finally reboot your phone - If you get a message from the bootloader asking if you would like to fix root, simply select yes
You can activate root by going on to developer options on CyanogenMod

Thanks for replying! For sofar I've read my phone is not "bricked", it is stuck in bootloop. Do you have a tutorial for me how to use Odin on a phone that is stuck in bootloop? Or mabey another program or method to fix this?

Umm... Give me like 10 mins, I will find a tutorial for u...

This is a tutorial that shows how to recover from boot loop: http://xda-university.com/as-a-user/how-to-recover-from-a-bootloop

This one shows how to use Odin on Samsung... http://androidflagship.com/791-update-root-android-samsung-device-odin You can use this tutorial for your phone... Best of luck!

I've found a way to undo this.
Alcatel does offer repair tools on their site. Simply select Pop 3 (5.5) from the list on the left and download the tool. Just follow the steps exactly and your device will boot properly.
If I find a way to root this device I will post it here as well.


text:
How to know why I get sound notifications?
Every hour I get 2 notifications (sound) at 27' and 57' exactly. There is no app nor message in the status bar, just the sound.
It started a couple of days ago. I did not install any new software before that.
How to know which daemon or app does this ?

It was a mail account failing to retrieve emails. I had to delete the mail account and reconfigure it. There was an icon flashing at the time of sound but not staying in the status bar.

It has been two days, so please mark this as answer (if it worked)


text:
Lenovo Vibe P1 display toggles on and off while charging
I have a Lenovo Vibe and using it from a year and a half. Recently I observed that the display turns on and off on it's own, while charging (only while charging)
I tried to change Display Settings and upgrading the device. But the problem still persists. So even if I charge for 3 hours, it fills only for 50 %. This was not the behaviour earlier.
How can I fix this please?
Current Android Version: 5.1. I don't remember the previous version .

How can I update my question ? Didn't see any options. So adding a comment.I don't remember the previous version. Here's the current details.
Android Version: 5.1
Base band version: P1ma40_A_V035_160226

Where i can find developer option ? In settings tab, i don't see it. I have only "About Phone"
And I didn't understand the term, " Rooted"

@Vijay to update your question, use the [edit] link below it. As for developer settings: If you don't see them, you can't have changed that option (and btw, it wouldn't explain the turning on and off). If you're interested in this nevertheless, see our usb-debugging tag-wiki on how to activate developer settings ;)

This is not a solution to fix your device problem. It is a workaround only to keep your screen off, while charging
Automation is the preferred option. Many apps are available. I prefer using MacroDroid , since it is free (upto 5 macros) and easy to learn. To understand how MacroDroid works and required settings,  my answer here

Your macro would look like this

Macro : Screen Off (name of macro )

Trigger:
Power Connected
Action:
Screen On/Off →  Screen Off
Constraints: None (leave blank)

I will try this Work around and let you know the results. Thanks for your time.

If the answer meets your needs, you can consider "accepting" it by ticking the green check mark on the left. This shows it worked for you and also those seeking in future for a similar solution will find it useful


text:
What does "Drawing over other apps" mean?
I installed a GIF app from Play Store, and they want permission to do this. I don't even understand what drawing over other apps means.
Is it the floating hearts in a GIF in a private message in Messenger? I'm confused.

Drawing over other apps means being able to display something, while not in foreground, like a screen filter that darkens the screen. If an app requests this permission without you seeing a need for it, uninstall this app immediately.

O k So I'm wrong? It's not something like floating hearts or animated movements in a meme or GIF? And if so, why is the GIF app asking permission to draw over another app? What app would they want to draw over and what is the purpose in drawing over?

Drawing over other apps allows you to alter the representation of other apps. If the app in question does not seem to need this (I don't know the app you try to describe), don't allow that permission. Displaying GIFs or memes does not require that permission.

@GiantTree Like what Facebook Messenger does when the little profile photo of the person you're talking to keeps hovering over other apps even when you leave the app?

@Stacey You should report this app as well.

The technical name of this permission is SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW:

Allows an application to open windows using the type TYPE_SYSTEM_ALERT, shown on top of all other applications.
  This permission allows an app to show a "popup" window above all other apps, even if the app is not in the foreground. A malicious developer/advertiser could use it to show very obnoxious advertising. Almost no apps should require this permission unless they are part of the Android operating system. An example of a system alert would be the alert you are shown when your phone or tablet is out of battery and is about to shut down.

As GiantTree already pointed out, this is also used by "screen overlay apps" such as screen filters. A malicious app could e.g. use it to trick you to do things you'd otherwise wouldn't do, for example overlaying buttons with different text (or replacing the question text with something different) so you press "yes" on a screen you wanted to press "no" (so-called "Tap-Jacking") – which is why (at least with Android 6) people often get the warning "screen overlay detected". See e.g.:

“Screen overlay detected” dialog?
Screen overlay detected, what is the problem?

GiantTree is right.  If the "floating hearts or animated movements" are supposed to appear on top of other apps, then this permission is needed.  If that's not what it does or if that's not what you want (i.e., if it's only supposed to be for editing GIFs inside the app), then you should remove/not install the app — such overlays can be used to intercept input and perform unwanted operations on your phone or steal your data.
A classic example of a valid use for this permission is, again as GiantTree mentions, screen filtering.  Such apps can darken the screen or red-shift it for use at night.  Another example is Facebook Messenger, which can put chat icons on the screen to make notifications more visible and provide quick access to current conversations.


text:
Adoptable Storage not using full SD card space since changing cards
I've got a strange issue going on with my adoptable storage setup. I have a SONY Xperia XA Ultra.
I initially got it working with a Sandisk 32GB Class 10 card. I adopted the entire card, and the Device storage went from "Total used of 16 GB" to "Total used of 48GB".
But then I had the bright idea to use one of my 64 GB cards, also Sandisk Class 10.
I repeated the process again, after reverting the 32GB back to portable of course, and adopted the entire 64GB card.
This time however only 16GB of the card was adopted, with the rest of the card basically lost. I couldn't see or access the rest of the card. Even with the Freespace app that part of the card just didn't exist.
So I reverted that and tried to adopt just 32GB, thinking maybe there is a limit to how much can be adopted. Same problem, only 16GB was adopted.
So I gave up, reverted that and went back to the 32GB card and adopted the whole card again. Only 16GB was adopted.
I tried 2 other cards a 64 & a 32, same problem.
And yes, I did migrate data and reboot each time. I even did a software repair before my last attempt.
Does anyone know how I can fix this?

This was sorted out by formatting the sd card in a PC, and not in the phone itself, then repeating the adoptable storage enabling process.


text:
How to revert setting change that caused bootloop?
I have an ASUS Zenfone 2 with Cyanogen Mod 13 (not sure the version but it's from may).
I was looking at privacy settings and accidentally locked "google play service". as soon as I tapped it my phone froze, I waited a minute or 2 and nothing so I held power to reboot, and it just boot looped.
Is there a way to change this setting with out re flashing my phone? I do have TWRP installed.

It should be by using the file manager under TWRP. Navigate to /data/system/ and look fo appops.xml. rename it to appops.xml.bak so you can have a backup and reboot.
PS: as per this post stackoverflow, you might lose also the notifications setting. But most probably those can be reset after boot.

Booting my Oneplus One into safe mode was enough to get the system to boot. I was then able to change the settings back to how they were and restart the phone.


text:
Manually switch carriers Project Fi
I have heard that you can manually switch carriers when using Project Fi. How do I go about this? What is the easiest way?
Edit: Is there an app that does this too?

You can easily manually switch carriers in Project Fi:
Head into the Phone Dialer app that came with your Nexus phone, then type in these dialer codes to manually switch carrier:

Sprint = *#*#FISPR#*#*
T-Mobile = *#*#FITMO#*#*
US Cellular = *#*#FIDAN#*#*
Auto = *#*#FIAUTO#*#*

You can also download the Fi Info app, which automates the process a bit with a widget (I use it all the time).
Source and more info.

Singal Spy is the app that I use to do this.
It also shows you at a glance what network you are currently connected to:

Thanks! This works too, just as well as Fi Info (which also has that notification thing).


text:
My computer doesn't detect my Samsung Galaxy A5 at all on bootloader mode
I'm trying to unlock my bootloader on my Samsung Galaxy A5. I've done a lot of research and can't find a solution.
My problem is that whenever I turn on bootloader mode, my computer doesn't even see it, but when I'm on normal mode, the phone is just working normally and my computer detects it.
How can I fix it and unlock my bootloader?

I'm going to assume you are on windows?  Did you install the samsung drivers?

Also, how did you determine your computer "doesn't see it"? What steps did you perform?

i use windows and i installed the samsung drivers

when i go to this pc on my computer it doesn't see my device and when i do adb devices it can't detect it and even when i use the fastboot devices its still doesn't work

but when my phone is on but not on download mode my computer sees it normally even in adb

@itaygev Try Using ODIN.

I assume you're trying to "unlock bootloader" in the way you would do to a Nexus, i.e. fastboot oem unlock. Unfortunately Samsung almost never made their bootloaders work like that - the only thing even close is Download Mode + Odin where you use Odin (their proprietary tool) on PC to load stuff like recovery images onto the device.
Since it's not clear what you're intending to do by unlocking bootloader (likely rooting), consider taking a look at XDA for discussions and development specific to your device. You might even find yourself a custom ROM in the end, but no guarantees.


text:
Do phone manufacturers use AOSP as their base?
Do phone manufacturers like Samsung use AOSP as their base and customize that, or does Google provide a special vanilla version of Android and they customize that?

I worked with a couple of OEMs and know for a fact that when the OEMs start off working on a new version of android the Software Configuration team picks the latest stable version of the AOSP and then various teams start work to put their customizations in place.
So say a Samsung will have the Touchwiz team start work to customize the UX. The Baseband team will route the Radio Interface layer to the proprietary RIL or vendor-Ril as it is sometimes called. It takes months of effort to roll out phones with the latest software. And contect with google minimal. Google does a compatibilty test suite (for new handset launches) upon failure of which Google proactively supports. Google also works very proactively with OEMs on the Nexus line of phones.

I worked at BlackBerry while they were developing the Priv, and we worked directly with AOSP plus some libraries provided by the chipset manufacturers.  IIRC we also got a little bit of advance access to new versions, but nothing from Google that was developed specially for us or manufacturers in general.
Please note that this is based on my personal opinions/knowledge and I do not represent BlackBerry in any way.

Other than a few exceptions, such as OnePlus with CyanogenOS, most manufacturers use AOSP code for their base and customize it.


text:
Difference between a gyro sensor and a compass sensor?
Some Android devices feature a gyro (gyroscope) sensor.  Some only have a compass sensor.
Besides a gyro being 3D and a compass being 2D, what are the differences between a gyro sensor and a compass sensor?

Um, Lizard – isn't that Android independent? Same sensors are used in non-Android devices IMHO. As for the difference, have you checked the Wikipedia Gyroscope page?

A compass is showing north, nothing more.
A gyro sensor checks the horizontal position, where is up and down. With this sensor you can create these funny games like "Waterslide", where the phone checks, to which side you hold your phone. The gyro sensor cannot see where north is, like the compass.

Thanks franc.  What is the horizontal position relative to?

To the ground surface. The sensor is just using the gravitiy to check where the "down" is.

Thanks.  That's for "up" and "down"... but what about "left" and "right"?  What is that relative to?

There is no left and right. There is only down and up (as its opposite). Think as it as it were an electronical spirit level.

OK... I was confused by "to which side you hold your phone".


text:
enabling developer mode in xiaomi redmi hm 1s
To enable the hidden Developer Options, I followed the following steps below :

On your Redmi phone, find and launch the Settings app.
Tap General settings.
Tap About phone.
Tap Android version for 7 times.
Once you reached the 7th times, it displays "K" after pressing K for some time it displays a screen showing in red color showing Android written at center and version written at bottom Android 4.4.4.
After pressing for some time it displays this screen with some animated gifs:

But as prescribed by Xiaomi offical documents step 5 and 6 doesn't come up
instead it should be this

display a message "You have enabled developer option" on your device.Now you have successfully enabled Developer option tab.
Now you need to go back to main settings and then launch Additional Settings.From their tap in developer options and enable it.and After that enable USB debugging .

But after the animated image display nothing happens as described .Even the option for Developer Option doesn't not show up....
So how to enable developer mode on this phone please help.??? Thanks in advance.

Step 4 is probably wrong. That should read "build version". If you have a separate entry for "build", try that (and report back, please ;)

@Izzy I got it need to tap on MIUI version..instead of android version..

Great, congrats! May I suggest you make that an answer and accept it (ticking the green check-mark next to it), so other MIUI users can identify the solution? Thanks in advance!

Well ,I got it just ..need to Tap on MIUI version instead of Android version..

Instead of android version you need to tap build version. I've noticed the same mistake in another guide but I can't seem to find it right now(may have been removed or fixed)


text:
How to follow a country during the olympics (Google now)
I really like the job Google has done on their Olympic coverage. However I cannot for the life of me figure out how to add a country to follow during the Olympics. I am currently following the US because I was initially asked if I would like to follow them but I would like to follow other countries as well.
Is there any way to add additional countries to be followed via google now during the Olympics?

Change your home address to a different country might work.

@user181927 thank you, for some reason that's what determines your "country" for the Olympics. Because immigration isn't a thing

No Google just guess what your home country is via its AI. In my case because I use VPN sometimes it guessed my home country differently from time to time. My home address is in the US, but Google never guessed it is my home country and even if I turn off my VPN now it still doesn't guess it right.


text:
What's the difference between factory reset and hard reset?
I know that both of them wipe data and revert the device settings as they were - - but let's say I notice a bug on the device.
Should I pursue a hard reset it factory reset? What are the key differences?

The two terms factory and hard reset are associated with settings. A factory reset relates to the rebooting of the entire system, while hard resets relates to the resetting of any hardware in the system.
Factory Reset: Factory resets are generally done to remove the data entirely from a device, the device is to be started again and requires the need of re installation of the software. The factory reset makes the device function again in a new form. It cleans the entire system of the device. It is probably done at the time of updating to a new version of the device's software.
Hard Reset: When a device does not function properly, it means the setting in the device needs to be changed, so only that part of the device is reset, or rebooted in the hard reset. It clears all the memory associated with the hardware and updates the hardware with the latest updated version. After the hard reset, the CPU or the processor restarts the application.
For your case I would recommend a hard reset since a bug is most commonly not a system-wide issue. If you want to upgrade your firmware or remove several problems along with the bug however, then a factory reset might suit you better.
You can find out more in these webpages:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/droid-razr/166480-what-difference-between-hard-reset-soft-reset.html
http://www.smartmobilephonesolutions.com/content/difference-between-soft-reset-and-hard-reset-on-mobile-phones
http://www.differencebetween.info/

Hard-reset does not wipe data. It is a forceful way of restarting the device.
To put it simply, Factory-reset, is to restore the device to the state it was in when you got the new device (excepting the upgrades) and is a sledge hammer approach, while hard-reset is restarting device to get rid of minor irritants . Which approach you want to take depends on the "bug" you have and how severe it is. Look up the tag wiki information and questions to help you decide what you need to do to fix your bug
Key differences below:

Added hard-reset tag to your question. Quoting from hard-reset tag wiki

A hard reset is traditionally when you kill all power to the phone and then boot it up from that state. Normally you remove the battery, then put it back in and boot up. Unfortunately, some people use "hard reset" when they really mean factory-reset.

Again quoting from factory-reset tag wiki

A factory reset results in a full reset of an Android device to the original settings of the currently-installed ROM. This process deletes all user data and user installed apps, so the device looks like it came fresh out of the box. Usually this corresponds to the state it comes in from the factory (hence the name "factory reset"), which sometimes can be a little misleading: A factory reset will not roll back any possibly applied updates to the system.


text:
Phone unable to recognize headphones
Explanation of issue: when I plug in headphones (any pair of headphones), the line out icon appears instead of the headphone icon (see image below).

As a result, no sound comes through the headphones, although there is definitely mild feedback that does come through.
Phone: LG G4
Things I've tried:

Different pairs of headphones
Turned phone off and on again (with headphones plugged in and without)
Checked all audio related settings
Downloaded SoundAbout, but even this doesn't help, as it's not an issue of the phone misunderstanding the type of headphones, it thinks they're something else entirely. I did get some audio coming through the headphones after selecting "Wired Headphones" and telling the phone to ignore the headphones being plugged in, but it was very quiet and distorted by feedback.
Cleaned out headphone jack with compressed air

It might be because of an issue with the headphone jack area being broken through wear and tear (or the phone falling). How long have you had the phone?

It's 4 months old. There should be almost no wear on it yet. The phone has never been dropped without a case, and never significantly.

Wild shot-  try Macrodroid automation app and create a macro-use trigger headphone inserted, action as  control media options, constraints-none and see if something works

Unfortunately, no luck there either.

Ended up sending to back for repair. They replaced the mainboard, which means they couldn't be bothered to actually debug the issue and just nuked it. Not very satisfying, but it works now.


text:
Sms going to email
I read up on how to stop this but the sync sms box was already unchecked but my sms keep going to my email. However only some of my messages come thru to me as an sms. There are some that have been sent to me by sms but I can only get them via my email... SOMEONE HELP PLZ

You need to turn off SMS Sync in your Exchange Account settings.
Click on the Exchange ActiveSync account and then select settings. Scroll down to the bottom and then click on More Settings. On this screen you'll see an option to Sync SMS. Make sure this is unchecked, that should take care of it.
BTW, this is a simple Google search away...

As I said I've done all that and it's still happening.. When I went into the 'more settings' sms sync was already unchecked...


text:
Root a phone using Quadrooter
According to zdnet, the quadrooter vulnerability allows the attacker to

...gain root access, which gives the attacker full access to an affected Android device...

Does this mean that some qcom phones will now have a chance to obtain root?
I'm asking this because I want to root my moto e which is locked thanks to verizon.

Quadrooter refers to a set of vulnerabilities , which are explained in the question here What is QuadRooter? Are 900 million Android devices vulnerable?
These vulnerabilities may be translated into rooting techniques in due course, if security upgrades don't fix them (even if upgraded, it may not reach all devices for various reasons)
To answer your question, it may be possible, but at this point of time, nothing can be said with certainty.

So technically it's possible, but no one out there has tested it yet...?

Yes, technically possible if one knows how to do it


text:
Does the LG K7 have IR capabilities?
Does the LG K7 have IR capabilities?
If it does, is there a way I could use it as a remote control?

Nobody ever Googles before asking these days? PDAdb

Infrared Gate: Not supported

End of question.


text:
How to Recover Data From OS Flashed Android Phone?
I am Using Micromax YU Yuphoria .. Its rooted device. suddenly my device get stuck on Cyanogen Logo During Reboot.
I thought there is no way to get rid out from that. so reflash it with same cyanogen 12.1 Stock ROM. But I didnt backup my data so i lost it. is there any way to recover it back?
i tried Dr.Fone Wondershare, Easeus Mobisaver but nothing works. because those will work on formatted device . but mine OS reflashed one. so i wish to recover my precious data... kindly help me regarding this..  Thanks

First, if you just flashed (and didn't wipe), no data should be lost. Second, have you already checked with our data-recovery tag-wiki, which deals with stuff like that?

Thanks @lzzy for your response. i didnt wipe. OS got stuck in logo so i simply flashed it using some .bat scripts for windows. thats it.. is this possible to recover my data .

If it wasn't wiped, it should startup normally with all your data in place. If it doesn't, please check with our data-recovery tag-wiki first, as I already recommended.


text:
Is it safe to factory reset my rooted HTC One M8?
I rooted my android marshmallow M8 some time ago and didn't flash any custom ROM. Just used SuperSU and Xposed for some modules and that's basically it. Today the phone was forced shut-down at 13% battery (it had that problem for a while) and when I charged it and tried to turn it on, a message pops out saying that there's an internal problem and it may be unstable until I factory reset the phone. And there is indeed a problem. Messages keep popping out saying that google apps are crashing and I basically can't use it.
So, can I just factory reset it like that? Since it's rooted and everything.

Preform backup just in case. Yes factory reset will return it to factory status. If you have custom recovery then just wipe data and cache's. If you have SuperSu system mode do a full factory wipe.

So there's no problem with factory resetting it it?

Nope it will just go back to original status

@WiseManAnd except for system software. Factory reset won't touch the /system partition – so everything that got installed there (e.g. XPosed) should survive it. Despite the name, it doesn't restore it to factory status – but just to factory settings (i.e. all user data and "normally installed apps" get wiped).

But user asked if it was safe to restore, I asumed they would flash Xposed recovery through custom recovery when the phone was usable, all suspect apps would need to be uninstalled otherwise and user couldn't do that as phone was unusable.

Yes you can safely factory reset, but as said here don't do it from the apps settings, as it won't erase some applications installed in system.
A full factory reset will restore the phone just like it was when out of the factory, not matter what you did (well except radio, and custom ROM and other low level software). So it's safe.


text:
When WhatsApp takes backup on Google Drive?
I am aware that Local back up is done by WhatsApp daily at 2 AM, from the official FAQ of WhatsApp. Below is the relevant quote:

Local backups will run automatically every day at 2am and save your
  database in a file on the phone itself.

But if I opted for Google Drive back up and selected the Frequency as Daily, then there is no clear time mentioned in the official WhatsApp/Google Drive info pages.
Same question can be extended for other Back up frequencies. For example  if Monthly, then which date of Month back up will be taken or if frequency is Weekly, then which day of the week back up will be taken to Google Drive.
My Question: Is there a way to know when/at what time WhatsApp takes Back up to Google Drive(and not a local backup, its already known, at 2AM Daily) for each of daily/weekly/monthly option?

Try it out and check the timestamps? BTW: That "2am" seems to be for a specific time zone which not necessarily matches the TZ the user/device is in ;)

Answer  seems logical too. Do you feel differently? Asking since i didn't see any response on the answer


text:
Transfering all photos via USB cable
When I connect my OnePlus One by USB to Windows 7 or Windows 10 (I also tried Ubuntu), I first drag down the notification panel, and then select "File transfers" (I also tried "Photo Transfer (PTP)").
Under Windows I can then navigate to Computer\A0001\Internal storage\DCIM\Camera, and access 236 of my most recent photos and videos. However, I have more photos and videos than this on the phone. If I open the default camera application, and swipe left from the right edge, I can see many more photos - all the photos I've taken in fact. Why does Windows not show me these? Are they stored in another location? Ultimately, how can I tranfer them to my computer.

Option 1.
Look for any software that can help you import the photos from the phone instead of looking for the pictures in directories ##google has a lot of hits.
Option 2.
Click one those extra pictures, check the details and see the folder path of the file. You can then look for that folder when you connects the phone to the pc.

The location is the same for all of them: storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera. This is not a valid Windows path on my machine; though obviously it's reminiscent of the path I mentioned in the question. As for your first option, I may head there in time, but for now I'd like to understand what's going on here.

Looks like you are searching in the wrong location, just go to the camera app,swipe right,click the details icon and check the file location, browse on your PC and copy it to your computer.


text:
Samsung SM-N910F - What firmware should I use and is there any danger in using a "branded" firmware?
I read a lot before posting here but everywhere I looked I could not get a straight answer for my question.
I have a rooted Samsung SM-N910F (Galaxy Note 4) currently running 5.1.1, N910FXXU1POK1 (Nordic, NEE), LMY47X.N910FXXU1POK1, factory unlocked. I wan't to upgrade to 6.0.1 and have found a lot of threads on how to do this.
However some sites are using United Kingdom (Vodafone) firmware and still saying that as long as the model is a Samsung SM-N910F there should be no trouble updating.
Is this true? If I use a "branded" firmware, will it affect my phone if it is factory unlocked?

True, you just get a different batch of bloatware from that region. Been using European firmwares for many of my Samsung devices from various regions because generally they're cleaner.
And no matter what your final decision is, SamMobile has you covered for firmwares from all around the world.


text:
HTC One M8 settings not allowing file transfer
I've been able to transfer files from this device to any PC since I've owned it, up until a few days ago. Usually when it is connected by a USB to a PC I will see the drop down notification that will allow me to change the USB connection settings. After restarting my phone, this notification will only stay for about 30 seconds. All the while, the USB continues to charge. When I do get the chance to see this menu, I choose MTP but the changes don't apply and the screen generally doesn't respond, going dark and unresponsive until I press the home icon. In my developer options I've allowed USB debugging, and my USB Configuration as MTP and PTP but that doesn't seem change anything. I've triple checked my USB cords, which have worked in the past and work with other phones. I'm at wit's end! I need help!

I had read somewhere that screen lockout time interferes with data transfer- can you increase it to say 10 minutes and see if it helps?

Could it be you've installed any new app lately which applies a screen filter/overlay? What Android version does your M8 run?

One thing you can do is to use the HTC One M8 root toolkit, which allows you to fix most of the phone's problems with a click of a button. I am not very familiar with the HTC toolkit (I have a Nexus) but you should be able to factory reset your phone without wiping data from here.
You can use this method as a last resort if nothing else works. Here are some websites showing how to fix/backup the specific problem:
http://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-one-m8/howto/465027.html
http://deviceguides.vodafone.ie/web/htc-one-m8/change-settings/bluetooth/transfer-files-via-bluetooth
http://www.htc.com/us/support/htc-one-m8/howto/465041.html
If these don't work either, call HTC support since it may actually be a problem with the phone.

My screen lockout has been set for a long time for a while now so I don't think that's it. I don't think it's any new apps that have caused this but I'll check. I'm using marshmallow. Thanks for all the links. I'll try rooting if those don't work.


text:
How to Get More Stable Notifications in Xiaomi MI 2 Band when Pebble and Android 6?
Known situation: How to force reset the Band? when using Pebble smartwatch too
Complications: Phone MI app cannot connect to the band, I do not get any notifications about my emails, ...
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S4
Phone OS: Cyanogenmod 13 (Temasek's unofficial Rom)
Activity band: Xiaomi MI Band 2 (unstable here)
Smart watch: Pebble Classic 1 (stable notifications here)
Pebble firmware: 3.12.2 (newest 9.8.2016)
Pebble hardware: V3R3

The Mi:2 is quite new, so it might not yet be mature. But you could try an alternative Android app for that: Gadgetbridge has Initial support for Mi Band 2 and always welcomes testers. I'm using it with my Pebble Time Steel and am really satisfied. If you're willing to give it a try, you can install the app from F-Droid.

Check the Wiki first, Masi :) Tapping a Gadget's entry usually opens the list of apps installed on it. Try tap-and-hold (long-Tap) the entry, that gives you a context menu. As for uninstalling the original apps: nobody forces you to do that. I'd leave them installed for the moment; once you find you no longer need them, you can still uninstall them. I've never used (or even installed) the original Pebble app, I found it too intrusive ;)

Have you checked with the wiki, as I recommended? Sorry, but I can't guide you through the entire project step-by-step here ;) There's e.g. a Getting started with Pebble (as mentioned, for the Mi the wiki still has huge gaps – and I cannot help with that either as I have none).

The Mi:2 is quite new, so it might not yet be mature. But you could try an alternative Android app for that: Gadgetbridge has Initial support for Mi Band 2 and always welcomes testers. I'm using it with my Pebble Time Steel and am really satisfied. If you're willing to give it a try, you can install the app from F-Droid.
A few things to note on Gadgetbridge:

GB is privacy focused. Thus it e.g. doesn't request the Internet permission (and probably never will), which means that watch apps/faces requiring that won't be able to do the corresponding jobs unless they come with a companion app. However, there are plans for an internet enabled addon which might add that feature for those who want it.
at the moment, multiple Gadgets cannot be connected to GB at the same time. Again, this is something being worked on.

Gadgetbridge is a quite active project, so don't give up if you miss something. Also, it has a pretty good Wiki you should make sure to check (and you're welcome to contribute to that: I've meanwhile covered most of the Pebble part – but not having a Mi I had to leave the gaps open in that section ;)

How do you manage the installation of Pebble Apps in your Pebble?

See: Pebble Watchfaces (apps on your Pebble (aka Watchfaces), where to find, how to use/manage, known issues/limitations) ;) There is no market integrated, if you mean that. I usually download apps manually (link in the wiki – important: the dev_settings=true in the URL, or the download link won't be shown).

Do steps as described in Izzy's answer and particularly in Gadgetbridge's wiki where the main point is (1).
I found out the stability increases significantly in using both systems at the same time by

Have the latest firmware in Pebble, disconnect Pebble official application, use Gadgetbridge of F-Droid to connect to Pebble
Use Mi Band's official application to use it.

Result: both systems can be controlled once again; Pebble's official application is complicating for some reason with Mi Band's software.

Thanks, Masi – I didn't know about the side effects the official Pebble app has on MiBand. Hope you like Gadgetbridge – and maybe you can help feeding the Wiki on MiBand topics (feeding the Wiki was my way to say thanks for the great work the GB people do ;)

@Izzy I updated the wiki here https://github.com/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge/wiki/Mi-Band-Compatibility-Issues in the section Pebble.

Cool, thanks a lot! Feel encouraged to continue – and enjoy Gadgetbridge :)


text:
Remove preinstalled apps without rooting
Is there any other way apart from rooting the device to remove preinstalled apps?
If it's relevant, the Android version is 4.4 Kitkat.

Depends on the app. Some apps can simply be uninstalled (usually bloat apps like Amazon and such). Other can only e deactivated or simply require a rooted device.

I can't update pre-loaded apps also.Is there a work around for these?

Nope, either disable them, or root & remove.. No other way out..

You could flash a different ROM.

Possible duplicate of Uninstall apps locked by phone vendor

There are two kinds of preinstalled apps, system apps and preset user apps.
User apps, even if they are preinstalled, can be removed normally. However, they will come back at every factory reset or settings reset.
For system apps, it's a little bit complex.
TL;DR In general we say you can't. Actually, yes you can, but the method is even more complex than rooting, so it's highly impractical. Yet you really can, though.
First of all, generally speaking, you can't remove system apps without root. System apps are installed in /system, which you can't mount as read-write without root normally. Thus you can't remove them.
However, as is mentioned above, as long as you can mount /system in read-write access, you can remove system apps. By far the easiest approach is to flash a cusrom recovery (this is more complex than rooting). With the custom recovery, you can modify every corner in your device, /system included, but beware of potential damage. In the recovery you can mount /system as r-w and then delete unwanted system apps. The real conplexity is that in most cases you must do this in an ADB shell, or deal with the not-so-friendly UI of TWRP.
Furthermore, I haven't yet learned that someone is flashing a custom recovery without rooting his phone. Only ones who want to maximize control over their devices gets custom recoveries, and rooting, in this case, is more basic than a recovery.

Here's a use case : there are several apps that refuse to work if the phone is rooted. Some of them are completely impossible to fool. One of my biggest uses for root are to remove pre-installed system apps that I don't use.

Also, my phone was unlocked using a manufacturer-supplied tool. So I have an unlocked bootloader, but not root.

As far as I know there is no way to remove google apps without rooting your android device but you can simply disable them. Go to Settings>Application Manager then select the app and Disable it.

If you are mentioned about apps install on /data/app, you may directly remove them.
If you are talking about apps on /system/app, there is no way you can uninstall them. Instead of delete them, I think you should disable them on app manager under setting.

You can also disable the apps which you dont want to use
Go to Setting> Application manager>
Downloaded
Now select the application which you want to disable
You can enable them when you needs  that apps it does not shows icon  on the menu

STEP 1
Press the Android's back button as many times as necessary to return to the main menu.
STEP 2
Tap the "Menu" button.
STEP 3
Tap "Settings" and then tap "Applications."
STEP 4
Select the "Manage Applications" option.
STEP 5
Scroll through the list of applications until you come across the YouTube app.
STEP 6
Tap the YouTube app and then select the small "Uninstall" button. Click "OK" to confirm that you would like to remove the app from your Android.

Preinstalled Apps can't be removed by just uninstalling them. That just removes their updates.

You can reset your device and then all apps are removed.

Sorry, but that is not true for nearly all phones.

Pre-installed apps are almost always part of the ROM (system apps) and are completely untouched by a factory reset.  On some devices, they may even be actively restored by the bootloader if you've removed them manually.


text:
I get error 7 while updating Cyanogen OS 13 on OnePlus
I have OnePlus One with Cyanogen OS 13.0-ZNH0EAS2JK and I can't install OTA updates since I have TWRP as recovery (version 3.0.2-0).
So, for this reason I downloaded the file of incremental version (this one: http://builds.cyngn.com/incremental/bacon/cm-bacon-ced5430fc0-to-9f339bddf2-signed.zip) and I tried to install it from recovery, but I get the following error:
Click to enlarge

Here is the message i get every time i reboot the phone:

How can i solve?

The reason of the failure is explained in the log itself: the ZIP is made to update a different COS version (either MHC19Q/ZNH2KAS1KN, or MHC19Q/ZNH2KAS254) than yours (LMY48B/YOG4PAS1NO), therefore the check (or assert) fails, preventing you from updating. The check is in place because updating from a version different than the accepted ones may break the system, and this check mechanism is pretty common in all of Cyanogen's ZIPs.

I see, thank you for your explanation. So how to update my phone? (i edited my answer)

I followed recommendation of other forum Cm13.1 ZCN2KAS1KN i.e get  updated cyanogen os 13.1 official full zip and dirty patched to this official succesfully. Having TWRP implies we lost incremental updates...


text:
Moto G (XT1039) running out of memory
Can anybody help please? My Motorola Moto G (XT1039) is reporting “Storage space running out”. Settings > Storage confirms I apparently have only 302MB available from an internal capacity of 5.52GB. I can’t now do any app updates, nor does Sync work anywhere. I’ve already followed the standard advice and moved all the apps (that allow this) to the SD card, together with all photos. Further investigation of Storage shows I have apps totalling 3.5GB, and all other items (including cached data and misc) only total 320MB, a grand total of less than 3.6GB. I should have around 2GB free. Why is it not reporting this, and allowing updates and sync to work? Or, what else is occupying the space, and why doesn’t it show me that? What I actually need to know is what can I do about it?

3.5 Gb of data storage used by apps only is a serious issue. you should clean your device on regular basis (not physically, clear the junk files i mean).
On any device the first thing I do is disable the unnecessary applications in settings. Bloatwares eat a lot of space in storage plus if you have good Internet connection they go on updating themselves over time thus reducing our precious space. you can disable them in Settings -> Apps -> all. then from list click on any app you want to disable. just be careful while disabling unknown apps as it may lead to unstable system so do it on your own risk. you can also use uninstall helpers from play store. click on Clear data button before disabling. it will remove the data of that application.
Next, try to clean the app cache. Its not usually more than few megabytes but still it can help. And cleaning cache will not wipe the application data or uninstall the updates so you can go for it. use apps like Clean master or similar to keep cache clean on regular basis.
Lastly try to uninstall the app updates which you don't use or use very less. and keep the "auto update over WiFi" feature of play store 'off' so that you can choose which apps to update and save space.

Thanks Spark for your help. I’ve now disabled all unnecessary apps. All apps that will allow it are on the SD card (was already done). Cached data is cleared (2.98MB remains). Sync and updates work now. But after doing all updates, and accidentally losing 2 apps, apps has gone up to 3.86GB, but available space is 467Mb. There’s no space to reinstall the 2 apps I’ve lost. I may only have temporarily solved my problem. Do I have a bloatware problem (see reply to Abhishek K)

I personally would not prefer applications like clean master as to clear the junk files and memory, because most of the applications like clean master are bloatwares.
The simplest and efficient method is to clear your system cache by

Settings > Storage and USB > Internal Storage > Cached data

There are some apps that have a fewer package size, but grow after installations. You can identify them in your Settins > Apps. And some of the static applications which you would not use frequently can be uninstalled after taking their apk backed up with some advanced file managers like ES file explorer.
And also try not to install huge number of applications. Or may be move their data into the SD card by

Settings > Apps > 'your_application' > Move to Sd card

Thanks Abhishek K for your help.
You use the term “bloatware”, which I may not understand properly. I take it to mean an app which grows substantially in size after it’s initially installed. For instance: “All 4”, taking up 143MB total, shows “App” at 36.06MB, and “Data” at 107MB. Is this an example? What is this data? Can I delete it? Or if I uninstall and reinstall will it revert to 36MB and work fine? There are probably many examples of this (for instance Facebook, which was 270MB of my storage, claims a download size of only 45MB).

Not all apps that grow in size are bloatwares. You can clearly understand the term bloatware from google. Famous applications like Clean master, ES file explorer, Quickpic etc. have become more of that kind (bloatware) by functioning deviated from their actual purpose. Try to understand about such apps from the internet and thus you can avoid most of the problems facing now, like memory, speed and privacy issues


text:
How do I transfer app data from one an s4 mini to a s5
Is there a way to transfer my app data  from one phone to another. We've done saving it to a sd card and even downloaded a back app but it only saved the app. When I transfer my games I have to start from scratch again.. is there a way around this?

Applications/Games save the user data like scores, gold amount, ammo etc in /data directory. thus you'll need root access on both of your devices to transfer apps with data. if you don't have root access this cannot be done by normal means. if you already have root access then use apps like Titanium backup or any other your favorite to backup apps, most of them have facility for rooted users like Backup app with data. Then you can transfer the backup to other device and just restore it with same application this should work for normal low-to-mid range games.
Note: This can be done with file explorer app also. just find the data directory of your game in /data folder copy it to your other device where you want data to be restored. overwrite the directory in other device. kill the app from memory and relaunch it and see if it works. (Remember Root access required for any method)


text:
Run 2 commands in the same line in terminal emulator
I want to execute two commands in the same line on Android terminal emulator.

Example: the two commands svc wifi disable and `exit

I want to create a widget to disable the WLAN and out of the terminal emulator app at the same time, and in the terminal emulator app widget, I can only put one command.

svc wifi disable && exit

If you want to execute each command only if the previous one succeeded, then combine them using the && operator:
Your code should be as follows:
svc wifi disable && exit

It will work only if your  first command successfully  execute.

Like Andrew correctly said, with && you can combine them but you also can just add more than one command by ending each command by a ";", e.g. put into the arguments field (leave empty the command field):
svc wifi disable; exit


text:
Alternative method to enable adb
It seems that daily, I see some question along the lines of "issue X is causing my phone to be inoperable, and debugging is off. How do I enable ADB to get my data?"
I understand that this issue can be fairly common, so i thought i would put out a way to re-enable adb - using nothing but root privileges and a custom recovery.
This can also be used when, say, my developer options cannot be opened for some reason.
I know this will not eliminate this kind of question, but it can help with some of them.
See answer for method. Had to upload this as a "answer your own question" thing

You are going to need the following:

Root (YAY!)
A custom recovery, specifically TWRP (Untried on a different recovery, anyone let me know if it works on any other)
A PC/device with a way of editing SQLite .db files
An SD card

Method

If you have not already, boot into Recovery mode. Ensure you mount 'data' and 'External SD card'
Smack that 'advanced' button, open a terminal shell, and type su (then smack enter)
Run this command:
cp /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db /path_to/external_sd/

(Thanks to the guys at SO for providing that.) If you don't have cp or busybox installed, you could use cat instead:
cat /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db > /path_to/external_sd/settings.db

Power off, and remove your SD. Stick it in the device with the .db editor.
Load the file
Go to the 'secure' table, and find the line adb_enabled. In my case, this was line 59. The value should be 0 if ADB is disabled. Change it to 1, and save.
With the modified file in tow, poke the SD card back into your device, and boot back into recovery. Again, make sure 'data' and 'External SD card' are mounted.
Reverse the copy you did above:
cp /path_to/external_sd/settings.db /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/

or
cat /path_to/external_sd/settings.db > /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

Done! Now, to get authorization, you will need to use Firelord's post and follow his master plan there :) Alternatively, you can use the accepted answer to This post on Stack Overflow. Those guys are helpful, eh?

Note: If you can boot your device, you can download SQLite editor and cut out the need for another device, an SD card, and, well, anything else. It is paid, however! Ifmyou want to save money, you can use the free a SQLite Manager instead.

I would skip the secondary device and just edit it on the phone with something like SQLite Editor.  And is it necessary to have the OS not running when making this change?  I.e., will it overwrite your change if running live?  If not, then you could skip Recovery and the copying, and just edit it directly.

@MatthewRead The issue is that since this method is mainly for those stuck in recovery, They won't really be able to open it. If they are on a usable OS, then Yes, you are correct. I'll edit that in now.

Ah, good point.  Yes, this would definitely help someone stuck in Recovery.  For a free SQLite editor, I've used aSQLite Manager.

@MatthewRead OK, I'll add that to the answer too.


text:
Lenovo Tablet Wont Turn on
So, I have a Lenovo A7-50 A3500F (Not rooted). And when I was reading through Facebook it randomly turned off. I thought nothing of it (Battery was on 97%, I had just charged it). When I tried to turn it back on, the lenovo screen flashed on but then turned off again. I tried to go to recovery mode and wipe the EMMC card but that also failed. Is the tablet useless or is there something I can do about this? Thanks!

if u have already restarted it you should take it into the shop u got it from and see if they can fix your tablet in anyway if the people there cannot fix then u will have to get a new one or if your insurance covers it you will be okay so good luck with your tablet :)


text:
Samsung GS4 SCH-I545 broken after attempting twrp custom recovery
I recently rooted my phone but was unable to find a custom recovery.  I just found this post which I followed.  If you don't want to click on the link it basically says to put a .img recovery file on your phone and run android terminal to install with this code:
su
dd if=/sdcard/twrp.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21
After doing this the phone shows this message: secure fail: kernel  along with a larger message start up fail and it tells me to use verizon software repair assistant.  That doesn't work.
What can I do?
Thanks in advance.

You don't install TWRP on a Verizon device so easily. In fact if your firmware is not early enough then you won't ever have TWRP since the bootloader is locked down by Verizon and devs virtually gave up on unlocking it. Read up here and the threads here.
What you can do now is to use Odin to return your phone back to stock and at least working. Get firmware for your model here. Make sure not to downgrade, i.e. you need to know what Android version you were on before bricking and flash a firmware of the same version or newer. Simple instructions are on the download page itself, and detailed ones are all over the internet.


text:
unable to store whatsapp chat in new account
I have just deleted my whatsapp account and now i want to reconfigure my account and i want my previous chats in new account, but the backup of previous chats are not retrieving.
I have also check my database folder it have the chats backup file but still the problem is coming
Can any one help me in this to restore my Chats backup in new account

Use the same phone number as used during the time of backup.
If that doesn't work reinstall Whatsapp.

its asking for google drive and not taking the previous one

Is your whatsapp updated?

yes it is updated

It is seraching for backup on google account not in my phone storage

please help me in that i need one of mine previous chat back

Try older version https://whatsapp-messenger.en.uptodown.com/android/old

Also, make sure you've pasted Whatsapp folder in the correct storage location


text:
Sharp Aquos Crystal
Does anyone know about the Sharp Aquos Crystal cell phone? Can this phone be rooted? As far as I know, no one knows how to root this device.

Sharp phones are known to be notoriously hard to root and tinker with. Tewilove from our local forums [WARNING: Chinese] have made limited progress but all links are down for now (seems like someone else is trying to sell this for money). I don't know if this XDA post (also posted by him) is still up-to-date, but since this one is more accessible, you might want to take a look.


text:
Media volume suddenly became too low
I'm using CM13 (13.0-20160716-UNOFFICIAL-i9082) for my Samsung Galaxy grand(gt-19082)
I have flashed it several times. But a few days (it worked fine for 2-3 days) after the above version was flashed, all of a sudden my media volume became too low. I have tried disabling and re-enabling my default music player. Still the problem persists.
No other volumes has been affected, and everything else is working just fine.
I can merely hear the volume when i play a song in any of my music players (tried about 3 of them).
Everything(including media volume) is perfect over the earphones.
Edit: The volume works fine in MX player, provided the HW+ (Hardware acceleration) is enabled.

Finally after a week, i found the answer.
The CyanogenMod AudioFX was conflicting with the music app. In the previous version od CM, the AudioFX could only be turned on if a headset or speaker is plugged in. But in the recent update, we can activate AudioFX for the Phone's speaker too. Thus, in my case the AudioFX was turned on (I was not aware of the update)
But the HW+ decoder of MX player overrides AudioFX, thus I was able to hear the sound while using MX player.


text:
How to Put Mi Band 2 to Silent Mode Now with Android Phone?
Situation: to put Xiaomi Mi Band 2 to Silent mode when configuration with two Internet Gadgets in connection to Android 6 phone as described here; Android's own silent mode does not work as expected with the internet gadgets
I experience much duplicate notifications when using Pebble and Mi Band 2 at the same time. I can put Pebble to silent mode easily but not Mi Band 2. DND is only time specific there in the Mi Fit's settings but not now.
I cannot use Gadgetbridge for the task because I already use it for Pebble and it only supports one device at the moment.
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S4
Phone OS: Cyanogenmod 13 (Temasek's unofficial Rom)
Activity band: Xiaomi MI Band 2
Smart watch: Pebble Classic 1
Pebble firmware: 3.12.2 (newest 9.8.2016)
Pebble hardware: V3R3

Playstore

Install the application Do Not Disturb. It puts all your internet gadgets and your phone to silent when you want in the tab Now.
Android's own silent mode does not work as expected.

F-Droid

...

Get a new phone

Oneplus 2's hardware button of the left-hand-side at the top position seems to override those notifications too

Could you please include a link to the application (Playstore/F-Droid preferred)? A search for "do not disturb" yields more than 300 app results, so it's not clear which app you refer to.


text:
please help me; my galaxy s duos2 keeps restarting
I used wiping data by booting menu but that doesn't made any thing
I can't do anything because the phone always restarting within 15 seconds
I have installed firmware via "install ADB from sd card" but also nothing happened
another thing i can't ticking  usb debugging mode because its rebooting too fast
"com.google.gapps has stopped" this statement appear sometimes
i really want a help please!

If you don't mind losing your data in internal storage and just want the phone to work again, flash a stock firmware with Odin to reset the phone back to fresh state.

it doesn't connect to odin because "USB debugging mode" is off and I can't reach it before phone restarting (sh** on all my data I want my phone working correctly)

Odin doesn't need the phone to boot normally at all. Get the right key combination when powering up the phone and you'' be in Download Mode for use with Odin.

I did what you said and showed that all threads completed with "PASS!"  green logo when the start rebooting i thought it has repaired but when i saw  the pattern lock I realized that nothing happened I start opening my lock the restart before I open it :-) I think there is no solution for that I'am really upset now However thank you for helping if you have any idea tell me pls

Have you wiped data / factory reset after using Odin? If Odin doesn't do that automatically for you then you have to do it yourself.

If you have a stock ROM backup, then flash it with odin. Doing this will wipe all your data. But it is worth a try.
You will get installation procedures from xda forum


text:
Uninstalling versus disabling apps
When I select the menu entry called "Uninstall/Disable apps" - from the apps drawer which can be reached from any home screen by tapping the 16-square icon in the lower-right hand corner - I can disable or delete any apps. However, clicking on an app disables it. I remember being able to uninstall apps by dragging them to a delete trash can icon. I cannot figure out how to delete an app on the apps drawer.
Also, while I realize this might vary from app to app, what would be some of the most common reasons/advantages to disabling an app?
P.S. I think the screens accessible by clicking the 16-square icon are what is called the app drawer, correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks.
I am on a Samsung Galaxy SIII (Android KitKat 4.4.2) and I am cussing the default TouchWiz launcher.
(I would have liked to attach screenshots but at the moment my network connection is slow).

Are you using a different launcher? TouchWiz, the standard launcher for Samsung devices, doesn't delete apps this way, nor does it disable them. This action WILL delete a widget and app from the homescreen. Additionally, and the reason I ask about a different launcher, is that Nova Launcher ADDs functions to allow Uninstall/Remove apps this way. Maybe you were using Nova, and went back to standard TouchWiz?

Thank you, I have updated my post, I am using TouchWiz. Please let me know how to delete an app with TouchWiz. I will also try Nova launcher, thanks.

In order to uninstall apps on touch-wiz, go to the apps folder then tap the left soft button. Now tap uninstall and touch the minus button for the app you want to remove. Finally, tap yes when it says "(App you chose) will be uninstalled". Here is a video showing how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYL6nYapr7I

Also, while I realize this might vary from app to app, what would be
  some of the most common reasons/advantages to disabling an app?

The advantage of disabling an app over uninstalling it is that the app doesn't need to be installed all over again (from scratch using WiFi and the google play store.) Instead, you can find the app you want to use again and enable it. Think of it as a file in the recycling bin of a PC. It is not being used by the computer by any way, but can still be restored and put to use if you wish so.

I would like to accept your answer, but does this mean that to uninstall an app I first have to drag it from the apps folder to one of the home screens, and then delete it. Why can't I do this directly from the apps folder?

That is probably just the way touch-wiz was designed. There are plenty of other launchers however like nova in which you can alter this setting.

@Devin - what device and OS are you providing this action from? I, similar to Jack, have an S3, where this doesn't hold. Maybe you're speaking of a revision since?

I used a samsung note 2 running kitkat. I found that it is different than on mine now and have revised the answer. Here is a video showing how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYL6nYapr7I. Apparently you have to first hit the left soft button in then click uninstall.


text:
How do I view hidden folders with Solid Explorer?
It's easy to create hidden folders/files by starting their name with a dot (e.g, ".nomedia"). Once created, how do I view/delete them using Solid Explorer?

Tap the three dots in the top right of the app
Choose 'Folder options'

Ensure 'Show hidden files' is ticked (option is unchecked in screenshot below)

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for. (And with helpful illustrations to boot.)


text:
Is it possible to change the password for a WiFi network when it is not in range?
Long-pressing on a WiFi network that is in range brings up a menu that includes "Modify network", which can be used to change the password for the network. Networks that are not in range do not show up on this screen.
Under "Saved networks", long-pressing is the same a simple press. This brings only the options "Forget" and "Done".
Is it possible to modify the password for a WiFi network that is not in range? Must it appear under current WiFi networks?
I am trying to do this on both unrooted Android 5.1 and 6.0 devices.

You can delete it ('Forget') and create it new again, here you can define the password. Write down the SSID (Routers name) and encryption way (e.g. WPA) before you delete it ;)
Without root you cannot view or edit the /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf file (this is the path on Android CM13), where the network configs are saved. That means ssid, passwords (psk) etc.

1.if you are looking to change the main router common authentication password...you cant ..has to be in range or LAN(via PC)
2.if you want to change the password on the device of the network to comply with the newly changed password of the router ....you can choose to modify network ...or simply forget it and re-connect ...

I am trying to do 2. There is no modify network when the network is not in range.

okay ...so you need it to be in range to be able to modify the network ....

or what you can do is ....use a root explorer ...head to the root directory....data ...wpa supplicant ....edit ...and find your network and type in the new password ....NOTE : im on lollipop so its that directory ...not sure if itll be different for your device ....give it a search


text:
Voice messages won't play through headphones (messenger)
I have the following problem: since yesterday in facebook messenger whenever someone sends me a voice message, I plug my headphones in and play it, but for some reason the sound comes from the speaker. Before it used to play through the headphones without problems.
I noticed that when I press the volume keys, it says the sound is identified as "sounds during conversation", which wasn't the case before. Before it came as "medias". This makes me believe the phone thinks I somehow told it to go through the loudspeaker as in normal phone conversations.
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy J5 by the way. Thanks in advance!

This has been happening to me as well. I Googled the issue and it turn out, that it may just be messenger's update. It started playing through my speakers after I updated, but my friend hasn't updated his and he can hear them through his headphones just fine. Your phone isn't to blame- it's just messenger's faulty update.

SoundAbout (or Pro) helps.
Note: As of now, given the reviews on the Play Store the Pro version merely buys the license but doesn't install the base app (which is no longer available in Play  Store), so buying it wouldn't be of any use.

I have added a note about the Pro app, so that folks don't end up buying it for no reason, and end up complaining you or us.

Oh… Good catch, thanks @Firelord


text:
How Do I Activate 4G LTE Only On Samsung Galaxy A5(2016)
I use Samsung Galaxy A5(2016) and have just upgraded the firmware to Android 6.0 (Mashmallow). The phone supports 4G but the option to set it there is LTE/3G/2G (auto connect) on Network mode.
How do I get the phone to use 4G only?
P.S.
I have tried *#0011# and have entered Q0000 as answered here but it is not working.

Dial *#2263# and follow the steps as @acejavelin said.

Open the Dialer/Phone application and dial (STAR)#(STAR)#4636#(STAR)#(STAR), then select Phone Information and scroll down to Set preferred network type and change the drop-down to LTE only.
Be aware that with few exceptions, like T-Mobile's VoLTE, that in LTE only mode, you will not be able to make or receive phone calls or text messages. 2G/3G/HSPA(+) is required for voice calls and SMS in most GSM/LTE networks.
Also, be careful with using terms like 4G and LTE... depending on your carrier these might be interchangeable, or some carriers use "4G" to mean HSPA+ and "LTE" to mean, well, LTE service, some carriers use "4G" to refer to both/either HSPA+ & LTE, and some others use "4G" to mean only LTE.
In common practice for most users, 2G refers to Edge, 3G refers to GSM, and 4G refers to HSPA/HSPA+ and not LTE service.

I tried *#*#4636#*#* but nothing showed up. It is just there like a phone number to be dialed.

Hmm... Must be disabled by either Samsung or your carrier. That code usually opens the phone's service menu which allows this to be set.

Is there any other thing I can try? I really need enable this LTE only...


text:
Zoom factor of offline maps on Google Maps
Latest Google Maps allow to download some areas as offline, so it's possible to use navigation. The trick is that the area you can choose is quite small (hopefully it's just the default).
In my case it would be Berlin. I don't care about the required space because I have quite a lot of free space on my SD card.
So the question is if it's possible to download the maps for entire city?

Two ways:

Type Berlin and it shows up on map. Slide the bottom panel upwards and it shows option of downloading

If that doesn't cover your area of interest, choose a location beyond where you would like to go (in the example below I chose a spot nearly 400Km away) and Google Maps  throws up an option asking if you want to download (doesn't ask if the distance is very long YMMV)

Yes, it's possible (why don't you just try it?). It was even possible before the latest update. Go to Menu - > Offline areas - > "Plus" button.
Map of Berlin takes about 300 megabytes.

I tried this way but rectangular was quite small and covered one district at most. Anyway beeshyams' solution helped. However thank you for the answer.

You can change the square size zooming in or out.


text:
Pictures music and videos not showing
I am having this issue from last 1 month. Whatever pictures I am receiving or videos or music I am downloading is not visible to me in the gallery or the video or music app. But it is visible in the file explorer. My phone does not support SD card. It already posses 16 gb memory.
I don't know what I have done. May be I have deleted some important cache files or something like that. Only the pictures I am capturing is visible in the gallery. I scanned my music app as well but it does not show me the new songs I have added. Same problem with the video app.. Every time I have to visit the file explorer to see these things.
Please help me out

Make sure your photos/videos/music are not inside android folder of your phone. Those places are usually skipped by the scanner. Power cycle your phone if possible. If nothing works you might wanna reset your phone from settings-> backup and reset

You might want to use your file explorer and go to its settings and enable Show hidden files.
Now navigate to the folder where you received the images/music and look for a file named .nomedia. This file tells the OS to not look for media in that folder. You can delete that file and your media should now show up in the Gallery.
It might take a couple of minutes for your phone to reindex once the .nomedia file is deleted.


text:
Has the OEM messed up?
I recently acquired a new Alldaymall A88S tablet running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat
It appears to be a stock recovery, stock ROM. It was not new, but it was untouched.However, when I booted it, and peeked into the settings, I found some bizarre things:

I can record the screen without root (Never mind. I have root, the screen decoder is built-in)
Developer options was already unlocked, with USB debugging and allow mock locations already ticked.
I have access to mobile data options- yet I have no SIM, and nothing to suggest I should have These options exist
Most bizarrely, I have the ability to change the runtime between Dalvik and ART freely, from the developer options.

Has the OEM really failed/deviated from the norm, or has the previous owner tweaked it?

"It was not new, but it was untouched"... What exactly does this mean? But more to your point, it would be EXTREMELY unlikely the OEM has USB Debugging enabled by default. I would use a root checker app to see if it's rooted, then factory default it and see if developer options disappears.

@acejavelin ah, well, there's an issue. It has Root access. To your first point, its how someone would say "we've never used it" when you buy a second hand item from them

It's possible that the previous owner rooted the thing or even flashed a custom ROM on it, but simply did a factory reset before handing it to you.

Some custom ROMs are known to have USB debugging enabled by default.
The existence of mobile data options might indicate that the custom ROM was built for or ported from a SIM-enabled variant of the device. However, it might also be a more pleasant surprise - it might support using certain 3G dongles via USB-OTG. That's the case for one of my past tablets.
You are free to change between ART and Dalvik even on stock Android 4.4.x. Some OEMs do hide the option but it's unlikely your OEM is among one of them.

Ultimately I'll say if your device is running normally then just let it be.

Well, that helps. Any idea on what dongles might work?

@DanBrown Nope... Back when I owned that tablet (which has a Rockchip RK3066 SoC, popular for cheap tablets), similar tablets flood the market but none of them offered the same list of supported dongles. They do commonly support ones from ZTE and Huawei but still the exact models varied a bit. The only way to know for sure is to try acquiring info from the manufacturer.