text:
Set a custom ringtone on Sony Z3 Xperia Compact
I'm trying to set a custom ringtone on Sony Z3 Xperia Compact. I have copied the desired MP3 file into /storage/emulated/0/Notifications. However, on the ringtone list, I don't see the file and can't find any way to add it. There is no "Add" button in the ringtone list:

Click image for larger version
There is only a "musical notes" icon button in the upper-right corner. If I press it, the following strange screen appears containing some unknown list of music without my ringtone:

Click image for larger version
I have rebooted my phone and nothing changed. For some time after a reboot, I was unable to press the "musical notes" icon button since it was saying "Updating" or "Refreshing" in Russian. This was probably the media scanner running. So, I now know how to run the media scanner but still can't change my ringtone.
I have put the file into /storage/emulated/0/Ringtones. Also, I checked that it appeared in /sdcard/Ringtones and rebooted my phone, but nothing changed.
How can I set a custom ringtone on Sony Z3 Experia Compact?

Did you reboot after copying files? See if this helps: Nexus 5x won't use custom ringtones/notifications

Depending on how you've copied the .mp3, the Android system might not know about it yet (as the media scanner didn't pick it up yet). Apart from that, it won't turn up as ringtone anyhow, as you've copied it to be a "notification sound" (see e.g. my answer here).

After the media scanner picked it up, it will show in the corresponding place. Which that is, depends on your "lucky choice". Make a good pick from the answer I've linked with my previous comment :) And what Firelord expected by a reboot: That's one of the events the media scanner gets triggered.

@Izzy I tried different folders. First one was Ringtones. What will happen if I guess the secret? How would I know that I guessed?

You've guessed the right folder. Did you reboot after placing the file there? And btw, how you've placed the file there (local via a file manager? remotely via MTP?) is an important point as to whether the media scanner was triggered immediately (it doesn't get triggered when doing it locally – but should get triggered when you close the MTP connection). But that nothing happened with your 2nd update confuses me: a few minutes after the boot (when the scanner has finished), the file should show up. Could you please add brand/model and Android version of your device?

@Izzy I put file with ES File Manager (don't know exact English name).

OK, that belongs to the "local placing". So you've chosen the correct directory now as far as I can tell, and did a reboot, waited a little to let the media scanner finish (cross-check: place some .mp3 file somewhere else and see if it shows up in the audio player). Then it should be available to select from your first screenshot (in settings, where you configure it). If it doesn't, either the media scanner fails (hence the cross-check suggestion), or I'm out of ideas.

@Izzy how it will be entitled there? By filename?

If it has no ID3 tag, then that would be the logical choice. Otherwise, it might well carry the ID3 title. Not sure, I've never checked into that (in my cases, the two usually matched).

Based on this tutorial, you need to put your files in /storage/emulated/0/media/audio/ringtones.
If it still doesn't work, try opening the file directly from an Android file explorer, then click "Set as ringtone" (you may need to click on the three dots before seeing it):
(Click image to enlarge)

The folder /storage/emulated/0/media/ is depicted by Facebook icon at mine. Inside it I have only notfications subfolder.

I know that Facebook put its notifications sound here. Probably why there's a Facebook icon. You can try manually creating the folder /storage/emulated/0/media/audio/ringtones. But since there's /storage/emulated/0/media/notifications, I would also try /storage/emulated/0/media/ringtones.

You need to play your audio file with the default music app.
Once the file is known in the music app, you will get an option to Set as ringtone if you select the file and click on the …

In Android 9, any sound files stored in a folder named
Ringtones

anywhere on the system (/media/ringtones
and /Music/Ringtones will both work)
will be found by the system and displayed as an option for a Ringtone sound
Any sound files stored in a folder named
Notifications

will be found by the system and displayed as an option for a Notification sound
You can also have more than one Notifications and Ringtones folders.


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i never get the popup about usb connection when i connect my moto g android 6.0 to pc
i never get the popup about usb connection when i connect my moto g 3rd generation android 6.0 to pc. due to it, I am not able to connect my phone to any pc or laptop. it is in the default charging mode.

What USB mode is configured in Settings › Storage (tap the "overflow menu" button there)? Could it be MTP is disabled on the device?

@Izzy Marshmallow does not have these options in storage like previous Android versions, there are no options to change any settings except for the SD Card in the Settings Storage menu.

@acejavelin Oh – I didn't know that (I'm not one of the 0.7% who already have Marshmallow on their devices). Thanks for the detail!

The issue is not your phone or pc. You need to change your usb cable and install a usb driver from the respective brand.

Why? If I read "is in the default charging mode", it might well be the Moto G is just not offering itself as MTP is turned off.

Marshmallow, on the Moto G 2015 at least, does not give a pop-up like Lollipop did, you must manually grab the pull-down menu and select USB Charge Only and switch it to MPT each connection.
There is an option in Developer Options to set the default USB operation, but the setting seems to have no effect on operation. As of the current MM release it isn't known if this a bug or as designed because Moto hasn't made an official comment on it.

I'd say it is status-by-design.

@Firelord I get that, but there is clearly an option in Developer Options called "Select USB Configuration" with options of Charge Only, MPT, PTP, RNDIS, Audio Source, or MIDI. Some users assumed this was the new place to select default behavior, the was my part of my reference.

It's a known issue. Google wants you to use their cloud and not access Android like its a USB drive. It's stupid and nothing more than vendor lockin, because if you're in the situation I'm in, I can't get my files off my phone except for slow methods.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Options to mitigate espionage/tracking possibilities
Which options exist in (stock/custom) firmware to mitigate smartphone espionage/tracking possibilities? I talk about things like:

Disable/use random mac/do not leak ssid on active WLAN probing
Warn on/do not acknowledge silent/type-0 SMS
etc.

I don't want to use root requiring apps which tinker with the WLAN/3G/4G stack to disable such useless and possible dangerous "features" of my phone.

A very interesting question indeed, and I'd really like to see answers to it! Unfortunately, asking for off-site resources is off-topic here. Would it fit your intention to rephrase it a little, as I just did now, so it can stay on this site? Answers are still allowed to "point outside" if needed.

CLOSE VOTERS: Note the edit. It's no longer asking for off-site resources (ROMs etc), so the question should be legit here (asking for privacy-related configuration options and how to use them).

Really strict rules here. Thanks for editing!

We have to. You've got no idea what we'd otherwise be drowning in :) Btw: If you receive an answer, I'd be thankful for a ping (which I'd receive if you address me directly in a comment on this question like @Izzy – or in chat, as soon as you've got 20+ rep :)

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


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Nexus 5 only emergency calls call are allowed by device owner
I am new to Android and I am not the owner of the current device (LG Nexus 5) I use. I come across this problem: I am not the owner of the device. Instead, I am the second user. When I want to call someone, it prompts an alert box saying that

only emergency calls are allowed by the owner.

Similarly, when I open the Messenger app, another alert box prompted:

this app isn't allowed by the device owner

so I set Hangouts as the default SMS app, but SMS is disabled and not be able to enable.
Other features work fine. The reception is full. Cellular data works. I can even accept calls, just not be able to calling out or sending SMS. Do I have to contact the owner, for them to unlock the calling and texting features?

when your phone is under guest it wont allow you to have access to everything. switch to original owner and your phone will work again!

You may be right but adding a reliable Source to support would enhance value of answer, else it is a comment and would attract downvotes

Ok, log back in as the owner of the device (if you can)
Slide down the menu from the top
Click on the user icon
Click on "More Settings" down the bottom
Click on the settings cog next to the user you want to enable phone and sms for
Click "Turn on phone calls & SMS"
This is working for Android 7, Google nexus 5x
Found in this guide:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/android-5-0-lollipop-how-enable-remove-restrict-guest-user-mode-1470690

Contacting the owner is the simplest way to do that -- they'll probably need to have the phone physically in hand, too.

Which setting do they have to modify to enable the features?

No idea; I don't have a Nexus (any version), nor ever tried to change those settings on my Galaxy S4.

Here are 2 approaches
http://www.thecellguide.com/ has detailed pictures to go along with the information below, which has been directly quoted.

Go into Settings > Storage and tap on Cached Data and select ok to clear data.
Go into Settings > More > Cellular Networks > Preferred network type.
Select "2G" as your preferred network mode. - Turn your Nexus off completely, wait 10 seconds and then turn it back on again.
Go back into Preferred Network type as shown above and switch it to 3G.
Then select Network Operators > Search Networks - Select your Carrier and you should connect successfully.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/nexus/tkdAkJEAXmo information below is from Srijith G Nath answer.

A lot of people have been having trouble with their network connections on the Nexus 5. Sometimes it will struggle to connect properly when switching between Wi-Fi and a mobile network; sometimes it seems to run into issues when switching between 3G and 4G. Sometimes it is dropping onto EDGE or GPRS when 3G or 4G is available. For some people it happens when the Nexus 5 sleeps and there are suggestions it might be related to fast dormancy if it’s not supported by your carrier.
Workaround:
Hold down the power button and reboot your Nexus 5 and the connection should return.Try going to Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Mobile networks >Network mode and choosing it manually.
Potential fixes:

There’s an outside chance that your APN settings are wrong. Check with your carrier to find out what they should be and go to Settings > Wireless & networks > More > Mobile networks > Access Point Names to make sure they are set correctly.
Try using your SIM in another phone to make sure it’s not an issue with the SIM card.A few people say the problem is gone after a factory reset or replacement handset, but there are also reports that neither helps, so it’s definitely not a guaranteed fix.

I do not see Cellular Networks under Settings -> More, and switching to 2G or 3G will probably slow down my cellular data speed, since I am using 4G LTE and the connections are fine.

In terms of Cached Data, I have 1.57GB after I cleared them, I am not sure if that is normal. But it does not work.

Switching to 2g forces the phone to locking to base signal.

The only other option I can see is try the SIM card in another device and see if it connects to make a phone call.

unfortunately on my phone I cannot select preferred networks. SIM works, I tried it on another phone.


text:
I have low storage and the first aid did nothing more than what I've already done
but when I try moving apps to the sd card it only moved about 40mb of a1.5 gb game.  why will nothing go in my micro. I bought 32 gb so now I'm ticked it won't work

Please state android version, device, and if your rooted. It will help for possible solutions.

Additionally: what "first aid" are you referring to? I've just added the app2sd tag to your question. Its tag-wiki holds some explanation and first aid you might wish to check.

You haven't really asked a question but seems like you want a way to free up space on your phone.

If you have lots of photos:
I would download Google Photos. It can backup all of your photos on your device as long as you select the folders which you have folders in so you can go ahead and delete them off of your device. A benefit of this solution is you have access to your photos anywhere you can connect to your google account. There are other places to store your photos as well such as your computer or an external hard drive if you don't want the NSA/Google to know what you are up to.

If you have lots of music:
Another space saving tip is if you use Google Play Music, which I would recommend as well, you can save all of your downloaded music from google play or your personal library using google play music to the SD card. Play music allows you to backup your music to google servers from your computer, then you can download them to your device or you can stream them from your device if you don't want them to take up space, but since you said you had an SD card you may want to opt to saving them on it from within the app. You can go to settings and change where your music is stored.

As for the reason you can't completely move an app to an SD card I speculate it may be because android needs certain files on your device and not held externally.
Wish you the best in your space endeavors.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! What makes you think OP is making any photos at all, or playing music on the device? I see no indication for this in the question. Beside that, some formatting (paragraphs) would be great to make the post easier to read :)

Thanks sorry about that just trying to give some alternate views but you are right. That was my first post I will try to edit it.

Thanks a lot for the update – looks waaaayyy better now :) And of course you are right, the question doesn't give much details (not your fault). Those two apps wouldn't be my choice, though – I'd rather backup my photos to my own computer, and prefer a music player where my music files stay mine ;) Might be worth mentioning that both apps are probably pre-installed on the device anyway. So let me give you an upvote for your effort, even if I disagree with the solution (but more for personal reasons ;)

You Can Use apps to convert (Sdcard) to (Extsd) instead of moving apps.
Or You Can swap The (Sdcard) Whith (extsd).
Check out This Url It might be useful:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2263436

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Those are correct pointers. But please 1) mention that all this would require the device to be rooted, and 2) include at least the basics from behind the link. Otherwise, all information is lost if the linked post would be deleted. Can you please [edit] your answer accordingly?


text:
Can I have more than one tablet on the same email account?
I have two tablets for each of my kids and I set them both up with my email account on the app store to get them games. But when trying to use the PC to choose the games for me it will only let me select one of the tablets and not both.
Do I need to have to separate accounts for each of them or is there a way around it?

There should be a drop-down after you click on "Installed" (or if you haven't installed it yet, "Install"), you should have the option to select which device you want to install it to.  For my 3 devices, I see them listed.  If it is installed already on the device, it'll be grayed out.

Well, you cannot install the app simultaneously to more than one device that way (that drop-down only allows to select one item). Just install the app twice, once on the 1st and then on the 2nd device.

Yes you can have multiple devices on one email account. When using the Play Store from the PC, it will give you the option of which device you want the app installed to. Once selected, the app will take a few minutes to download and install (depending on Internet reception). After that you can install that same app on ANY other devices you have.
I currently am using a total of 13 devices on one email account for Google Play Store. That's Android on PC, laptops, tablets, Android TV box, and several smartphones. Remember you always can decide which apps you want to install to which device.
Here are some references

ask-ac-can-i-install-android-apps-more-one-device
can-i-use-multiple-android-devices-with-a-single-google-account
how-to-share-google-play-apps-music-and-more-between-android-devices/
how-many-devices-does-one-purchase-of-android-app-support

This should be entirely possible. Try rebooting each device & going into Applications > Google Play Store > clear Data & Cache.
You can also try signing out of the website on your PC and then signing back it.

Of course you can, I think your issue here is in the installation of the software applications? Play only allows you to install to one device at a time, but you should see both tablets in the install drop down menu, let it install on one and then click the "Installed" button and it should present the same menu to select a device, select the seconds tablet and let it install. If you go to the Play Store and select Settings, you should be able to see all your devices associated with your account and the time of last activity, and there is a tick box to either show/hide in the menus, so make sure both tablets are there and ticked to show.


text:
Unable to flash TWRP on a LG G4 (LG H815)
I own an international LG G4 LG H815 and running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. For the whole day I am unable to flash TWRP on the phone. First I unlocked the bootloader with succes. Now I am trying to flash TWRP on the phone, commands that I used are :
mark@Mark-PC:~/Bureaublad/LG_G4_unlock/Root$ adb reboot bootloader
@Mark-PC:~/Bureaublad/LG_G4_unlock/Root$ sudo fastboot flash recovery twrp-2.8.6.0-hima.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (35928 KB)...
OKAY [  1.440s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [  0.353s]
finished. total time: 1.793s

After flashing I immidiately turned of the phone by pulling out the battery to prevent normal booting. Every time I boot in the normal stock recovery that offers my to perform a factory reset.
I was reading the question flashing twrp on lg g4 no error, but no twrp but tries were also not succesfull. Chosing yes in the stock recovery wiped the data instead of booting to TWRP. I tried the same with different versions of TWRP for the LG H815 and of them gave the same result. My LG G4 is running Android 5.1 stock ROM without root.
I was also unable to find a file to flash by using fastboot that offers root access to flash a recovery from Android. All of the methods to root requires a working TWRP recovery.
mark@Mark-PC:~/Bureaublad/LG_G4_unlock/Root$ sudo fastboot boot twrp-2.8.6.0-hima.img

Booting of the image directly did also not work
I will be very happy when I am able to salve this problem.
Now I tried this manual on another Windows laptop : https://techbeasts.com/2015/06/16/install-twrp-recovery-on-lg-g4-root-it/
but after the commands
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot boot recovery.img
downloading 'boot.img'...
OKAY [  0.710s]
booting...
OKAY [  0.400s]
finished. total time: 1.117s

unfortunately it boots normal after 20 seconds and stays unaffected.

Finally I found the solution. The developers of TWRP switched the recoveries for the LG h811 and LG h815 model. So I downloaded and flashed a TWRP recovery under h811 downloads and that recovery works properly on my LG h815.

I can confirm you here, following your answer, I downloaded h811, and other than the h815 TWRP which just crashed, my h815 device runs fine with the h811 image.


text:
Why is my internal memory almost full while the files add up to only a few gigabytes?
My HTC One M8 internal memory is almost full (15.40 out of 16). The phone says it's mostly applications. But when I connect it to my computer, go to Internal Storage and add the sizes of all directories, the total is about 3 gigabytes.

Check your settings, storage menu.

What you see from your computer is just a little part of the storage you have access to. It doesn't include the space where apps are installed, where their data reside, where their cache is, where the system settings are stored, where the system logs are written to, and so on. It's like you see the showroom of a shop, it doesn't tell you how much there's in stock in the rooms behind it belonging to that shop.

Yes that's where I checked it. It says my applications are using 13GB. But I just downloaded DiskUsage and it seems that I have ~4GB applications and roughly 8GB system files (OS). Does that make sense? Does the OS use so much space?

Depending how bloated the OS is, it may occupy from barely 4 to 10GB or more.

The confusing part is, when I go to Storage in Settings, it says Google Music is taking 8GB. However DiskUsage says Google Music is using 200MB (which makes sense, because the downloaded music is actually on external storage). So I don't know if I will actually get 8GB of free space if I deleted Google Music (which I'd rather not try for obvious reasons)

Devices have different partitions for different purposes. Data storage is bigger because you will need to store your pictures etc. BUT the partition that your device uses for apps is always limited. You might want to move some apps to sd if you are able to.
For example here is the partition table to a Samsung Galaxy S5:
aboot -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p6
apnhlos -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
backup -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p18
boot -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p15
cache -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p24
carrier -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p25
dbi -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p4
ddr -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p5
efs -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p12
fota -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p17
fsc -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p19
fsg -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p9
modem -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
modemst1 -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p13
modemst2 -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p14
pad -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p10
param -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p11
persdata -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p22
persist -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p21
recovery -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p16
rpm -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p7
sbl1 -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
ssd -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p20
system -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p23
tz -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p8
userdata -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p26

Hope this helps.

I think mentioning the list of partitions doesn't help solving or even explaining the problem. One thing that you can add in your answer is to show what kind of things are consuming internal storage which OP cannot see from PC using MTP. A screenshot of a disk analyzer type app in work in your phone could help OP proceed and understand their own problem and fix it. :-)

In most Android phones, the application data is also saved in a hidden data directory which is part of internal storage.
You can free up that space by clearing app cache and data and removing useless apps.
You can go to settings > applications > app_name and see how much data it has stored.
Warning: clearing app data will make the app behave as if it's just freshly installed and never used.
You can also clear your social media apps directory like whatsapp and Facebook folder to make more space

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


text:
Is it possible to use adb to push to the extSdCard (Samsung S3, getting permission denied error)?
I am trying to push a media file to a rooted Samsung S3 running Samsung's stock Android 4.3. I have tried
$ adb push file /storage/extSdCard
failed to copy file to '/storage/extSdCard/file`: Permission denied

I think it's due to
drwxrwxr-x system   media_rw          2016-01-29 21:03 extSdCard

and the shell user not being in media_rw. I tried to chmod 777 /storage/extSdCard but the permissions don't change.
Having read various answers and other content (such as work-arounds) on the web without success, I'm left wondering if it's possible on the S3 to use adb to write to the SD Card ?
This answer would imply that it isn't possible, but hopefully that isn't the case?

Elevate to a root shell with SU command to get the #.

Yes that works in adb shell but I don't think you can do su' with adb push  as far as I know...

Try running "adb root" to enable adbd to run as root before pushing and see if that helps

Do you've a Nandroid backup? You can mess up with few things here, to see what works out. For example, change the group from media_rw to sdcard_rw recursively and see how it works out. SELinux may also be involved here so you may also have to take care of it.


text:
IMEI Invalid - Lenovo S860, rooted android 4.4.2, nothing works
I saw and tried more than 10 ways to repair the IMEI, including rooting the phone, connection to PC, mobile terminal emulator, but nothing works.
The phone is 2GB RAM Lenovo S860. It has 2 sim card slots (I'm using both) 3G and 2G respectively. (I cannot post link because of low reputation, gsmarena has specifications for my phone)
I accidentally deleted the system folder, after which the phone bricked, but I managed to repair it using the following android verion (http://www.needrom.com/download/rom-stock-4-4/) as an upgrade to (http://www.needrom.com/download/lenovo-s860/), both installed using PC.
Now I have the IMEI problem and I really need quick fix because I need the phone for work.

If you want to get a suggestion you haven't already tried, you should list all the things you've tried already, not just a couple of examples.

I am using MTK Engineering Mode app from Play Store to restore my lost IMEI after flashing ROM. You should know your previous IMEI number. It is usually mentioned in the area underneath battery. When you will open your phone you will see it.
Steps:

Open MTK Engineering Mode.
Click MTK setting.
From connectivity tab choose CDS information, radio information, phone1 or phone2, send AT command AT+EGMR=1,7,”your15digitsIMEI”.
Click send AT command button.
Restart your phone and it should work now.

If still unclear see my article here.

1) I installed the following android verion http://www.needrom.com/download/lenovo-s860/, but it upgrades to a chinese Vibe 2.0, which is very customised and has no Google Play Store, as weall as all other Google apps.
2) So I used the "Upgrade Firmware" option on the PC program (SP Flash Tool) instead of the "Download" one to install http://www.needrom.com/download/rom-stock-4-4/ (this site contains very precise instructions, check it out before doing any of the steps)
3) Now phone works perfectly, but it has IMEI connection problems - IMEI Invalid - Lenovo S860, rooted android 4.4.2, nothing works
4) KingoROOT seems to fix the IMEI problem
5) Phone up and running perfectly


text:
Is there any way to record android screen in android 4.2.2 without rooting and PC?
I want to record my android mobile's screen as a video. I tried many apps from play store but they didn't work with me. My device android version is jelly bean(4.2.2) and it is not rooted. So how can I record my screen without root?

I tried "Mobizen", "Easy screen recorder", "recordable". You can find them in play store. I am using Micromax a089.

Yes, you can.
Best App I have found for recording your phone screen: Shou. It requires rooted Android version 4.1 and up. Also, works without rooting your device.
Other applications that you can try Kamcord (Android 5.0+), etc.

From the description of Shou: "ROOT your Android 4.1+ (Jelly Bean, KitKat) devices to broadcast or record your screen". So, on which Android version did you test it without root access? Can you provide a screenshot of your Android version and another screenshot depicting that Shou is recording screen in your Android version without root access?

No. As strange as it may seem, there is no way to record your screen without root on android before 5.0. If possible you should upgrade to a newer version, but if that is not possible you have to root. Also it is possible that the apps you downloaded from Google Play Store require root.

You can use screenrecord using adb. Doesn't require root access. See Is it possible to make screen videos on a unrooted device? The device is Sony Xperia m2 aqua


text:
I've formatted my SD card as internal on CM13 nightly and now it won't update
So the update is stored in storage/emulated/0/cmupdater and if I try to update via the Settings it just boots into TWRP and does nothing. I tried manually browsing to flash the zip but I can't seem to find it.
Any help?

Have you tried reformatting your SD card how it was before? Presumably it needs to be in that file system for TWRP to understand it.

Also, have you mounted the SD card in TWRP? You can do so in the mount menu, by checking Data

I had similar issue few days ago. Basically I ended with broken SD card. I will try to reformat it when I get the adapter.

Upgrade to TWRP 3.02 solved this for me


text:
Android Phone's Homescreen Shortcut to File on OneDrive
I would like to put a shortcut on my Android phone's homescreen to a Word document file on OneDrive. When I touch the shortcut, the Microsoft Word app should open and allow for editing the file. If I save in Word, then the document should be uploaded to OneDrive online storage.
The OneDrive app allows me to put a shortcut (widget) to a folder but not a file. ES File Explorer allows me to put a shortcut to a file stored locally on the phone but not on a file stored on OneDrive.
I figure I need to download an app. Which app will work?
This question is similar except it is for Google Drive.

I'm coming from Windows world. In WP8 we could do it. With Windows 10 mobile we can pin only OneDrive folders but better than nothing. And now I think it's time to move to Android but this is a huge regression. Bad user experience...

It is possible to add a shortcut to your desired document on the Android Home Screen. To do this however, you have to have the Microsoft Office Apps, like Word and Excell installed. Then open Word and locate your document either locally or in One Drive. Click the three dots next to the document and select add to Home Screen.

And what if it's not a Microsoft Office document?

Sure you can. Add a widget and select the folder you want, then Pin it.
Source: 10 Tricks to Make Yourself a OneDrive Master

Here is an all-purpose Shortcut Maker app.
After installing the app, go to Widgets by long-tapping the home screen and click on shortcut maker. Then add the required file from Onedrive.

Please disclose, in full, any affiliation you have with this app.  Thanks!

If you have the Microsoft Edge browser then you get good integration with Office apps.

Get the url for the document by sharing it with some app or other.
Open the url in Edge.
Click the 'add to device' button.


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Disable (dead) phone number? Retaining for historical benefit. Is this possible, how can I request this feature?
I am hoping to find a way to keep but disable phone numbers in Google Contacts.
For example, several people I know have at least 6 numbers in my contact for them, where often of those only a single one is the "right" number, where many of the others are their former mobile numbers.
I prefer to retain the (now dead / invalid) mobile number(s) on the contact so that this user's texts / calls / activities that I backup via apps all "stay together", but at the same time, I would like it to be impossible to call or send a NEW text to that number (since it is marked as "former" or "disabled" or "retired" or something to that effect).
This has been something I've been searching for for quite some time, but it has recently become more important as my sister forwarded a picture of my niece I'd taken opening Christmas presents from my phone to hers, not seeing that she picked the wrong phone number (for herself), and in so doing sent the photo to a totally random person (who simply by chance has been assigned her old mobile number).  This is the scenario I'd very much like to prevent.
Of note, I'm using a Nexus 6 w/ latest (Marshmallow) OTA Android (6.0.1).  I use mostly stock apps with the exception of VZW Messages for SMS.
I believe that this would need to be an OS-level feature for it to be effective, and I have to imagine other people have wanted the same thing.

Setting up default numbers for such contacts would prevent dialing the old numbers, right? That's what I've been doing for years. Sometimes I just delete old numbers, including messages and stuff.

Its easy to keep multiple inactive numbers; just place them in NOTES for each contact.  Notes is a wonderful item available on each contact.  I keep tons of data there and never run out of space

If there is a drop-down menu in the Contacts app, right next to each contacts' mobile number, then you could set their current number as their MAIN number, instead of asa generic “mobile" number


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Is it possible to have someone assist with Android problems via remote assistance?
I have too many problems to mention including the truth about what my phone model/details 'really' are. I've got a few programs downloaded on my laptop due to the many issues I have with my Android, but I've had various different 'specs' come back to mere my model details, etc. (I am probably classed as under novice level by the way and I really would rather not be told off for fiddling where I shouldn't as I have, sadly, learnt that already the very hard/frustrating way)
These versions are:

Alps MTK MTK6577 (e1909l_v77_gq1008_a41_v20) on Android 4.1.1 JellyBean
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM N900A) on Android 4.4.2 (build KOT49H_N900aAUCUCMLG)
STAR N9770 I9220 Pad
HTC MT6577

I downloaded these prog's because my phone constantly said no memory yet the phone's internal storage was empty. Due to too much internet info making stuff sound less complicated than reality, I went down the rooting my phone path and now it's worse than before(ish).
Much more to divulge but I'd like to know the answer to my simple query before writing my thesis.

Are you asking of something like AA or Teamviewer?

The simple answer to your question is yes. You can use Teamviewer    for an example.
Just look up Android Remote Assistance on the play store and you will find multiple options.


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My phone is soft-bricked after ADB update
This is the problem:
I always connect my phone to computer, to charge it, but I tried to execute ADB shell into recovery mode.
1- I've entered into recovery mode
2- I tried to go to "Apply update from ADB"
3- I tried to execute commands from computer (but it not worked)
4- I removed the battery to force shutdown
5- I got a soft-brick (I suppose that reason is because I interrupted the update)
EDIT: My phone is not rooted and I didn't try to install custom roms.
I don't understand how can this cause soft-brick?
Apply update from ADB and force shutdown.
EDIT: I tried to wipe data and cache, it not worked for me.
EDIT: My phone system state is Official

What is the current state? Can you not turn on the device or boot into Android OS? If can't boot, is the process appears to stuck on OEM's logo or on boot animation?

When I turn on, it's stuck at Samsung logo

Which phone is it? You have to download stock firmware for it and flash it via flashtool, adb or fastboot (depends on phone). If you have Samsung phone, then download firmware and Odin from sammobile.com and flash.

Just do this one thing, flash/install CWM recovery using Odin or other flashing method suitable for your device. From there,  it will cakewalk to install any custom rom on your device.

Flashing CWM will void warranty, and there's not stock firmware that matches with my PDA (AP) or CSC

@codigos what is your device name? And about the warranty, each method which acquires root access will void your warranty on most android devices.

Also,  applying ADB update from PC,  requires USB debugging on your device to be switched on.

Updating from adb is unreliable on a lot of PCs.
A much more reliable method to update (or in this case recover) your phone is to choose Apply update from external storage.

Obtain an sd card, and format it to FAT if not already.
Copy the official 'stock' update to the root directory of the card.
Power off phone and insert card
Reboot into recovery but holding volume up, home and power keys at the same time
Apply update from external storage.
Wipe cache partition
Wipe data/factory reset
Reboot system now
Wait at least 10 minutes for the OS to load before pulling the battery or powering off the phone... It can take a long time to rebuild the caches on some models!

Of course the Recovery menu options can vary a lot between devices. And unfortunately some of the most recent phones do not have an sd card, in which cases this is not a valid answer... But you have not specified your model!


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Can't copy image URL on Google Chrome
I have a Samsung Galaxy Avant with Android 4.4.2, and up until a couple of days ago, I've been able to copy image addresses with Google Chrome, but now I don't see the option anymore.

I've tried it with several different websites that I have copied from before. I am thinking it's part of an update although I didn't ever see an update notification. It's really annoying because I used that feature a lot.
Is there any way to fix this?

Which version of Chrome are you using?

It's removed along with some other options due to this issue: https://crbug.com/483685. I filed this issue regarding the "open image in new tab" option but it was closed as "WontFix".

For those looking here in 2023 and onward, this option has been moved and is difficult to find, but is still present. When viewing a picture in Google Chrome, first long-press to get the menu shown in the original screenshot and choose Share image.
When you get the Sharing dialog, there should be a "broken link" icon in the top right, and tapping it will (1) include the link if you decide to share the photo itself and (2) enable a "Copy link" option in the share menu.
Screenshots to visualize:

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


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Why is fingerprint lock considered less secure than pattern lock on Nexus 5X?
My Nexus 5X highly recommends to set up pattern lock in addition to fingerprint lock, and the pattern is asked upon every reboot. And my password manager (KP2A) recommends to use fingerprint unlock only to "quick unlock" after a short period of inactivity, but to require full password for the DB after every reboot.
Hence two questions:

Why does Google considers the fingerprint lock as less secure than pattern lock?

Using your fingerprint to unlock your device may be less secure than a strong password, PIN, or pattern.

For my password manager on Android, is it really much safer to re-enter password upon every reboot rather than to use fingerprint lock? How many bits my password should have to be more secure than fingerprint lock?

Please note that I'm asking specifically on fingerprint scanner implementation in 5X, not for a general theory on an average abstract fingerprint scanner solution.

The weakness is actually in the fingerprints themselves and not the way Nexus 5x implements it.
Fingerprints are less secure because they cannot be changed like a password and cannot be revoked if compromised.
Fingerprints are also left everywhere such as, at a glass. They can then be captured and reproduced. Think about this: Android uses a touch screen. The fingerprints are left on the screen after device's usage.
With a fingerprint it's almost good then it is good enough. Because the way it is touched or if you have a cut. Making fingerprints not hashable. Compared to a pin which has to be perfect every time.
They can be taken without permission. Not only from being left behind but also legally without consent. If a password is in your head it must be given, thereby, also leaving your right to privacy and your right to remain silent.
In the United States a person is also protected from testifying against themselves by the 5th amendment. Legally, fingerprints are considered as physical objects because they exist in the physical world. So they are not protected by the 5th amendment.

I second this answer. Friends unlocked my phone while I was asleep, so fingerprints aren't really that secure.

Thought to mention this: German minister fingered as hacker 'steals' her thumbprint from a PHOTO

Do you mind to expand your answer to clarify on the following pieces of it?

"Fingerprints are less secure because they cannot be changed like a password" -- why it can be a concern with a real-life smartphone?

"Fingerprints are less secure because they cannot be revoked if compromised" -- again, why it's a concern in a real life? If you still possess the phone, you can remove previously added fingerprints from the phone to disable unlocking with them. And if you don't hold the phone any more, you can remotely lock/disable the phone altogether, no matter what kind of lock is used.

For an everyday person fingerprint security is enough for piece of mind and protection from a common thief/addicts. However, it is not enough for professionals in corporate, military, and goverment. Smartphones can hold sensitive documents or access to secure networks for these professionals. If I am misunderstanding what you need clarification on or want more details please let me know.

First, let's say you have 3x3 or 9 point pertection then you have 389112 distinct patterns possibilities. So you can change the pattern every day for 1,066.06 years without re-using a pattern. Versus 1 or 10 depending on how you look at it. That does not even have to be an exact match to the fingerprint.

Second, if you still have the phone and remove the fingerprint. Well that then defeats the purpose and then the device has no security. Lets say if your in a meeting and i take your device. Replicate your fingerprint without your knowledge. Once I get through the lock I can literally disable your ability to remotely lock/disable your device in seconds. @yurkennis

Certain fingerprint sensors are not very secure compared to patterns.
Why?
Because people have been able to hijack the fingerprint sensors! How? When you touch the fingerprint scanner, chances are you will usually touch it with the front of your finger. This leaves a fingerprint. A few hours later, say, you get a text, so you put your finger to it again to unlock it. This process repeats, and although you don't notice it, you have put several angles of your fingerprint on the sensor, because it is impossible to get your finger in the exact same spot every time. If a hacker stole your phone, he could use a high-resolution camera or even a scanner, for that matter, to read what is on the sensor. It will sense all the different angles and how they are aligned. Now, the hacker can print these patterns on a paper, and using one of the many established ways, make the ink conductive. He touches it to the fingerprint sensor and BOOM! Your phone has been hacked. And since there are fewer orientations of where your finger could be than possible pattern combinations, he could just try anther one if the previous didn't work. The worst part is, once he has this copy, He can hack any other device you purchase, as long as it has a fingerprint scanner. A pattern however is more secure. According to my calculations, there are 1000000000 (one billion) different possible patterns.
There is a grid, 3x3, and therefore there are 9 dots. Each dot could be the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, or not be touched at all. That's ten different options for 1. But we have 9, so number of combinations is 10 to the ninth, which is 1000000000.
Hope this helps.


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Up/Down arrows in notification tray after unlocking
Just recently, I have noticed an icon that has an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down appear for a split second after I unlock my phone. It goes away so fast I can't get a screenshot. What is this icon? What does it mean?
My phone is a Nexus 5x with Marshmallow 6.0.1.

It sounds like a wifi activity widget. Did you download one of those data monitors on another device with your Google credentials linked and it automatically installed on your 5x without your knowledge?

Turns out it was the app Signal Spy. It shows an up/down arrow while it is inspecting what your signal looks like.


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Rooting catch 22
I have a Nexus 5 phone purchased from Google, running Marshmallow (MMB29S).
Recently it started misbehaving.  When I try to open the "Data Usage" settings, they hang.  So I asked on some forums and was advised to do a factory reset.
I voiced concern that a factory reset will wipe all my settings and app settings, and it will take me hours (if not days) to get everything to work like I want to.
No problem, I was told, there's this magical app, Titanium Backup, that will back up everything for me and restore it afterwards.  Provided I have root.
So I looked around for rooting information, and got the impression that I need to unlock the bootloader first, which will wipe everything.
Catch 22.
Is there a better way?
Am I missing something?

Partly – depending for which part of your question ;) First, you'd like to take a look at our backup tag-wiki (I agree TiBu is the best, but having no root you might need to go for alternatives first). Second, is the requirement of an unlocked bootloader in order to root something specific to your device? That's unusual for rooting (but usual for installing a custom recovery or custom ROM).

You can opt for a one-click root method (I don't find them safe though and among them Kingoroot is horrible, given the type of questions we receive in its aftermath). The benefit it gives is that you don't have to unlock bootloader.

@Izzy, thanks for the link, but the article is a bit old, talking about Android 4 when the current is 6.0.1

@AlexO which article? I've linked to our backup wiki. Tag-Wikis here hold some generic info, basic background, first aid, and possible links to core questions. For the "latest trend" you then can switch over to the questions using the tag and order them by "newest". Fact is: rooting rarely requires bootloader-unlocking (except when achieved via flashing a custom recovery – the corresponding how to root Nexus 5 question using that approach indeed is a bit older, which is why I didn't explicitly mention it ;) // And where's Android 4 there?


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I just updated the software of my S4 Active, and now my mobile data doesn't work
I've tried turning my data and wifi on and off, played with airplane mode, restarted my phone a few times, and left the battery out for nearly 15 minutes, but my mobile data still isn't working after this software update. Any tips on how to get it running again? I'm not good with tech, and I'm thinking about just going into a tech guy before work tomorrow and having them look at it, but I'd rather save the trouble if I can.

Which update? Which carrier? First thing I would try is back up all your pictures, apps, texts, then perform a factory reset. You can easily backup your apps and text messages by using the adb backup command from a computer.

Give us some details: 1) Can you see that mobile data is turned on in quick settings or Settings app? 2) If yes, do you see an icon, such as E, H, H+ or something on the same lines on the signal indicator in status bar?

You can try these solutions. But first, take backup of your device.

Try factory reset. It is possible that previous config files/residual files maybe causing the conflicts.
Flash the latest radio image or just flash latest image of ROM.


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How can I set a server address to automatically sync my device time?
My Institute has a server which has a IP address 192.168.1.xxx
I want to set my sync server to that IP address.
All other time sync servers are blocked so I am asking this.
If it is possible then please reply.
In Android there is no option to manually add server address like it is there in windows time setting.

Android has no option for NTP syncing – time synchronization takes place by other means (via your mobile carrier, see Where time information is received from the network? and What is the synchronization source for the internal clock). To enable time synchronization via NTP, you can e.g. use ClockSync – but without root powers, 3rd party tools are pretty much limited, as they're not allowed for "fine adjustment": the "finest interval" they can adjust by is 30 seconds.
For more details, be welcome to see:

Is there NTP like time syncing for non rooted phone?
Time server for Android
How do wi-fi only Android devices synchronise time?
Can I set an alternative time source?
Time server for Android

To make these sources easier to find, I've just linked them to our clock tag-wiki.

So basically, the answer is no? I want my phone to connect to that IP address and get the time. I think there are no such apps till now. Btw thanks for your reply @lzzy. I will keep on searching more.

Basically the answer is "no, not without external tools, and even then with root only". Updating the time only when the difference is 30s or more IMHO doesn't count ;)

Windows also use NTP servers to sync time?
ex: time.windows.com,
time.nist.gov

Who? This is Android.SE – I've got no idea what Windows does (my windows let in light at daytime, when open fresh air, in summer sometimes insects, but they don't sync time ;) My Linux machine uses NTP as well, yes.

:) I was asking that because I am rooted and still ClockSync can't able to connect to my server when I gave the IP address. But my windows machine can sync with that IP. So I think IP based syncing is not possible.

Ah! Now I get the context. Is that Windows machine running an NTP server at all? As I wrote, I've got no idea how Windows machines might sync time across each other. MS always defined its own standards, so I'd not be surprised if they did here as well.

No problem :). Thanks for all your replies. I am still wondering how to sync time through IP address.

Just make sure there really is an NTP server running on that target, I'd say? ;)

I doubt if that is a NTP server. But as it is working on Windows I am wondering if there is a method exist in Android which can utilize the same protocol as Windows.

Off-topic here, but Windows seems to use Kerberos for that by default – but, according to the linked MS support article, can be configured to NTP ("Change the server type to NTP. To do this, follow these steps: …"). I doubt there's an Android solution for Kerberos time syncing.

Wow you have done a great research. Thanks for the info. I want then kerberous to be supported by Android. Unfortunately that is not available I think.

Afraid so, unfortunately. Trouble is MS always generating its own standards :/

Anyone Still having this problem you can use ADB shell to change your device ntp-server.
$ adb shell settings put global ntp_server asia.pool.ntp.org
# test
$ adb shell settings get global ntp_server
> asia.pool.ntp.org

You will need adb exe for this. replace the "asia.pool.ntp.org" with your server IP address.
please refer to this link for more info
Github


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Is it possible to disable Google Play apps remote installation?
I would like to know if it's possible on a given device to disable the Google Play 'feature' to remotely install an app into it, once logged in from a browser.
I'm not interested in workarounds on how to prevent it (like installing a 3rd party app), I'm interested in disabling it, so I want to log into the Google Play in any browser, and either not to find a given device in the list of devices, or not to see the Install button at all.
My concern is about security, and any helpful answer is welcome! I googled already and couldn't find much info.

Afraid that's not possible – but am open to learn otherwise. For your concern about security: to remotely install apps that way, a person must have access to your account (and then, with physical access to your device, could install apps anyway; yes, I'm aware that "physical access" is a limiting factor here). So 1st security measure is keeping that from happening by keeping your credentials safe – and lock your computer/browser when logged-in or log-out when leaving it alone.

I did not tried it myself, but what if Google Play app on device is DISABLED? AFAIK web interface must be using some kind of PUSH Mechanism to talk with Google play app on device for app installation  and if at that moment if Google play app is Disabled, it may not be able to HANDLE this notification and thus no installation. This is my guess...did not tried it.

@Izzy a person (or bot) whom will accidentally guess my Google Account password (which of course is long and unique and contains numbers and symbols etc etc) would be able to remotely install apps on my phone: this is the concern I have, since from there she could - at least theoretically - send an sms to start up the newly installed app (say a vpn for instance), at least on some Android versions, then ssh to the device and gain root access. At that point, well, you guess it :)
So even if my credentials are safe, I don't like the purely theoretical possibility of it to happen.

@AADTechnical that's an intriguing and interesting idea, thank you! I haven't tried as well, but it's not suitable for me to completely disable the Google Play app on each device, as that will exclude also all the continuous updates of the apps.

@AADTechnical is indeed correct with the push service (that's how it works). And btw that can be a life-saver in some situations (e.g. having deleted your only launcher, you can push a launcher this way to get your device working again). The "guessing of credentials", while not impossible, is rather unlikely – given a good and strong password.


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Bluetooth Car Disconnects :(
Having a pretty irritating issue with my bluetooth connection and my car. The phone will connect up no problem, but as soon as you try to play a track, switch apps or sometimes even unlock the phone, it'll say the device has disconnected, with a few caveats.
Details;

Device is a Nexus 4 (The LG One), Rooted running an official rom of 5.1.1, i haven't run any updates or updated any apps in the past week since this issue cropped up randomly one morning.
Car is a Ford Fiesta, built in 2015, UK 15 plate.
I'm connecting my phone to the built in Ford SYNC system, had no issues with it before on the same device

What i've tried;

Full factory reset on phone
Installed same ROM again from google
Full Dalvik cache wipe
Full factory reset via CWM recovery and via TWRP before flashing roms
(Separate occasions)
"Factory Reset" in car
"Master Reset" in car (that cleared all my audio preferences for the radio)
Remove pairing from car and phone and repair (connecting from phone first)
Remove pairing from car and phone and repair (connecting from car first)
Allowing car to access contacts, messages and phone audio
Allowing car to access nothing but media audio

I'm truly at my wit's end here it's driving me absolutely insane, and it only started randomly last week.
What's weird, is that my phone will connect up no problem, the SYNC system on the car will tell me my phone's connected, but as soon as i go to play music, switch apps or unlock my phone, it'll tell me it's disconnected. What's REALLY weird though is that my car will still give me a reading of my phone's signal strength and battery level, even when it's apparently disconnected, and it seems pretty accurate as well.
Just thought i'd run this by you guys incase there's something blatantly obvious i've missed before i head into the Ford garage and start whining at them

So an update for anyone who's stumbled across this question in future;
I think I've managed to solve the problem. Connection restored and music is playing no problem, I've yet to test phone calls and texts yet though.
It would appear the problem was with SYNC and my text messages, I was using the Google hangouts app previously which is notoriously unreliable on older handsets, installed Google Messenger (their new SMS client) this morning, just tried connecting again during lunch and all seems well and stable.
If you're having disconnects especially with a Nexus 4 and (by chance) Ford SYNC, try force stopping, uninstalling updates and ultimately disabling Google hangouts. I'm going to fully remove the app tonight via ADB but for now the disabled state seems fine.

Based on my experience, if the music works, the phone and text works.  I'll have to look into this on my Samsung Galaxy S4 -- I think I'm using Google Messenger, but I need to check that Hangouts is disabled.

This is a Ford/Sync problem.  I've had my 2015 Fiesta serviced three times since July for Synch bluetooth failures.  Once was a hardware failure of the bluetooth module; the other two (and a fourth failure I was able to resolve myself) were exactly what you experience.  Ford considers it standard procedure to disconnect the black battery cable for five minutes, then re-enter all your personalizations (vehicle health report settings, 24 hour clock, prompts, ring tone, etc.) and re-pair with the phone whenever this occurs.
If you haven't done so already, you should check that you have the most recent version of the Sync firmware; that added an option deep in the menus (right next to "Master Reset") to "reboot Sync".  The last time this problem occurred with my Fiesta, that "reboot Sync" operation fixed it, without having to re-pair or re-enter any settings.  Don't get impatient; it takes about two minutes (unlike Master Reset, which takes less than a minute).  If it doesn't solve things for you, you've lost nothing but time; if it does, it seems likely it'll work again.


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How can I add data to apk?
What I know is:

I can get .apk of installed application from /data/app
I can get data of installed application from /data/data

What I want is:
Add/pack this application-data into .apk so-that when I install application from .apk, application should be installed with data.
Is it possible? Then How can I...?
Note: I use rooted device with android 4.2.2

Any problem in using adb backup? It creates a .ab file containing both the apk and data files. All you've to is execute adb restore to restore both.

That said: Please visit our backup tag-wiki for details :)

The same way you add music to .jpg

@SarpSTA: What does that mean? What are you implying? Please be precise.


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Nexus 10 + Cyanogenmod 13 with Android 6.0.1 + TWRP 2.8.7.0 ---> ADB Recovery device was not found
Hello to every Android lover.
I'm trying to "Create Nandroid Backup w/Custom Recovery" as shown on the attached pic called "2016-02-02_14-12-02.png" with the "Nexus Root Toolkit 2.1.4". The process starts without problems,but it stops when it reaches the Recovery Mode. In this stage,it is able to detects my device,as shown on the pic called "2016-02-02_14-05-35.png",but then the backup process doesn't start. I read a lot of tutorials and they said to check if there is a yellow mark on the "Device Manager" of my operatyng system "Windows 10". As shown on pic called "2016-02-02_14-06-42.png",everything works fine. I'm not sure that everything works fine,because the pic called "2016-02-02_14-04-41.png" shows the reason because the backup process can't continue. I suspect that "Windows 10" is responsable for this behaviour. Infact,as shown on the pic called "2016-02-02_14-08-20.png",everytime that I attach and detach the cable that connects the usb port of the tablet to the usb port of my PC,two windows appears and I think that they could interfere with the communication between the tablet and the PC,but I'm not sure. I have also tried to install the "CWM recovery" instead of the "TWRP recovery",but the first has been removed and the second one has been reinstalled and the problem is not fixed. Can you help me ? Thanks.
Attached pictures :

Is there a good reason you don't want to take nandroid backup of device manually, by booting into a custom recovery?

no. just want to understand why it doesn't work using this way. also because the nexus root toolkit is an handy tool. I like to use it.


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How to deal with "short GSM IDs" in Tasker
My "cell near" in Tasker looks like this:
GSM:4321.99011048 / 0
GSM:4321.99011052 / 0
GSM:4321 / 0

What is that short ID? If I take it out, my profile sometimes triggers as "leaving" even when I stay in the same place, but if I include it, my profiles "enter" task triggers even when I'm miles from the location

Sorry about that, the app seemed to have trouble posting the question so I resubmitted, I deleted the other one now that both showed up.

Seems you also asked this on Reddit (not a problem, just for cross-reference if it got answered)

I never used Tasker, so I can only guess, but mobile cells are usually identified with four numbers: mobile country code, mobile network code, local area code and cell ID. Given that these are the numbers that are available for mobile cells, Tasker has to somehow derive these numbers from the ones I mentioned. I have no idea how, because I don't know the cells around you (and around here most of the cell IDs and local area codes have 5 digits. You can check yours too, with some other app, I use OpenSignal, which can give me the LAC/CellID).
As far as I know that 4321 can't be the mobile country code (it would be 3 digits, 432 is Iran) or the mobile network code (3 digits at most, only 2 digits in most countries), so my guess it that it's your local area code. And the other number after the period your cell ID, maybe. If my assumption is true, then it could mean something like that the line with only your LAC makes the app detect the local area with the mobile cells visible from the given area. It would mean that if you include the line then the app would think that you are in that local area even if you don't see any of the cells that you usually do when you're at the location, but you see cells from the same local area. That could mean being miles away. The maximum range of a GSM cell can be as much as 35 km. And if removed it could mean that the app would detect that you are not in the local area in the moment it can't detect the nearby cells temporarily for some reason. (Which can often happen.)
But this is just a guess.
Another guess is that 4321 is indicating byte order for some identification number (maybe one of them mentioned above). But then I have no idea why would the app behave like it was described.


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Installing apps --- Unknown Sources
Where do you find the Unknown Sources option on Android 5.0 and/or Edge 6+?  I don't find the option under Applications or Application Manager.

It is under System Tab --> Security --> Unkown Sources

Go to Settings and locate Lock screen and security.
Scroll down and enable Unknown Sources:

Under Security in Settings as seen in photo. In Android 5.0, Security is under General tab.


text:
How to change book language in Google Play Books
Does anyone know how to change the language of a book in Google Play Books?
I uploaded a portuguese book (epub) to Google Play Books, but when I highlight a word, the app does not recognize that the word is in portuguese and returns me the definition as if it is an english word.
When I buy a portuguese book from Google Play it works properly, but not for uploaded files.
The epub file language is correctly set to Portuguese.
Any way to solve this problem?

This problem goes even further. If you want to let android read it aloud TTS always uses the "english voice". This problem only occures with uploaded ePub files.


text:
Determine hardware-age of an Android device
How can I get information that gives indication of the age of hardware in an Android device. I would look for lifetime information like how often has the battery been charged, how long has the screen has been turned on, how long has the flash memory been active.
In a traditional computer I would mainly look for SMART data. I would prefer solutions with basic android system information, and definitely want to avoid rooting the device.
The background is that I have bought a new Sony Xperia Z4 tablet  (5.0.2), but the condition of the packaging leads me to believe that it is not brand new. The package was secured only with a single unevenly cut tape and the plastic pocket is somewhat dirty. the screen protection is not quite centered and has a few bubbles. I don't really care if it has been been slightly in use and is still in new condition, but I am curious and definitely want to avoid a device that has been under more than minor use.

Not really an answer to your question, but you might be able to get the manufacture date by contacting Sony and providing the serial number, etc.

Find the tag which is attached to your device where serial number and manufacturing details are encoded. This resides beneath the back cover on most devices. Sony provides the manufacturing date as eg: 16W10(W stands for week) which is 22nd March 2016. This might help you find the Hardware age of your device. Thank you.


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Split layout in Google's default keyboard?
According to this Droid Life post from Jun 1st 2015, Android M introduced the split layout to the default keyboard by Google.
I have a Moto G3 with Android v6.0 and the "Enable split keyboard" option shown below, is not available.

Was this feature ever added? Perhaps in an update to v6.0 I might not have yet?

It is specific to tablets only it appears.

Can you confirm you have a tablet with v6.0 and this option available and/or a cell with v6.0 and this option not available?

I don't see the option on my Nexus 6, plus the article you linked the headline reads "Android M Feature: Google Added a Split Keyboard for Tablets".  I do not have a tablet running Android M.

That could be it then. Would you like to post your comment as an answer?

Sure, I will do that.

This applies to tablets running Android M only at this time, as on my Nexus 6 running Android M the option does not appear.
Thanks to @Firelord for this Android Police link and information:

"Here's the thing, though: you won't find this option on phones."


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My Galaxy S4 with Lollipop sometimes does not accept my unlock pincode
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) with Android Lollipop (5.0.1), and rarely, my pincode just fails to accept when I'm unlocking it. I pick up my phone after not using it for a few hours, enter the pincode exactly like I usually enter it, but it disappears and I get the error "invalid pincode". I try 5 times in a row, keep getting the error and end up getting locked out for 30 seconds. I've had  this situation twice so far.
The only way I found to fix it is by rebooting my phone, which means I lose everything that's not saved properly. Obviously this is pretty annoying. Are there apps that can hijack my unlock screen like that? If so, how do I find such apps? Or is there another reason for this?

That is a very odd situation.
I'm assuming that you're using the stock lockscreen, not a third party.

My first recommendation is to use a different lockscreen type. If you're using PIN, try a pattern. This is actually going to be the easiest solution.
Install Go Locker or other 3rd party lockscreen, run it once, then immediately uninstall it. Reboot, go into settings, set up your original lockscreen again.
I noticed you're running 5.0.1. Assuming you're all stock and unrooted, accept the OTA update to 5.1.1 and that should solve these weird issues.
If that doesn't work, you may have to stick with Go Locker.


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Installed app got replaced with the Andy Android icon and doesn't start
Backstory: I went to pick up my phone to play Clash of Clans. The icon was the Android. When I tapped on it, it said, "app not installed". I went to the app menu and it disappeared.
What causes this issue?
Other info: I took out the SD card, could this have contributed?

You tagged this "internal-storage" was your SD card setup as Adopted (Internal Storage) in Android Marshmallow (6.0+)?

Related: Cannot open my app it keeps saying app not installed

Yes, the most likely cause here is that you removed the SD card and the app was installed there. Some apps can install themselves, or a portion of themselves, to the SD card even if it is external storage.
When an application is removed incorrectly, such as removing an SD card that the application is installed on, what you are experiencing is a typical behavior... The icon on the home screen is replaced with Andy, the app is removed from the app drawer or replaced with "Andy", and when attempting to start it the exact message you stated is displayed.
After manually deleting the icons,I would recommend clearing your cache then reinstalling the app without the SD card installed (if you wish to continue to have the app).


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Dead Samsung Note 4
I dropped my phone in the pool and now it won't turn on.  I took it to a repair place and was advised that it was to far gone.  I have about 3000 photos on the internal memory (stupid me didn't back up) and I didn't sync this phone to my samsung account.  My question is.. is there any possible way to sync my dead samsung note 4 to my samsung account through the computer???

You're going to want to buy another same-model Note 4 off ebay and swap the logic boards around. It has to be same exact model, same carrier. You can check the label behind the battery for your model #. By swapping the logic boards, you can pinpoint where the problem is. If your phone works after that, then lucky you, it was just the USB board or screen causing the problem. This is your best shot at getting it running again. Yes, it will cost you some $$, but not as much as any of the ladder options.
If it doesn't work, at least you have a new phone to use. You can also just resell it on ebay. At this point you'll have to pay for a professional data recovery service, which requires sending your phone in to a professional to have your memory chip lifted off the board and probes hooked up to it to get the data off (risky). There is a similar service called JTAG that fixes phones that don't turn on, but IMO they usually don't recover data, they just reflash the phone to get it working. But if you know a guy, ask him what he can do.
Pray that one of those 2 options work for you. Good luck!


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How can I tranfer contacts from old Lumia 920 to new S5
Hi I have been able to transfer my contacts from my old Lumia 920 to my new Samsung S5 via Bluetooth, but it seems to have only copied all the old contacts. No new contacts(ones that I have added manually to the Lumia 920 over the last couple of years ) did not transfer. I suspect it only transferred what was on the SIM. But I can't figure out how to transfer from Lumia 920 back to its SIM or to the new S5??

Try syncing your contacts with a Microsoft Account, exporting to a file, and then importing into Google Contacts. See this answer and this website.

Sync Microsoft Account with the Lumia
Export contacts from the People app in Outlook online
Import the contacts into Google Contacts

Can you please include the important parts from the links you provided within your answer.

Lumina? Im not sure if thats  windows phone or a android based one, but the best way would be (if the "Lumina" is a android operating system) use a app like:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ashk.backuptoexcel.lite

Install that on both android devices
First from the "Lumina" backup your contacts to a .vcard file to google drive or whatever cloud storage you wish (you could use bluetooth!!)
On the S5, use that app, or simply just tap the vcard file and if it allows you, click save in the top right corner, all your previous contacts should be saved on you new phone!!


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SuperUser Installation -> PIE executables only
I have a phone in development mode (not just the tap 5 times thing, I have the ro.debuggable=1 etc.), and I need to install a SuperUser. I have Android 5.1 (Stagefright update). I have access to /system through adb remount. Is there a su binary that PIE-only devices support?  SuperSU does not work, I get this error:

127|root@j6010_blu_82:/data/local # ./su error: only position independent executables (PIE) are supported

I am a (web) dev ("Ha you can't compile :("), I know how my phone's warranty is gonna be invalid, and how if the phone blows up it's not your fault :)

You could try this one that has recent updates: https://superuser.phh.me/

I am not using a nexus phone or any phone listed there I am using a BLU STUDIO X PLUS

@ThePROgrammer Don't worry about the other models, just use the main superuser.zip there.

I have the same issue, did you resolve it ?


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Set different volumes for different alarms
Is there any way to set a different volume for every alarm? Samsung has had such a feature for ages, but is it possible to do something similar on a stock rom?
Third party apps don't seem to be able to do it.
Two workarounds possible include -
a) Using tasker to change the alarm volume before and after that particular alarm
b) Increasing/decreasing the volume of each and every alarm tone to something "louder" and something "softer", then copying these new alarm sounds to sd card/alarms
Both are significantly tedious as compared to Samsung's method.
I also have root access, if it helps.
Edit - I'm running marshmallow 6.0.1

I would recommend editing the ringtone files, because you don't even need to leave your Android in order to do it.
Searching the Play Store, I've found 2 apps in question that claim to adjust volume on .ogg and mp3 files:

MP3 Gain - Play Store
MP3/OGG Volume Booster - Play Store

Hope one of these do the trick for ya. I love the Tasker idea (I use Tasker in many hackish ways that would be considered unorthodox haha)
Anyway, hope this helps

Thanks for the apps, I tried both, but the first wouldn't convert and the second doesn't appear to boost the volume. I still can use something like Audacity (windows), but I am looking for some other way to increase the volume - something not so tedious. What's annoying is the fact that Samsung HAS such a feature, so it can be easily implemented on Android, yet it does not seem available.

Well, what device are you trying to get it working on? If it's a Samsung device you should be able to transfer that Clock apk, but it probably won't work on other brands. Samsung probably holds the patent for individual alarm volumes.

Not Samsung, its a Motorola moto g3. I was also thinking of the apk method, but - a) not Samsung b) still pretty roundabout method. I should not need to use a different app for this. I am okay with it, but again, it won't install.

Check my app  on Android playstore - Alarm + Task Logger FREE
You can customize seperate volume, ringtone, volume fade-in(volume build up time) for each alarm.


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How to recover the files in KNOX mode after I have rooted the device ?
Samung S4, Android 4.4.4
I rooted my device, and now can't access the files in KNOX mode.
Should i  unroot it or what ?

Factory Wipe/ Restart
Use the windows program odin from sammobile.com, next flash your factory firmware.

Plug device into computer
Run Odin
Find firmware on http://sammobile.com
Download firmware
Power off device
Power on device while holding power + home button + vol up, then release power button after about 3 seconds
You should be in Odin Mode
Now follow the directions listed below the firmware download on http://sammobile.com
Your phone should reboot and have you guided through a setup process like you just got the device


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Issues after Updating to Marshmallow
I have a 3rd generation Motorola Moto G. I recently updated it to Marshmallow. After doing this, at first I did not encounter any issues but soon afterwards, I started to experience many issues with Android, including:

The pattern lock is absent
I am unable to connect my phone to my computer
The button to factory reset the device is greyed-out
The drop-down notification panel is absent

How can I correct these issues?

Can you add screenshots please to show each behaviour?

Can you factory reset by pressing volume down + power when starting the device?. Marshmallow caused no problems for me

Thankyou so much. I got it right by rebooting

I had the same problems. I followed the reset device in Recovery Mode instructions here, and it solved them for me -
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4596836?hl=en

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.


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Can I use Samsung Core Prime's (SM 360H) lolipop update of Philippines region on Bangladesh region?
I am using Samsung Core Prime for a while. But It hadn't launched lolipop firmware for till now for Bangladesh region. But a lolipoo update is avaiable for Philippines region.
http://forum.youmobile.org/downloads/?sa=view&down=11137
Can I use this firmware on Bangladesh region?

No sorry you cannot use the lollipop update of the phillipines region in bangladesh because when the companies launch new updates they get the carrier support of regions


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LG volt stuck in powering on phase
I restarted my LG volt and now it's stuck on the phase where it's powering on and won't actually move on to the home menu. How can i fix this?

Where is it exactly stuck? On the OEM's logo or on boot animation or on something else?

Based on the phrasing of the question, I'm going to assume that the phone is running completely original software, and that you have not rooted or flashed custom ROMs.
Try clearing dalvik cache on the phone by following these steps:

With the phone off, hold down the Volume Down button and Power button at the same time for 5 seconds
There should now be a very basic menu with a picture of Andy the Android centered on the screen.
In the menu, there will be items listed along the lines of Reboot, Install .zip, Wipe data, Clear Cache, etc If you don't see this, try the button combination again.
Use the Volume down key to highlight the Clear Cache or Wipe Cache or Clear Dalvik Cache option
Hit the power button to confirm your selection. This will bring up another menu with Are you sure? NO NO YES NO You will have to select YES.
Reboot the device

If this doesn't solve it let me know

didnt work phone is still on a booting lg screen and it dosnt have the up and down with the volume it has tabs to push with ur finger im getting no where


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How to hide winrar or other apk files in general?
I have stored some important files in my android phone in rar format. I've hidden these files in .nomedea folder. I've also enabled password for these files via win rar. The problem is for opening these files I need a rar explorer app. But my friend always delete this app. I tried hiding the app with other apps like applocker but the problem is when my friend uses shareit he can see all the apps. I don't want the rar app to get discovered because knowing the presence of suspicious apps can let my friend know about the importatn hidden files and he'll fist off delete all the suspicious apps. I tried to put the winrar apk file in .nomedea folder, thinking I'd install it every time I need it and uninstall it, but it shows up in file explorer's APK folder.
Another problem is that when we switch on the hidden files mode of the file explorer and simply search. all the hidden files are shown. And the worst happens if we search .apk, .rar or .dil or other extensions, the most important files show up easily on the top.
So the question is,

How do I hide the WinRar apk file in my android phone such that no one else can in any way find it.

P.S: I can't root the phone yet because it will invalidate the guarantee period.

I'm confused about your relationship with your friend, why they are freely messing with your phone... and about your suspicious apps... and WinRAR APK file (did you put an APK inside a RAR file?). The simplest is to rename the extension to something uncommon, like .xyz or anything you want.

@AndrewT. My friend has some mental problem. I didn't put the apk file in rar. I archived some video and audio files via Winrar and set password to them. My friend was deleting some of my songs which he doesn't like so I found the most geeky way to hide them from him. But still this method require Winrar which he deletes too.

Probably the simplest workaround is to rename the extension of the RAR file to e.g. .xyz, or .exe, or even .txt (but you need to rename the file back to open it)

This is what I have done recently. I renamed the Winrar to xyz.dll. I actually gave it such a name that it seems to be operating system's important file. Renaming the RAR file won't work because I still would have to extract it with winrar. Instead changing the extension winrar.apk itself solved the whole issue.

In the first comment it is  "...I found the most geeky way to..."

Disable your default file manager, install ES File Explorer or MiXplorer file manager app. Both of them can create an archive in ZIP, 7z and TAR format and supports encryption as well. Both of them can also hide the file inside them, so search feature of those apps wouldn't list any of the hidden files.

Which Android version and device is it? Does the device not support creation of a secondary user? Why not create a separate profile/user for your friend?

@Firelord I am using Yu yuphoria android lollipop. It has a default file explorer. I didn't know that separate user profiles can be created in android.

See http://www.greenbot.com/article/2949981/android/how-to-add-change-or-delete-users-in-android-lollipop.html


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Aerlink Wear Connect for iOS is not installing on Sony smartwatch 2
I bought Sony Smartwatch 2 and successfully paired it with Moto X Play using Sony "SmartConnect" and installed applications like Gmail, etc...
Now I'm trying to pair it with my IPhone 5s. For that I need to install "Aerlink Wear Connect for iOS" application. But when I try to install this application it is installing in my Moto X mobile but not in SmartWatch.
How to install "Aerlink Wear Connect for iOS" application in my Smart Watch 2?

I read some of the reviews, and one of them mentioned that it didn't work with Sony Smartwatch 3 with the same reason as yours: couldn't install to watch. I'm afraid the app currently doesn't support Sony Smartwatch, and there's nothing we can't do other than waiting/telling their devs to support it.

Finally I found that Sony Smartwatch 2 is not an Android Wear.
It is Sony own OS which made for Android. So that it is able to install application only developed by "Sony", but not installing all the available applications of Android Wear.
Sony Smartwatch 3 is Android Wear.


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How to send binary SMS?
Is there any standard way to send a custom binary SMS supported by Android OS (4.2.2) or through free but third-party support? I mean - could I somewhere enter, for example:
0x23 0xAB 0x12 0x56 0xFF

and send it as a binary SMS, not a text SMS? I am developing an app which receives binary messages and I would like to test it.
I could write my own app, of course, but I would prefer using some existing and reliable way.

Hi dear Vojta, Did you had any success with SMS Server? I can send text messages successfully, but for binary messages I receive nothing! Does they need any special header or footer in binary mode? For example I couldn't send 30303030 in binary mode instead of 0000 in text mode. Any suggestion? And moreover, which port shall I use?

@Abraham Hi, yes, SMS Server worked perfectly as far as I remember, even for binary messages. You have to write a special app for receiving them, because the standard Android SMS client receives text messages only. The port is up to you; it must be the same port your Android app listens to.

Thank you dear Vojta. Android SMS client receives text messages only. So, the configuration messages (I think they called CP Messages) that can carry GPRS settings, MMS setting and so on, are some type of text messages? (Because I didn't installed any special application on my handset to listen a specific port, but it's capable of receiving these kind of messages).

Anyway, do you have any idea, how I can generate these CP Messages? Am I need to OTA keys for them or they are just like ordinary messages but with a specific format only?

@Abraham Sorry, I have no experience with CP messages. By "Android client" I meant the default Android SMS app, which cannot process binary messages (at least as far as I know).

I don't know if this works, but there's an app called SMS Server with the following description:

Send binary sms messages on specifics ports. Indicated to test J2ME
  sms applications that receive messages on specifics ports. This
  application does not send free SMS.

Intriguing question.
I'm not sure cell carriers support binary SMS. Have you considered encoding your data as base64 string and sending it?
There will be length limits on the message. I heard that you can include UTF text in the metadata of a png image sent via MMS, several megabytes worth.
Another idea I had is to encode data within the MMS image, each pixel = 256^3 bits or 16,777,216 combinations, a.k.a. 3 bytes per pixel.


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how to install xposed on cm 12.1?
okay so here are my device's specs-
Samsung Galaxy note3
SM-N900
I am running CM 12.1 (unofficial) straight from here
. I want Xposed framework on my device so how do i get that? i am researching for the past 3 hours and i have tried this and already and got stuck in boot loop 3 times already.
here is what i did-

rooted my device using odin (works fine till here)
flashed xposed-v74-sdk22-arm-by-romracer-20150911 in CWM
tada! device never boots

Maybe the wrong source ("alpha", uh-oh). According to my recherche (see my Xposed article), use the official thread for Lollipop/Marshmallow instead. You'll see that one links v80 already. I've no LP/MM on any device and thus didn't verify it myself. If you do, I happily convert my comment to an answer :)

i choosed the "xposed-v80-sdk21-arm" i hope my device is armv7

it actually didnt flash, it says it is for android 5.0 (i flashed 21 api) i need api 22

So why then didn't you pick the one for Api22? I clearly see a xposed-v80-sdk22-arm.zip listed there.

I've tested this solution on LG G2 running CM12.1.
Here you will find Xposed Framework for Android 5.1.
First, download and flash "xposed sdk 22", then install Xposed Installer from given link and reboot your device.
For complete details read given XDA thread.

I don't have a samsung device, but tested it on LG G2 running CM12.1


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How to I find who sent a picture to me via Facebook Messenger?
I found a picture saved to my gallery from the Facebook Messenger app. How can I find out who sent this picture to me?
When I go to the picture and click on details it tells me:
title: received_123456789012345
time: 13-7-15 8:43
type: image/jpeg
resolution: 450x744
orientation: 0°
size: 19.18kb
path:/storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Facebook/received_123456789012345.jpg

It would be a privacy disaster if the meta information of that image contains the name or email ID of the sender. Anyhow, this answer assumes that the message (not the whole thread) from which you downloaded the image exists in your inbox. If you've deleted the message, ignore this answer.
In the file name received_123456789012345, the numeric string after received_ is the identifier (ID henceforth) of that image on Facebook.
If you happen to open that image from the message using a web browser in your mobile (if you're on desktop, switch user-agent to mobile), notice the string next to fbid= in the URL bar:

https://m.facebook.com/messages/attachment_preview/?mid=mid.145450XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX&threadid=id.20XXXXXXXXXXXX&fbid=ID

It would be the same ID you saw in the title of the file you earlier downloaded.

How can I find out who sent this picture to me?

The sender's name of that image is in the column sender of table messages in database threads_db2 located under /data/data/com.facebook.orca/databases/.
Facebook Messenger app doesn't participate in backup and restore infrastructure of Android, so the only way to access that database is with root privilege.
Once you've root privilege, copy the aforesaid database to internal or external SD card.
Get info using apps
On Android

Download an app that can open an SQLite database. (I prefer SQLite Editor.)
Open the database in that app, open the table messages and if the app supports searching in all or particular fields then look into all or attachments the ID of that image.
In the resulting row, the text in the column sender has the sender's name next to "name":.
(Click image to enlarge)

On PC
If no Android  app works for you, copy the database into PC and use an application that supports exporting a table into a format understood by a browser or text editor. Once you have the application, use it to export the table messages and search ID in the exported output.
I used Sqliteman. It supports exporting a table to HTML, CSV, XLS, among other formats.
Command-line
If you're up to the task, you can try a command-line way. Copy the database into PC, download sqlite3 tool, setup adb in PC and do:

sqlite3 -line DB_PATH "SELECT sender,attachments FROM messages WHERE attachments LIKE '[{%'" | grep -B1 "ID" | grep "sender"  # DB_PATH is the path to threads_db2 and ID is content identifier

(MS Windows doesn't come with grep utility. You'll have to download it. Otherwise, remove everything after '[{%'" and sort and search the output on your own.)
Note: Some Android versions are shipped with sqlite3 tool. You can run that last command in your Android, if you intend to.
Demo Output:

sender = {"email":"10000XXXXXXXXXX@facebook.com","user_key":"FACEBOOK:10000XXXXXXXXXX","name":"Lol Cat"}

In case you're wondering why go to all this trouble: I just wanted to post this answer to prove that there is indeed a method which doesn't involve checking all the chat messages, which is what I find tedious to do. My answer may be difficult to follow at first but would definitely work.

There isn't any possible way as to find the name of the user from an image.
you can probably open up your Messenger app and look through your chats to find it out.

"There isn't any possible way as to find the name of the user from an image" -- now that's a bold claim. How did you reach this conclusion? What feasible ways did you try before reaching this conclusion?


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Gmail displaying "me" instead of actual sender's name
When viewing my inbox, I would like to display the sender's name according to the email's header.  Meaning, if I send an email to myself from my gmail address, but give the from name as Freddie Flintoff, I want Freddie Flintoff to appear instead of "me".

There is special handling for "me" and you cannot override this.
Edit: This is handled by MessageHeaderView.getRecipientSummaryText(…) where myName is "me" (in English).

Half line answers — what would be the best course of action(s) to deal with them?

This isn't an half-line answer. There is currently no possibility to do what the OP asks.

What @Manubhargav means is that this answer is a bit hard to understand without some background and/or description (sources?) for what you posit.


text:
Phone number detected by a web page when browsing from chrome for android
I recently got subscribed to some alerts by the mobile provider automatically and some amount deducted from my phone balance. I called up the customer care centre and they agreed to refund the amount, and said that it was activated from the internet, by some site which captured my number while browsing. Considering the customer care guy was right, isn't this a big security issue, if any website can access the phone number of their visitor?

On the end of your provider definitively – if "any website can subscribe by specifying some phone number". From the Android end: did the browser ask your confirmation to provide certain data to the visited site? I often receive such popups for e.g. location or account requests.

As @Izzy says, did it ask for some confirmation? If yes, you most likely became a victim of WAP billing (more  info).

@Firelord nope, no confirmation. I use adblocker on untrusted sites and never click on a suspicious popup or such stuff

It sounds like your customer care centre is telling you a story to get you off the phone. Some mobile phone providers have been caught out in the past passing your phone number in the HTTP request headers when you use their 3G connection from the phone. As you say, it's a huge security problem if they do that, and there's not a lot you can do about it (except change provider and tell them that's why).
You can check if this is happening to you by visiting a website that shows you your HTTP request headers. A quick Google search will find you at least a dozen to choose from. Make sure you use your 3G connection while doing this, because you're trying to see if your 3G provider is adding this data to your request.
It may be that the customer care person was claiming that the website is one you've deliberately told your phone number to, e.g. when shopping online. If they didn't tell you who originated the charge/junk SMS you have no way to verify this claim. Otherwise, most likely they are simply saying the most convenient thing. The entire mechanism of services which bill through your phone provider (via premium SMS, or the like) is horrendously insecure, but the carriers aren't interested in improving it. Any premium SMS company can just say any phone number they like to charge that number, and fraud is mainly detected by auditing afterwards (and when the carrier finds out via complaints like yours).


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Resize /system partition of Zenfone 5
I want to change my /system partition on my Zenfone 5. Its size is only 1259 MB.
Today I installed Resurrection Remix ROM so there is only 195MB free space on /system partition. System can't properly operate. I can't even flash GApps because it says that there is not enough space on system.
P.S. I don't think that RR ROM should take 1063MB of /system storage. I think I messed up partitions and stuff. Is there any way to return my partitions to the default state?


text:
How do you change the language on Google Play?
How do you change the language on Google Play? I'm American, so I want it in English. I live in Luxembourg, have a Lux SIM card and bought my phone in Thailand and yet the Google Pay Topics are all in Italian. I lived in Italy years ago but I'm not using anything that I got in Italy. I've tried clearing the cache on the app, but I get the same thing and it's also on my laptop, which I purchased recently in Lux as well. It's really annoying. How can I change it? Please help.

I guess you need to change your account language to English. To do so, you have to log in to your Google Account, click on Language & Input Tools and change your language to English (United States)

You can change the language for Gmail, Docs, Drive, Search, Calendar, and other Google products with a single setting in your Google Account.

Go to your Google Language settings page.
Select edit.
Select your language and country.

If you’re changing the language on a mobile device, you should also change the language for the device in your device settings.


text:
How to mute phone completely but keep watch's notifications vibrate?
I have and android phone and an android wear watch (specifically, LG G3 and sony swr50).
If I get all the notifications on the watch, I prefer my phone to be completely muted - not ring, nor vibrate.
BUT, when trying to mute everything on the phone, the watch gets muted as well - everything gets into no interruption mode.
Is there a way to mute the phone completely (sound and vibration) but still have vibrations on the watch?

There is an option in the Android Wear app to mute your phone when the watch is connected. This will mute your phone (even stop it from vibrating) but your watch will vibrate (for all notifs that would normally vibrate on your phone).
BUT: there has been a bug since forever where the watch suddenly starts buzzing again. It works most of the time though..

Found a way. Use an empty ringtone and notification mp3 sound file.
Also, set the phone to not vibrate on calls and notifications.
This way the phone plays the sound but it just plays the empty ringtone and the watch vibrates - Singe point of indication!!!

Example of such an empty ringtone: http://www.jetcityorange.com/silent-ringtone/silence-1sec.mp3


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How to backup 'Favorite tracks' playlist
Have a Samsung Galaxy 4S (SPH-L720) running Android 5.0.1.  Ever since upgrading Android, phone hangs or reboots randomly at least once or twice a day.  I would like to try restoring to factory defaults to see if it fixes, but don't want to lose the 'Favorite tracks' playlist that the music app creates when you 'star' a track.  This doesn't seem to be located with other playlists.  Any ideas where it is stored, or how I can back it up?

Have you tried adb [tag:backup]?

You can use Kies. If that's not an option you can download Playlist Backup and use it to back-up your playlist. This application allows you to export your audio playlists (both System, Poweramp and Google Play Music playlists) to sdcard or Dropbox. You can keep as many backups as you want for each playlist, but as  metadata.

I do have Playlist Backup, and love it.  But it does not back up the special 'Favorite Tracks' playlist.  This playlist is not stored in the same place as the others.  If I knew where it was stored, I could back it up myself.