text:
Edditing updater-script
In this thread, #6 post jellopuddingstick said that he could remove the check on updater-script in order to flash a rom which doesnt fit with build.prop .
For example, this is my updater script I found in meta inf/com/google/android:
assert(getprop("ro.product.device") == "thea" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "thea" ||
    getprop("ro.product.device") == "thea_umtsds" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "thea_umtsds" ||
    getprop("ro.product.device") == "thea_ds" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "thea_ds" ||
    getprop("ro.product.device") == "XT1072" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "XT1072" ||
    getprop("ro.product.device") == "XT1078" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "XT1078" ||
    getprop("ro.product.device") == "XT1079" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "XT1079" || abort("E3004: This package is for device: thea,thea_umtsds,thea_ds,XT1072,XT1078,XT1079; this device is " + getprop("ro.product.device") + "."););
ui_print("Target: motorola/lineage_thea/thea:8.1.0/OPM1.171019.011/c397c2b19d:userdebug/test-keys");
ifelse(is_mounted("/system"), unmount("/system"));
package_extract_dir("install", "/tmp/install");
set_metadata_recursive("/tmp/install", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644);
set_metadata_recursive("/tmp/install/bin", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0755);
mount("ext4", "EMMC", "/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system", "/system", "");
run_program("/tmp/install/bin/backuptool.sh", "backup");
unmount("/system");
show_progress(0.750000, 0);
ui_print("Patching system image unconditionally...");
block_image_update("/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system", package_extract_file("system.transfer.list"), "system.new.dat.br", "system.patch.dat") ||
  abort("E1001: Failed to update system image.");
show_progress(0.020000, 10);
mount("ext4", "EMMC", "/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system", "/system", "");
run_program("/tmp/install/bin/backuptool.sh", "restore");
unmount("/system");
show_progress(0.050000, 5);
package_extract_file("boot.img", "/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot");
show_progress(0.200000, 10);
set_progress(1.000000);

How exactly would I need to edit this in order to not scramble it up?

Remove the whole assert block, up to the first ui_print command. However, ignoring asserts means you are at your own risk if you flash it on an incompatible device/recovery.

As Andy said, don't remove this check. We've had several questions before from people who removed the check, thinking that meant they could install a ROM on the wrong device, and then bricked their phone. The check isn't what stops the ROM working: being for the wrong phone is what stops it working, sometimes permanently.


text:
Devices without Firmware OTA. Why and how to check?
Sellers often specify on their site if a device support Firmware OTA updates, or not.
Two questions:

If the OS is original android - why wouldn't it support Firmware OTA updates?
After I received a phone - how can I immediately check if it supports Firmware OTA updates, without waiting for the next update?

Thanks!

Examples for phones:
With OTA:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-Xiaomi-Redmi-3S-Official-Global-Firmware-OTA-Upgrade-Octa-core-Mobile-Phone-Snapdragon-430-4100mAh/32697748798.html
Without:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Global-Version-Xiaomi-Mi-A1-MiA1-Mobile-Phone-4GB-RAM-64GB-ROM-Snapdragon-625-Octa-Core/32830253938.html
Scroll all the way down and look for this message:
Pls read me before you make order.

we will open the original box to check the phone and install Multi-language ROM
and Google play store.
Official rom will be prefered.
if custom translation may does not cover all the menus.
Not support OTA update.                    <--<---<------
We may update the ROM, so the OS version may different as the screenshots.

P.S.
In local stores I noticed it mostly about whether the device was bought from an official distributor, or from a parallel distributor.

Why the down vote?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How it happens that I can take a picture by voice on Samsung Galaxy s7?
On my Samsung Galaxy S7 I can start camera application and then if I say "take picture" (in Russian) it automatically presses shutter button.
Who does this? Camera application itself?
Where I can know full list of voice commands? Can I start video recording by voice?

Each app  can define voice commands it supports. Then whichever voice assistant you use will  take care of matching your voice command to each app's intent. Eg see https://developers.google.com/voice-actions on how to register voice commands with the Google voice assistant.

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

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


text:
-1: Unknown error while unlocking redmi 3s+ bootloader
So I tried to unlock bootloader of my Redmi 3s+ .It shows error " -1:Unknown error" but it also displays Unlock button .Downloaded the flash tool and rebooted the phone couple of times but nothing . Anyone please help me out Guys .
Can I click the unlock ? Wouldn't that ruin my phone ?
http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1796588&aid=2914199&from=album&page=1&mobile=2


text:
Unable to change mobile data cycle date on huawei p9 lite with android 7.0
My old phone had an option to change the mobile data cycle date. As you can see in the image below the option is gone. Does anyone know where I can find it in this "new and improved" version of android??
and yes I have seen this question but it has changed since this update and it no longer works

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

It seems that Huawei phones don’t seem to have that feature, which may be due to certain manufacturer's reasons. Its skinned UI (EMUI) provides the feature in a slightly different place.

If you go to your data management screen, you will find that it does
  not offer that feature at all. Instead, it shows you your daily usage,
  and that is about it.

This similar feature is found in data traffic management.
Depending on your EMUI version, follow this proceedure:
Go to Settings (All) → Data traffic management → Package settings (or gear icon in later EMUI versions). You should get a screen looking like this:

Here you actually get the Android Data Traffic manager, but a super version of it. You can set daily limits, start the day of the month
  for your package, disable data if you go over limit to save you money,
  and set various limits and reminders

Since the feature is somewhat hidden, another probable workaround is installing a 3rd party open source tool Activity Launcher(No root required).

Under activities select all activities.
Select Settings
Search for data usage

Here you will find the options you need to change the mobile data cycle date similar to  what you do in stock versions.

Another workaround is installing an altogether data manager application, that takes over the default monitoring of data, cycles etc.
From experience of many users you can search the appropriate one from Playstore e.g ( My Data manager, 3G watchdog etc) which are also very flexible when it comes to changing data cycles, limits, reminders and so forth.
Acknowledgements

How to: Enabling data limits on your Huawei or Honor smarphone (EMUI 3.1)
Change mobile data cycle date

Very comprehensive answer. Unfortunately I don't get the data traffic management option.
I'm not going to install a 3th party app. I'll write something myself to change the "monthly limit" to whatever I have left and reset it once my data is reset.
should be doable in 15-20 minutes in tasker but I would have liked to not have to resort to that....
Btw: my EMUI version is 5.0.1

I was also thinking something along the lines of Tasker but I'm short of time....oh but wait isn't Tasker also a 3rd party app?

Yeah, true. Tasker is a 3th party app but I'm already running it. Your answer is quite good so I'll award the 50 points.

Thanks for bounty, If I get more time I will try to update the answer with tasker method, im sure there is already a skeleton of the project on reddit, will check the link.

I made it with the AutoInput tasker plugin and I've set the beginning of the month as the activator. it will briefly activate my screen and set the "data used this month" to the data I used from the 14th onward in the previous month.
On the 14th of the month tasker will reset the "data used this month"

That's good news indeed, thanks for update and I'm glad you resolved the issue, in any case you may wish to post the answer and self-accept to help users


text:
Preventing booting from unwanted/upgraded partition in Android
As I understand in Nougat and greater the system has two full partitions, one currently used and the second one that is used for upgrading. So during an upgrade the new bits are laid down on the secondary partition which will be made the primary to boot from the upgraded partition. My question is how does it prevent from booting from the original partition? Where is the information that determines which partition to boot from written/stored? How does it prevent an attacker from modifying it?

From AOSP A/B (Seamless) System Updates

Call update_engine with the HTTPS URL for your update package....
... If the update is applied successfully, update_engine will tell the bootloader to boot into the new OS on the next reboot....

(Emphasis Supplied)
So, you are looking at action being taken at boot loader level. And if you mess at that level dm-verity will kick in which is a kernel level protection that can't be tampered with once device leaves factory

If verification fails, the device generates an I/O error indicating the block cannot be read. It will appear as if the filesystem has been corrupted, as is expected.

With a custom recovery dm.verity can be disabled but then OTA will fail because it detects recovery change and frankly, if an attacker  can gain root access, the device is pretty much their's
Edit: See this for more details
A/B (Seamless) update device questions


text:
Lock Alarm Volume Level To Max
So I let other people use my phone a lot and one little boy (which will go unnamed) finds it funny lowering my alarm to zero when he uses my phone.
Is there a way to lock this value(just alarm volume nothing else)?

Image from what I see on my device

When you say alarm do you mean the alarm clock, or, are you taking about the ringtone level?

@ABochur The third volume that appears in the list.  It says "alarm" volume was my interpretation.

You can accomplish this with an app.  Look up Volume Lock in the Google Play store.  If you don't want to prohibit access to your phone and he is extra persistent, you may need to install another app to password protect the Volume Lock app.  AppLock does just that.

You might wanna add a link for the apps you are suggesting, that would make your answer a complete one

I apologize, I should have taken more time to look at the screenshots.  I did find another one that seems to do the job and updated my answer.

Link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=volumelock.vlocker

Very basic OS functionality, farmed out to an app. Looking at the app: "Contains Ads · Offers in-app purchases" - yay, effing capitalism.exe...

I prefer Macrodroid, being easy to learn and free (upto 5 macros).
Create a macro as shown below. For example
Trigger : Volume Change → Configure → Monitor Volume Changes → Volume Up. Add triggers for all options using +
Second screenshot shows the details of configuration for Action (Volume Change → Configure)

Name and save macro. Tested on Oreo 8.0.
This works even if your mischief maker pulls down the volume settings from status bar and changes them. Changes made to alarm level using the volume buttons will not work as the Alarm is locked to 100%. Changes made from drop down menu to Alarm settings are reversed  by pressing volume rocker in any way (That's what those 4 triggers are for)
Note that Samsung / Huawei and other heavily modded UI implementation at times varies from standard implementation so you may need to play around action settings by choosing other options

this coupled with applock should work

I don't think app lock can control volume settings or are you saying that you you want to use this approach for volume and app lock for other apps. That's possible and should work and you can lock Macrodroid as well so he can't fiddle around with it Never underestimate kids ;-). You can accept the answer once you are satisfied

I do admit I am new to marcodroid but it appears if you adjust the audio using the drop down menu like he has be doing then it fails to update the audio to 100%.  I tried all six triggers.  Accessibility settings are also enabled.  The app is no doubt cool but unless there is an additional setting that needs to be enabled it doesn't actually work in this situation.

Edited answer to make the contents clear

@beeshyams I would set the trigger as time -> interval -> 1 sec. This would mean that it would always try to make the volume higher. The only downside i could think of, is battery usage of macrodroid, depending on how it carries out it's work. +1

@beeshyams I tried the 1 sec interval on my Samsung  when I was thinking of answering this question, and it worked fine. Didn't try it for too long so I can't comment on side effects. (The +1 was done when you first posted the answer, I didn't have time to post a comment, and just now I bumped into this post, and realized that op changed his acceptance, so decided to leave my two cents)

@ABochur: Test it longer and if that works please post and ping me for a +1

@beeshyams tested it for a few hours. Work fine, no obvious side effects. I already voted on your answer a few days ago, so I'm not sure what you mean by the last words

@ABochur Please consider posting as an answer. I meant that I would upvote your answer once you post and let me know

I'm using Volume Lock app from Google Play - Volume Lock
It's very simple, recently updated and has even parental control, range volume settings and much more.
Stronly recommended!


text:
Use bluetooth call audio as speaker audio with Roger Pen
I have a Roger Pen that is linked to my LG G5 via bluetooth to answer phone calls. I am told that the pen can only answer and end calls via bluetooth, but if I want to play music through my pen, I have to connect it via a audio cable with a micro usb adapter.
This set up to play music is a little daunting, especially with a small cable dangling with my phone. So I was wondering if it is possible to route music through the bluetooth call audio function?
On the profiles for the Roger Pen on bluetooth settings, there is only the Call audio setting enabled. I was wondering if there was an app to override this?

Update: Found out there is an app called MonoBT that might do the trick, but I have lost my phone G5 and so I will be getting a G6 soon.


text:
How can I block or auto-delete incoming blank/empty SMS/MMS messages?
I am looking for an app (or any method really) that will catch incoming text messages that are blank and automatically delete or block them.  Blocking the number/contact it comes from is not an option in this case.
This is for a Droid Turbo 2, Android 7.0, not rooted.
The messaging app receiving the messages is Textra.

SMS is system level stuff even if you are using a third party app. Without root , I am afraid it's not possible . Even with root , I don't know how maybe with Tasker


text:
[Swipe Elite Note]Camera Unable to Focus
I have flashed a custom ROM recently on my device.Everything is working nicely except the camera.The camera used to work perfectly before flashing the ROM.Now,the camera is unable to focus.

I think this is not a Hardware issue but a software issue.
How do I repair this bug?
My device name is Swipe Elite Note.
I will be thankful for any help!


text:
Cannot mount /system as rw
I am rooted with magisk and while trying to mount /system as rw by using this command:

mount -o remount, rw /system

There is an error

'/system' not in /proc/mounts

Cat /proc/mounts returns:

ro,seclabel,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,seclabel,nosuid,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,relatime,gid=3009,hidepid=2 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
selinuxfs /sys/fs/selinux selinuxfs rw,relatime 0 0
debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
none /acct cgroup rw,relatime,cpuacct 0 0
tmpfs /mnt tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
none /config configfs rw,relatime 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0
pstore /sys/fs/pstore pstore rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /data f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/cache /cache ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/fsg /fsg ext4 ro,context=u:object_r:fsg_file:s0,nosuid,nodev,relatime,nobarrier 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/modem /firmware ext4 ro,context=u:object_r:firmware_file:s0,nosuid,nodev,relatime,nobarrier,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist /persist ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,noauto_da_alloc,data=ordered 0 0
adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb functionfs rw,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /storage tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /sbin tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /sbin/.core/mirror/system ext4 ro,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /sbin/.core/mirror/bin f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /sbin/.core/img ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/framework/XposedBridge.jar ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libxposed_art.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libsigchain.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart-disassembler.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart-compiler.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/patchoat ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/oatdump ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/dex2oat ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/app_process32_xposed ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/etc/hosts ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/default/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,multiuser,mask=6 0 0
/data/media /storage/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,multiuser,mask=6 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/read/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,multiuser,mask=23 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/write/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,multiuser,mask=7 0 0
/dev/block/vold/public:179_65 /mnt/media_rw/C583-170F vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1023,gid=1023,fmask=0007,dmask=0007,allow_utime=0020,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/default/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,mask=6 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /storage/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,mask=6 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/read/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,mask=18 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/write/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,mask=18 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /sbin/.core/db-0/magisk.db f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0

I am on lineageos14.1 Merlin, Other apps like es file explorer can mount it correctly, but ADB shell cannot. please guide me on how to mount it as rw

Not sure why you're using Magisk - LOS has built-in lightweight root management which can be fully enabled with an additional patch. Tried the same command and it works on my own LOS device using built-in root. Suggestion is to backup and try built-in root with a clean flash - if that still doesn't work then the problem is device-specific.

Well, I couldn't find that root utility, but I want a single shell statement to work across multiple devices

The whole idea behind Magisk ist being systemLESS – i.e. NOT to modify /system. So maybe you [edit] your question and include what you want to achieve by mounting /system r/w? I somehow have the feeling this might be an XY problem to be solved in a different way.

Actually I am making an app that mounts the /system rw(kind of file manager) using a shell script so that I can edit system files. And since the script didn't work, I checked it in ADB shell and couldn't get it to work. I know magisk is all about systemless but other apps can mount my system rw whereas I can't even with the shell...

Alright, so it was some typo issue, the correct command to mount it is:

mount -o rw,remount /system

Wow, I used this command for years the other way around and it worked. Now I was struggeling on an new Android 8 device and this helped, I'm impressed.


text:
Serial console user belongs to less groups than adb shell
Even though the user is the same uid=2000(shell), still the output of group is very different when run on adb shell (rooted device) than on serial console.
So it seems that through adb shell the user belongs to more groups than when logged in on a serial console.
On other Linux systems it is the opposite - you have more rights when on serial console, since apparently you have direct physical access, but on Android (at least on Oreo) it does not seem logical, since adb can run over Wi-Fi for example.
What is the idea behind such decision?


text:
Is it possible to get a part of the screen by adb or anything else?
I know how to use adb screencap to capture and fetch the file with adb pull, but if I'm only interested in a 16x16 part of the screen, it would be very inefficient to capture and transfer the whole screen.
I'm not an android developer and I'm doing this in python, is it possible to get a part of the screen with adb or any other methods?

I don't think you can do this directly with adb, so the only thing you can do is capture the whole screen and crop it manually. If the device is fast, you can use adb shell commands to do the cropping on the device, so less data needs to be transferred via USB.


text:
How does the S flip case work?
I know that the magnets turn the phone on and off, but what about the time/date display on the case? Does the case somehow use the phone's battery to display those? If so, does it not drain the battery faster?

This data is attributed to an online manual for the device at this location:
http://gadgetguideonline.com/s8/galaxy-s8-led-wallet-cover-guide/
NFC powers the device, and is estimated to have minimal draw to the phone battery.
See the quote from the forum thread below the manual:

No, you cannot turn off the display. The LED cover is powered through
  NFC. Once you snap the cover on, it will drain power. But power
  required is very marginal. It should not affect the battery life of
  the phone.

It shouldn't drain the battery anymore than having no case. As far as I know, it just uses the AMOLED display to show the time and date, or whatever you have it set to display, and the case is designed to be able to see through it enough to see the info.


text:
Is there any option for continuous authentication on Android ?
Suppose you unlock your smartphone and put it aside and someone takes it before it gets locked, is there any mechanism currently to authenticate the new user and lock him out of the phone ?
I see that there are many articles speaking about continuous authentication like this one and this but is there actually an implementation on current versions of Android ?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 with Android 7.0

I've looked at those papers and the problem always is getting enough data from the attacker's actions to know the user is no longer the owner.
Which means that some other signal has to be provided to indicate that the owner is absent. The Bluetooth signal from a separate device provides such a signal.
Its called Smart Lock.
How to Use Smart Lock on Galaxy S7

Launch the settings app from your Home screen or the app drawer.

Tap on the Lock screen and security button.

Tap on Secure lock settings.

Tap on Smart Lock.

Enter your password, pin, or pattern.

Tap on Trusted devices.

Tap on Add trusted device.

Tap on Bluetooth.

Tap on the device you want to be trusted.

Tap on Yes, Add.

The article also mentions 'On-Body' detection but notes only so-so accuracy.


text:
Input Keyevent in fastboot mode?
I'm trying to unlock the bootloader of my old Alcatel OneTouch Idol X+. I got to the point where my phone would ask me to press volume-up to confirm that. Due to a bug of which i read several times now, the volume-up key won't work now.
I tried using that adb input keyevent command, which wouldn't work in fastboot mode. Are there other options, or some way to use adb commands in fastboot mode?

Unfortunately, no adb command works in Fastboot mode (or bootloader). The only way to communicate with a device in Fastboot mode is fastboot.
In your case, you should try finding a replacement key for the non-working one, or you're out of luck.


text:
Adb command(s) to get screen state and locked state
Background:
I'm using automated tests on many different variants of devices (Samsung tablets and smartphones such as Galaxy A5, S8, S7 etc.) where the devices have different versions of Android (6.0, 6.0.1, 7.0 and 7.1.1) - all in varying combinations.
Some of my tests require locking the screen (turning it off) and then turning it on and PIN-ing in. I have not been able to find a (universal) adb-command to get the phones' state. Ideally, I would like one command to tell me in which of the following states the phone is in:

Screen turned off (Assumed locked as well)
Screen turned on, locked
Screen turned on, unlocked

My best solution so far is to use the following 2 (bash terminal) commands:
#1:
adb shell dumpsys display | grep "mScreenState"

#2:
adb shell service call trust 7

Command #1 tells me whether the screen is on, off or "dozed".
Command #2 tells me whether the phone is locked or unlocked.
Questions:
Is there a single adb command which can give me the information I need? Is this command compatible with the Android versions listed above?
On Android version 6.* command #2 always indicates that the phone is locked. What is the "Android 6.* compatible" alternative of command #2?  ----> By pure chance I found that "service call trust 6" works as expected on Android 6. devices!*
Note:
The resource I've found that most closely resembles my issue is the following SO question/response. However, not all of the devices have/use NFC so the following command (although compatible with most devices/versions) is not acceptable in my tests:
adb shell dumpsys nfc | grep 'mScreenState='

Since timing is an issue, the proposed solution (best answer in the link) is not acceptable either.

I am a Windows fanboy, so the solution contains find instead of using grep, just replace find with grep.
adb shell dumpsys power | find "mWakefulness="
adb shell dumpsys power | find "mHoldingWakeLockSuspendBlocker="

Screen OFF and Locked = mWakefulness=Asleep &
  mHoldingWakeLockSuspendBlocker=false
Screen ON and Locked = mWakefulness=Awake &
  mHoldingWakeLockSuspendBlocker=false
Screen ON and Unlocked = mWakefulness=Awake &
  mHoldingWakeLockSuspendBlocker=true

P.S: I've tested it on Android 7.0, don't know if it'll work with other versions.

As I've run into this recently and since using the Daydream lockscreen is not an requirement on Android, here's some newer variables that are (probably) universal.
They should be available starting at Android M (6.0 / API 23) since they come with Doze mode; I've confirmed them with Android 10 on a Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and Android 12 on a Pixel 4 XL.
$ adb shell dumpsys deviceidle | grep '\bm[A-Z]'
mLightEnabled=true  mDeepEnabled=true
mForceIdle=false
mUseMotionSensor=true mMotionSensor={Sensor name="Significant Motion", vendor="Google", version=1, type=17, maxRange=1.0, resolution=1.0, power=0.25, minDelay=-1}
mScreenOn=false
mScreenLocked=true
mNetworkConnected=true
mCharging=false
mMotionActive=true
mNotMoving=false
mMotionListener.activatedTimeElapsed=36192
mLastMotionEventElapsed=0
mLocating=false mHasGps=false mHasNetwork=false mLocated=false
mState=INACTIVE mLightState=IDLE
mInactiveTimeout=+30m0s0ms
mNextAlarmTime=+22m36s283ms
mNextIdleDelay=+10m0s0ms (flex=+2m0s0ms)
mNextLightAlarmTime=-23s699ms
mCurLightIdleBudget=+1m0s0ms

Of course, the prize jewels here are mScreenOn and mScreenLocked, which are booleans doing exactly what you went them to.

You could use awk to spit out the answer you want.  Here is a quick and dirty awk script I whipped up just now:
adb shell dumpsys power | awk -F"[ =]" '/mWakefulness=/ { mw=$NF; }
/mHoldingWakeLockSuspendBlocker=/ {mh=$NF;}
END {
  print mw
  print mh
}'

has answered in Is there a way to check if Android device screen is locked via adb? - Stack Overflow and copy to here:

My Phone: XiaoMi 9

Android: 10

use adb to check status of screen locked
method 1: (universal) use mDreamingLockscreen

Command: adb shell dumpsys window | grep mDreamingLockscreen
Output:

mShowingDream=false mDreamingLockscreen=true mDreamingSleepToken=null -> Screen Locked

no matter Screen is ON or OFF

mShowingDream=false mDreamingLockscreen=false mDreamingSleepToken=null -> Scrren Unlocked

method 2: use nfc (if android has NFC module)

Command: adb shell dumpsys nfc | grep 'mScreenState='
Output:

mScreenState=OFF_LOCKED -> Screen OFF and Locked
mScreenState=ON_LOCKED -> Screen ON and Locked
mScreenState=ON_UNLOCKED -> Screen ON and Unlocked

I would say that it does matter whether the screen is on or off. If the screen is off, then I would first need to turn it on before I can input pin (by simulating menu press/swipe) and then PIN in. How would i input PIN if the screen is off?

Not quite, only universal if they're implementing the Daydream lock… Samsung, for example, isn't.


text:
Can't find where my file is when using adb (it seems to be there)
I will try and keep this brief. I am "working" on trying to get the sidelights on a  custom 10" android display with sidelights (for meeting signage) to work.
I am just starting to try and follow the instructions the manufacturer gave me (pasted all that below). I seem to need a file called  LibledsetJni.so
Anyway! I connect to the panel using adb shell in root. If I am in root and I search like this:

root@rk312x:/ # ls -laR | grep (and either) "libledsetJni.so", or "ledsetJni"
  it comes up with
  -rwxr-xr-x system system   13432 1979-12-31 11:42 libledsetJni.so

WHich makes me think this file is somewhere. However I cant find the path. If I go up from root to system and do the search again, it comes back with nothing. I have been working on this for over a day and I can't find this file anywhere!! Can someone please help?
Thanks
Dave the frustrated
Instructions from manufacturer on getting lights to work.
Controlling LED JNI User Guide There are two ways to import the JNI :
1) Directly use our JNI, copy the Libledset.Jei.so file into libs\armeab, use the below codeand load the lib document. public native void setLedState(int led, int state);static{System.loadLibrary("ledsetJni");} Reminders: In System.loadLibrary(“ledsetJni”) should use ledsetJni and not libledsetJni.so Library document name should be: com.glorystar.ledtest, category name is: MainActivity. The set I/O use setLedState (int led, int state); led is 0 setting red, led = 1 setting green, state= 1 open, state=0close
2) Rewrite the JNI document. Put the reference JNI document copy to the project, note to revise theJava_com_glorystar_ledtest_MainActivity_setLedState in ledset.c . Use your own projectname and category name for exchange, NDK programming should be self- learnt, themethod is on number 1.

Have you tried find . -type f -name libledsetJni.so? That should give you the full path.

OMG, some Chinese manufacturers are worse when it comes to writing documentation.

Assuming you're using Windows OS, try to pull the whole device files in a directory  by launching cmd.exe and point yourself into this directory Ex: c:\mydevice, then launch : adb root & adb remount & adb pull / c:\mydevice

finally use Windows search option when the whole files are pulled from the device

Hi Izzy, the "find" option is not recognised. I tried that already. Only seems to like grep.

Hi Adbelhafid. Yes I am using a windows pc, I will try and do what you suggest on Monday. Thanks!

@AbdelhafidMadoui I tried your idea, and a few versions of this. For some reason I either got: "warning skipping special file" or "warning - stat failed for path" and eventually it just gave error Protocol fault.
I did however get the files! I downloaded an explorer apk, and put it on the device, then I could search and find the files and copy them back to the usb. I don't understand why it has been so hard to get files from this device!
Thanks again


text:
Android IMAP client with working search option
OK, so far I've tried Gmail, K-9 and BlueMail email clients. I can correctly setup my IMAP server, and I'm able to send and receive emails.
The problem is when I try to search for an old email I received maybe a few months ago.
Gmail and K-9 return nothing. BlueMail returns and error. My mail provider is JustHost. As search is working under the web mail service, they say the server hasn't got any problem.
Is there a general issue in IMAP search? it's quite frustrating not been able to search my mails from my phone.
My device is a Nexus 5x with android 6.0.1


text:
How to flash a factory image onto a Nexus 5x with locked bootloader?
This happened today:

I was using my Nexus 5X when it suddenly started rebooting.
It got stuck in a bootloop. It would never boot past the Google logo and I couldn't turn it off.
I was able to enter fastboot mode and even recovery mode from there.
I wiped the phone from recovery mode which didn't help.
I left the phone lying with the fastboot menu open because I thought maybe it is overheated and will cool down (it was slightly warm).
When I returned, the phone was off. I started it and this time it went past the Google logo up to the Android logo (with the animation). However, after displaying "Android" it would just power off.
I tried to boot it a few times but it would never go past the Android logo. Eventually the bootloop started happening again.
I am now back to step 2 except I can't enter recovery mode any more. If I choose recovery mode from the fastboot menu, I never see the lying Android figure with the exclamation mark.

I found many tutorials about fixing bootloops on the Nexus but they all seem to require an unlocked bootloader.
The bootloader on the device is locked. I can see the device in fastboot devices but I can't unlock it.
Any idea how to repair this? Can I somehow flash a factory image onto the device even though OEM unlock is disabled? There is no data on the device that would need to be preserved. I'm ideally looking for a Linux-based solution.

You need a full flashable Firmware AKA "Stock ROM" and this procedure need a PC and USB cable.

The only possible way for you to get "OEM unlocked" is to freeze your phone and then turn it on, hoping that it will boot normally again. (Put phone in an airtight plastic bag and place it in freezer for about 1h.)
However, the Nexus 5x bootloop problem is a hardware problem which cannot be fixed using software. (One processor core is broken and as it is turned on during boot, the device crashes.) The XDA work-around simply disables the broken core, I think, but this leaves you with a slower phone.
Since you don't need to save any data on your Nexus, I'd spend my time finding a (cheap? second-hand? lineage-os/treble-ready?) replacement device.


text:
Restore Samsung Galaxy S II via PC
Sadly during a bad TWRP update my Samsung Galaxy S II was bricked.
The TWRP comes from a SlimSaber rom with a custom kernel.
What i can actually do is put it in download mode, so via a PC it should be reflashed.

What are the steps to reflash the original or a compatible ROM?

In short try booting into recovery, by pressing and holding home, power and volume down. Wipe user data. Then use Odin to reflash. The OEM firmware can be downloaded from Samsung.
Follow the guide on this link. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-recover-a-bricked-samsung-galaxy-s2/


text:
My Pixel 2 doesn't give me a notification when I attach it to a PC
I've had a new Pixel 2 XL for a few days now. Today when I plug it in to a PC the PC detects that it is present but doesn't show the list of files present on the device.
When I did this a few days ago, I had a similar experience, but a notification popped up on the phone asking me what mode I wanted to use. It was set to "recharge" by default, but when I changed it to "file sharing" (exact wording might not be right) the files appeared in the browser on my PC.
Today there is no notification. I have tried unplugging the device and plugging it back in several times. Did I do something to disable the notification? How can I re-enable the notification or better yet set it so that it always turns on file share mode when I plug it in?

Do you have a lock-screen enabled on it? Most Android phones will require you to unlock it before it will connect to the file system. If you don't have a lock-screen, you may want to check out this article and make sure it's set to file mode, and mot just MTP or charging.

I believe the feature is buggy. You nudged me in the right direction. From the article you linked, the "Select USB Configuration" dialog is the one I need. However, it is set to MTP but fails to operate unless I tap the MTP option again, then it works. I even unplugged and reverified that. The setting says MTP, I plug it in, the Pixel 2 XL shows up in the browser but no files, I tap the MTP option again (even though it is already selected) and then the files appear in the PC. I hope they fix that!

The comments under the linked article (which is for Android 6) indicate that the MTP setting doesn't stick for many users. I am on Android 8 and it still isn't fixed. I guess we can forget it about it ever being fixed.


text:
No folders showing up when connecting Moto G4 via MTP
I just recently bought a Moto G4 and I'm trying to put files on it, however upon attempting to use the MTP mode, neither my SD card or internal drive show up in the phone's MTP folder.

Moto G4 clearly shows up. However..

There is nothing in that drive. I have switched it between PTP and MTP just to see if it could detect either, but neither showed up at all. Developer settings are enabled, along with adb/root. My phone is using Lineage 14.1's latest nightly.
What do I do?
EDIT: I've discovered that the SD card can show up, so long as it's formatted to be portable. It will not show up if it's formatted for internal.

Double check the MTP drivers are installed correctly on your Windows 10. or force them with Intel Android MTP Drivers at https://software.intel.com/en-us/android/articles/intel-usb-driver-for-android-devices

I think it had somewhat to do with LineageOS. The computer slowly saw my internal storage, and I ended up 50:50 partitioning the SD card so it can be read portably from my reader and MTP. Somewhat solved, but I still can't access the other partition of the SD card. As I said, I 50:50'd them as a remedy to this.


text:
Is there a searchable app catalog that rank applications by power and network bandwith usage?
I'm pretty sure I have used such a site previously, but could not find it in my bookmarks anymore.
My use case: I have some apps that I seldom use, and want to be able to quickly see how much battery and bandwith I can save by just keeping them disabled until I need to use them.
Thanks!

I finally managed to find it again - I was looking for AppQuest. Leaving question open in case other people know of similar sites.


text:
With the Pixel 2 supporting USB Audio Class 1/2/3, which USB audio devices work? Or *don't* work?
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/phone-by-google/Yvy0RfOPFfU

Pixel 2 supports audio adapters and headsets that communicate digitally over USB-C as defined by USB Audio Class 1/2/3.  Pixel 2 does not support an analog audio signal over USB-C and subsequently will display an unsupported notification warning when an analog audio device is attached.

Here's the spec documents from USB.org:
http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs/
So it got me thinking, what kinds of USB audio devices are actually supported?

Audio mixers, like this one from Behringer? Or does it only support USB output, not input? I have such a mixer, but I don't have a Pixel 2 to test.
Car stereos, to my knowledge, have never supported any USB Audio Device class. I hope this changes, but all I've seen is support for USB mass storage mode (only old versions of Android), then MTP (only plays formats that the car stereo supports; no FLAC, maybe no AAC), and then AOA v2, which seems to have been abandoned for some reason (Pixel 2 doesn't support it, nor does the Moto X4).
USB headphones: some recommended models are listed on the Google post I linked above. Are there any that you've found not to work?
USB DACs/amps: here's a thread, they seem to be well supported.
Speaker docks: they only support iPhones, don't they? Has any manufacturer chosen to make one for the Pixel 2, or are there any that support a class of USB Audio?

@mirh Not only is this thread 2 years old, but I was talking about devices you connect the phone to, not the phone itself...


text:
Why won't Android recognize my micro SD card and how can I get it to?
I have an Acer Iconia A1-810 that is running stock Android 4.4.2 and I have a SanDisk Ultra PLUS A1 16 GB microSD card. I am having so much trouble getting the tablet to recognize the card. If I have an SD card that is filled completely with zeroes, then Android should still be able to detect it and have some option to format it, right?
I have tried these things:

Totally wiping the MBR: I slide it into the micro SD slot, it makes the clicking noise for the locking mechanism, and the message I see up in the notification bar is "Removed SD card" (I just inserted it!!!). Going to Settings > Storage, under SD CARD, there is only one item and it is grayed out. The grayed out item says in big letters "Mount SD card" and the smaller text beneath it says "Insert an SD card for mounting". There is no option to format the card.
The micro SD cards's only non-zero bytes are 0x55 and 0xAA at offsets, meaning it has a valid MBR (albeit with no partitions set):  I slide it into the micro SD slot, it makes the clicking noise for the locking mechanism, and this time the message says "Damaged SD card". I pull down the notification panel and see that the smaller text below "Damaged SD card" says "SD card is damaged. Try reformatting it.". I click the notification item. Now in Settings > Storage, there a re four things': a blank bar that would normally show the card's data is divided up into, used space (it says it's calculating), total space (calculating), and finally an item for unmounting the card. Once it is "unmounted", the mount item is white/pressable. I press, but each time the mounting option will fail and the button will go back to being pressable and saying "Mount SD card". Once I leave settings, however, and come back to it,the option looks as it does in #1.
MBR has one unformatted partition set to type 0x0B (FAT32): See #1.
MBR has one partition entry set to 0x0B AND the partition has been formatted with mkfs.vfat: See#1.

What's going on?
Update: Formatting the whole SD card with FAT32 (no MBR) makes the device recognize it, but when I reboot it goes back to the above happening.

@AbdelhafidMadoui What makes you think an application is going to be able to see it if the operating system doesn't?


text:
App can't be moved to SD Card , Option not available
I've installed a app called PyDroid 3 from Play Store, but  I don't have much space available on my internal memory so i wanted to move the app to SD Card. But Move To SD Card option is available on this app.
Using Android 5.1 on Samsung J2

Check the app manifest using an app like Manifest Viewer and search for android:installLocation

android:installLocation attribute
Can app be moved to External SD ?

Internal Only
NO

Not declared
NO

auto or prefer external
Yes

Note: This is for unrooted devices
Related Google Play store asks to uninstall apps on sd card to free up space for new installations


text:
In Google Photos, when I try to delete a photo or video on SD card it tells me to go to gallery
I have 2 Mi note 4g's and both of them have the same problem. I have also given access to all permissions in settings(though there is no permission for SD card). All the photos outside the SD card can be deleted all right.

Your issue is you haven't allow SD card access from the app itself:

Hamburger menu (Three dots) in the upper right.
Settings
SD Card Access

Regards.

The problem is as is in Google help it is said this method works for Android 5 up only. My phone is Android 4.4.


text:
Installing apk files on Kyocera Dura XE (flipphone running android)
The Kyocera Dura XE is a flip phone running Android Lollipop 5.2. I've enabled developer mode, usb debugging and all the "verify stuff" options are unchecked and "Unknown Sources" is on in Security Settings.
Basically, I've done all the stuff there is to do on the phone.  When I try to install an apk from file, on the phone I get "Install Blocked" and when I try to install an apk from adb, I get

Failure [INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_INCONSISTENT_CERTIFICATES]

and logcat shows the following
D/AndroidRuntime(13719): >>>>>> START com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit uid 2000 <<<<<<
D/AndroidRuntime(13719): CheckJNI is OFF
D/AndroidRuntime(13719): Calling main entry com.android.commands.pm.Pm
I/ProcessStatsService( 2524): Prepared write state in 5ms
D/DefContainer(13606): Copying /data/local/tmp/playstore.apk to base.apk
I/ProcessStatsService( 2524): Pruning old procstats: /data/system/procstats/state-2018-02-16-22-14-21.bin
W/PackageManager( 2524): COMPARE_PACKAGE SIGNATURE UNKNOWN : android.deviceadmin.cts
W/PackageManager( 2524): COMPARE_PACKAGE SIGNATURE UNKNOWN : com.android.cts.verifier
W/PackageManager( 2524): COMPARE_PACKAGE SIGNATURE UNKNOWN : com.android.cts.robot
E/PackageManager( 2524): checkKCSignature error
I/art     ( 2524): Explicit concurrent mark sweep GC freed 195715(8MB) AllocSpace objects, 6(1631KB) LOS objects, 33% free, 9MB/13MB, paused 1.506ms total 120.970ms
I/art     (13719): System.exit called, status: 1
I/AndroidRuntime(13719): VM exiting with result code 1.

I've resigned the packages and still doesn't work, I can't even install a hello world app I build myself in Android Studio. Kingroot doesn't work (yet, although I've read forums where it has worked).   It seems like ATT has got this thing very locked down.
All I really want to do is put a couple scripts on the thing to download podcasts for me (which is all I really miss from giving up my "smart" phone), so maybe I'll ask another question if this one is unanswerable. But, what's up with this phone.
I've read almost every deadend forum post, tutorial and guide you're gonna get by binging it or googling it or searx'ing it or duckduckgoing it.
I'm not sure how to get it into fastboot mode either, it's not vol-down + power (I did wind up in 'safe mode' once, but I don't know what that is)
What I really want is to know where I can get more debug information so I can figure out why it doesn't want to install any APK files.

You are not alone. I want to install maps on mine. Please let us know if you will succeed at this.

I still haven't figured anything out, but I haven't tried much lately - Kingroot still isn't supporting it FWIW.

You'll get more information about your problem by using:

adb logcat -v * > mylog.txt

you'll find the file mylog.txt in the directory where you've executed the adb command. (you can share it to help you figure out what's the problem)
The problem is:
The same package name (APK) exists on Android device with different signature.
When you try to install the same package (APK) again signed with a different signature:

Example:
The first APK was signed with Debug keys, then the APK you're trying to install is signed with Release keys

The solution is:

Uninstall the old package (APK) manually from Settings> Apps

or from the CMD shell, run:

adb uninstall your.package.name

Thanks a lot, I added the relevant info from logcat, the package I wanted to install wasn't installed on the machine to begin with - this phone pretty much won't let me install anything on it.  Now, that's pretty much as advertised, but it is an android phone (albeit a flip phone) so I figured it would be easier to work around the security features..


text:
Can I use a different power adapter with my TV with different Ampere output
I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but here it goes.
I have a sony W80C android TV which is not powering on.
I tried following steps to find out the problem:
1. Tried another remote (mobile phone IR blaster)
2. Currently trying a different power adapter.
Here's the problem,
The original power adapter outputs 19.5V 5.2A and the new one I ordered is 19.5V 4.35A. So the TV is not powering on.
I thought it's because of the difference between ampere that's why it's not working.
But the person who sold me this is saying that this power adapter works with all Sony TV and he even tested it on 43" Android TV and it works and said there was an issue with my TV.
I just want to know if it's possible to power up the TV with lower Ampere output or not. If that's the case then I will send my TV to repair.

I assume that both of the chargers are DC, I hope the new charger isn't AC.
The original charger was 19.5V 5.2A = 101.4 Watts
The new charger is 19.5V 4.35A = 84.825 Watts
My guess is that the power isn't enough to power up your TV, and if by chance your TV works with 84.825 Watts then the new charger will be very hot and will burn soon because the TV needs more power and the source isn't able to provide it.
In general consider this when buying any replacement charger:

Don't buy unknown/cheap chargers

Type of current flow should be the same as the original charger: DC = DC or AC = AC

Voltage should be exactly the same : 19.5 = 19.5

Amperage provided by the source (New Charger) should be More or Equal to the Amperage needed by the destination (Ex: TV)

So; in your case; the new charger should be :
19.5V DC Exactly  and 4.35A or more

The default charger provided with TV has 5.2A output but the new one has the same voltage with 4.35 A . So it is not impossible for the TV to power on with less Ampere ?

if by chance the TV will power up, you'll end up with a burned charger because it can't provide enough power.


text:
Problem of the Google play store
As soon as I get into Google Play store and search for an app, it automatically comes to the home screen of the Android device and a notification appears asking whether you want to close the app or open it once again.Will this problem will be solved?

This could just be that you are running out of RAM. There is more information on this here, if you need it.


text:
Whatsapp suddenly crashed and device got unresponsive
My Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 is of full of storage and I am talking to my friend through whatsapp, and it got crashed and stop working. I can't receive calls or get out of whatsapp or even turn the phone off. What should I do now?

Holding the power button down for 15-30 seconds doesn't work? Then uninstall some stuff or remove files to clear up space.

Press and hold the power button until something happens. When my S4 becomes unresponsive, a long-press of about 10 seconds eventually gets the phone off.


text:
Samsung GT-I9100 no storage space
I have a Samsung GT-I9100 and its permanently telling me I don't have enough storage space., yet there are 11GB on the USB storage available. How do I use the USB storage?

Which version of Android do you have?

Questions:
1. Do you mean SD storage (SD card) and not USB storage? 2. What action(s) are you trying to perform when it gives you this error message?
3. How much free space do you have on your internal storage?
If you're getting that message when you're trying to install an app, keep in mind that you can't download apps directly to your SD/external storage. You have to first download/install them on your internal storage. Then you can move them to your SD card if that option is available for the app. The same applies to downloading most types of files (documents, music, videos, etc). If your internal storage is full, you have to either delete some files or move them to the SD card to free up space on internal storage. Hope that helps!


text:
How to block ads in Viber notifications?
Is there any way to do it? Maybe a hidden setting or an a AdAway rule?
I'm talking about useless drivel that show up in notifications such as "Yay, new stickers for Valentine's Day!", etc. Turning off the notifications for Viber is not an option.

Have a look at this to prevent notifications; choose exclude option in trigger to retain notifications


text:
How to undo vestiges of themes past
hardware: Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SM-G955U)
software: Android 7.0 (Nougat)
In December, I installed Samsung's "White Winter" theme. Then I installed "For Snowy Porch" in January followed by "winter tree" in February. The problem I'm having is that there are elements of the White Winter theme that remain on the phone even after installing two other themes afterward. Here are the elements that remain and that I now wish to change to something that better matches the theme I currently have installed:

The left and right app shortcuts on the lock screen (the phone and camera). Note that I am not trying to change the apps that are launched by these shortcuts. I am trying to change the appearance. I want to replace the icon.
The background image that appears when the settings menu is pulled up. It is currently set to the background image for the White Winter theme. I would like to change it to something else.
Similarly to #2 , the background image that appears when I bring up the phone app (showing "recents", "contacts", or the number pad). It shows the background image for the White Winter theme, and I would like to change it.
Also on the phone app, when I display contacts and scroll down to contacts just after "frequently contacted", there is a section for contacts that start with symbols. The section is labeled "&". E.g., "#BAL", and "#DATA". The icons that display to the left of those contacts are from the White Winter theme. I'd like to restore them all to the way they were. I could do this one by one, but I was hoping there was a way to just replace the entire icon pack at once.

Thanks!

I've never used themes, so I don't know much about it, but can't you just uninstall the winner theme and it will automatically go away?

I don't see an option to uninstall themes.

Check in settings > themes > delete

There is no "settings > themes".  There is "Settings > Wallpapers and themes", but at that point, there is no "delete".

I don't have themes, so I can't test this but can you long press on the theme and delete?

No, nothing happens with a long press.

C'mon there most be a way to delete this thing! How do you even download them? If it's from Google play store, maybe you can search for one you have and uninstall it? I'm curious to know why they make it so hard to uninstall the thing

Not from Google play store.  It is from "Samsung Themes".  When I select it again, it only gives the option to "Reapply". ---- Is there no way to undo this piece by piece?  E.g., #2 in my original question, how to set the background image for the settings menu?

My phone doesn't have themes, so I can't test that. You can try googling it. Also you can edit your question, even a small edit, and your question will be bumped to the top, and others will have a chance to answer

Thanks, Bouchur for your time and suggestions.  I'll edit the question as you suggested.


text:
How to skip Checking network when first setting up the device?
Since Google is blocked in China and a few other countries, the Checking network screen will stuck forever. Is there a way to skip this step?

Apparently, from the tag you've used "hard-reset", you've restored your device to factory settings and haven't un-ticked the options "Backup my data" & "Automatic Restore", search with the keywords FRP Bypass for your device.

Refer to this answer of mine to set up a PC as a proxy server and connect the device to the proxy so it can pass the phase normally. What Abdelhafid said is true to an extent though - if setup wizard does not allow skipping network check, then the device likely has a Google account and you will need a FRP bypass.

@AbdelhafidMadoui how would I install an APK if it doesn't let me go into the system?

@AndyYan yes I've tried, yet I cannot get it work somehow. I don't think the phone recognizes the proxy setting...

@AeroWindwalker That's the point of FRP bypassing procedures - there's often a device/version-specific way that allows you to temporarily access a part of the OS so you can install and run APKs. As for the proxy step, well if your PC isn't capable of penetrating the lockdown itself then the proxy will be useless.

@AndyYan turns out FRP will ignore the proxy setting, I had to create a router wide tunnel instead of proxy to connect to Google.

That's kinda weird, I've done a FRP bypass myself just last month and the Samsung tablet I had hands on respected the proxy setting nicely. Good thing that you figured it out in the end though.

@AndyYan probably your Android version is not the same. Mine is 7.0.

@ AndyYan now even the router wide proxy setting doesn't work. I simply got a greyed out next button before going to "Checking network."


text:
How to recover lost data after a factory reset in samsung note 3 SM-n900 series?
My Samsung Note 3 SM-N900 series got stuck in the bootloader loop, due to which I had to do a factory reset. The good thing is that my smartphone is out of the bootloader loop after the reset but all my private data including documents and pictures have been deleted.
I am trying to recover the data using testdisk in Redhat, but the results of deeper search through testdisk are not fetching anything back. So, I decided to shift to windows 10. I was watching this tutorial to recover the data back using testdisk in windows. The problem I am encountering is that when I connect my device in the computer, It does not show any "sdb" drives connected to it in the command line interface, But I am able to see and access my device in the graphical user interface "This PC".
How am I suppose to access this device through command line interface to proceed further? Also any other methods to recover the lost data are also welcome.
I am adding images of the output displayed by the testdisk tool on windows:
for photo click hereor

Image source: My personal computer

Please take a look at our data-recovery tag-wiki, and Recover deleted content from userdata partition. You'll first need to create a disk image, as you cannot directly access the storage of your Android device from your computer anymore (no USB mass storage mode).


text:
How to do a reset my LTE profile? (or fix some type of hardware LTE failure)
My phone, Samsung G920FD aka Galaxy S6 Duo works with band 3 LTE yet lately (two days ago), it sudden stops to work on this band, it simply doesn't connect to it while my other phones connect to band 3 just fine. I tried installing other SIM cards on this phone, and none of them work (yet they work on other phones). The only thing I did was to install a SIM manager on my device to switch between two SIM cards. I don't think this causes a LTE failure. I've tried doing a hard-reset as well as flashing the ROM (to three different versions, my original one, FrankensteinS6, and OFFICIAL LineageOS 14.1). None of which works. Is it possible that my LTE chipset or other hardware broke perminently? Is not, how to fix it?

See if [this solution] (https://android.stackexchange.com/a/189727/131553) helps

@beeshyams ##4636##* doesn't do anything on my phone...

Samsung... Try this app if equivalent command  (secret code ) exists. Maybe a typo but command in above comment is not correct.

@beeshyams pretty sure this code no longer works on the newest stock ROM. I am reverting to the old ones.


text:
what does the intent filter verification service app from Google do?
While updating apps on Fdroid (not sure which one because is was bulk update, could be any from Activity Diary, Editor, Simple Calendar), the firewall (AFWall+, moto x 2nd gen rooted) caught an attempt to communicate with what a whois search identified as amazon servers.  The app that tried to communicate was Google's Intent Filter Verification Service.
Does anyone know what is this app for?
I am not asking what Intent Filters are....

I used APKTool to find the following details:

It is not a Framework or a Shared Library,
It does not get backed up,
It appears to use some custom permissions (INTENT_FILTER_VERIFICATION_AGENT, BIND_INTENT_FILTER_VERIFIER, INTENT_FILTER_NEEDS_VERIFICATION)
It has a Broadcast Receiver, so presumably this NEEDS VERIFICATION stuff is happening at an OS level,
It is a Service.

I tried reading the reversed code, but I have no experience with Smali and therefore didn't make much meaningful progress.  Next, I used AndroGuard to make a Call Graph:
androcg.py --output intent-filter.gml --no-isolated Intent\ Filter\ Verification\ Service_com.android.statementservice.apk

... then I turned this into an image:
import networkx as nx
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
ifv = nx.read_gml('intent-filter.gml')
# filter out some system stuff, I think
ifv = ifv.subgraph([a for a in ifv.nodes() if not 'Landroid' in a])
# filter out some java utility type stuff, I think
ifv = ifv.subgraph([a for a in ifv.nodes() if not 'Ljava/lang' in a])
isolates = nx.isolates(ifv)
nonisolates = list(set(ifv.nodes()) - set(isolates))
ifv = ifv.subgraph(nonisolates)
relabeler = {key: key.split()[0].split('/')[-1] for key in ifv.nodes()}
ifvn = nx.relabel_nodes(ifv, relabeler)
ifvn.remove_edges_from(nx.selfloop_edges(ifvn))
nx.draw(ifvn, with_labels=True)
fig = plt.gcf()
fig.set_size_inches(18, 10)
fig.savefig('intent-filter.jpg',dpi=200)

I get this:

My suspicion from the name of the service is that it effectively takes an Intent and determines whether or not that Intent satisfies the (grammar? of the ...) Intent Filter of each publicly declared exportable component in each Manifest.xml for all the apps on the device.  This call graph seems to sort of support my hypothesis.  In particular, URL is dead center with a ton of out-going edges, the nodes in the middle-ring of stuff kind of look like verification or filtration of some sort (parsing an extended message nano, looking at a network response, pulling the data from the Intent, getting a web port, checking if a protocol is valid or invalid ...), and finally the very outer-most items that have only incoming edges kind of seem like they are either executing the Intent by passing it to a destination (e.g, HttpURLConnection ->, NetworkResponse, AndroidAppAsset, ...), or discarding it as invalid (InvalidProtocolBufferNanoException, ResistanceFollowRedirects, OutOfSpaceException, ...).
I am just an amateur sleuth and cannot claim to really know what all this means, but this is my 10 cents.  I think that the the Service forms the connection between an invoked Intent and all of the IntentFilters in apps on the device.  I think it decides what goes to which app, if something has invalid data like in a null fuzzing scenario, and if something should go to the web.  I think it also stops some sort of infinite-redirect attack.  I suspect this is an effort on the part of the Android dev team to defend against inter-component communication (ICC) attacks and app link / URI vulnerabilities.  Hope this helps!

I think this is a "watcher" program, or a language-interpretation program. It might be how the MMS services "guess" the next word you are going to use during texting, and offer it's three best guesses as suggestions.
To stretch it's use further, this program is probably also the one that ferries every fifth text or phone call to the FBI/CIA to "watch" all of us as potential "terrorists". x(

Right now my findings is that the network calls from this app originate from installed apps, not by this app itself.


text:
Formatting a "corrupt SD card" fails - is the card dead?
I have a no-brand-marked 32 GB "Micro SD HC" Card, which I'd been using with my Android 6.0.1-based phone.
Recently, the phone has been telling me the card is corrupt, and would not use it; and today I tried formatting it as the UI suggested. Well, the formatting app closed after a very long time with no progress beyond some point, and nothing seems to have changed - the card is still described as corrupt.
Is it necessarily the case that my card is dead, or could this possibly be a software issue?

Most likely. If you had the card set to be read as internal storage, Android sets an encryption on it. After a factory reset, the keys change, and the card is permanently write-protected. I have had no luck reversing this on mine.
Regards.

I don't understand the comment about "read as internal storage". Also - I have not done a factory reset of anything (that I know of).

You may have been prompted to set the SD card to be encrypted to be read the same as the internal storage. Since you have no recollection of a factory reset, chances are the card is dead/dying.

When you connect your Android device to a pc, is the memory card visible?
If yes, chances are, your memory card can be formated or the contents be recovered using the Command Prompt.
Let's say, your sd card drive is E-drive, then use the Command line:
" chkdsk E: /f "
Hope this works. All the best!


text:
Some Apps not woking in cellular Data
I have an Blackview BV 8000.
Some Apps like Chrome, Stack exchange, Facebook, WhatsApp... Work without a problem.
However apps like Gmail, YouTube and Google play store don't work on cellular data.
I always get an error message, that tells me to check my internet connection (cellular or wlan/wifi, that I know is good).
In settings there is a network access control panel, where I unlocked those apps, however they still don't work under cellular data.

I realize this is a pretty basic answer, and you might have already tried this, but have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling those apps? Even if it's saying "check your internet connection", sometimes error messages don't reflect the real problem. Those apps you mentioned (Gmail, YouTube, and Google Play Store) all come from the same developer. If this problem just started recently, it could be a glitch in a recent update.
Alternatively, are you sure that you're logged in to those apps? The apps you mentioned are all dependent on your being properly signed in to your main Google account, via your device's accounts settings. If you've inadvertently logged out or deleted your Google account login, you'll lose access to those accounts.
Of course, if you haven't done this already, try restarting your device (turn it on and off). No joke, that actually fixes a lot of problems. :-)


text:
Android 6 on screen keyboard not enabled
When using the Android 6 (Moto G2) only the voice option was given for user input.
A device reboot failed to fix the issue.

In Device, Apps
In an effort to save space the user had disabled Google gboard in error as well Google Hindi Input, Google Korean Input etc

I'm confused. Are you answering your question? Or are you telling us what happened?

Sorry I was not clear, answering the question.


text:
paying for childrens apps
my partner has 2 google accounts. One is not widely used and has been applied to our daughters tablet. My partner has google rewards installed on her mobile and wanted to use the credit to buy DLC for one off my daughters apps. how can this done, as its 2 different accounts.
TIA


text:
Why is my Android not restoring the app data from its Google Drive backup?
I'm testing a new version of our app that now supports Android Auto Backup (by targeting API over 23).
I've managed to get the system to back up the app's data by leaving it overnight (two nights), but when I uninstalled the app and installed it again, it didn't restore the data from the backup.
However, I can still see the backup for the app under Settings > System > Backup > App data > [appname] and that it was last backed up yesterday.
I first re-installed the app from an apk downloaded to the device. Would this not trigger the restore like installing from Google Play or over adb should?
I've tried uninstalling again and installing over adb, but it still doesn't restore the data.
Is there a way to force it to restore the data from the backup?

adb shell bmgr restore

Just looking in logcat and noticed this just after the install finishes:
02-21 14:20:44.034: V/BackupManagerService(914): restoreAtInstall pkg=<package> token=c restoreSet=1 02-21 14:20:44.037: D/BackupManagerService(914): MSG_RUN_RESTORE observer=null 02-21 14:20:44.037: D/BackupManagerService(914): Starting restore. 02-21 14:20:44.690: E/BackupManagerService(914): Required package metadata but got  02-21 14:20:44.700: I/BackupManagerService(914): Restore complete.

adb shell bmgr restore <TOKEN> <PACKAGE>
Source
Additional inputs from OP incorporated from comments

It appears that the reason it didn't restore automatically in my case was that there were many different devices backed up to the same Google Account, and it didn't know which "set" to use. I got a list of "sets" with the command adb shell bmgr list sets and could then use your command with the desired set like this: adb shell bmgr restore <SET> <PACKAGE>.

I'm going to post an alternative answer to my own question, in spite of having accepted the previous answer. The reason is that I have since learned, on my personal device, that the Android Backup and Restore doesn't work as well as I expected, so while that wasn't the case in the case above, this might be the case for other people finding this question.
Apparently, if restoring on a different device or even on the same device with a different OS, it won't restore anything but system data. This happened to me when I wiped my Moto X (2nd gen) to install LineageOS on it.
That means that notification settings, WiFi passwords and background images will get saves, while app data (save games, app settings, etc) will not.
I'm not sure if newer versions of Android come with better Backup and Restore functionality, but for now I'm going to be using a specialised backup app (Helium at the moment) to keep my data fairly backed up, and also use that when transferring to a new device.
If anyone has any positive experiences with Android own Backup and Restore actually restoring app data on a new device, please share any details of android versions and device :)
Update on Helium
Here's a few words on my experience with Helium so far.
At first I was a bit disappointed, due to a few limitations of the app. Using the free version you can't setup a scheduled backup, so I had to start it manually every time. This, however, became extremely tedious, as you can't save a "selection" of apps to back up, and so had to scroll through all your apps each time. So I bought the premium version, so I could set up scheduled backup tasks.
But for some time this also didn't work, because the app kept losing "authorisation" or whatever it is, so I had to connect it through USB with USB debugging enabled and running the Helium desktop app every time I wanted to do a backup. And you can't just trigger a backup, only change the scheduled time until "in a minute" and wait...
Then that seemed to stop being a problem, and authorisation isn't lost any longer, even over restarts. But another problem is that the backup can't run if the screen is locked. I'd like to have the backup run automatically in the night, while my phone is charging and on WiFi, but I only wake up to a message about the backup not having been able to run, because of the screen lock. This is easier to fix, by simply tapping the message to run the backup, but means I then have to leave the phone until done.
Over all it works and I'm glad I've got backups (backing up to Google Drive), but it could work a lot better.
I still haven't tried restoring, so there might be a call for another update when I've seen how well that works :-)
Update 2 on Helium
It's started losing the authorisation all the time again, which means that the automatic backups aren't happening, and I have to re-authorise and re-schedule to "now" to trigger them. Would be great to hear from any other Helium users out there, if they have some experiences with this.
Update 3 on Helium
It's not losing authorisation as much, which is probably because my phone isn't restarting as much (I've got a new battery). Also, there have been some updates to Helium, so now you can save selections of apps, which is really handy if you want to update which apps you backup in a recurring backup (almost as handy as if you could edit the recurring backup's settings).


text:
Android Assistant on Lollipop
Is it possible to get Google Assistant on Android Lollipop smartphone?
I wouldn't prefer to root my phone.
Edit(2 March 2017): Today, as I woke up Assistant suddenly appeared in my app drawer.

https://www.xda-developers.com/google-assistant-tablets-lollipop/ just wait

@beeshyams Google seems to be a bit dated on this aspect

@AnuragThakur I had myself live-streamed the event in India where Google declared this. But, the problem is that there has been no further news or updates for over 2 months.

@AdityaPratapSingh well, we can just hope for the best.

Is this for a phone or tablet? You weren't specific about that in your question

@ABochur It is a phone

Apparently, according to the Google's blog, the assistant should definitely work on Android 5.0, for those running their phones in English:

The Google Assistant on Android 5.0 Lollipop has started to roll out
  to users with the language set to English in the U.S., UK, India,
  Australia, Canada and Singapore, as well as in Spanish in the U.S.,
  Mexico and Spain. It’s also rolling out to users in Italy, Japan,
  Germany, Brazil and Korea. Once you get the update and opt-in, you’ll
  see an Assistant app icon in your “All apps” list. (Source)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Df8frl9su4QDSjm2   As you can see in the image, I have Android 5.1.1 and the Phone's lang is English. Moreover, I live in India, which comes in the list of countries expected to get the update

And what happens when you try downloading the assistant app?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WW6hW6RyPQzSUvJm1

@AdityaPratapSingh real strange! That's all I can say...

Is there any way to 'sideload' Assistant?

Try installing the APK. no guarantee that it's going to work. Won't hurt to try though

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

I got it finally


text:
Create 'Add to Home Screen' shortcut for local offline HTML page
I have developed a web-based HTML and Javascript app which is distributed to company mobile phones via email or USB transfer as a zip file, which I would like to set up on people's devices with a shortcut on their home screen.
However, I can't get the option in the Chrome browser to add it as a shortcut for the offline page.
The option only becomes available if, for example, I upload the package to my online webspace and then load that URL in chrome. This isn't an option, as the app will load in confidential information which I don't want online.
Are there any solutions or alternative options for this?

On the destination devices, do you have Root Access or not ?

1. Using Chrome Browser (without root)
If you are looking for a solution using Chrome app, Chrome isn't associated with Html files, thus you can't associate it with HTML files, but you can:

P.S: Allow the storage permission for the Chrome App

Open Chrome Browser
Type the path of your file Ex: file://mnt/sdcard/Documents/App/index.html
Goto Options Menu (Three dots on the upper right)
Tick the Star on the top to Bookmark the html file in Mobile Bookmarks.
From your launcher put the "Chrome Bookmarks" widget on the desktop to access your bookmarked local file.

2. Using Total Commander (without root)

P.S: First, Allow the storage permission for the Total Commander App

Install & Launch Total Commander - file manager
Locate your "index.html" file.
Tap & maintain on the  index.html file.
From the pop-up Menu, tick the option "Create Link on Desktop"
Select the shortcut name.
Select the app used to open HTML files (I suggest to install Opera or Firefox before this)
Choose an Icon if you want.
Tap OK/ Apply.

3. Using Opera Browser (without root)
Opera Browser is a solution for your situation, maybe other browsers are also fine.

P.S: First, Allow the storage permission for the Opera App

Install Opera browser - news & search
Type the path of your file Ex: file://mnt/sdcard/Documents/App/index.html
Goto Options Menu (Three dots on the upper right)
At the bottom of the Option Menu, tick the option "Home Screen"
Select the shortcut name, and tap Add.

chrome does not show the "add to home page" menu item on local files; same happens with embedded Samsung Internet Explorer on my Samsung S7.
Adding the "chrome bookmarks widget" results in adding links for ALL bookmarks, not just one.

Download the page, open it in chrome, click the three dots in the top right and select 'Add to home'
Edit: Just realized, I'm using the Brave browser (free on google play) and it works. It looks a lot like Chrome so it doesn't take long to get used to it.
Edit #2: Orfox browser (Tor browser), also free, is able to do it. Just open the file and create a shortcut, just like with normal pages in chrome. This is a tor browser though, but maybe there are other browser that are lighter and also able to do it. Firefox browser also does the trick. Click the 3 dots in the top right, press page and create shortcut.

Nope, didn't work even with the Brave browser. 'Add to home' doesn't even appear if the file path is like file:///sdcard/Documents/App/index.html. Possibly due to the fact that a local file isn't served over https? In which case, is there an alternative...?

Here's an alternative I am using to access a local HTML via (my Samsung) Home Screen.

Have a shortcut to Samsung Internet (because it allows Locked Tab)
Open the HTML file manually (eg. Using My Files file manager, "Open With" Samsung Internet)
Tap on the Tabs button to display the list of open tabs, press and hold the 'RecyclerView' of the tab showing the HTML file, choose to Lock it.

I use a simple app called  Website Shortcut created by Deltac Development. This app may work for your needs and can be edited and customized (i.e. company logo, changing path to different location, etc)


text:
Can I use my Samsung SM-J700P on the ATT network?
It was locked to the Boost Mobile network (Sprint) before I supposedly unlocked it with Odin, but using the ATT SIM card says it's not supported for the device.  I've spoken to both companies and neither seems to be able to help.
Thanks for any advice

There's a difference between unlocking a phone and rooting a phone. What ODIN can do is root a phone (giving you unrestricted access to the features and settings), what you need to do is unlock the phone (allowing you to change the cellular settings).
Once that's done, you need to set the cellular settings for the AT&T network (they would currently be set to the BOOST network). AT&T technical support is who should be able to help you with that, but the phone needs to be unlocked first.

Thank you, but then how would I unlock it?  Since I thought I did that according to a youtube guide I followed.  And sorry for the late reply. I thought no one answered my post earlier on...

Boost can unlock it, usually for a fee. There's websites that do this also, usually for a smaller fee.

@user253978 What YouTube guide have you been following?

Well my family spoke to both companies and an ATT rep told them that the phone is too old a model and can’t be used on their network.  Is this true though?  Since supposedly my phone can be used on CDMA and GSM networks and I don’t fully take the store reps word.  As for the YouTube guide, I forget exactly which one it was, but I know they asked me to use Odin.  Also, why do I have to pay for an unlock code?  Is there any other means to obtain one from a program or another way? Thanks again.

@user253978 I have 2 phones that are way older than yours, and they work fine on modern networks. As for unlocking fees, unless you know somebody who works for the carrier it's locked to or that carrier has a policy of unlocking phones for free once the contract is up, you would have to pay. The unlock codes are stored in a private database, some websites have privileged access, and they charge for that. It's probably $15.

Do you know any reputable sites for unlock codes?  Thank you again for your help tlhIngan and God Bless you! :D

@user253978 That falls under "shopping recommendation," which is off-topic on this site. But the last site I used for unlocking was  it was called  cell unlocker , and it was on the "net" .


text:
Apps demand I "Update Google Play Services" on MIUI - but should I?
I use a RedMi 3S phone, with MIUI 9.2.2.0 (Malmiek; based on Android 6.0.1). I don't use a Google account on my phone so I can't (and don't want to) use the Google Play Store. I use APKPure instead.
Recently I've been getting messages from some apps - Google apps mostly - saying that they won't work unless I upgrade Google Play Services. Yet - APKPure suggests my version is up-to-date. There are also no MIUI system updates available from my phone (checked using the preferences interface).
My current Google Play Services version is 11.5.09 (446-164803921).
Questions:

Should I be getting this message?
Should I upgrade Google Play Services? If so, to what version exactly, and won't it cause trouble with MIUI?

Yes, that message is valid as your Google Play Services (GPS) version is relatively out of date (current version is 12.2.17). If you need to use the applications that require you to update GPS, then your only option to remove that message is to update.
The easiest way to update your GPS is to follow the notification. If for some reason that doesn't work for you, APKMirror has all the GPS variant here. The APKMirror route does require you to know a fair bit about your phone though to find the correct variant.

I can't follow the notification, because it takes me to the Google App Store and asks for me to login to my Google account.

@einpoklum in that case, it seems like the APKMirror route would be best for you then.


text:
Some apps change their notification importance
Some apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram have an extremely annoying behaviour reguarding notifications on Android 8.0.0.
If I head to the Settings app > Apps & notifications > App info > WhatsApp > App notifications, then set Message notifications to be of importance "medium", the setting will stay that way and not change. That's to be expected. Now if I receive a message from someone, the setting appears to be completely ignored, as not only does my phone vibrate and ring, it also reverts back the importance to "urgent".
I do not want my phone to notify me of everything that it might receive, especially instant messaging which is of very little importance most of the time. People can phone me if they need me. The only fix I found so far, is to completely disable notifications for that app, but now I do not get to see whether I received new messages or not by giving a look at the status bar, so I have to unlock my phone and open the app to see if there's anything new.
What could be the reason for this, and most importantly is there a way to fix this?
My phone is a Sony XPeria XZ (F8331) running on Android 8.0.0 (currently the latest update).

I dint know why it happens on your device, but I don't see this problem on stock Oreo , for example with WhatsApp

Sony XZ has the tendency to change behaviour in the middle of nothing. Try downgrading the Android version and it will work as smooth as you want to see it.


text:
Lost Android Phone data security
I want to know if a lost smartphone which has been marked in all google related security activities(Erase Data,Lock etc),Can someone still recover something from the phone using hardware dismembering of any kind?
Some phones require correct pattern to startup the Android OS & the bootloader is in locked state so ADB or USB Debugging exploit won't be an issue?
Variety of security apps like Prey etc are present which provide features like SMS alerts on Sim change, Operate phone camera,wipe data etc.Could some hardware removal also disarm such apps?
P.S: Phone/device is also encrypted.

You haven't mentioned if your device is encrypted ; if it isn't you are in bigger trouble. See this Why encrypt the device?
100% security is a pipe dream. Given enough resources, it may well be possible to use means available in public domain or those available to the letter agencies to get information out of your phone . Point is that you need to address the security threat. If you are an average Joe who doesn't have sensitive information to justify using sophisticated techniques, you are relatively safe
Once your device is erased, so will those apps you mentioned be erased , unless they have been made system apps. Logging into a device with PIN lock is theoretically possible by brute force methods, I believe . Locked bootloader and USB debugging disabled make it harder ; but then back to the threat model. Is the information contained important enough to justify that ?
As far as hardware methods are concerned some typical ways are covered in one of the answers linked in the first bullet point

I believe that you cannot get a definitive answer but for an average user encryption along with locked bootloader, USB debugging disabled and PIN locked on an erased device shouldn't be a concern - your bases are covered

Yes the device was encrypted that means it wont be easy to retrieve data if somebody rips off the memory from my phone and try to access it by assembling it on another phone or device?

Would encryption also protect an external SD card?

Yes. It won't be easy rather extremely difficult because the encryption key is not available. The encryption key may be linked to the particular device hardware // Encryption would cover external SD if you used adoptable-storage or otherwise encrypted it

Can the RAM be exploited in someway?

ok, I wonder how someone can run ADB commands when the device has bootloader locked & USB Debug disabled?Could this be bypassed somehow?

Regarding RAM exploit see cold boot attack. It was done on Android by a program called FROST in 2013


text:
Android - how to keep launcher setting after reboot
Instead of the preinstalled "Launcher3" I'd like to use "Microsoft Launcher" – but when I choose it as default, it only lasts until reboot. After reboot "Launcher3" is again set as default.
How to keep a launcher after reboot?
Where are such things stored in general?
(Android 5.0.2 - API 21)
EDIT:
My Phone is a Medion X5004.
I tried via the settings menu in MS-Launcher, and via system settings.
EDIT2:
I tested installing "Apex Launcher" and set it as default - also resets to Launcher 3. So it doesn't seem to be specific to MS-Launcher.
EDIT3:
MS-Launcher does not sit on SD-card.
EDIT4:
Wiping cache has no impact...
EDIT5:
Tried to chmod 440 /data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml while launcher set to MS-Launcher - after reboot the file has write permissions again and Launcher3 "greets" me.

Not really an answer – but problem does not occur after factory reset.

Here's something to try:
Go into settings  → apps. In the menu, select show system apps →  launcher3  → set as default  → clear defaults.
When you go back to your homescreen, it will let you choose your default one. Choose Microsoft launcher as the default.
Reboot your phone, and see if it helped.
Edit:
If the Microsoft launcher is stored on your SD card, move it back to the internal memory, that should fix it.

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately still same behaviour.

This might be on Samsung device only, but try and see if you have it. Settings > default applications > home > Microsoft launcher.

Also see if the edit is relevant

TY again :)    MS-Launcher is not installed on SD-Card. I only got Settings -> "Homescreen/Desktop" (not 100% sure about the exact word, translated from german…).

Try wiping system cache don't worry, this will not clear your data.

Didn't work either - starting to think, I should just not reboot that often... ^^


text:
Android is upgrading ... so slow
So I bought a replacement phone (I doubt the model matters but it's a Moto Z Play) and now it's catching up with upgrades and there are many updates and every one of them is taking like 15 or more minutes because at first it installed all the apps from the old phone... how could I tell it to install all upgrades first and only then optimize them?

Don't think that's possible. It took me a few hours to go through all update

You cannot

See the accepted answer by elderathis for a good explanation of what optimising apps does What kind of app optimizations do newer Android versions do at the first reboot? - re-creates Dalvik / ART (lollipop upwards) cache for each app. This is done with each OTA
It's only when the OTA is completed, the device looks for availability of fresh updates and proceeds to download and update next OTA. This is because the version on the device is checked for integrity and that it's not tampered with (as in the case of rooted devices or modifications to  /system partition ) to be start the OTA process.

Your case of updating multiple OTAs in one shot I suppose is not the usual use -case so it does ìt incrementally instead of applying all updates and then optimising, though in theory it could work that way
Edit: Some of these updates could be incremental updates, which demand the previous build

Distribute an incremental package only to devices running exactly the same previous build used as the incremental package's starting point.


text:
Front Camera Not Working, Showing HARDWARE_LEVEL_LIMITED
I had to replace the screen on my Lg V20 and broke the front and wide angle camera while doing so. When I ordered replacements and replaced them, the wide angle worked, but now the front camera crashes both the LG camera and Google Camera port. When I scanned it with a Camera2 API scanner, it showed up, but I noticed it said HARDWARE_LEVEL_LIMITED next to hardware level. Is there anything I can do to get this working?

did you replaced the hardware in authorized service center or in a local repairing shop?

@parthu_panther I replaced everything myself using parts from fixez.com

than it might be the case that you replaced the new hardware of higher version than your phone could have supported.

@parthu_panther I have a V20 and I bought the parts for the V20. The wide angle camera worked and the connectors were the same.

as you stated in your post that 'when you scanned it with camera2 API scanner, it showed up'. That means your software config are fine. I think you should show your device at a trusty hardware repairing center.


text:
How to connect to WiFi router without internet?
I've just set up a WiFi router to use with an audio device which is controllable by Android devices through LAN. This router is expected to not have an internet connection - its sole purpose for me is to route the local network and enable the controlling via my Android phone.
However, my phone (a Moto G5S, with Android 7.1.1 installed) simply refuses to connect to this router - even though I can perfectly connect to it from a laptop. I even removed my other routers from my phone, to prevent it from jumping to WiFi connections that have internet, but it still doesn't connect to this "offline router".
Now, a bit of a plot twist: I did see a notification about the WiFi connection not having access to the internet, but I simply swiped it off. I tried connecting with my wife's Android, and, instead of swiping off the notification on her phone, I clicked it and I saw that it offered the option to stay connected even without internet. However, I can't do this on my Android anymore, since I got rid of that notification. Yeah, I feel stupid, but, in my defense, I had no idea that ability would be only available there. I even tried "forgetting" the WiFi connection and re-entering the password, but it just won't show me that notification anymore.
So, any ideas of how to fix this, guys? How can I force the connection to my internet-less router, or, alternatively, how can I force my Android to show me the notification about "WiFi offline" again?

As per request, here's my solution as a self-answer:
Somehow, after a series of deletions, restarts, and retries to connect, the notification popped up again. I have no idea why it happened this way, but at least now I can stay connected to that router, which is what I needed.

Try deleting the connection.  You can do this by Settings -> Wifi -> hit the : on the top right, Saved Networks, select your router's name, then FORGET.

It just showed my the notification. I don't know what happened, but after multiple attempts to delete the connection, restart my device, retry to connect, it just got back to me, and then I clicked it and chose to stay connected without internet. Yay! :-)

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


text:
My phone is missing whatsapp communication
What can I do to bring  back my whatsapp number? I was using  my friend  phone  to communicate  with my whatsapp number  and I forget to change and now she still have my whatsapp number and she continue to receive message.

Did you manage to fix the issue?

If your WhatsApp account is registered on a different device, while using your number, you can easily reclaim your account, as long as you can receive text messages on that phone number.
Download WhatsApp on your phone, register your account with your number, and it will automatically close the account on your friends phone.

On a side note, if you're looking to transfer all your messages from your friends phone to your phone, you can transfer the local backup from that phone, to yours.

And remember to take backup from your friend's mobile before installing on your device if you haven't selected to backup automatically on google drive.

@parthu_panther it will not help to select backup to Google drive, cuz both phones have to be under the same Google account. But a local backup will definitely help


text:
Android x86 not change resolution on Virtualbox and VMware Workstation
I installed android-x86_64-6.0-r3.iso and after launch I see:

I tried to change resolution as described here:

Android x86 Marshmallow not booting on Virtualbox and VMware Workstation
https://www.lifewire.com/fix-android-screen-resolution-virtualbox-2202050

Tried to set all resolutions from this menu:

Set UVESA_MODE=1024x768 etc.
But it's only affect on window size. I always see only a half screen in bad quality.

See if this helps: Can't change screen resolution of Android-x86_64 installed in UEFI mode