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Reboot option in power button menu for Nexus 4
In order to see the developer option in settings app you have to do the weird 7 tap on the version entry in the settings app (or something like this).
Isn't there as well a hidden way to enable a reboot option in the menu that appears when you long-press the power button ?
I know there are apps that do that for you, but why the hack wouldn't the stock Android that comes from Google for Nexus phones don't include a freaking restart option, only the Power off option ? I saw some phones with custom Android that have that option.
I know that pressing veeeeeeeeeeery long on the power button actually restarts the phone, but that looks to me like a final resort, in case your phone is stuck, or something, not a clean way to restart your phone.
Thank you!

No, without custom rom or root on your phone, you can't have this kind of menu.
It will maybe appear in Android L ...

Technically, you don't need a custom ROM.  There are ways to get the "reboot" option on rooted stock firmware, for example this Xposed module.

Yes like I wrote ("or root"), but yes it's a good thing you speak of Xposed module which can help to add this menu easily

@Chahk, is there any system customizations I can do to bring this menu without Xposed? I can easily reboot via terminal.

There is absolutely no such way of restarting on your stock android . Its only possible by having root access basically. And the long press on the power button is to only force shutdown the entire system and not for the purpose of restarting or something.


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Unable to add contact to SIM
I want to add new contact and save it in SIM Card.
I use OnePlus One with CyanogenMod 11S, which is on top of Android 4.4.4 and inside I have O2 pay-as-you-go card from UK. When I used Gingerbread and Ice Cream versions of Android in the past, I always had 3 options when creating contacts - Google account, Device and Sim.
Now when I tap on New contact icon, I cannot change the type from Google contact to anything else (tapping it just doesn't do anything).
I know this might be stupid question, but I cannot check it with other card. My real question is - is this problem specific to O2 (carrier), or Cyanogen, or Android 4.4? Or am I doing something wrong and there is some option I need to enable first?

I don't know about SIM (I no longer use it to store contacts or SMS for ages). But I've noticed some newer devices/Android versions seem to offer "Google only" for contacts. A work-around (if you don't want to store contacts in your Google account) would e.g. be using an app like MyLocalAccount to create a local account to use instead.

After some investigation, I believe this in Android 4.4 issue.
It seems to be designed to use only Google contacts, synchronized with Gmail. I could not find any option to even display SIM contacts - they can only be imported from SIM to Google.
I know for sure, that in Android 4.2 devices, user can choose between location of contacts and can display all contacts, regardless of where they are saved.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Is Android FAT / FAT32 implementation power failure resilient?
Does the android FAT/32 implementation handle sudden battery removal?
I know that Symbian's 'Rugged FAT' (efat32.fsy) and Microsoft's T-Fat implement this, but I've not been able to find any information regarding Android.

Fat32 in Android usually only applies to the External SD card, no longer supported by Google. AFAIK it was a fairly generic implementation as it was only for the card.
Since most of the newer devices use eMMC,the file system android uses is ext4 except for firmware, which is vFat. Example below is from a Galaxy S4

/system ext4
/data ext4
/cache ext4
/firmware vfat

In terms of a little detail on the Android File System:
From this stackoverflow answer
It depends on what filesystem, for example /system and /data are yaffs2 while /sdcard is vfat. This is the output of mount:
rootfs / rootfs ro 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw 0 0
tmpfs /sqlite_stmt_journals tmpfs rw,size=4096k 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,cpu 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock0 /system yaffs2 ro 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock1 /data yaffs2 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock2 /cache yaffs2 rw,nosuid,nodev 0 0
/dev/block//vold/179:0 /sdcard vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0702,dmask=0702,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0

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


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Chrome 37 back button
I've tried various different Google searches on this, but can't seem to find the answer or even someone reporting the same problem.
I cannot for the life of me find the browsers back button. It's annoying enough that google decided to remove the refresh button from the address bar, but they can't seriously have completely removed the back button from the entire app could they?

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)
I know under usual circumstances I can use the Android OS back button, however if I'm in the browser, then exit out to the home screen or switch to another app, and then reopen the browser, the back button no longer goes back in the browser - it goes back to the last activity I was in e.g. the home screen.
NOTE: This behaviour is not consistent. Like right now it is not happening, but a day or 2 ago, it was and I literally had no way to go back to the previous page because each time I pressed the back nav button the browser simply closed. So even if this does not always happen, I'm still puzzled as to where the browser back button has gone..and yet they leave the forward button in the menu...I almost never use the forward button.
p.s. If you too find the removal of the refresh button from the address bar ridiculous too, make sure to star the issue here so that the devs might notice and actually revert it.

I have starred the Chromium issue (it should atleast be an option to out it back). It is odd about the issue you have with the back button after leaving Chrome. When I leave the app and go back I can use the OS back button to go to the previous webpage within the same tab. Have you opened an issue for your odd back button behavior?

@DainBinder I've currently not been able to recreate the issue reliably, so I've not created an issue about it. If I do manage to at some point I will.

The behavior is reliable for me. If I change to Chrome from another app, the back button always just goes back to the previous app, not the previous page. Very annoying.

This would be helpful for users like me also when our phone back button doesn't work. There must be some other way.

Yes, they've completely removed it from the UI, so you have to use the Android back button.

Wow, then how do I go back two pages in history?

@Protectorone Press it twice, or select the item you want from the History, which is still accessible from that menu.

What if your bank button doesn't work any more? I hate to have to use another android browser.

Found this thread and just wanted to update it with a proper workaround. I used this on Chrome for Android ver 7.0.0. On my Note 9 and it works like a charm
Go to settings > home page
Set your homepage as javascript:history.go(-1)

As a workaround, you go to Settings -> Home page and set Homepage to javascipt:window.location.back() and use the home button as a back button.  Here is a picture.

It seems to work well but yes you did lose the home button.

But where is the home button…?

@Protectorone they may have removed this button in chrome also.  I am using an iPhone now as my main device.

To use the Home button as Back in Chrome version 108, in Menu / Settings / Homepage, set the homepage to:
javascript:window.history.go(-1)

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

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


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Bug report and Settings crash on Nexus 4
My Nexus 4 is rooted with stock ROM (version 4.4.4) and custom recovery TWRP. Recently it automatically generated some bug report: one is a png image (just a blank screen in black) and another text file in 9MB. Since it's a huge file, what should I look for in the text file?
Also, there is another problem with my Nexus 4: Settings keeps crashing when an app is selected under Settings/Apps with error message: "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped." It's described in details here. I'm not so sure if the two problems are related. I've tried to re-flash the factory image of 4.4.4, but the problem remains.

Why would you be looking for something in the bug report file? Are you an Android OS developer?

I thought that the bug report might reveal something about any potential problems including the Settings crash. Any suggestion regarding the Settings crash issue?

Did you wipe the data and cache when flashing? What ROM were you coming from before you flashed KitKat 4.4.4?

Yes I wiped data and cache in TWRP after flashing. It was KitKat 4.4.3 before the recent flashing.

I've been using stock ROM all the time.

Don't know about the Settings issue, but the bug report thing is pretty popular: Google's devices do a report now and then (don't ask me why.... maybe those reports are sent to Google to keep everything under control or to check if something goes wrong), so just don't worry.
On my Nexus 5, I can even make a bug report every time I want (just by pressing power + volume up at the same time) and you should have the same feature. It basically depends on the activation of USB Debugging: if it's active, then the bug report creation is active. You can disable it by simply disabling USB Debugging or by going into /system/bin and renaming bugmailer.sh to bugmailer.sh.bak or deleting it. Then just reboot and no more bugmailer.
P.S.: for the Settings issue, just try the simplest thing: go into the app drawer -> long-press on the "Settings" app -> move it to the upper side (App Info) -> clear data.

Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate it. I thought that the bug report might provide some clues about the problems I'm having. Since it's a text file, someone with enough knowledge may be able to parse through and find some clues. In addition to the Settings crash, the time and location stuff is not working properly either on my Nexus 4. I also tried your suggestion of long pressing on "Settings". However, that basically brings up the same error: "Unfortunately, Settings has stopped."

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


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My galaxy s3 keeps re-booting after install a recent AT&T update
So it happened with a push notification from AT&T indicating an update that needs to install. After finishing installation, my mobile phone re-start and prompts me with "encryption password" since I have my phone password encrypted. But the flash light just flashes and re-start my machine over and over until I took off my battery. Does anyone run into this issue before and hopefully have a solution to this kind of issue?

have you tried putting your phone into Recovery mode ( push power button, home button and up vol button all at once) once there navigate to the clear dalvik cache. This is normally only needed when flashing a custom ROM when the phone either keeps restarting or freezes on the boot up logo, but may help your situation

Didn't know that trick, will definitely try that. Thanks, Harrison!

@user3339918 Did it help? Is the problem solved now or do you need more help?

@Dan Hulme Yes, it works for me. Thanks for asking!

@user3339918 In that case, could you write up an answer describing what you did, and then "accept" it as the correct answer? That way, the question will show up as answered, and future visitors who find their way here will be able to solve their problem.

I see. I forgot to do that.

So I tried @Sjharrison's way to press home,power and volume button at the same time to put phone in recovery mode. And it gives me the option to safeboot my cell phone and I chose to delete the cache files. It automatically reboot and show progress on automatically installation. Then my cell phone works as before. Kudos on @Sjharrison!


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Hangouts SMS: Keep same conversation when contact gets a new phone number
I'm using Hangouts and a contact recently changed her phone number. Now I have one conversation with her old number and one with her name on it in my Hangouts. Is there any way to merge these conversations?
I'd prefer not to continue to have both numbers under the one contact for fear of accidentally dialing the old number!

Without merging the contact info, I don't think this is doable. Hangouts doesn't have the ability to merge conversations in an ad-hoc manner or anything like that, it just organizes them by contact.

Try going in the chat list and hold on first conversation then select second one, if you now have a menu with merge option you are done. It doesn't work all the times it might be related to the presence of gmail account in both conversations. Worth a try.

Why not merge the contact, and make the new number the default one? Or change the old number (once merged) with an error (an extra digit or an * at the start or something) in it so you can't dial it by mistake? No point in making this complicated.

The only way to merge the two conversations in Hangouts is to update/merge the contacts under your Google account - http://www.google.com/contacts


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Is it safe to rename, delete or disable system/bin/mediaserver?
mediaserver is constantly running in the background eating up CPU.
I don't care at this point if I don't get to use the gallery app and I'm fed up with having to reboot every time I hop out of my car.
While I'm at it, I have the same question/issue with logcat2.

Edit: I deleted mediaserver and logcat, booted into recovery, fixed permissions, deleted dalvik and cache and am stuck on "Android is upgrading... Starting Apps." (Recovery isn't an issue but having some method of effectively disabling the processes is necessary)
Any advice is appreciated. It's an HTC One m7 running ViperOne 6.2.1.
I have already tried Rescan Media ROOT & Stop Log ☆Root☆ and Netflix still causes these processes to spin out of out control. Perhaps this is related to Greenify's hibernation (active for Netflix)

This is mostly speculation, but mediaserver is probably what is used to play all and any sound on android. Some app was probably using mediaserver inappropriately, causing it to show as using excessive battery.
logcat2 is probably the process used for logging output, and is where many debug and error messages are sent to.
Outright deleting them probably wasn't smart. Do you have a custom recovery installed? What phone is this? Your best bet is probably to restore those files. If you don't have them anymore, get them from an identical device.

Yes I was able to restore the system partition with TWRP so I'm right back where I started. It is triggered by netflix/MHL connection.

Updated rom and so far no issues. I will also concur that deleting them is generally not the correct approach.


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GPS functionality degradation on Galaxy SIII
I recently moved from a relatively flat area to an area near the mountains. I used to have good reception for my GPS when I would run using the RunKeeper app. Now I only get reception for about half of my run. The App shows 'green' on the reception meeter, and I can use Navigation and other GPS driven apps without a problem. Is there anything I can do to test the GPS functionality within the given area? Is there any known reasons why an app would not properly work even though it says it is getting sufficient reception?

I had big problems with GPS in my galaxy s2, the connection was unstable and sometimes it took 30 minuts to get the signal
To analyze the GPS signal you can use something like GPS status
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2
I've discovered that my phone was suddenly loosing all the signals, so I suspected an hardware problem
The GPS uses as antenna the metallic board that is inside the phone
I've disassembled the phone, and Cleaned this board from oxidation in correspondence of every screw with a nail file
I'm surprised of the result the GPS signal really busted (it fix in 30 seconds inside the house) and is totally stable
You can find here a video tutorial specific for s3
Galaxy S3 Gps Fix (When Screw Tightening Doesn't …: http://youtu.be/VI4hs19riRM


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Google Wallet Problem
I found out today my cc was under my friends google wallet instead of mine. I was wondering if I delete it from his wallet; will I be able to add it under mine and be capable of using it. I ask because when I go to remove it, it says "This card will no longer be available to use online or on your device", what exactly does that mean if anyone can tell me.

You can add the credit card to your Google Wallet account while leaving it in your friend's account. (My wife and I have each others card under both of our accounts.)
As for the "no longer available" message; that refers to their account only.

It means it won't be able to be used with that Wallet account anymore. You can still add the card to your Wallet account.


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My Internet data speed became slow after rooting, need help
I've rooted my device, and installed a custom ROM + kernel (after making a backup of the original ROM). My device specs:
Kernel: Merruk Technology 2.0
OS: Android GB 2.3
Model: Samsung GT-S5360

As the title states: My data transfer speed got pretty much down after that. Any idea what could be behind it, and how to get it fixed?

It could be the Modem/Baseband, it could be the Kernel, or it could be the ROM I'm afraid. Maybe try flashing the correct modem first, and failing that a new kernel, or just a whole new ROM.

Download it, make sure it's EXACTLY the right one (should be on XDA) flash through phone in Odin.

Thanks again RossC, u have a lot reputation. I'm new to stack_exchange, looking for a good rep. any word for me?

To be completely honest, CyanogenMod is prone to a lot of bugs and unexpected results, especially non official builds, and non stable releases. There's lots of ROMs you could try on XDA developers give a few a shot, and  don't forget backups. Make a [tag:nandroid] backup before flashing anything. OR you could just revert back to to the stock ROM.

i already made back up of Original ROM, then i installed Merruk Technology Kernel from XDA.


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Unable to see newly added contacts on Viber for Nexus 7 LTE
As title says, I've been looking for a solution to this issue but it seems like its something to do with Viber itself. To describe the issue, I'm using a Nexus 7 LTE version with KitKat 4.4.3. It works perfectly on the device but neither can I search contacts nor see a newly added contact (before the last update) under Viber when added through Google's default "People" app.
And soon after the latest update I could search for the contacts but not the newly added contacts been seen though the user is a Viber user.
Quite amazing is that when I switch on DATA on my mobile (which also has the same Viber number configured) & sync the contacts which then the new contact start to appear on Viber under both Nexus & mobile device.
I don't know whether this is a bug with Viber for Nexus devices as I've not seen any solutions to this so far. An output or advise on this will be great!
Thank you in advance.

Never come across it on any of the Nexus devices here (that's a 4, 5, 7 (2013) and a Nexus 10)  Maybe reach out to the Viber Devs?

Well, for me I've tried installing twice as a fresh install but still was the same.. I'm fairly sure its not the device but viber.. before it had searching issues, but after the latest update it started working..

As the Nexus devices get updates fast to Android some apps do go a bit funny as the devs try to update them for the new version. This happens a lot with Whatsapp and others like it. That's why (I'd guess) they've a dev preview of Android L so that devs can get their apps working again, for example Android L can break certain JINI related calls.

I hope so, but its the other way around for me. Whatsapp shows all the newly added contacts quite happily by updating its contact list but Viber does not.

I mentioned whatsapp as I didn't work at all in ART initially and had issues with any 4.4.x update initially too.


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Why I can't see all images in the gallery?
My Phone is SYMPHONY Xplorer W35. Android version JellyBean 4.1.1 Recently I'm facing a problem. Sometimes I download images from my PC to my mobile phone. But unfortunately these images are not in the gallery apps. For this when I need to upload an image from messenger I can't upload them because they are not in the gallery. But after few times the images are automatically shown in the gallery. (My messenger doesn't support uploading file from file manager)

What gallery app is opening to send the picture? Is it 'Photos' by any chance (the Google one)? That only shows a few recent ones unless you change what tab you are on, or select "Gallery" from the left hand 'hamburger' menu.

@RossC The question clearly states the "Gallery" app, which is part of Android for a long time. The "Photos" app is not the app in question.

@PJBrunet yep but it isn't anymore, Google have been chopping and canging for a while. He said "gallery appS" so I presumed there was more than one from that, and wanted to clarify. Many, many devices change the names/convention/code of their own gallery. It's worth asking.

@RossC I have Android Lollipop and use Gallery exclusively and Photos is not even installed on my phone by default. I'm not rooted. I found this question because it's ranked in Google for "Android Gallery" which is exactly what I wanted help with. Anyway, I see your point. FWIW, there are some good answers here but I ended up using "Total Commander" because Gallery wasn't finding the image on my sdcard.

This very much depends on how you upload the images to the device. In order for the gallery app to pick them up, they must be added to the "media library", which is the job of the media-scanner. So that one needs to run after you've uploaded the image(s).
There are quite a few events triggering the media scanner to do its job – but e.g. uploading a file via FTP, or copying it with a file manager do not belong to that category. Things you can do to trigger it include:

rebooting the device (media-scanner always runs at BOOT_COMPLETED)
unmount and mount your SD card (it also runs whenever a new medium is attached)
trigger a media scan via the the command line
use a media scanner trigger app to trigger a scan manually

Pick your choice depending on how often you need to do that. If it happens once a year, a reboot probably is the easiest approach. If you need it daily, one of those apps will be the better solution ;)

There might be a file in the folder with the images not visible called ".nomedia". The file, by existing, tells the android system to not include the images in the folder in the media scan. That means that many gallery apps won't see the images. If you have a file manager installed, and know what folder the image is in, you can navigate to the folder and remove the ".nomedia" file. If there is no such file but you manage to find the image it might be another problem.

No its not like that. I can't find any .nomedia file. The images I can't see are visible in the gallery app but it takes time.. I can't measure how much time it needs. Sometimes after a day I can see the images. Again sometimes after few minutes. :)

Once you delete .nomedia files & if you still cant view those pictures, you need to rename the folder e.g. from DCIM to DCIM2. Once you can view them on gallery, you can rename back to original folder name e.g. DCIM2 to DCIM. same goes to other folders. Tq

Why should that be necessary? Once the .nomedia files have been removed, one only needs to trigger the media-scanner – either using an app, or by simply rebooting the device.

I had this issue on a completely different phone and version of Android, but both the issue and the explanation can be universal.  In my case, it was the existence of the .nomedia file in the directory I was trying to see in the Gallery app.  This is documented in the Android Developer documentation under Storage Options and, as of this writing appears in a sidebar as follows:

Hiding your files from the Media Scanner
Include an empty file named .nomedia in your external files directory (note the dot prefix in the filename). This prevents media scanner from reading your media files and providing them to other apps through the MediaStore content provider.

In my case, some application that I installed must have put this file in my Download directory, hiding all of the images there from the Gallery app (and others as well).
Solution: All I had to do was delete the .nomedia file from the directory and the contents became visible in the Gallery app.  You can simply connect your phone to your computer and browse to the directory to accomplish this, or use a file manager on your phone configured to view hidden dot files.


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Does GT-I8262 Galaxy Core Support OTG?
I am using GT-I8262 (Galaxy Core) android 4.1 does it support OTG?

As this comes up a lot I would recommend an app to check this, like this one
The GT-I8262 (Galaxy Core) does not support OTG. I cannot locate any custom Kernels that support it either.
There is no mention of it in the specs for the device either.

I used an USB OTG Checker on my mobile (Samsung Galaxy Core i8262) and I get the message "Your Device OS has USB OTG API!"

Thanks for the detail! Could you please [edit] your answer to include which Android version your device is running? Does it match that of the OP?


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Unable to enable Wifi/Bluetooth
I have a HTC One X , Android 4.2.2, everything worked as a charm, but suddenly my WIFI/Bluetooth functionality stopped working. I cant see any WIFI network and cant turn WIFI on/off.
It just shows me the message: 'Error' on the Settings > Wifi dashboard. also I cant enable bluetooth.
At Settings > Info > Hardware info it states:
Wifi: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Wifi MAC Adres: Unavailable.
Bluetooth: 4.0
Bluetooth adres: Unavailable.
I tried a wifi diagnostic app (Wifi fixer) it states: WIFI_STATE_UNKNOWN
I tried the following:

give it a static IP-adres, but I can't reach the advanced settings tab. (Settings > Wifi > Advanced)
Soft and Factory Reset.

Because it cant tell me the MAC adres of the wificard/Bluetooth is unavailable. I am afraid that the radio unit is broken.
Do you have some suggestions for a fix or how to trace the cause of this problem?

Do you have any custom ROMs on the device, is it rooted at all?

No customizations whatsoever. It is the original OS

Like you said - it may be a problem with the H/W itself because if its a S/W problem it should've been rectified after hard reset (in most of the cases). If the device is on warranty I'd suggest taking it to a service centre ASAP :)

Hard reset or new rom installation does not change values in /persist/ partition, so if the problem is there as seems to be, hard reset will have no impact at all.

This is not a hardware problem, was caused on many devices since Android Lolipop updates, was worst with Marshmallow updates (Mine Nexux 6 was broken at that point) and now Android N beta doesn't fix anything, seems to be related to the new way system validates and provide macaddress informations, seems that in some cases it simply broke, there are reports on many forums like
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/help/wifi-mac-address-200000000000-t3257465/page4
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/-yq035tmhB8
Sadly Google simply is denying the fact that they are broking devices.
When my wifi/bluetooth stops to respond I've was on unrooted, stock rom google/motorola denied support, now I've rooted it and triying to fix it, but this is happening with many, many devices.


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Restore the default Android settings app
We just got a new Android smartphone. It is an LG L1 II E410i. The provider is HOT mobile.
The phone's default language is Hebrew, and I can't seem to change it. The normal Android settings app is not available - they seem to have replaced it with their own.
Is it possible to get the settings app back?

Try this link first - http://www.lg.com/uk/support-mobile/lg-LGE410I#

Try this link first - LG L1 Support Page and checkout the manuals provided. If you don't find what you need then try Live Chat provided below in the same page to ask them directly about this problem. If no chat agents available at that time try emailing them.


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Enabling Flash Player to run in the background
On all the Android devices I've ever had, I've never seen one that could actually allow flash music streaming or YouTube to run in the background on a minimized window.
For example, if you are on a music streaming website, as long as that web page is in the foreground the audio will play. However, if you need to minimize that window and open another tab, for example, the flash stream stops.
It's the exact same way for YouTube; as long as the video is open in the foreground window the music will play.
Is there any way to put those in background, but have their sound continue to play?

All I can find so far is this which suggests nobody has done it. It is possible to do sure, but I can't find it anywhere in reality. I'll keep looking for you and maybe someone else will know. You can do this with youtube,  but the only way I know off the top of my head requires root and Xposed framework. I've meetings now but I'll look later if I have the time. Maybe something like this for YouTube? I haven't tried it though, sorry.

Wasn't that a feature announced with one of the recent Youtube updates? But whatever: App recommendations are off-topic here; to prevent the question from being "dropped", I'd suggest rephrasing it into "Is there any way to allow..." ;) … Done. Hope that's fine with you.

You would have to intall tasker then a script.  I don't know if anybody wrote a script on that so you'll have to research. Xposed framework also could be possible solution like Ross suggested,  you'll just have to find a module for that.


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Why my Android phone not correctly show a web page
I can't show this page using my Android device. I have used many browser but none of them show the timetable. I guess that my phone is missing something but what?
I'm using Android 2.3.7.

It looks like the timetable is inside an iframe element. Android has trouble with iframes, and the built-in browser doesn't seem to support it at all.

@StephenSchrauger The problem is my version of android doesn't support xml-stylesheet. Opera mini support it.


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Voice Dialling opening on lock screen
I've got a Moto G running KitKat and am having an issue where the Voice Dialler (I think that's what it's called) opens up when the phone is in my pocket, locked.
I have no idea how it is happening.. I presume there is some combination of buttons you can press to open it, and these are getting pressed in my pocket. I regularly have headphones plugged in to the phone, so it is perhaps related to that.
My question is, how is this Voice Dialler app opening and how can I disable it? I haven't installed any third party app so I presume it's a part of Google Now, or some Motorola app that came with the phone...?
I haven't been able to get a screenshot, but the app opens and a voice prompts me to say a name or phone number to dial.. Very annoying as it cuts off Spotify and I have to unlock the phone and hit the play button again.

Its a pretty useless app if you don't use it (forever). So what you can do is disable it. Go through Settings>Apps/App Manager>All>Voice Dialler>Disable. Thats it. You can enable it again if you wish when needed.


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Why does my sound randomly stop working?
I have a rather old Motorola Droid Razr Maxx.  A week or so ago it was having some serious problems which rendered it fairly useless, so I installed CyanogenMod on it.
Since then, sound will randomly completely stop from all sources.  Various apps, music, even phone calls.  Nada.
I'm fairly certain this is a software issue as the sound worked fine before flashing CyanogenMod and a reboot temporarily fixes the problem (and is so far the only solution I've found).
I'm fairly sure it doesn't have to do with the headphone state as neither speaker nor headphones works when the sound is broken, yet both work immediately after a reboot.
Constantly rebooting my phone so I can actually receive calls is rather sub-optimal.  What can I do?

As a side note, I suppose I could theoretically go back to stock, but, aside from this problem, I'm vastly preferring CM, so I'd like to stick with it if possible.

What CM ROM have you used? If it's a nightly, you might have to replace it with the latest stable release, or just wait for the bug to be fixed in a later release.

@DanHulme I'm using 10.2.1 which appears to be both stable and the latest version for my device.


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Google Play apps, login in someone else's account
I have this weird problem on my tablet. Most of the time I can download a game in Google Play and create a game account or just play normally with a local save. But there's a long list of games I just can't play because after installing and starting it, it literally logs in someone else's game.
For example Simpsons Tap Out, Summoners War or pretty much any town building game or else, there's already an account created, no password needed to enter and I can clearly see its someone playing. I don't know how to explain better, I just avoid playing it because it's not my game, it's not really fair to that person and he can just keep playing over me or delete his account someway.
In these apps there is almost no way to create an ingame account with a password, I thought someone was using my email, tried with a different one (on the same device) and still same results. How come I can enter someone's account without a password or ID? This tablet was bought new, nobody uses it except me, I shouldn't be able to just get in people's game and not able to even create one for me.
It's a low cost tablet from Prixton, model T9100, really cheap stuff but gets the job done (just this problem bugging me). I factory reseted it, tried different emails, still does it. is there something I can do to avoid this situation? Thanks


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Can I disable the gallery preview icon in the Galaxy S4's camera app?
The camera on my Galaxy S4 has a box in the top left corner of the screen which shows photos from the Gallery. How do I turn that off? I only want to be looking at the camera screen.

No you can not do that with the stock camera application. Try some third-party applications from Play Store Photography Apps. May be you can find some luck there.
Edit -
Well I found this one for you. Have any luck? Camera Android


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why is my ip showing up different than the ip in android phone menu?
Why is my IP address showing up different than the IP in my phones menu? I went to an IP lookup site and it automatically detects your IP address but what came up is different than that of the IP in my phones menu.

That depends at least on what IP you've looked up on your phones menu, and how you're connected to the network. Your device has multiple interfaces, e.g. one for WiFi and one for mobile data, which of course use different IP addresses.

Probably this is because the network you are on is using NAT. Because of the world shortage of IP addresses, most networks (mobile networks and Wi-Fi) don't issue you a globally routable IP address. They just give you an address that only works within that network. Network address translation (NAT) is a way of letting all those devices on the network talk to Internet, by using something like a proxy server that relays the connections. When you connect to a site outside the network, it sees the connection as coming from the NAT server (gateway), so it will show you the gateway's IP address.


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Why Dialer shows contact name and image, when contact is not in my address book?
Very often, when some unknown company is calling me, in couple of seconds I see its name and logo on standard Dialer's screen. Where does it take them, if I don't have this contact in my address book, nor do I have it in contacts in any social network, like FB, LinkedIn, etc? Does it search Google right at the moment of the call and shows me the result?

I already heard about services that search the number when you receive a call from someone not in your contact list but I can't remember the name right now. Anyway it would be better if you say what's your phone and rom (stock / custom) if you didn't install any app it probably comes with that.

@Crayon I just have stock KitKat and stock dialer app. See the answer below. Strange that I couldn't find it by googling, because it is described in many articles, as Izzy noted below.

You didn't explicitely mention it, but from the context I assume you're using a device with Android 4.4 (Kitkat). With that, Google "pimped" the dialer. PhoneArena writes on this in an article called Google makes the Dialer awesome again: this is why you want Android 4.4 KitKat:

I think the best new addition though comes in the changes to Caller ID, because that has been supercharged with Google as well. Now, any time you call a number, or receive a call from a number that can be matched to a Google Maps business record, Google will show you that business name, and possibly a picture (though that part of the feature has been a bit dodgy so far), instead of just the phone number. This means far fewer mystery phone numbers in your call history, and if you're like me, it means even more than that.

(emphasis mine)
Also see Android 4.4 KitKat dialer will add Google+ Caller ID and enhanced search options for a second source, and AndroidPolice's Google Does Caller ID: KitKat 4.4 Matches Numbers Against Google Places, And Starting In 2014, Google Personal Accounts for a third.
If it's not that, you most likely have a CallerID app (pre-) installed which does the same: matching numbers of incoming calls against some online database.

You are absolutely right, I do have KitKat installed. Thank you for detailed answer! I couldn't google the answer for some reason. So it takes the name and image from Google Maps business card.


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How do I log off from WhatsApp?
I'm trying to exit WhatsApp, but it seems that there is no "Log Off" button. Currently, when I want to exit, I turn off my Wi-Fi/cellular data.
How do I log off from WhatsApp?

This is not possible. Whatsapp is designed to stay online. You may want to use a Firewall or an app which drain the permissions while you dont want to be connected.

after some experiments i think best way is use Force stop button in Application manager
go to Setting > Application manager > WhatsApp and tap Force stop button
As say Here:

Android do not kill the apps totally when you exit from it, this button is for close completely the app and remove it from the stack (apps running), also this button free the memory used by the app

so Thanks to User pacoespinoza  this is what i want to do!

The services will still run and the app will be back in no time I'm afraid.

@RossC you can try it like me and see result! don't afraid

I tried it on 4 devices, same each time, services run even after activity stack is closed, app is back open.

@RossC i try it in galaxy s3 and galaxy grand and work well what is yor device??

S4,s5 htc one m8, nexus 5

@RossC if you look at 'running' tab in Application manager and tap on whatsapp you can see process and service of whatsapp see Image (name is MessageService) and each service have button stop that you can stop background services

:O  Wow, I completely and utterly forgot that option under 'running'. Wow. Yep, you're completely right, I was just going to Whatsapp under 'Downloaded' in the app manager. I don't know what I was thinking. Cheers for clarifying. I wouldn't have remembered that at all. It's crazy what you forget! A very delayed +1

Settings>apps>WhatsApp and press clear data. You might want to first backup your messages in WhatsApp settings. This resets WhatsApp to like when you first downloaded it before logging in. Alternatively, you can go to settings>apps>WhatsApp and turn off notifications for WhatsApp if it gives you the option. If it doesn't, it means your version of android doesn't support turning off notifications. You can also go to a WhatsApp chat, press menu, and mute conversation for an amount of time.

clear data?? i wont clear my whatsapp data i want shutdown it!

It is a valid work around to be fair. Considering you can't directly log off. A rooted user could just freeze the app, or clear and restore data with one or two clicks so this would be particularly easy to do.

Go to applications and clear data

Actually, this would work because opening WhatsApp will require you to log in again. You might want to ensure your daily WhatsApp backups are in order and trigger it once manually for good measure before doing this though. Wiping WhatsApp app data will not remove the WhatsApp backups.

as you say yourself , it just clear data not exit app


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Asus TF700T Does not prompt for forgot password
I've read through the many posts about being locked out of a tablet/phone, but haven't found one where the forgot password / forgot pattern option is missing.
I haven't used my Asus TF700T tablet for a couple of months and have forgotten the pattern unlock. After attempting a few times, I get the standard "you have incorrectly drawn your unlock pattern xx times". However, there are never any on-screen options for "forgot password" or "forgot pattern" or similar.
I've tried Google's device manager site: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager however, I did not set up this tablet to be remotely locked (shame, because apparently I set up my phone to use the service).
I've also gone to the Asus device tracker site: http://devicetracker.asus.com/ and entered the serial number, but the site fails with a "command failed" response. (fwiw, I verified the serial number).
TLDR;
In summary, I have tried the pattern unlock 65+ times and still do not get a forgot password or similar prompt. And the tablet is associated with a Google account and the Google play store.
Short of performing a factory reset, is there a way to force the "forgot password" prompt to login to the tablet?

Well, I feel quite silly. I tried a few more times and found the "forgot password"; my screen's background was nearly the same color of the text and it was all but hidden. Feel free to close this question as operator failure.

You should post an answer to your question and accept it. It might help a future visitor who makes the same mistake!

After trying to recall my lock pattern a few more times, I noticed I had previously overlooked the "forgot password" text that was an inch or two below the lock pattern. The text blended in with my tablet's background and was barely visible. Chalk this one up to a clear case of operator failure.


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How to verify an ADB backup file is complete and in a good state?
This is not a duplicate of How to verify a backup file from ADB backup. The poster there probably didn't know that an unrooted phone requires -nosystem (ref) and ended with a 0 byte file, where my backup file is almost 8GB.
Given that adb gives almost zero feedback on it's backup progress and success or failure. How can I be confident that the backup I've just completed is a good one? and that it contains what I think it does? and that it will (probably) work to restore or extract data from?
I have the one android device (Nexus 5), access to Win7 PCs, and ubuntu virtual machines if needed.

Though not directly related to your question, this does answer it in a very round-about way. I found this blog which gives directions on how to open the file and modify contents. My reasoning is that if the file opens then it should probably be ok.
Here's the link: http://nelenkov.blogspot.in/2012/06/unpacking-android-backups.html
I'd really love if anyone finds a more straight forward foolproof approach and post it here.

If you're on Linux, Adebar contains a tiny little shell script to convert ADB Backups (.ab) to tar files, which you then easily can investigate with any archive manager. Only limitation is: it doesn't work on password protected backup files.
The basic command it runs (everything else mainly is a wrapper for command line options and syntax) is:
dd if=$1 bs=24 skip=1 | openssl zlib -d >${1%%.ab}.tar && gzip -9 ${1%%.ab}.tar

A command I've found here on SE some time in the past (full disclosure: I'm the author of Adebar) – see here.
As you can see in the quoted command, it requires openssl and zlib to be available.

note: On Ubuntu, the 'openssl zlib -d' will give you an error message. You can use 'zlib-flate -uncompress' instead.

Umm? I use it that way on Ubuntu. Adebar is being developed/tested on Ubuntu even. But it's always good to have alternatives, so thanks for the note, @jellefoks!

For unencrypted backups, it is possible to list the content using the command
dd if=backup-file2.ab bs=24 skip=1 | pigz -d | tar -tvf - > backup-file.ab.list


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Cannot root Verizon Galaxy S5 with towelroot
I have downloaded towelroot tr.apk for my Galaxy S5 from Verizon which I purchased recently.
I have heard of people having success with towelroot on their S5 devices bit for some reason I have been unsuccessful so far in rooting my device.
If I press the "makeitra1n" button I receive an error message saying my phone is not supported.
I did some research and found you could change the settings of the program
This article supplies instructions to change the modstrings : http://www.naldotech.com/how-to-fix-towelroot-phone-isnt-supported-problem/
But after trying all codes I still have no success, occasionally I get another message asking if my device is connected to the internet.
has anyone else shared this problem?

The vulnerability towelroot used has been fixed within Android 4.4.2. Check your version.
Plus, as you can read here, geohot, developer of towelroot, now works for Google, so probably there won't be updates.
I wouldn't recommend any other root method: it could invalidate your warranty. See this article.

What about for S5 devices on Verizon with unlocked bootloaders?


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Why are there different versions of each firmware for different country?
For example why is there different version of the same fimware but for different countries? e.g. version 2.1 for Canada, version 2.1 for US, version 2.1 for international/generic. What does international/generic firmware mean?

There can be several differences, or reasons for having two firmware versions.
Sometimes there are two completely different hardware variants, sold in different regions. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S III has a variant based on a Snapdragon MSM8960 system-on-chip (SoC), and another based on an Exynos 4. Because the hardware is different, the variants need different ROMs.
Even when there's no hardware difference, there can be other differences. Every language in the ROM increases its size, so usually phones come with a few languages that are common in the region they're sold. For example, a phone sold in the UK might have a "Western Europe" ROM with English, French, Spanish, and German languages. It would also contain APN settings for carriers in Europe so you don't need to input APN settings when you insert a SIM card.
Finally, if a ROM includes bloatware by third-parties, this will usually be specific to the country it's sold in. Our example UK phone might have an app for a British online music service, as a kind of advert, whereas the US ROM would instead have apps for some US online services.

And there might be considerations towards cellular "bands" (frequencies) and other technology used. Devices for Europe e.g. generally use SIMs, while carriers in the US often do not use them. Some areas use specific frequency bands which are not used at all in other areas, or even completely different technologies, similarly for WiFi vs. WiMAX etc., see e.g. List of mobile phone standards and the table in 3G breakdown (right-most column).


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Basic Server for android
I want to set up a server on android. Anyone know how to do that? I do not have root. I do know about I-jetty. So any other ideas. Preferably where I learn how to make a server program. I can program in C, bash, etc. for android. I want to be able basically to run a "basic" server program (like Apache). All the program needs to do is host one page on port 8080.

The App your looking for is kWS. It will serve any html file you have on your phone to port 8080 (or other unused port), and it doesn't require a root.
If you want to run a custom server (i.e. with sockets), you'd need to develop your own app with sockets, although you'll need to know Java.

I don't know java. And I dont know networking.

@yuxuantim You dont need to know Java, install this app, and put an html file on the directory you set in the app.

@yuxuantim Check out this tutorial using kWS

If you know PHP, then you may use PAW Server for Android. It requires the installation of PHP plugin. Here is the official site.

Another alternative is Palapa Web Server. It can serve both static and dynamic content as it has PHP and MySQL embedded.


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Google Device Manager on CyanogenMod - How to stop asking me to unlock phone all the time?
I was playing around with Google Device Manager and so I decided to lock my phone to see it working.
Now every time I have to use my phone I have to unlock it with the password and after a while. It is annoying.
How can I stop it asking me for the password every time I turn ON the screen?
I'm using CyanogenMod 11 (Android 4.4.4) on a Galaxy S4
PS; I've read this question here on SE but not exactly the same problem as me. I can input the password and unlock it. I want to make it stop asking me to unlock the phone all the time.

I found the way to solve this.
1- Unlock the phone (as usual)
2- Go to settings
3- Go to Device
4 Go to lock screen
5 Select none
6 Press back
7 Turn off your screen, wait 5 seconds, and turn on again and you should have no lock at all.
8- Problem solved.

If you want to add a "normal" lock screen again, repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 and select your lock screen.


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LG L9 P769 screen inverted
I used fastboot and then installed a stock ROM (D20H) on a LG L9 P769 , but when the phone installed the ROM and rebooted EVERYTHING was mirrored on the screen from right to left. Is this a kernel problem, how can I fix it. The phone is not mine, I really need help fixing it fast. :(
Touch screen barely works. Nothing works like it is supposed to.
You can't tell from the picture, but the recycle icon with the two arrows is color inverted too. It is supposed to be yellow right. Well mine is Blue. So was the lying android with the exclamation mark above it.

(click image for larger variant)

I managed to reverse it again, I flashed JB with fastboot for P769 and now I am stuck on the LG logo. I believe this is what is called a boot loop. How to fix that?

Probably wrong kernel if you can't get passed the lg logo.


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Soft brick after dunking phone in coffee
I (accidentally) dunked my Samsung Galaxy S S7562 in coffee. When I found it, it was swimming around in the coffee in my bag. It seemed to be working when I shut it down and took out the battery.
I left it in uncooked rice overnight. Then, I dried it under the sun for a few hours before putting the battery back. I can only get to the Samsung splash screen and (for a few seconds) to the custom ROM installation screen. Is this a characteristic soft brick?
I suspect there might be hardware damage because of coffee particles. What can I do at this stage?

My brother's S3 Mini had a nice water trip on Espain beach. It turned on, but it had software issues such as apps opening randomly, volume changing itself, and random reboots. When the battery went empty, it didn't turn on.
My brother tried his friend's S3 Mini battery, and it worked fine, but all the problems remained. So, he bought a new one.
Try another battery. If still doesn't boot, take it to the service center. Last thing is to buy a new phone.


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Insufficient memory error in google playstore, even though I have enough space
Recently I changed my sd card from 2GB to 8GB and now I can neither download nor update any apps from the Google Playstore. It shows "Insufficient space on device", even though internal 1.5gb & external 6gb is available. I tried clearing cache for apps, I also deleted some to restore space, but no use.
Can anyone please suggest what to do? This may be a duplicate question, none of the solutions worked for me. My phone is not rooted.

Gautami: You've already found the right tag for your question (which indeed is one of our most-frequently-asked). Have you checked with its tag-wiki? I'm pretty sure that will get you on the right tracks. Once done, please return and either answer your own question (if solved), put a comment pointing to the question holding your solution (again, if solved) – or [edit] your question to let us know what you've tried and where you're stuck. Thanks!

Hey @Izzy! I'm expecting you here ;) I knew you would come. Looks like the girl who asked the question forgot that she asked a question ;)

Since my current reputation in android.stackexchange is not expressive as "10", I cannot post a good answer. But I can share this link so you can give it a try: http://www.itworld.com/article/2833377/insufficient-storage-available-is-one-of-android-s-greatest-annoyances-here-s-how-to-fix-it.html?page=3

possible duplicate of “Insufficient storage available”. Ok, but where?

You probably don't have enough space. Android installs apps to your internal SDcard, not your external. Going from 2 to 8 gigs is irrelevant when installing apps

Have you tried to move your already installed applications to your external SD card?
You can do it in application settings, after a click on an application in the list.
There must have a button "move to SD card" or something similar. Note that  not all the apps can be moved to the external SD card this way.

First, I recommend using your computer to transfer all files and folders from the old SD card to the new one. This ensures a smooth SD card upgrade.
As for the space issue; the amount of your external memory doesn't resolve issues related to the internal memory. Only internal storage is used for apps installed on the majority of devices (it depends on the version of Android that is installed).


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Customise home screen on Hisense Vision TV
Just purchased a Hisense Vision TV which is powered by Android.
I have just installed the Plex app and want to put the icon on the home screen.
Does anyone know how to customise this screen??
Some of the things I've tried:

Clicking the option key on the remote - just brings up three themes to choose from
Clicking setting button on remote - bring up the normal settings menu
Settings -> Local -> Apps - displays app info
Drag and drop using the air remote feature - doesn't do anything
Searching google - brings up many reviews, some videos, but no actual hits.


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One tap GPS toggle on Nexus 4
Is there a way in Android 4.4 to activate (on/off) the GPS in only one tap on Nexus 4?
Now I use a shortcut to arrive at the GPS menu (first tap/first picture)

then click on/off (second tap/second picture)

then accept Google position option (third tap/third picture)

Is there a way to start/stop GPS in a shorter way?

@DanHulme the question is edited with more details

Open the settings shortcut menu (two-finger swipe from the top of the screen) then long-press the "Location" setting. That's only two actions.

The Android Power Control widget has been part of the base Android setup since version 2.1.
While the icons can vary by OS version and manufacturer, by and large it has five buttons that give you quick access to enable/disable WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Sync, and also gives quick access to the screen brightness settings.

If that's not to your taste, there are plenty of other widgets in the Play Store that add more—or fewer—buttons

After tap on GPS icon I have to tap on/off then accept Google conditions on position. So I have to tap three times with this one

Not on my phone, so take that as you will. As I mentioned, there are dozens of apps/widgets in the Play Store.

@AI E. I have updated the question with some screenshots and more details (I use Nexus4)


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How to remove an account from Google Hangouts?
I logged in to Google Hangouts using an account (which is NOT the account I use in play store). But now I cannot remove it. I can sign out, but to sign back in, it does not for the password and automatically signs in. I don't want just anyone to be able to pick up my phone from the table and log in to my personal account.
So how to remove that account from hangouts or at least make it forget the password?

Try to revoke access to that account from your phone -- or simply from Hangouts/Talk if it is listed -- through this page.
When you add a new account to Hangouts, Android automatically adds it to your globally accessible accounts (Settings > Accounts). As far as I know, there is no way to activate temporary log-in sessions.

Isn't there any simple way just to sign out from that account without my password being stored? Do I have to go to that page and revoke access every time I want to log in? :(

When you add a new account to Hangouts, Android automatically adds it to your globally accessible accounts (Settings > Accounts). As far as I know, there is no way to activate temporary log-in sessions.

I see. Thanks. I deleted the account from Settings --> Accounts. That works :) If you edit your answer and add the last comment you made in the answer, then I can mark it as accepted.


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How can I save / get to Walmart's e-receipts from their Walmart app? Where are the files stored?
The Walmart app has a section called Savings Catcher, which allows one to scan a barcode from their receipt or to submit some numbers from it, and for the app to find lower prices. Anyhow, an exact digital duplicate of one's receipt is then shown. This receipt can be accessed at anytime (as far as I can tell). One can also zoom in on the receipt to view it at what looks to be 100% zoom.
I really would like to be able to save these receipts in jpeg format. When one is looking at the receipt, there is no option for saving or sharing the receipt.
Now, I am hoping that maybe the receipt gets saved somewhere on the phone or sd card, and am assuming that if it is, it might have an odd file extension (based on previous experience with another picture app. The file would open in photo programs and also if one would change the extension to .jpg.)
I have used ES File Explorer to search for anything named Walmart, but nothing shows up. I have no idea where the files are saved?
Does anyone have any idea as to where the Walmart app's files are saved?
My Android version is 4.0.4

Not sure which version this is supported on, but on mine, there is a share button at the top of the receipt, so you can share with email and the jpeg will be attached. Note, this is on the itemized view, not the receipt image view.

Currently the share function sends a png image.  I'm not sure why they aren't using pdf format since its mostly text.

You'll need to be rooted to access it, but anything owned by an app will be in /data/data/[app package name] where [app package name] is the full package name for the app. Usually it will be something like com.walmart.mobile or similar.

The entire /data folder is empty. I am not sure if I connect it via USB to the computer if I will see things in it.

It's empty because your file manager isn't running as root


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How to make Hangouts automatically fallback to sms when no data connection?
I use the latest Hangouts version (the one rolled out a few days ago, which now supports voice calls) on a Nexus 5. I have set Hangouts as my default messaging app. In the past the following behavior was possible: when I was sending a message to a contact on Hangouts, if either I or they didn't have an internet connection, Hangouts would automatically send it as sms. Now it doesn't behave like this.
Currently, if the sender has no internet it would show status sending under the text of the message forever. But if the receiver has no internet, it would show the message as sent on the device of the sender, giving you no clue, that the other party hasn't actually received the message. Is there a way to revert to the old behavior (similar to iMessage on iPhone) - if any of the two doesn't have an internet connection - use sms?

I suspect this might be the cause of the problem, but hope there is still a workaround.


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How to avoid hitting home key while typing?
I use a Nexus 7 and in landscape and when typing and when pressing the space bar I occasionally hit the home menu key by mistake. I have used "Imersive mode" but I like the status bar to show with the clock so that is not solution.
Is there a way to move that soft menu to the left of the keyboard or somewhere else so I don't activate a menu while typing?
PS: The Device is rooted

What launcher do you use?

@DainBinder Nova Laucher but I'm not tied to it.

Are you looking for this? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2005377

@MANI Lol, then I would hit the menu key instead ;)

@meerborg - lol ;) that was just a suggestion. I want to know if your problem solved?

What is the OS version? Can we assume its the latest because its a Nexus?

Swift key might help some.  It depends how you type.

I would recommend GMD Auto Hide Soft Keys ★ root as your device is rooted, or try Ultimate Dynamic Navbar.
For avoiding permission issues, use App Ops.

Ultimate dynamimic nav bar did the trick. Right permissions, allows me to keep hacker keyboard and most of all that navbar is out of the way. PS XPrivacy is way better than App Ops and works with most versions of Android

You can use Microsoft SwiftKey to have a split keyboard and avoid reaching to the home button like this one

Tried installing it, needs network access and access to SD storage and need to accept some user agreement when installing. I have Hacker Keyboard installed at the moment and needs no access. From a security point of view I might as well publish my passwords on the internet. Although your solution is creative

@MeerBorg It needs those things for downloading and installing language packs.

@MeeBorg : it is very important to accept that to install swift key. and it need internet connection only once after you install it for downloading the language packs

I solved this on my OnePlus 6, OS-10, by going to system Settings > Buttons & gestures > Navigation bar & gestures, then select "Navigation Gestures" instead of the default for the fixed navigation bar.
While this completely removed the navigation bar from my phone, it also leaves a bit of unnecessary space below my keyboard (Gboard) now where the navbar used to be.

Also, you will have to acclimate to using Navigation Gestures but it doesn't take long & you may, like me, come to prefer them over the navbar anyway.
Nevertheless, my accidental "Home" instead of "spacebar" issue is now solved and my stress level is much lower as a result.

You could move the soft buttons using some app like Pie Control.

You could try not to do anything with the device, and train yourself to memorize the position of the space bar.
It's not that small in a 7-inch screen, IF you have average hand dexterity
(we must cater to the people with disabilities, so a huge IF).
I would recommend playing this game, rhythm games really help improving tapping precision.

Caveat: all app suggestions and links here are to exemplify apps that could help; use your own caution and Google-fu to choose your apps. In no way I am endorsing those apps, or even have them installed. If needed, browse related apps that suit your security requirements.

The easiest way to avoid accidentally touching the home button is to use a soft keyboard with longer space bar . For example Go keyboard has a bigger space bar that occupies ~50% of the screen width. So space can be touched  long away from the home button.

As this too needs internet access, as it has in app purchases, its a security issue.

then try w10 keyboard. no ABCD, different approach but no internet access .

On a Jusyea J5 tablet running Android 10:
System - - Navigation bar
Enable Navigation bar:

After that a down arrow appears on  the  bottom  bar to hide the system buttons

Just go to settings, open Language and input, and select Hide.

Some freehand red circles could definetly improve this answer.

There's no such setting on Nexus 5, Lineage OS 14.1 (Android 7.1.2) and Pixel 3a, Android 12. Based on the shown search history, I'd assume this is on Oneplus 7 Pro which uses OxygenOS. But just to make sure, please [edit] and mention the device model and Android version in case this setting is customized by the manufacturer. Thanks.

My solution was to install a custom navigation bar, like this one for example (no root required). Then I changed the height setting in it to shrink the bar until it barely appears on the screen.
Now there is a nice dead space between the keyboard and the navigation bar which prevents accidental touches.


text:
WhatsApp keyboard smiley bug
I type with keyboard and after typing I want to add a smiley.
Then it looks like this:

bit annoying and only since some days
any idea to fix this?
EDIT:
also: menu key on i9300 shows menu up the keyboard
and if I click on the red underlined text (& this is directly up the keyboard) the correction drop down is under the keyboard overlay
Galaxy S 3 [i9300]
PAC ROM newest nightly

What's your question?

sorry, already edited

well, i think it was a ROM bug


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Moto 360 Allow Wear Debugging
I have enabled UDB Debugging for my moto 360, but when I connect it to my computer, I don't get the "Allow Wear Debugging?" dialog.
How can I get this to show up?

I'm not super familiar with this, but I was under the impression that if you've enabled the developer options and your device and PC have exchanged keys per your initial authorization, it won't prompt and will simply work.

First of all become a developer on Moto 360 and enable Debugging.

Launch Settings
Select About
Tap on Build number until you become a developer :-)
Above will enable Developer options in Settings on your Moto 360

Enable ADB debugging and Debug over Bluetooth.

Under Developer options enable ADB debugging and Debug over Bluetooth
Launch Android Wear on your phone/tablet
Press settings (gear) icon
Turn on toggle button Debugging over Bluetooth
Connect your phone via USB and make sure USB debugging is enabled
Run adb devices from the command line.
If device called “localhost:4444” is listed, you are already paired and can continue at step 13.
From command line run adb forward tcp:4444 localabstract:/adb-hub then run adb connect localhost:4444
Launch Android Studio. When you launch your app your device should be available in the list for debugging in Choose device dialog under Choose a running device checkbox.

Hope this helps.

Juan José Melero Gómez
Suggested  following note to step 12.
Sometimes the terminal could return the following error message after executing the second command:
unable to connect to localhost:4444: cannot connect to localhost:4444 no connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it (10061).
In such case adb connect 127.0.0.1:4444 will do instead.

Just an update to the above.
Google has removed the "Debugging over Bluetooth" option from the Wear OS app some time in 2021.
If you need to enable this feature, downgrade to an older version. I had success with https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/android-wear/android-wear-2-36-0-318474873-gms-release/

For some reason it only worked when my phone (Moto G5s) was in "charge only" mode when connected via USB. As soon as I changed it to "file exchange" the connection broke and ADB refused to connect to the smartwatch. After switching the phone back to "charge only" and restarting the adb console I could connect again using "adb connect 127.0.0.1:4444"


text:
Does excellent 4G coverage imply excellent 3G coverage?
Is the primary benefit of 4G LTE speed, and not signal strength?
I want to sign up on T-Mobile with a Moto E, which is not an LTE enabled phone.  Of course 3G is passe, so 3G coverage isn't clearly indicated on the coverage map.  Do areas with 4G coverage always have 3G coverage, just slower?

I'm afraid that this isn't an Android question, but a question about cellular carriers.

@user285oo6 3g is more basic, so wouldn't carriers normally make sure the place has 3g before giving it 4g?

Simple answer: No.
3G (also called UMTS) is a different techology than 4G (also called LTE).
Both technologies don't share any common base technology (starting with the frequencies and going over to the encoding technologies). So your carrier has two different nets, one with 3G and another with 4G. If you are lucky being near a 4G base station you have an excellent signal strength for 4G but the next 3G base station could be far away so that you have no signal at all.
It is not uncommon for carriers to have both technologies in one place but there is no provision for this.

Nice answer, do you work in the industry?

@RossC Not really. I work for this industrie over 15 years ago and updated my knowledge from time to time. Since then I'm a software developer.


text:
Is flashing a ROM made for a very similar model to mine possible?
Is it possible that flashing a custom ROM made for another android model could work for me? I'm just wondering this because I have one of those rare models that only a few providers sold, but is very hardware similar to some of the more popular and better supported models. So if I flashed a ROM built for a very similar model to mine would it brick the device?
I'm quite the beginner so if you want to check it out here's my model: SGH-I87D (Samsung Galaxy Ace Q with gingerbread 2.3). I really don't mind taking some chances because it's just my old phone and it was a pretty crappy one at that. So if anyone could give me some tips that would be awesome; oh right and "long live the n00bs".
PS: I've already rooted it so that's not a problem.

Related: Can I install any ROM for my Android device? / Why is it that Android still can't be installed as regular OS? / our rom-flashing tag-wiki / our rom tag-wiki

Possible duplicate of Finding custom ROMs for re-branded devices

Possible? Yes. Dangerous? Extremely.
Depending on how similar the model is, you could have it work fine, not work fine, brick, or, in extreme cases, perma-brick.
If you're willing to take the chance, that's fine, but understand that you could do serious damage to your device if you do.


text:
View Google Play In-App Purchases on Google Play Store
When viewing an application on the Google Play Store (for example, Sygic GPS Navigation), it says underneath the Install button "Offers in-app purchases". Unfortunately, I don't see a way to view the in-app purchases unless I download the app.
Is there any way to view an application's In-App Purchases without downloading / installing the application?

There currently is no way to view the list of options for in-app purchases in the Google Play store itself.  However, Google Play does actually know what in-app purchases are available to any given application because all in-app purchases have to be registered in the Google Play Publishers Console before the In App Billing (IAB) platform will function for those items.
https://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/billing_admin.html
Each in-app product has to be registered in each application for which it applies.  The process to set up a single product is quite involved.  Google Play does have the information available but they don't, at this time, make the list of items available for purchase to users of the Google Play store.  That is up to each application.  In addition, making that information generally available to users might lead to upset users.  For example, a developer decides to add a new highly-requested feature that they initially decide will be $1.99 but then decide later on to raise that price to $2.99 just before releasing it.  Those expecting to get it at $1.99 because they saw it early on might be upset at that change.  Also, if a developer utilizes the IAB Products API to synchronize a product list from another tool, it might push products into Google Play that are not actually used in the app itself.

In-App purchases come in a wide range including unlocking features, making donations, adding bonus content and buying specific items but they all fall under the single permission.
I've also seen them broken down as:
Permanent enhancements to the app,
Expendable updates (i.e. extra lives or tokens),
Subscriptions, and
Auto-renewing subscriptions
If the type of in-app purchases are not listed in the description of the app or in any reviews for the app I would ask the developer via email. Other than that you would have to download it to find out.

No without the download/use of the application one cannot exactly say what kind of     in-App purchases are available in an Application.
One can only guess through the views in an application provided by the play store.
As you can see in one of the screen shots as above you cannot exactly say what all features you need to purchase some applications write about the purchases in the about section such as a demo application which can be purchased through the app.
Also in the recent updates of the play store there's a separate section for the deals such as Top apps /Deals section wherein various app are listed giving details about what kind of discount is available for the particular purchase in an Application (i.e.25 % discount on upgrades etc.).


text:
My phone is 'samsumg s2 plus' i wana root my phone
Am using samsumg s2 plus. I wanna root my phone. Suggests me best way.
Already tryed the www.unlockroot.com website.  But I failed.
Help me ..

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2663834

Thax... rooting is done

@RossC / Yazz: Mind to create an answer with at least an abstract, so we can link this question from our index for future users?

@Izzy whoops! Didn't see the plus

@bmdixon Thought so. Also had to look twice. Luckily, our index has two questions linked on different S2 models, so I wanted to check which one it is – only then I noticed. Had there been only one link, I'd fallen for the same :) Nevertheless, we no longer dupe-VTC against the list. If it has a matching entry, dupe-VTC against that instead – otherwise, link it from there (which I will do now, as this one at least has a pointer – hopefully Ross will make his suggestion an answer soon).

@Izzy answer posted now!

@RossC Wow – that deserves an immediate +1 from me, very detailed – thanks!

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus
Here is a Youtube video with the steps to root the device, below are the written instructions I've modified this from the XDA post for grammar etc.
Prerequisites:

Android 4.2.2 (If you want to flash custom rom ||| if not 4.1.2 is okay)
You can flash 4.2.2 via odin  find your firmware at Sam Mobile
USB Cable
Samsung USB Drivers
Odin 3.07 (Flashing Tool)(http://d-h.st/hSj)
CWM Recovery I9105/P(http://d-h.st/oKe) (Android 4.1.2)
CWM Recovery I9105P(http://d-h.st/II4) (Android 4.2.2)
CWM Recovery I9105(http://d-h.st/bq8) (Android 4.2.2)
Root Package(http://download.chainfire.eu/) - Locate most up to date SuperSU Zip.

Rooting the device:

Open Odin 3.07.exe
Put your phone into Download Mode
(Power button - Home button - Volume down button,at same time)
When you enter in Download Mod, you should get blue box on Odin 3.07
Uncheck  Auto Reboot option
Go to PDA and find your recovery, then click on OK
After you checked everything click on Start
It should take around up to 30 - 40 seconds
When its finished take out battery, put it again
Go to recovery mode
(Power button - Home button - Volume up button,at the same time)
Navigate with Volume Rockers (Volume Up -  Volume Down)
Select via Power Button
Go to install zip from sdcard ( if you putted in your phone)
Go to install zip from sdcard/sdcard1 (if you putted on sdcard)
Find root package, and install it via pressing power button
Go back and reboot system now

DONE !
You have rooted your s2 plus !


text:
Android wifi hotspot shows up no matter where I am
I'm having some odd behavior on my Galaxy S3. Suddenly, there's another Wi-Fi hotspot showing up, which shouldn't be weird, except it shows up literally everywhere I go.
I work in Austin, but live an hour east of the city. The same Wi-Fi SSID is showing up not only at both locations, but on the entirety of the drive between the two. It's not a network I've ever seen or connected to before, and it doesn't give me the option to forget the network.
It's not showing a signal strong enough to connect (0 bars), but it's always showing up as:
sabasissy - Secured (WPS available)

I can see my home network just fine, and my neighbors. I can walk out into the hills behind my house, that were destroyed by a wildfire 3 years ago, with literally nothing around me for a half-mile radius, and still, this network shows up.
I don't think it's a legit hotspot, as my laptop shows only my and my neighbor's Wi-Fi, with even stronger signals than the phone, but doesn't see this new hotspot at all.
Probably also not a Bells of St. John scenario, either. Could this be an indication of some sort of infection/rootkit on my phone? Where does Android store the list of available connections between scans, and is it possible that something's just written to that file and is keeping it from being deleted?
Any help is appreciated.
Update: Ran WiFi Analyzer all the way from home to work this morning, watching as it picked up access points along the way. The one in question never wavered, always showing up -90 dBm. Played with some of the options when I got to work, and noticed that the AP's MAC address is all zeroes.

Update 2: Restarted my phone, and it appears to have gone away for now.

It's showing up because you remembered it, this behavior, is normal

@Ramhound: I've never seen, nor connected to this network until it popped up recently. If I had, I'd be able to hold my finger on it until it gives me the option to "Forget Network", which as I mentioned, it does not. A long press just gives me "Connect to network".

There are no known infections for android, most reports of malicious activity, are rogue programs user download

Interesting. Only new apps I've installed in months are Google Authenticator and Microsoft Account after someone tried to break into my XBL account. Might be time to wipe and reinstall.


text:
How do I hide the SSID of an Android phone?
I sometimes use my phone as an ad-hoc WiFi network, however there is no option in the settings to hide its SSID. How can I achieve this?

Do you mean you use the "Wi-Fi hotspot" feature to make a Wi-Fi network? That's not what an ad-hoc network is.

You cannot hide AP SSID (stop SSID broadcasting or beaconing) through Android API.
SSID hiding depends on the kernel/WiFi-driver that you have on your phone. Only a few drivers (devices) support this feature. Also, a few drivers support monitor mode. Vendor-drivers have closed source which makes it difficult to add these features to them. See bcmon project for example.
Android API allows you to connect to the network with specific SSID (it may be hidden) programmatically. You should know network SSID and password (see this link about WifiConfiguration class and hiddenSSID, this link about WifiManager class, and these Stack Overflow answers: programmatically create WiFi Configurations, connect to a specific WiFi network).


text:
How to do a fresh install of Android : Nexus 5
I installed Cynogenmod 11 on my Nexus 5 through their Mac OS X app. Judging by the information that provided me, I would say it went fine. However, while my phone did the first boot, it got stuck in a boot loop. It continuously showed the alien face with the arrow circling it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and it still didn't boot. So, after that I tried it a few more times. No dice. Each time doing an identical thing. So, after that I figured out adb sideload. From there I attempted to sideload another version of Cynogenmod, 11s, and even Android L. I was able to sideload 11s, but I had the same problem. It went to the boot animation, and just stayed there. Never booting. Is there some simple fix to this that i don't know about? At this point anything would be helpful. I just want my phone back to some working condition. I have clock work recovery installed. It came along with the Cyanogenmod Mac installer. What I would really like is a way to just install android back to its factory condition.
Any ideas could be helpful.

Sounds like you forgot to wipe cache and Dalvik.

Note: I was able to fix my issue using this YouTube video. http://youtu.be/PX4R6IhcoTM

Ryan, if that solution differs from those in the answers: Feel encouraged to answer your own question, and please include an outline (in case that Youtube video disappears one day – and also for those not able to access Youtube). Thanks in advance!

Note: I have tried to make below a bit more generic than your specific Mac OS option, but the Mac is covered in the below answer, but this may help other Nexus 5 users. Full credit to the OP on XDA.
If you want to restore your Nexus 5 back to stock, you can flash a Factory Image. Note: This process will wipe your phone completely. Backup your storage before you continue. There are 2 methods, below I've given the "easy" method.
For this process, you will need to:

Install adb and fastboot drivers. To do this, use this program:
For MAC users:
*Note: MAC users will have to write "./" before every command in this thread. For example :

./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
Linux users

Download the latest factory images from here
Extract the archive you downloaded (Use WinRAR). It should look like this:

http://104.imagebam.com/download/VxZG49wcq59qXJqsRAPIng/28626/286255946/Untitled.png

Unlock your bootloader (In case you haven't already)

Easy Method:

Power off your phone.
Boot it in fastboot by pressing and holding Power Button + Volume Down at the same time.
Connect your phone to your PC through your USB cable.
Execute the flash-all.bat script (for Windows) or flash-all.sh(for MAC and LINUX) in the folder where you extracted the factory images.
!! For MAC: You'll have to edit the flash-all.sh, and add "./" before every fastboot command.
Wait for everything to flash.
After everything finished, select "Recovery" using the volume buttons.
When a small dead Android appears, press Power Button + Volume UP.
Select "Wipe data/factory data reset"
Reboot. Your phone should be stock.

If you want to Unroot completely:
The Nexus 5 has a thing implemented in the bootloader called a tamper flag. This shows if the bootloader was ever unlocked, kind of like the flash counter with Samsung devices. You can check it out by using this command
fastboot oem device-info
. If the tamper flag value is "true", then you'll have to reset it. The following steps will reset this flag, and lock your bootloader.

So, first, go here (Thanks @osm0sis for the wonderful script)
Under "Flashable Zips", you will find the Nexus BootUnlocker script. Download it.
Put the zip on your internal storage.
Download the latest TWRP recovery image for the Nexus 5 from here. Rename it to TWRP.img.
Now boot it. You do this by booting your phone in fastboot, and typing the following command:
fastboot boot path/to/TWRP.img

Replace path/to/TWRP.img with the path to where you placed the TWRP.img. For example: C:/Users/X/Desktop/TWRP.img

TWRP recovery should boot.
When TWRP finished booting, select "Install", then navigate to the Nexus Bootunlocker zip, select and install it. After it finished, use the back arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back, and reboot.
Now your bootloader should be locked, and your tamper flag should show "false".


text:
Create persistent wifi direct connection / reconnect after boot
I have a Samsung tablet and a Samsung Phone with Android 4.4.2. I can create a wifi direct connection between both devices.
Now I would like to keep this connection after reboot. I know there are persisten groups for this connection and that I can create those with wpa_cli but I don't have wpa_cli, only wpa_supplicant.
Is there an app or trick to recreate the wifi direct connection after reboot? Or do I need to root the device and start hacking around with wpa_cli?

did you find any solution to this ?

I guess you can solve this by rooting and installing wpa_cli. For me wifi was not stable enough. I got USB network adapter (ET-UP900). Needed to compile a new kernel with driver to get the adapter working with the phone. Tablet worked out of the box even after reboot.


text:
Where are contacts located on Xperia P internal storage?

I have SE xperia P, and it stopped working, or at least the display did. I can access the internal memory (where I've been saving all contacts, which i didn't back up), is it possible to find and extract them? If so, how.

These file I see when i connect the phone to PC, but I have no idea where to find contacts or SMS/MMS and such.

There is nothing when i search for %contact%, when i search for %data% and %.db% i dont get any good search results as well

If you go manually into /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts what do you get? Do you have root, are you using a root explorer, do you have read access to the /data folder?

this is the only data folder I can see/have access to http://imgur.com/OE4RWh1

/Android/Data/ is not the same as /Data the latter is in the / folder, otherwise known as the [tag:root] folder, so I guess without root you cannot access the database. There are code ways to access it, that would be an app with the "Read or Write Contacts Data" permissions.

You need a phone with root access. The folder that usually stores the contacts is data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db As  you would imagine they are placed in a 'safer' part of the device storage.
However, the /data folder is accessed via root directory /
You can root the device or you can use a Contacts Contract to access the database programatically, but as a normal user you can't.
As noted in the comments /android/data is not the same as /data


text:
How to stop an application using the mobile network
The kindle app on my android phone does not allow me to disable download over mobile (i.e. set it to only download over wifi).
Is there any way I can do this externally? i.e. via another app or settings or something.
I am led to believe it is available in some of the android mods but I'm currently on default android for my Galaxy S3.

If you have root access you can install a firewall like AFWall+ it's free and open source and you can choose if an app can have access on lan, wifi, 3g and roaming or not at all using whitelist or blacklist. I don't know any method that doesn't require root if it's not built in in the app already.

I was thinking maybe a proxy app. The app would however need to know which app is making the request. The proxy could however filter by url...

If your device is running at least Android 4.0 (or higher), you can tell the system to forbid an app the use of "background data" (i,e, upload/download stuff which you didn't explicitely trigger manually). For this, go to Settings → Data Usage, and you will see a screen like the first one below:

Data Usage / Restrict background data (click images for larger variants)
I'm pretty sure you've already turned "Mobile data" to its "on" position. Now tick the "Set mobile data limit" checkbox. Next you need to define your limits; if you don't want any "global limits", you can use "fake values" here – e.g. setting the red bar to 10 GB, and the orange bar to 8 GB.
Having that done, scroll the app list on the bottom to find the app you wish to restrict – in your case, the Kindle app. Tap that entry to open it, and again scroll to the end of the screen. There you will find another check-box labeled "restrict background data" (see second screenshot) – check it, and you're done: the Kindle app should no longer use mobile data without you actively telling it so.

that looks like exactly what I want!

Glad to read – enjoy! I've got Google Play Store under control that way ;)

I do hope that the android system seens the kindle app downloads as background rather than manual

Everything the app does while not in foreground (i.e. with its "activity" visible for user interaction) is background data. Kindle uses "Whisper Sync" for that AFAIK, which as a sync-service definitely should be background data. Playstore even goes so far that I cannot install an app forcefully while on mobile data without disabling the above before, as the download itself again is triggered using background data (via Google Cloud Messaging). So I'm pretty sure this will work for you.


text:
Display viewport only at the right bottom of the screen
I have a Geniatech ATV1220 android set top box running android 4.2.2 and am using an arduino with motion sensor connected to it to modify content on a website when someone is in front of the sensor via NodeJS.
This works great, but what I would like to do is to manipulte the complete system viewport of the android system. For example if someone steps in front of the sensor, the whole system should be displayed in a reduced size like 1/4 original at the bottom right side of the screen while the other area should just display black or basically nothing.
It is really hard to find something because of the pretty common keywords like display, viewport, size and so on. I could probably do it dependent on individual applications but I also want to use it in third party applications, which I cannot modify.
Currently I am sometimes using commands like this:
echo 1 >/sys/class/graphics/fb0/blank

to modify the actual content that is displayed, in this case it all turns black/blank and I wonder if there is a similar way to achieve what I want to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.

What worked in the end was using the Xposed Framework and installing "One-handed mode" like explained here: How to get a one-handed mode on almost any rooted Android device.


text:
get hourly weather and weather warning using tasker/zooper
I have an unrooted Nexus 5.
I am using zooper for my homescreen, but with tasker, my knowledge is limited.
I am trying to get (3-) hourly weather and weather warnings. I have found this blog post that do talks about hourly weather, but with my limited knowledge with tasker, I am unable to create the profile he talks about.
May I get some help?
EDIT
Izzy, Thanks for your detailed reply. I tried to follow your advice and got:
Weather (26)
A1: Flash [ Text:Getting Weather Long:Off ]
A2: HTTP Get [ Server:Port:https://api.forecast.io Path:forecast/<API KEY>/%allatitude,%allongitude Attributes:units=uk Cookies: User Agent: Timeout:10 Mime Type: Output File: Trust Any Certificate:Off ]
A3: If [ %HTTPR eq 200 ]
A4: JavaScriptlet [ Code:info=JSON.parse(global("HTTPD"));flash(info.minutely.summary); setGlobal("FORESUM", info.minutely.summary) Libraries:Auto Auto Exit:On Timeout (Seconds):45 ]
A5: Zooper Widget Pro Variable [ Configuration:#TWtxt# = %TIME %FORESUM Package:org.zooper.zwpro Name:Zooper Widget Pro Variable Timeout (Seconds):0 ]
A6: End If
A7: AutoLocation Location [ Configuration:Stopping Location Monitor
Location Report Name: Weather
Update Type: No Power Package:com.joaomgcd.autolocation Name:AutoLocation Location Timeout (Seconds):0 ]

but when I tried to run that task (the play sign at the bottom of the page) I get java IO error (its blink and miss...so cant exactly say what it prompts)
Can you kindly have a look?

He talks about two profiles. So it might help if you [edit] your question, copy/paste the one you've got trouble with, and state what exactly your trouble is with it (if it's the general structure, pick the shorter one or just state so – I could then copy/paste it to an answer in a structured and explained way). Agreed, the formatting is a little unfortunate to someone new to tasker; rawly: "Profile" just states the name, "state/event" the condition, "Enter" the entry task, A1..An are the steps in the task.

@Izzy: Thanks for your comment, but there comes my first problem. Being a novice, I use tasker via its UI. I have no idea how I can copy/paste the profile. May you kindly help?

I'm using Tasker for years already, and never used it other than via its UI. Sure you can export/import tasks and profiles (which I use for backup/restore or transfering profiles between devices), but simple copy/paste is nothing I ever did (or would recommend; I prefer at least to rawly understand what's going on ;) But I take it there's no specific issue you're having, but it's rather general understanding. So I will take the shorter profile for explanation. In general, I highly recommend visiting their site and go for the manuals.

you are right, I am unable to create the profile in general, not that having any issue.

I will take the shorter profile for an explanation on how to work with this kind of copy/pasted profiles – and am pretty sure once you've got the idea, you can deal with the other one as well. Instead of a simple copy/paste, I will apply some structure to it, and add some explanations:

Profile: Display Unlocked (61)1

Condition: Event: Display Unlocked2
Task: Enter: Get Location For Weather (62)3

A1: AutoLocation Location4
  [ Configuration:Starting Location Monitor
  Location Report Name: Weather
  Update Type: Balanced Package:com.joaomgcd.autolocation Name:AutoLocation Location Timeout (Seconds):0 ]

For a starter: Tasker works with profiles, which are combining conditions (when should something be done?) with tasks (what should be done?). You also can have stand-alone tasks, which then could be triggered e.g. from shortcuts on your homescreen – but that's a different thing I won't discuss here. So:
1 This line just tells you to create a new profile and give it a "speaking name" (must not necessarily be the same to the letter).
2 When you named your profile, Tasker will automatically ask you to create a condition. There are different types of conditions: "events" (something that "happens in a short time frame", such as unlocking the display), and "states" (some rather "long-term status", such as being connected to a WiFi network). Depending on the condition type, the tasks also might be processed differently: tasks based on an "event" e.g. usually revert their changes back to the original state when the condition is no longer met. So in this specific case, you select "event" from the popup, and watch out for the matching category holding the "display unlocked" event, then select it.
3 Once you've defined your condition, Tasker will ask you to create (and name) a "task". This is called the "enter task", as it's processed when entering the profile5. So the name to specify is up to you, "Get Location for Weather" is a suggestion wich you're free to accept. The "task editor" will popup then.
4 A1..An in the linked tutorial specify steps inside the "enter task" you should add in this order. In our above example, this is just a single step: Selecting (and configuring) Jaos "AutoLocation" addon. So everything following inside the square brackets are configuration advices you should follow in the plugins popup/page, which will appear when you've selected it (located usually in "plugins" or "3rd party").

5 There are also optional "exit tasks", which can be used to trigger actions when the condition is no longer met. As I described above, with tasks based on a "state condition", Tasker usually reverts stuff to what it was before (if you e.g. have a task increasing the volume to "level 7", and it was "level 5" before, Tasker will automatically restore it back to "level 5"). However, this a) might not always be what you want to happen, and b) with multiple profiles overlapping, it might be necessary to (re-)set things explicitely. Example: Profile A starts and sets volume from 5 to 7. Then profile B starts, setting volume to mute. If now profile A ends, it would restore volume to 5, which might not be what you'd like. Say it wouldn't do so on end, profile B would then restore to 7 – again not what you want if profile A is no longer active. So you might need a manual solution, e.g. restore volume to a level on the condition whether the other profile is still active or not.

I hope this example helped you getting started. For more, I definitely recommend you visiting the Tasker Homepage, where you can find not only a UserGuide, but also several other Guides and tutorials, FAQs and more.


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Identifying an Android device by its hostname
Every Android device in our network has the hostname android_[some-hex-number].domain.local. I do have one device which requested 10 IP addresses (different MACs, but always the same hostname). Is there a way to get IMEI or serial number from that hostname?
I found different information about the hostname:

http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/269827-identifying-androids-and-iphones-in-dhcp:

It appears that the name scheme is Android_<IMEI number>.

https://superuser.com/questions/408539/how-to-set-friendly-network-name-of-android-computer

it's the VID (Vendor ID Code)

but none of them seems to fit.
PS: MAC addresses are all from "InPro Comm". Maybe there's a way to narrow it down from this side?

AFAIK the hex-number is the ANDROID-ID which is generated randomly when the device is started for the first time (or after a factory reset). Therefore there should not be any relationship to the device, manufacturer or the MAC address.

If net.hostname was not preset by device manufacturer during production then Android would use ANDROID_ID to generate the unique android-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX host name:
    // setup our unique device name
    if (TextUtils.isEmpty(SystemProperties.get("net.hostname"))) {
        String id = Settings.Secure.getString(context.getContentResolver(),
                Settings.Secure.ANDROID_ID);
        if (id != null && id.length() > 0) {
            String name = new String("android-").concat(id);
            SystemProperties.set("net.hostname", name);
        }
    }