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How to change camera default save location?
When I was using the camera of my Sony Xperia S, the following message popped up.

So how do you change the default save location of your camera (as highlighted with red underline)?
Note: Yes, my memory was full and the message stopped showing up after deleting some files of course. I just want to know how to change the default for CAMERA.

Well, you could try another camera app from the playstore, for sure one of it will let you change its files destination. As far as I know, Default ICS camera does not allow you to change default location. I've been looking around the db settings with sqlite, and I found one interesting you could check out (if you're root) it would be com.android.providers.media>internal.db>files

The problem was literally not with changing the location but with the capacity of the existing location. I freed-up some space from my SD card memory (which is hard-coded in to the mobile) and the problem went away.
I could not find any of the options provided in the other answers. There is no gear icon nor an option called Storage

When you see this message first select OK then select sub menu and it gives you options such as scenes selection, resolution, flash etc. What you got to do is slide the tile and go to the second tile. There you should be able to find data storage where you can change where you want to save your pictures at.
Alternately, the gear icon (for settings) in the slider at the bottom of the camera (where you select flash, effects, etc.) will take you to the settings dialog where you can then choose a different save slot (under Save Location).

Well, There is no such option in that sub menu. I checked that before I posted my question here.

For ICS, while using the camera, simply click on the gear icon, then slide down to the settings that lie below the top ones: "Storage" is next to last; click on it, and you can set it to "memory card" (changing it from "Phone").
Also, you may want to tweak the "Shutter sound" while down there to "off" to avoid that noisy clicking

In my xperia E1,  when you are in the camera app, i click on the three dots in the top left corner and then on the second tab, top right with the crossed knife and fork.  The saving location is in that list.  There will only be internal and sd card options and usually your sd card is bigger than the internal storage. Might be best if you can get a bigger sd card.

On my Wiko Cink Five, I have to go in the settings, then storage, and select default storage as phone storage or memory card. Changing it to memory card makes the pictures taken with the camera to be saved in the memory card.

Thanks for the info but OP already made it clear that there was no Storage option available in the Settings. The answer is http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/37417/how-to-change-camera-default-save-location/52445#52445


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Applications installed get deleted after connecting USB to PC
I had installed quite a few applications on my tablet. But after I connected it to the PC for data transfer some of the applications got deleted by its own.
I connected to the PC by plugging in the USB thereafter turning ON the USB storage for data transfer. After the data transfer I switched the USB storage OFF only to find around 10 of my applications are missing.
I checked the Apps manager and found files like com.YYYYYY.XXXX, which I suppose are the left overs of the apps that were deleted.
I found a pattern(might be helpful) as this happened a couple of times with me. The application were mostly on the internal SD card(/mnt/sdcard) and most(not all) of the recent installed applications were deleted.
Since then I have not connected my tablet to the PC. How can I avoid applications getting deleted and still be able to successfully transfer data ?
Device Details

Device : Intex I Buddy Connect
Android Version: 4.0.4
Internal(Phone) Storage: ~ 1.0 GB
Internal Storage (eMMC I suppose) (/mnt/sdcard) : ~ 2 GB
micro SD Card (/mnt/extsd): 16GB (~ 14 GB)

Did you eject the storage from your PC before turning it off on the device?

@MatthewRead No I didn't, I First turned off the USB Storage and then pulled out the cable from the phone.

I think that may be your answer then, I will post it as such.

No its not...I have tried the other way around as well and still got apps missing...

Leave your apps on the internal phone storage (1GB). However: Paid apps will still be encrypted and moved to the sdcard on some devices (If you see a tmpfs on /storage/sdcard0/.android_secure, where sdcard0 is your real SDcard). Reason: The .android_secure folder holds encrypted loop-back images that are mounted (and then act as the app-storage folder). If Windows fiddles with them or you delete them manually, crypto-setup will fail and the app will disappear.

@ce4 I have no paid apps installed on the tablet. All are free apps...

Let's move over to chat? http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/25/android

You should ensure that you dismount or "eject" the storage from your PC before turning off storage sharing from your device or disconnecting it.  The PC may not flush all writes and properly close resources until you do that, leaving the device storage in a bad state.  In Windows, you can right-click the drive in Windows Explorer and choose "Eject" or do the same from the Safely Remove Hardware icon near the clock on the start bar: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows7/Safely-remove-devices-from-your-computer
As I noted in chat, Android has also been pretty finicky with homescreen shortcuts (my SGS loses all shortcuts to apps on the SD card upon reboot, for example).  It could be that you are seeing the same thing here, and the apps are not really being deleted.

just install the same application again that is already present in your sd card, by agreeing 'all data will be saved'. You will get your application again, without loosing its 0.01%of its data...

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Issues making or receiving calls and texts with a LG P500 (Software Version V20e)?
I just got a LG P-500 device and I want to deploy with it. Everything is working fine, except that I cant make phone calls, receive phone calls, send SMS or receive SMS.
The phone is on its stock ROM (Android 2.3.3, Software Version V20e). The Mobile Company is Orange. The phone recognizes the mobile company, and even shows the signal bar as full, but when I'm trying to call I'm being directed straight to "Call Ended" screen, and when I send SMS, I receive back a "SMS wasn't sent" notification. The SIM is Working on my SGS.
I tried everything, can anyone help me with this?

Have you set up APNs for Orange?  (Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names).

Yes, Still doesnt work..

@MatthewRead you need APNs to make a call? I thought they were for data only ("mobile networks", not cell service)?

Is it possible that the phone's Stock ROM is for 850MHZ sim cards? because in my country there is a Mobile Company that uses 850MHZ instead of 900MHZ and the phone is from her.

@LStyle The network frequencies that can be used are determined by the hardware of the phone.  GSMArena says 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 so you should be OK for 2G at least.

@Izzy The mobile voice network is a mobile network :P but I was focusing on SMS not working.

@MatthewRead still strange, but other countries might do things different. I cannot remember having to set this up when I didn't want "mobile data". And I remember hearing from people they could do calls fine but not go to the net (no APN defined). So this is new for me, that an APN is required to make calls and send SMS (MMS is something different, and needs an APN).

@Izzy Yeah, on my network I can only receive calls without the APNs set up, not make them or send/receive SMSes.

@MatthewRead Thanks for these details! Everyday something new to learn...

I still cant recieve calls, SMS or make calls and send SMS..
If I'll flash a new Custom ROM and root the phone will it work?

In India, I am using LgP500. APNs are not required for voice calls and plain text SMS and is definitely needed for MMS. The messaging app in this phone decides the format based on its contents. @LStyle, just as a test, can you swap another working SIM on your LgP500 and run tests on both phones?

Also, when you swap the SIM, note the message centre number, which is a mobile number to which all your text SMS are forwarded. This will be set automatically to operator's number in message settings when SIM is inserted. A valid message centre number is required for a successful SMS use. If still problems exist, I would suspect a faulty app or ROM.

I am trying to root the device, but I have one question:
after the SuperOneClick Procedure is done I read that I need to reboot my phone - but how can I do it? should I power it OFF and then Turn it ON? I cant reboot it other way..

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How to auto-restart media playback when connecting the headphones
I am looking for a way to restart media playback where it was stopped as soon as I reconnect the headphones. I know there was a media player with this feature (I cannot remember which one), but I did not like its way of managing/playing the playlists.
I am running Android 4.0.3 on an HTC One V, using the default media player that is installed on it.

I took the freedom to rephrase your question for two reasons: 1) "is there an app for X" is off topic according to our [FAQ], and 2) your question looked like an XY problem (you don't want another media player, but that feature to work ;) Feel free to correct if I did wrong.

Check the new answer. Hope it suits you :)

The best solution for you would be to use Smart Connect Liveware™ Mgr.

As you can see, you can set actions to start when you plug a device (headset, HDMI, charger, etc.) and actions to start when you unplug the device. I have a setting to start playing music when I connect my headphones and stop playing when I remove it. There are many things you can do with this.
The best part is that you can manage your music with your own music app! Simply create an event for actions to be done upon the connection pf a headphone and forget this app!
This was originally developed for Sony Xperia Handsets. But should work with any, which has a good hardware configuration (src) and an OS higher that ICS (which you already have).

I installed it and it does not seem to be compatible with the built-in player in my HTC One V phone. The headphones connection is properly detected and triggers the action of starting it, but nothing sounds on it. I guess this is something specific to my player.

You can try different player apps. just add start application action to trigger and select your preffered app. Sony walkman is a good one.

Easiest way might be to use some headset controller like e.g. JAYS Headset Control (there are plenty more on the playstore if this one doesn't work out for you -- I also had to try a few until I found the right one working smoothly with my headset).
Most of them allow you to define an app to be started as soon as the headset is connected (in your case, that would be the media player of your choice). Beside that, they give you the ability to control the media player via your 1-button-headset control: Tap once to play/pause (or accept a call), tap twice to skip forward a title (or reject a call), hold the button to increase volume, and much more.
EDIT: I see k3b and I both misunderstood your question as "start the player", while you were talking about "start playback". One app which can solve this is Tasker (see their website for a free trial version). The Tasker user manual mentions in the actions section:

Media Control
  Send a command to a media playback application.
Simulate Media Button: when selected, any media player which listens for Media Button events can be controlled. Without it, the only the Android system media player will respond.

So this should do what you want.

My headset is a cheapo one, with no button at all.Don't know whether this would work. I will try it.

In that case, maybe Llama is the better choice for you, as you can use its other features for added benefit. But of course you have the choice :)

I just see I mis-read your question: you don't want to start the mediaplayer, but restart playback. In this case, the headset control apps probably don't help, as they would just launch the app (not start the playback). Llama might indeed be able to solve this, if it can handle playback control.

you can do this with free kebab.Llama
It is an event monitor that can do actions when an event on the phone happend.
You can configure that whenever the event "Headset-Connected" occours start the app musicplayer (or any other app you want)

I seem to have problems with it. I created the condition and action, but nothing seems to happen. I use the music player that is included with my cell phone, an HTC One V.

Looks like k3b also mis-understood your question as "start the player" instead of "starting playback"...


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How secure is a sim lock?
I have sim lock enabled on my sim, so basically, if I put my sim in another phone or if I restart my phone, I need to enter the sim lock pin.
How easy is it to crack the sim lock if a theif got hold of my phone?
For example, would a theif be able to use my locked sim to make calls, send messages, extract contacts from my sim etc etc?
So basically, my question is, what does a sim lock protect you against?

The thief would, perform in this order of chances below are:

Throw away the SIM card (see below)
Attempt to unlock boot-loader (if its locked) which results in wipe of /data and /cache
Pop in a SIM card that does not have PIN lock.

If an incorrect PIN is entered more than three times, a PUK is needed!
Now the chances of the thief walking into the carrier's shop, asking for the PUK code is very slim hence why number one (in the above) is done first, even if digging around trying to figure out what the number is.
And furthermore, some, if not all, carriers have the handset, locked to the network in itself.
Sure they will get the IMEI and walk into a Mobile shop that specializes in phone/network unlocking and get the handset freed from the carrier's network.
So it would be safe to say the SIM card's PIN lock is secure somewhat!

Agreed mostly -- though I never had a sim-locked phone. At least where I live, only devices you've got with your contract are sometimes (not always) sim-locked. But it comes to the same: a sim-lock keeps the thief from making calls etc. on your account. It does, however, offer not much protection to the device as such. Suggestion to manufacturers: 5 times wrong pin => full discharge of the battery to some metal on the device, to give the thief a nice shock at least...

@Izzy, lol! Nice idea, how about a flamethrower or... wait, cue Mission Impossible, This phone will self-destruct in 15 seconds ... xD

Hey, we wanted to protect it. So if self-destruct, it should inject something to the thief so he will self-destruct :D

Funny!!! Yeah, it would be a shocking experience...

@Izzy But it'd be easier to have the phone transform to a robot (or better, a scary android bot), slap the thief and fly to the owner. More movie friendly.


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Line in the middle of screen
It showed a few months ago, before I upgraded to ICS. It changes its color depending on wallpaper.
Anyone know how to fix it or what caused it?

Does it appear during boot proccess or only after the Launcher is running?

what year is that model?

On my device, that line is smaller. Service said "return for replacement, it's a cold soldering" (i.e. hardware problem). Here it appears right away when the screen is switched on (even on boot) -- but goes away if I leave the device half an hour with screen turned on. Not sure if you's is the same issue, but thought I share it in a comment.

@Izzy, there's two model variants of mini, the 2010 model and 2011 model, am trying to ascertain which is it, if its 2010 model, ICS is incompatible with it.

@ruda.almeida It's there during boot process.

@t0mm13b I don't know. The model name is SK17i. But whatever it is, ICS is not causing the problem, I mentioned it started before the upgrade.

OP: you're implying it started before ICS right? So its being there since Gingerbread right? As for SK17i, that's defo 2011 model! Hummm... was your handset dropped at any stage? Was it exposed to water/moisture?

@t0mm13b Yes, it's been there since Gingerbread. It's really preserved, never fell down, without a single scratch. Also never been in water.

Right, think its hardware problem, a loose connection somewhere ... is it still under warranty?

That is a Hardware problem and can be solved only by taking your phone to a Service Center.


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Can't log in to Google account to install Google Authenticator because of 2FA
Can't remember what it is called, but I used to have that Google authentication code generator app on my phone which would be used to enter a special code for the 2-step Google authentication system.
My phone has been damaged, so I have a new one now.  But I can't log into Google because I don't have that authentication app installed on my phone, and I can't install that authentication app on my phone because I need the authentication code.
What can I do?

I ended up using the backup verification codes.  The backup methods are the only way to get back into your account if you have damaged your phone.

Goto security tab of your Google account settings and disable 2-step verification.
Then install the authenticator app
Now you can re-enable 2 step verification which should work normally.

To get to that page I need to log into my google account.  How do I log into my google account without the google authenticator?

@oshirowanen log in to your account using a computer. Do you not remember your username and password for your google account?

I know the username and password, what I don't know is the code generated by the google authenticator which I normally get from my phone.

@oshirowanen so you cannot either login to the account using your computer or download the app using the link provided in this answer, yes?

That is correct.

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


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Move to SDCard option Disabled
I have a Samsung Galaxy Music Duos GT-S6012, which I got 2 days back. It has android 4.03.
The problem is I am not able to move my games and some apps to the SD card. The move to SD card button which is normally visible in the application manager is not visible in my phone. Please help me.
Is it default behavior on the phone, or is there a problem?
I even tried the move2sd app, but it did not work.

can you check your SD card is mounted correctly? are you able access files from sd card?

That's normal. Some apps will not work if they are moved to the SD card, because of some dependencies with the internal storage. So, expect some of those apps to have disabled Move to SD card buttons.

no man..all the apps are shown like tat.!! even the games cannot be moved..pls help..
and the version is 4.0.4

The Galaxy S Duos have the same problem.
To solve this, root your phone, and try moving the apps. If you have no success, then try a custom ROM (I'd recommend CyanogenMod).


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How can I deduce/identify an app from a notification icon?
I'm concerned about an app on my child's phone. I saw an app icon in the notification area that looked strange (Andy Android head, slightly tilted as its icon).
How can I find out what app it is from just having seen that icon in the notification bar?

Most apps use the icon they have for the app itself. Just look through the app drawer and see if you can spot it.

You need to investigate this on your own. There's a generic way to do this:
There are at least 4 possibilities:

If the phone has Android 4.1 or later you can long press the notification and see the App info:

Look that App icon up in the list of installed  apps on the phone
Settings->Apps->installed apps

Just click it and see what app starts

Go to the Play store and look through the installed apps on [phone] list
To access this you need to be logged in with your kid's Google account. On the phone itself this is automatically the case, on the PC you need to enter username/password.

If you drag down the notification bar you should be able to tell:

Before Android 7.1/API 25 (or maybe 7.0/24), if you long click it shows which app it's from. Also if you click the (i) button it takes you to the notifications settings for that app.

With Android 7.0/7.1, you should be able to see the app name as a header for the notification. Long clicking shows the notifications settings there in the notifications item directly.

With Android 8/API 26 you can also see the app name as a header. Long clicking shows which "notification channel" (new from API 26) the notification belongs to, and clicking "MORE SETTINGS" will allow you to see all channels and set the notifications settings for each channel specifically as well as for the app overall.

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How to save photos sent in Facebook chat?
My friends and I often share pictures via Facebook and Facebook Messenger app.
I cannot save the photos to my gallery.
Please help

Touch the image and it will be viewed bigger.
Then hold the Menu button.
A menu will come up.
Go for Settings - Save Image to save the image and it will be saved to your photo album.

Thank you. But I touch the image. It is viewed bigger. Then I open menu as you suggest, but all I get is Settings | Help | Report Bug. Any idea?

Which version of android are you running?

My fone is Google Galaxy Nexus - the version is Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean

You can download chat shared photos on android. I saw a quick tip Here.

Can you summarize the contents of the site rather than just hyper linking it?

The tip you saw is really not clear indeed :(

Open Facebook on your browser instead of running the Facebook. App. Tap on any photo to open the context menu with download option.

Touch and long press the image on the chat and on the context menu you will be able to see Save option.
Hit the Save option to download the image and go to your Gallery app where you can find the downloaded image.


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Trace/log of all activity on my android device
Is it possible to put on trace or  get log of all activity on android device.
If so, How?Also are there any key logger application

Are you looking for a keylogger? Or do you want to know where the log files are (which does not track keypresses)?

@geff_chang I actually need both , something that will help me know what actually happens in background when we perform certain activity on the device and also one key logger app.

Check this for viewing logs: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/14430/how-can-i-view-and-examine-the-android-log Let's see if somebody else can recommend a keylogger, but you probably will find them if you search for keylogger in Google Play. But I'm pretty sure you won't find an app that will combine both the Android logs, and the keylogger.

@geff_chang I don't need a single app to do both the tasks.

Looks like there aren't any keylogger apps in Android. Or at least, I haven't found any in Google Play.

@geff_chang the link you provided helped a lot for tace/log ,Thanks.For Keylogger, I ll google it :)

I think Clip Ninja would be useful :)

Keylogger does not exist in android due to the inherent security nature of apps where each app has a unique user-id,and thusly one cannot "intercept" keystrokes from another app... :)


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Install application without Google Play
I made an application, and I want my friend to install it from a link, but the apk file cannnot be installed on the Android phone. He has to use some file explorer to install it. But I see many apps can be installed from a link and installed directly without using the file explorer.
What should I do to my APK? Is it a signature problem?

This is most likely a programming question. Please see this related question in StackOverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3062685/download-and-install-apk-from-a-link

@geff_chang Installing an app from a link is one thing, doing so programmatically is another -- I don't think the latter is the case here.  Tianhui, I think it probably depends on his device or browser.  What happens when he clicks the link to your app, does the browser just download it?

@MatthewRead I am using play framework, browser just download a APK file.I signed the APK, but I still cannot use the web browser(original browser) to install it. I think the problem is my APK file or server.

Normally phones should be able to install apps even if they are not signed. Normally your friend should be able to install your app. I was able to download the application, and I could also start the installation from the link.
Make sure that your friends phone has 'unknown sources' enabled in the security menu (enable Settings > Security > Unknown Sources). Because otherwise it will also not work (without using Google Play == unknown source).
No offense though, but I didn't test all the way through the installation, because I don't trust it well enough and I have no idea what the app actually does. For all I know it is a virus ;-)

thank you for your answer, I have tried to make my application to be signed, but the problem still remain. I saw this http://www.droidforums.net/forum/tech-issues-bug-reports-suggestions/2061-content-not-supported.html

And change the sever 's setheader from Content-Disposition to text/plain , but the problem still remain. I try to use other broswer, such as firefox, the problem solved. But I see some other APK could be installed from the web without using firefox. I think there is some thing wrong with my APK or Server.

@TianhuiYang If Firefox can install it then the problem shouldn't be with the APK.

You can try to send the apk. file via bluetooth or via email. But if it doesn't work at all, go to settings>>Security>>Unknown Sources (enabled)... beacuse apk. is a non-market apps.

Sending an apk with Bluetooth will not work as there's a filter in place based on type of file that can be transferred, txt, jpeg, png, mp4, but not apk's for security reasons.

The only trick that can be done, is to rename the apk to png or jpg, then it can be sent across (ssshhhh, that's a security hole in there! ;) )


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Looking for stable ROM for Samsung SGH-T759

Possible Duplicate:
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Does a stable Android ROM, Ice Cream Sandwich or newer, exist for the Samsung SGH-T759? SGH-T759 is the Exhibit 4G, but the older model; the SGH-T679 is the newer model with the same name.
My phone is already rooted, but I'm unable to find a ROM for it in any of the usual places (namely, XDA).


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How can I remove the SIM lock from a Samsung Galaxy S?
I bought one from bell Canada, and I can't put in a SIM card from any other service provider. Does anyone know how to unlock this phone?

You might want to post the 2nd problem as a different question..

I was able to access the phones internal memory by selecting usb mass storage from usb settings but I still cannot connect the device to samsung kies as MTP usb device fails to install.

To unlock your phone, use GalaxSim Unlock.
You need root for this app. If you don't have root, the app will give you instructions on how to root your phone.

I have installed  GalaxSim Unlock but the instructions to root from XDA developers are quite complex and I would not want to risk bricking my phone by using rooting instructions for another model phone. Anyone with instructions for samsung galaxy s GT_I900M from bell Canada running android version 2.2 FROYO.

@LeroyKayanda Why don't you try rooting with SuperOneClick from shortfuse.org instead? It's easier. I can't seem to access the site right now though. Try it later?

Ive tried super one click but it has this problem of freezing and not responding when it reaches a point of waiting for device.. Ive now downloaded odin. A link to how I can root my galaxy s with odin would be appreciated.

@Leroy Kayanda There's a lot of Guides if you search on Google. Here is an example using Odin: http://www.android.gs/root-samsung-galaxy-s-i9000-android-2-3-6-gingerbread-xxjvu-firmware-with-cf-root/

@LeroyKayanda Make sure you have your device drivers installed for ADB.

Rooting the Galaxy S is pretty easy: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20292/how-do-i-root-my-samsung-galaxy-s

You can unlock your Samsung Galaxy S using unlock code .You can get unlock codes from the network provider or online vendors like Unlocking4U.com . But, Most Network providers will provide the unlock code only if the contract period is over . From Online vendors you can get the Unlock code at any time for a small price.

First you need to know if your phone is CDMA or GSM. If it's a CDMA phone then it cannot be unlocked.
GSM phones can be unlocked to make it work with other networks. If you want to unlock your phone for free you can root your phone but it is at your own risk. Also rooting voids your warranty.
Safer method is to get an unlock code from the unlock code providers like http://www.samsungsimunlock.com/ There are other unlock code providers like http://www.unlocking4u.com but there are slightly expensive.
Unlocking phones is restricted in some countries. Recently US passed a law where unlocking phones is illegal that are manufactured after Jan 26th 2013. Phones manufactured before that date can be unlocked. Please check your local laws before unlocking.

Installed the adb drivers for samsung galaxy s. Enabled the phone to be rooted using superoneclick and finally unlocked using Galaxysim Unlock. Thanks for the tips.


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I rooted my phone, but I never flashed the ROM and I never flashed the recovery, then I unrooted it. Can you tell its been rooted?
I am using a Samsung Galaxy Pocket (GT-S5300) which has Android Gingerbread 2.3.6.
I rooted the phone by applying update.zip through the recovery console.
I installed titanium backup free, and ROM manager free, but quickly uninstalled them after I saw that I did not really need them on this phone.
I never installed clockwork recovery, i never flashed anything.
I then unrooted the phone by repeating the steps I did to root, using the unroot.zip (renaming first to update.zip)
That worked and Superuser app was removed after reboot.
Now what I want to know is....can Samsung tell my phone has been rooted?
If so, what can I do to remove any trace of it?
Thank you. I know this question has been asked before and answered but I could not find an answer which dealt specifically with my situation where nothing was ever flashed.

The short answer is yes. You should make sure your bootloader is locked by executing fastboot oem lock in your command line while your device is in fastboot (Home + Power + Volume+ for your specific device). Once your bootloader is locked it will be as if you never rooted your device. Once this is all done, you will regain your warranty which would otherwise be voided if you had left the bootloader unlocked.

Fastboot? I'm confused. When I hold Home + Power + Volume+, I go into recovery mode and there is no command line.
Do Samsung devices have fastboot?

From recovery mode you then go into fast boot. By command line I meant the terminal on your computer.


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How to get rid of ads popup?

Possible Duplicate:
Is this red star icon malware? How to get rid of it?

Recently I often get the popup ads like the snapshot as below.
I wanna get rid of it. Please help!

Those are Airpush ads, and the only way to truly get rid of them is to remove the app that is displaying them.
The other way to get rid of them, is to use the airpush opt out system to opt out of airpush ads, this however has been reported to not work by loads of users.
As such, the only way to truly get rid of them is to remove the app that is using airpush - uninstall apps you have recently installed, sequentially, until they are removed, or long press on the notification and select the App Info button that is displayed. This will take you directly to the app's settings page. (This is only available for Android 4.1 plus).

On Android 4.0 and before, you can also use apps like AirPush Detector or TrustGo Ad Detector to identify the evildoer.

If your phone is rooted, you can try AdAway.


text:
GS3 automatically answering incoming calls
Why is my GS3 automatically answering incoming calls. I am not using a headset/bluetooth.
The phone can be in an entirely different room when a call is automatically answered.

Is your Settings > Language And Input > Voice Command for Apps 'On'?
Sometimes it picks up something in the background and answers the calls.
If turning off that doesn't work, try to do a factory reset on the phone.
Unfortunately, if even that doesn't work, you will have to get it inspected at a Service Center.

Try inserting a 3.5 Headphones with mic and call your cell.
If it will answer automatically it is a software problem, try to remember what things have you changed/installed before that was happend.
If it fix the problem, take out the Headphones and try calling your cell.
Sometimes the AUX 3.5 Jack isn't recognizing when a device is plugged-out (mostly because of a damaged headphones/headphone's Jack), this could be the problem.

On my T-Mobile SGH-T999 Galaxy S3 (Android 4.1.1), there is a "S Voice" icon under Apps. If you start the app and skip the setup questions, you will be prompted "What would you like to do?".
At this point press the menu button and choose Settings > Control apps, turn off "Control apps: Use voice commands to control device".
Hope that helps!


text:
Stop Chrome caching webpages
Is there anyway to stop Chrome on Android from caching webpages? If not is there either another browser that will allow this or a way to achieve the same functionality?

need root
go to "/data/data/com.android.chrome"
rename "cache" dir something else i.e "cache2"
create a symlink named "cache" in that folder pointing to somewhere else or null
done
I actually point the symlink to a newly created dir in the /storage partition.
It gets erased every time you reboot (not with soft/hot-(re)boot).
Since Chrome and other app cache can grow several hundred megabytes, I chose /storage partition so I can save space on user partition.
I did the trick even with Twitter app, Maps app and other apps that grow very large cache size.
These newly created dir must have set permission 771 and owner and group set to Chrome UID (10057 in my case).
I put a 11cachescript.sh into /system/etc/init.d/ to set up these folder at startup.
#!/system/bin/sh
mkdir -m 771 /storage/cache
mkdir -m 771 /storage/cache/chrome
chown 10057:10057 /storage/cache/chrome

You can also point the symlink to a non existing folder, Chrome will still work but will not save cache file anywhere. If you don't use a script like above, next reboot symlink will point to a non-existent dir, but still work.
You can delete everything inside "cache2" folder, there can be hundreds of megabytes in there!


text:
Accidentally deleted superuser from CyanogenMod installation. How can I re-install superuser again?
I have rooted galaxy s3, but I somehow deleted superuser. I still have CWM, and my phone can boot into download mode. Am I able to flash CyanogenMod without bricking my phone?

Because you still have a working CWM, you can just reflash it.
There are 2 competing implementations:

SuperSU from Chainfire
Superuser from ChainsDD

Most rooting utilities install the latter, so you're safe to also flash this.


text:
How to set a DroidWall custom script for allowing global access to the LAN via wifi?
I'm trying to follow the second example at http://code.google.com/p/droidwall/wiki/CustomScripts :
# Allow all connections to the local network (192.168.0.XXX) on Wi-fi
$IPTABLES -A "droidwall-wifi" --destination "192.168.0.0/24" -j RETURN

I added this string into the custom script box and applied the rules, but apps which aren't whitelisted for access (I'm using just the whitelist mode) can't access the local network.
What am I doing wrong?


text:
How can I reset a ViewSonic Viewpad 7 - "recovery mode" isn't working
A friend is getting rid of all his old geek stuff before emigrating, and he's given me a second-hand ViewSonic Viewpad 7 (Model VS13761). Problem is, it's locked and he can't remember the unlock pattern, so I want to reset the device to "factory mode" and start over.
I can get as far as the "enter Recovery mode" screen by powering it down, then holding down Volume Up + Volume Down whilst pressing Power - but it never gets any further, just sits there with a screen saying "enter Recovery mode" and a picture of some birds.
I've seen forum references to something called SUTL2 but Google hasn't turned up any more useful details. Any ideas?

Is the ADB usb debugging mode activated? It can be used to gain access. Else there's the password/screenlock recovery procedure (after a bunch of failed attempts). You need your friend to help you with this though.

Yes, USB debugging is enabled. Whatever that is... can you tell I know next to nothing about Android devices? :)

Fine. 3.2..1 hacked: there's p2p-adb's antiguard to do this. background here. You can install it using the Android SDK's adb binary (adb install app.apk)

you then need to launch the app manually: adb shell am start -S io.kos.antiguard/.unlock (or just download the whole p2p-adb package and run it)

Else, just go ahead and use adb to root it using one of the many exploits, e.g. here (and then use p2p-adb to read the screen lock pattern). If that fails, let me know.

See also Cannot unlock tablet as have no internet connection? and How to unlock device when I forgot my password?. Once you've unlocked the device, you can issue a factory-reset from the setup menu.


text:
Google Play Store Doesn't Open
So, in the end of the past year I have finally got to root my china replica (fake) Galaxy SIII
Everything was working just fine, until I remove some app from the /system/app directory, because this replica comes with almost no internal space, although I thought I was removing only unnecessary apps. I removed two that should not have been removed, the phone started to act erratically, it would fully start, but the screen just showed the wallpaper a blinked nonstop.
After my first attempt, I tried to solve it, throwing everything back on it, that stopped the blinking screen and showed the apps shortcuts on the main screen again. Then I started removing one app at time interspersed with a reboot. After removing what I didn't want left, except the only two necessary apps, I went to the Play Store, to download some apps and enjoy the new freed up internal space, only to discover that it simply didn't open anymore.
At first it would load, then show the upgrading screen (from market to play store) and when I tapped *continue" the app would just shutdown, and I was back at the app launcher, then I tried again just to even attempt open the app, the screen would change to the loading, but very quickly, it would shutdown again.
After my second attempt, I tried installing apps via ADB, and it worked, and so did the apps, every app that I installed worked just fine, but it wouldn't be updated unless I could find the .apk file and install it again via ABD. What, in some cases, is simply impossible.
Than I found a site, that would send the download link of the .apk file to my email, and I could download it in my phone, which was not an update but it was better than have to install anything via ADB. Then I tried to launch one of those apps, only to discover that my browser would crash with a F/C when I tapped save in the download pop-up.
After weeks searching for solutions and for any clue in this issue, I discovered that within the Dropbox's application directory contained a lot of .txt files.
Reading these files, I discovered what is causing the malfunction of the Play Store and the download function in the Browser, and it is the same thing. The problem is I don't know what to do to solve this.
Following below are some examples of the .txt files:
Location: /data/system/dropbox
File name: system_app_crash@1357930047501.txt
Process: com.android.vending
Flags: 0xabe45
Package: com.android.vending v8016010 (3.10.10)
Build: sprd/sprdroid_base/hsdroid:2.3.5/MocorDroid2.3.5 W12.20_P12_20121105.115851:user/test-keys

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown URL content://downloads/my_downloads
    at android.content.ContentResolver.insert(ContentResolver.java:600)
    at com.google.android.finsky.download.DownloadManagerImpl$1.run(DownloadManagerImpl.java:43)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130)
    at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:60)

File name: system_app_wtf@1354930047485.txt
Process: com.android.vending
Flags: 0xabe45
Package: com.android.vending v8016010 (3.10.10)
Subject: Finsky
Build: sprd/sprdroid_base/hsdroid:2.3.5/MocorDroid2.3.5/W12.20_P12_20121105.115851:user/test-keys

android.util.Log$TerribleFailure: [27]
DownloadProgressManager.makeNewCursor: Download progress cursor null: content://downloads/my_downloads
    at android.util.Log.wtf(Log.java:275)
    at android.util.Log.wtf(Log.java:254)
    at com.google.android.finsky.utils.FinskyLog.wtf(FinskyLog.java:40)
    at com.google.android.finsky.download.DownloadProgressManager.makeNewCursor(DownloadProgressManager.java:126)
    at com.google.android.finsky.download.DownloadProgressManager.onDownloadProgress(DownloadProgressManager.java:234)
    at com.google.android.finsky.download.DownloadProgressManager.access$000(DownloadProgressManager.java:28)
    at com.google.android.finsky.download.DownloadProgressManager$2.run(DownloadProgressManager.java:97)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130)
    at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:60)

File name: system_app_crash@135793929686111.txt
Process: com.android.browser
Flags: 0x9be45
Package: com.android.browser v10 (2.3.5)
Build: sprd/sprdroid_base/hsdroid:2.3.5/MocorDroid2.3.5/W12.20_P12_20121105.115851:user/test-keys

java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown URL content://downloads/my_downloads
    at android.content.ContentResolver.insert(ContentResolver.java:600)
    at com.android.browser.BrowserActivity.onDownloadStartNoStream(BrowserActivity.java:3737)
    at com.android.browser.BrowserActivity$18.onClick(BrowserActivity.java:3603)
    at android.view.View.performClick(View.java:2485)
    at android.view.View$PerformClick.run(View.java:9080)
    at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:130)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:3690)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:507)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:839)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:597)
    at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)

Does anyone knows what it means? Or how to solve it? I really want this to work and despite it is taking up all of my free time, and I cannot come up with a solution.
Originally Posted in XDA Developers

Had a similar problem. My Keyboard constantly crashed with the same error msg. It was a failed dictionary pack download attempt. I del'ed /data/data/com.google.android.inputmethod.latin.dictionarypack/*

Ok, above comment is only meant as a hint/starting point. I guess it's also a dangling / broken app downloads, maybe manually clearing com.android.providers.downloads or so helps. Please let us know if you find out more.

Hi, thanks for the tips, the thing is, I don't have the "com.android.providers.downloads" in the "/system/app". I tried to install it and it's not re-install, 'cause I don't know if it was there, cause all the apps I removed, I made a backup, and the only

I'd say, start by doing a recursive search for download (as root): grep -ri download /data/data or so. Then investigate if it could be related. My problem was caused by an unfinished dict-pack download => keyboard broken (with very similar looking err-messages)

Hi, thanks for the tips, the thing is, I don't have the "com.android.providers.downloads" in the "/system/app".
I tried to install it and it's not re-install, 'cause I don't know if it was there, cause all the apps I removed, I made a backup, and the only download related .apk is "DonwloadProviderUi.apk" which is one of the two .apks that I've mentioned, and it's already re-installed.

Ah: It's maybe that you deleted a package and another has a "content" reference to this package and then fails to resolve it (the reference being in /data/data/pkgname/* somewhere)

So i tried to install it, but every .apk that I've downloaded to install via ADB returns error messages like "Install Parse Failed No Certificates", "Install Failed Incompatible Shared User" or "Install Failed Older SDK", and when I try to push it, the .apk appear in the "/system/app" directory but after the reboot the phone, and go check the .apk is there but when i touch it the install wizard ask if I want to install it and not overwite the system app, then I tried to install from there, it doesn't even load, just show a check sign and "Application not installed".

by "install it" I mean the "downloadprovider" (com.android.providers.downloads)

The issue was caused by lack of a system application, the application donwloadprovider.apk.
The problem was identified by comparing the /system/app directory in two similar devices, and noticing that the application was missing.
The solution:

Copy the application from the working devic e(A) to a computer.
Push via ADB the application to the malfunctioning device (B) /system/app directory.
Reboot device B.

I was going to suggest the download provider app had been deleted, good work :)


text:
Google Play app hangs during updates
I have Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman with android 2.3.4. Recently, every time I try to update my apps over WiFi, the updates get stuck and I have to cancel that particular update to proceed. Now, however, every app I try to update gets stuck. I ensure that no other download is running in the background but no effect.
I have about 45MB free out of 320MB.
What might be the reason for this? How to overcome this?

Do you have enough space to store the downloads? Perhaps enclosing a log capture would help diagnose the problem. Could try updating one by one individually instead of doing it all in the one go?

@t0mm13b I have enough space for updates, 40MB for a ~15MB app. Single update has better results but its too hectic. Its a nightmare. Any ideas?


text:
How do you prevent Google Music from importing all .mp3 files on the device?
I'd like to have several audiobooks and/or podcasts on my Nexus 7, but every time I put any MP3 files onto the device, even if I make my own folder for it or some such, Google Music detects them and then adds them to its list of files.
This is a problem, because I'd love to be able to use the "Shuffle All" feature, but then it ends up shuffling in chapters from the Audiobook. I don't want it to do that at all.
Any advice?

You could try putting a .nomedia file in the folder containing the mp3's - this will stop Google Music seing the tracks.

The "put a .nomedia file into the folder" hint is not working any more. All files will be scanned by the media scanner (except the folder itself begins with  "."). Reason: The media scanner is used by MTP, which needs all files (and only spares ".xxx" files)

@ce4 are you sure about that? I'm using a Galaxy Nexus and a Nexus 7 running Android 4.2, and the .nomedia trick has been keeping me sane since the Nexus One. What version of Android are you running?

Not quite. But Google Music and many others (e.g. the Gallery) use the media scanner which does not omit folders that contain a .nomedia any more.

I put .nomedia in the folder and ALSO renamed the folder to be ".audiobooks" instead of just "audiobooks". When I rebooted the device, the audiobook was gone from google music's list. So, one or the other of those things does work. Which means a mod should close the question I guess? I'm not sure how it works if the answer was in the comments and not as an answer.

@Lokathor You might answer your own question with how you solved your issue. Two days later, you can accept your own answer. This way people see the problem has a working solution -- which is much better than simply closing a question :)

this works on my one plus mobile...but there should be permanent solution

Well despite the comments about a .nomedia file not working in the newest version, on my fully updated Nexus 7 (as of April 2013) using a .nomedia file prevents the audiobook files from being scanned and listed in Google Music.
Some extremely simplistic testing seems to indicate that a single .nomedia file at the top of a directory tree is enough to prevent all sub-directories from being scanned. In the case I talked about in my question, a .nomedia file within the "audiobooks/" directory would prevent all books from being scanned, even if each book was a collection of .mp3 files within its own directory.

Is there a convenient way to create this file without the aid of a computer?

In a file browser app, such as ES File Explorer, you can create the file easily. It just has to be called ".nomedia" as the filename, you don't need to put any special contents in the file or anything like that.

It seems to work on my Android 5.1.1 TV. I killed the music app, deleted the music app's data and had to reboot . Not sure if I needed to delete the music app's data or not but I did that first, it wasn't enough, so I did it again and rebooted and that worked.

Adding .nomedia to the top level of a directory has worked for me, but also had to flip the source from  "On device" to "All music". I am using Android 5.0.1 on an nVidia Shield Tablet.

I just added the .nomedia to the root, switched from "On Device" to "All Music" then back to "Downloaded Only" and it works.

I noticed that when I added .nomedia to my Podcasts folder (which I didn't want showing up in my Google "Play Music" app, it only disappeared once I changed the source from "On device" to "All music" and back again. Now it's working as described above. My Podcasts have been removed from my music player, but still show up in my Podcast player.

Utilizing .nomedia (using ES File Explorer to simply create a file called .nomedia like Lokathor), all of my ringtones, podcasts, and notification sounds disappeared from Google Play Music. I'm using 5.1 on an HTC M7. (8/4/15)

Running Lollipop on a Note 3, I added .nomedia and restarted the phone, and it did NOT clean up.  Then I flipped off Downloaded-only, and flipped it back, and "shuffle all" still was not cleaned up.  I then restarted the phone again, and it was finally cleaned up.


text:
Where do i find cwm recovery for samsung captivate?
I rooted my 2.3.5 and then returned my Samsung Captive i897 to stock 2.1 update 1 ROM. But now I want to put cyanogen 9 ICS -- but the CWM recovery does not work anymore.
Where do I find one for 2.1? Kies does not want to update my phone to gingerbread. Eclair has no good apps, NONE, I am bored.

CM's wiki recently moved. The old content is here (incl. a link to a cwm): http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/Samsung_Captivate:_Full_Update_Guide

That link is for android 2.3 build UCKK4 i have 2.1. that is the link i followed the first time.

Seems like 2.5 here is the most recent version: http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager

And by the way, there's CM10.1 for it. http://get.cm/?device=captivatemtd


text:
Can adb be used to recover SMS messages while in permanent "Safe Mode"?
I have a non-rooted Droid X2 that is in permanent "Safe mode", but I want to recover SMS messages.  SMS Backup and Restore will NOT work because safe mode only allows system apps to run.
adb shell will get me into the phone, but does not allow me to get to the SMS database:

[rjt@pc232 workspace]$ adb shell
$ cat /proc/version
Linux version 2.6.32.9-00008-gc406305 (hudsoncm@il93lnxdroid80) (gcc version 4.4.0 (GCC) ) #2 SMP PREEMPT Tue Jan 24 22:54:19 CST 2012

$ cd /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/
$ pwd
/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases
$ ls
opendir failed, Permission denied
$ su -l root
su: permission denied
$ sudo
sudo: permission denied
$ sudo su -
sudo: permission denied
$ sudo su -l root
sudo: permission denied
$

Since SMS Backup and Restore is allowed to access my SMS messages when in normal mode, is "Safe mode" blocking my access or the fact that this phone is not rooted?
Can I root the phone without losing my existing SMS messages?

You will be unable to do this without a rooted device, as the /data directory can only be read by the Android system, and apps can also read their own /data/data/<package name> directory only.
Android devices do not come with sudo, and you need to be rooted to use su as it switches to the root shell (on unrooted ROM's, su can't switch to the root user, as the kernel denies it).
If you do find a way to root the device, (which may be difficult), you can mount the /data partition as RW, then you can copy files from it.
Use these command to remount the /data patition:
su
mount -o remount,rw /data
The su command can only be executed on a rooted device.
EDIT:
Just for clarification, the SMS Backup & Restore app uses an API call to get the SMS messages via the Messaging app, hence the need for the READ_SMS permission.
EDIT2:
Most rooting methods don't wipe the device data, however some do. You would have to google for a way to root your droid 2 however, and see if it wipes the data.

When in "Safe mode", should i be able to install and run applications such as "SMS Backup and Restore" via adb?  If so, how?

@rjt You can install them most likely, but you won't be able to run them AFAIK. You could try though. Download the apps .apk file, and use adb install <path/to/apk/file> to install it.

Thank You Liam for emphasizing that the phone needed to be rooted first.

Try this:
cat /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db > /sdcard/mysms.db

Which copies the SMS database across to the SDCard.
For the Telephone database,
cat /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/telephony.db > /sdcard/mytelephony.db

Its a very old trick, to pull in the databases without root. It is not guaranteed to work across all ROMs depending on how the directory permissions are set.

$ cat /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db: Permission denied

you left out the redirect symbol? as in >

Yes i did leave out the redirect because i do not currently have an external sd card.  Will try again after inserting card.  whoops.  i do not have the sdcard with me, do really think it makes a difference?

try adb pull /data/... directly? You should have stated explicitly in your question that you do not have an external SD Card!

[rjt@pc232 workspace]$ adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db failed to copy '/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db' to './mmssms.db': Permission denied

This won't work as the device isn't rooted! The /data partition isn't even readable without root! You need to be rooted, use the su command to enter a root shell, then remount the /data partition as RW.

Liam W,  in my initial question, there are demonstrated attempts at sudo and su but permission denied.   Am i doing something wrong in regards to su / sudo?

@rjt See my answer. Android doesn't come with sudo, and root can only be attained on a rooted device.

So is there some way to root the phone without deleting the existing SMS messages?

@rjt See latest edit to my answer.

@LiamW I explicitly stated it is not guaranteed to work across ALL ROMs... some do, un-rooted Froyo on Samsung Europa, that works. Not all do!

@t0mm13b, thank you for the help.  i did try with an external sdcard, but still get "Permission denied".

@t0mm13b, i managed to root the phone and made a backup just as you described.  Thank You.

I'm not sure yet whether this works on non-Google phones, but on my Pixel 2 and Nexus 5, the backup feature (under Settings -> System -> Backup -> (Choose profile, if relevant) -> Pixel 2 backup) shows that SMS text messages are included in the Google Drive backup, if you have enabled it. You cannot directly download or view the backup from Google Drive/PC, but if you have another phone and choose to restore data to it, the SMS messages should be downloaded to the new phone and be available to view and export with a 3rd party app.


text:
When I delete contact item (phone, email, etc), the item deletes but reappears
In the People app, if I delete a portion of a contacts information (like their address or phone number) the information will disappear for a time, but the next time I view my contacts, the information is back. Plus, I noticed that no changes were made to the contact's information in gmail, but it should have been; the phone is set to sync automatically with my gmail account.
HTC DNA.

Hmm.. That is weird, the only things I can think of are: A service is running that syncs and updates your contacts (like HaxSync), or b) the time on the phone is not synchronized with Google's servers in a way that makes it think that the server versions are always the updated ones. I'm not too sure about (b) but it could be a possibility, can you Google "time "? and check that your phone's time is the same?


text:
Can I use an android phone running Ice Cream Sandwich to test apps created in Gingerbread?
We will develop applications for android 2.3.4 (gingerbread) and because the emulator of my laptop is very unusable and the android x86 is not supported in my laptop, i'm planning to invest an android device to test the applications that we are going to create.
Since android ICS is the recent version of android OS, i plan to buy a phone running it.
Would their be any compatibility issue i might encounter during my development? Or i could survive using that phone smoothly till the end?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts SE. To answer a short answer, yes, get a Nexus 4 (if you can, an older one will suffice, Nexus S) - you will not be disappointed! However, this question is more of a shopping question and is off-topic, read the [FAQ]. :)

Android apps are upwards compatible (i.e. newer Android versions are downwards compatible). Of course do apps developed for 2.3 work on 4.0+ still

In short, yes. Android apps are upward compatible as @ce4 said. But if you are going to build an app, its best to compile it on the latest version of android, ie Jelly Bean 4.2.1. This question would have been better suited on StackOverflow.


text:
DroidWall and Wireless Tethering
I have a very simple problem: when I run Wifi Tether on my Galaxy S3 the computer won't get the IP address unless I disable DroidWall firewall.
DW runs in whitelist mode, but I ran across its menu to enable all wireless related applications it found. Nothing. I have to stop it at all to make DHCP server work.
What application in Android 4.1, or at least in the stock GS3 ROM, governs DHCP in wireless tethering and should be enabled with DroidWall?
Or else, how do I find it out without try-and-fail across a large number of applications.

As of version 1.2.5, tethering has been included in AFWall+, you should only need to enable

(Tethering) -  DHCP+DNS services

I had the same problem with wifi tethering after I installed Droidwall. Though the wifi connection was successful but I got no internet access.
I got it working simply by adding the DNS in my laptop. Hope, it works for you or anyone facing the same problem.
Change/Add DNS 4.2.2.2 and 8.8.8.8 in your PC/Laptop. That's it.

This worked for me too, using NoRoot Firewall. Thanks :-)

Thank you this works for me as well using NoRoot Firewall. Could you please provide more info as to why you chose to use those settings?

It is normal to disable Droidwall, for the reason that it blocks any incoming packets for port 67, to allow Wifi Tethering to work. Or quite simply, allow a custom script that matches the port number 67 which is dhcp to pass through.
FYI about Droidwall - the functionality and development efforts have been discontinued and the author sold it off to Avast.
The fork of Droidwall is called AFWall+ which can be found here and found on Google Play which is apparently better than the old Droidwall.
Edit
Since Wifi-Tether operates on both TCP/UDP's port number 67 (for dhcp to work), here's the rules necessary:
$IPTABLES -A "droidwall-wifi" -p TCP --destination-port 67 -j RETURN
$IPTABLES -A "droidwall-wifi" -p UDP --destination-port 67 -j RETURN

This rule here enables adbWireless to work with DroidWall enabled.
$IPTABLES -A "droidwall-wifi" --destination "0.0.0.0" --destination-port 5555 -j RETURN

You also have to enable Wi-Fi access for "Apps running as root" for this to work.

Thanks for the 'bought by avast' info. Missed that, although it's already a year...

Since I'm currently fine with DW, the question comes quickly: does AFWall+ allow DHCP without hacky scripts? By the way, since I'm not familiar with iptables scripting may I have the code for the port-67-allowing script?

Trying to guess: "$IPTABLES -A "droidwall" --destination-port 67 -j RETURN". Is it correct?

@djechelon: I will try out that shortly, am not 100% sure, but it does seem to be legit to me... :)

Both script and flagging applications running as root fixed. I'm pretty unsure because AFAIK system apps are all root apps and Samsung preloads lots of unwanted bloatware on device, software that I wouldn't want to "phone home" often. These include Game Hub and Samsung Apps

There's a setting in the manifest of apps, that is indicated by android:sharedUserId which indicates system, not necessarily user id of 0. For user id of 0 would require the handset to be rooted...iirc. Glad this helped you :)

In my case allowing user id 9999 (nobody) to connect through WiFi fixed the problem. So I added this line as a custom script to DroidWall:
$IPTABLES -A droidwall-wifi -j RETURN -m owner --uid-owner 9999

This solution should work for all firewalls, on root or no root. Initially I tried both kinds of devices and neither worked and after I found this info both worked. So I'm fairly sure this will work for you. To make it into a complete answer, as I'm sure it would be unclear how/where to change DNS for most users. Basically no change is done on the app side, just on the PC.
I used NoRoot Firewall (on unrooted device) and USB tethering wasn't working. I also used a rooted device running AFWall+ and though it has specific setting for "(tethering) - DHCP+DNS services" enabling it didn't make tethering work. So in the end I disabled it. In fact I tried only enabling Chrome browser on it, and none of the other things, and with this solution tethering still worked.

Having the phone connected and tethered, Go to Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network and Sharing Center, and click on the Local Area connection "Connections:"
On the next screen select Properties, then highlight "Internet Protocol Version 4" and press properties below.
Now  in the lower portion you see Preferred and Alternative DNS server boxes. Enter 4.2.2.2 and 8.8.8.8 there (thanks @michaelsangma)


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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.7" home screen wallpaper
My mum has just got the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.7" and was trying to set a photo as the home screen page. She did this but all it displayed was the middle section of the photo missing out the two grid sections to the left and right. Is there any way that you can set the full photo as the wallpaper?

If you're just trying to set it for home screen, try either Wallpaper Wizardrii mentioned above or Image 2 Wallpaper (com.shirobakama.wallpaper).
However if you're going for lock screen then IMO you're out of luck, at least on Samsung devices. None of the 2 above apps acknowledge Samsung's separate lock screen wallpaper and thus would not touch it.
If you're so desperate for this feature that you're willing to pay extra effort, flash non-Samsung-based custom ROMs like CyanogenMod - Tab2 has plenty of them.

I assume what is happening is that you see the left and middle of the photo on the leftmost homescreen, middle in the centre homescreen and middle and right of the photo on the rightmost homescreen.
In which case there is an app called Wallpaper Wizardrii which allows the cropping and stretching of wallpapers to fit so they don't scroll with homescreens. Check it out.

Thanks for your answer but I think that it is when she selects a photo to use as lock screen etc it then has a grid over it with a large rectangle in the middle and two rectangular sections on both the left and the right. It is then only the section of photo in the middle grid that is used and the section if photo on the left and right are cut off.


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What's the default Nexus 4 indicator LED behavior?
What is the default behavior of the Nexus 4 indicator LED? When is it lit, in what colors, and why?
Google's official Nexus 4 documentation doesn't apparently cover the LED. I googled and found apps or articles on how to customize the LED behavior, or reviews mentioning the LED without further details, but no descriptions of how it's supposed to work by default.

and why doesnt it show missed calls ?

The API let the developers choose for the color for his applications.
As developer I think the feature is pretty cool because I can be shure my users can easily recognise the notifications are from my apps ;)

99% of the time the LED means "new, dismissable notification". I am unsure exactly how the LED color is chosen, but it seems to be based off the homescreen icon of the app; IMO has a blue icon/LED, Messanging (texts) has a green icon/LED, and Gmail has a while icon/LED. The color is consistent each notification from the app, so you will learn which color means which sort of notification.
You can also apparently control it via applications (and presumably by tinkering with system settings somehow): Light Flow can set the colors for Nexus 4 notifications per-app. I haven't tried it myself, but it claims Nexus 4 support.
You can see (I believe) all the colors the LED can show in this (surprisingly long) video. Most of the colors chosen are easily distinct to anyone with typical color vision. If you have partial colorblindness or apps with overlapping notification colors, the notification color changing apps might be of use to you.
The LED can also Flash red when the battery is extremely low and the device won't otherwise turn on.

It depends on the app. e.g. If I use Yahoo, it changes to purple.


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Add meta information to photos?
Is there a decent camera app that will easily let me add a bit of text to my photos and store that text in the image file as EXIF/IPTC/XMP metadata? So far I have tried the stock Samsung camera app, Camera Zoom FX, Camera FV-5 and Catch Notes. I have read descriptions on numerous camera apps, but it seems like all they have to offer are various ways to distort - I mean enhance - your photos. While Catch Notes did offer ways to store your photos along with a description, it did not store the info as meta data inside the photo itself, which means it will be a mess if you ever want to transfer the photos to your computer and expect the data to stay intact.
This seems like a no-brainer that you'd expect to be available in almost every camera app. I mean, we've got the camera and the keyboard in the same device - what's the problem? I just want to be able to take a photo, click on an icon and type "This is a Bohemian Waxwing" and have that description stored inside the JPEG file. I'd even be fine with a gallery app that only let's me add information to already existing photos.

How about if you just rename the filename? That's what I usually do instead.

It's an alternative indeed, but as an absolute last resort. I'd much rather go for the metadata approach, this is after all what the EXIF information that's already in the JPEG's is for!

Stock Android photos app provides this feature since at least 7.1.1

There are a couple of apps in the Playstore which permit you to view/Edit EXIF data:

Photo Image Editor - Photoshop (free) says it can View, edit, or delete EXIF data
Same promised by Photo Editor
Exif Editor and Viewer (paid) promises to remove, modify, and add individual or multiple EXIF tags
Pixelgarde even states: Edit exif metadata for several photos as a batch, or just individual photos

There are probably many more, so I just picked two of the more promising examples. And as Play Store is known for losing apps, please consider the above examples for the fact such apps exist – and check with my list here for what is currently available.

Allright, answer accepted. Photo Editor is probably the best option. It's smooth enough when you use the camera apps' Share function > Photo Editor > Save (top right corner icon) > Modify > (enter text) > OK > Overwrite > Yes. Still, I cannot understand why this is not a standard feature in most camera apps, but I guess it's more fun to add a sepia effect than to write down what the photo actually is before you forget it.

Since this question was posted, Android stock photos app now has a description field (Android 7.1.1). Open an image and click on the (i) icon, you will be able to add a description.

Does that description end up in the Exif metadata somewhere?

I recommend SwiftTags. It allows you to add EXIF keyword tags quite simply to your images, so later, you can use standard photo organizer software on your desktop to search your photos based on these tags. It focuses on simplicity, so you can assign your tags quickly.

I am a owner of this app and suggest that you can use my app. This app called ExifTool, you can easily to change, add or delete metadata including Exif, XMP, IPTC, QuickTime or MarkerNote.
This app is ported to Android from ExifTool by PhilHarvey.
Download this app (ExifTool), then click to Add Metadata.
That all info you needs.
Download from Google Play

Just installed Picscribe.  This allows you to add comments to exif data. Can't tell you if its a keeper app, as I have yet to abuse its power...! ;-)


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How to turn on/off voice typing
I have a HTC One X+ and I was using voice typing very well, however I accidentally turned this off or disabled it and I am unable to turn it back on. I am new to the Android system and this was done in error.
How can I re-enable voice typing?

Assuming you're using ICS (android 4.0), do the following to change your input method.
Goto Settings -> Language and input -> Keyboard and input methods  Then check the box in front of the menu item Google voice typing
Now you can select the voice typing as your input method.


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How do I reset the Logitech Revue to factory defaults?
I rebooted my Logitech Revue today by pressing ctrl+alt+delete, which I have done a number of times before. After it went through the normal boot up it went to a blank screen. And just stays there, unresponsive. The remote does nothing for any of the other devices either as it seems that the "universal" part of the remote is actually software based, not in the remote itself.
I figure that I should be able to reset the device back to factory defaults but not sure how to reset it. I am hoping that a reset will get the device working correctly again.

You can try to press and hold the Pair/Reset button on the back of the Revue for 10 seconds.
Source

Using the hardware button
Press and hold the Pair/Reset button located to the left side of the left HDMI port on the back of the box for about 10 seconds. The Revue will then restart with factory default settings.
Using the menus
  1. From the home screen select Applications.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Select About.
  4. Choose Factory data reset.
  5. Select Reset device.
  6. Select Erase everything.

The Pair/Reset button is the one identified by number (1) on page 3 of the Logiteh Revue manual.


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Disable power-off menu when screen is locked
I own a Samsung Spica GT-i5700, how can I disable the power-off menu when the phone is locked. I am running CM7.

This feature is in Cerberus Anti Theft and also in some custom android Roms (Such as Exodous). It doesn't require root but like any anti-theft software there is a paid version as the free one is limited to 30 days.
But you could try the Smart Screen Protector App which is also mentioned in one of the other answers.

I dont think it is possible with that ROM. What you can do is to change the button's task when phone is locked (like Activator on iOS). I think CM7 isn't supports this feature but you can simply find it by google it (button task changer or something like that).

Try the Smart Screen Protector application from the play store. It claims to disable the lock key when the screen is locked even with the pin. Doesn't require a ROOT device
If it does not work then you  can increase the delay time as suggested by the app.

The Xposed plugin PowerMenuPlus may. If you add A fake power button and lock description, it will stop you device being turned off while locked, and confuse those trying to turn it off.

authors: Энхбат Ёндонжамц


text:
"Ubuntu" kernel version - what does it mean?
I have a 4.0.3 tablet (Genesis GT 1230 running some preinstalled rooted custom rom from factory). It reports its kernel as "3.0.8+ root@ubuntu #412".
Why "ubuntu"? What does it mean? Do I have Ubuntu on my Android tablet? Is it any different from an ordinary Android?

The string "3.0.8+ root@ubuntu #412" is the Kernel version of your Android. It doesn't mean your device is running Ubuntu, though: It's not unusual that the kernel version includes the name of the machine it was compiled on. So it just tells you what the dev of your custom ROM uses for development.

Does it mean it runs a non-standard Android kernel? Or a non-standard Linux kernel? My Defy running CM9 shows a different string (I don't have it with me right now).

It just means it runs this specific kernel. ROM-builder might decide to place an optimized kernel into their ROM, and often they do. Of course there are also custom ROMS which are just modified stock ROMs, and the devs might decide to keep the original kernel. For sure it's nothing to worry about ;)

Its an identifier that identifies the host machine in which the kernel was compiled on and built. Nothing more, on my custom rom it shows 't0mm13b@riviera' which tells that the build was built on my local machine named (usually by the hostname) called 'riviera'. That does not mean to say, its a "non-standard Android kernel" nor a "non-standard Linux kernel", the version string 3.0.8 indicates the version that came form the mainline kernel source... :)

Ruda: Android is distributed in the form of source code, i.e. the device makers get it from chipset makers (like Qualcomm) which in turn got it from Google (https://android.googlesource.com/). There's no central authority that issues binary releases. Each hardware manufacturer compiles it's own kernel (and also the complete Android distribution) for each and every device model they make. How should it else work, that there are the platforms MIPS, x86, ARM, and ARM64 (future)? MIPS isn't even officially supported but there are devices out there nevertheless. Running Java Apps this is possible.


text:
Why does selecting the second use on the lock screen crashes OS?
Running 4.2 on a new Nexus 7 with two users setup with individual google profiles. Both have basic setups (a few apps, sign in patterns, no widgets running).
Both profiles having been running fine for a few days, then after a restart (the first time since setting up multiple profiles) every time I select the second profile it crashes and restarts.
Notes:

I can log in fully with the first user
I have uninstalled the clock widget (after reading some google posts about it)
The second the second user profile image is tapped, the system stops, the pattern doesn't appear, I can't move back to the first user, etc

Can you obtain a logcat of this when it happens?

@ t0mm13b I've just installed logcat viewer on the primary user (the one that logs in). It appears to be empty, a part from the things I'm doing since logging in. I'm not sure if there is a way to do a log dump from the last 24hrs system wide


text:
How to clean up old application folders from prior ROM?
I installed CM10 on my GS2, and during the process I didn't format the file system as I wanted to retain my photos and music on the device.  I was aware of an app called "SD Maid" that is supposed to be able to be able to clean up all these old app folders, but it doesn't seem to work.  Does anyone know how I can clean up all these folders, or does a person have to just go in and manually delete all of them?
(For an app to do this, the OS would have to have some sort of a referencing system of known installed files & folders, don't know if it has such a thing though.)

didn't format the file system please clarify? do you mean on SDCard or on the actual /system, if it's the latter then why did you not format it?

I didn't wipe either the SD or internal memory; in retrospect I can't remember why exactly, but that's what I did.

If you're changing rom (I.e. from AOKP to CM10) you should always do a factory wipe, data on the sdcard will still be
I'm amazed it booted if you didn't do a factory wipe before flashing a different rom

How do apps like ROM Manager work then if you do an entire wipe each time?  (Sorry, I realize there's some fundamental concept I'm missing here.)

Rom manager will wipe the /data /cache and /system all your pictures and applications that store data on the sdcard are on the /sdcard partition. What exactly is it you want removed?

Folders (at least) on /sdcard are what I can knowingly identify as old apps and wanted to delete, but I wonder if I have tons of system files left over from the stock OS.

I tried to find the guide I used for upgrading but I think it was on the CM10 wiki and has now been deleted (or archived to where I can no longer find it)

How many folders do you have on the sd?

There are 97 folders on /sdcard

Did you just count them all? :)

Take a look at this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.diskusage&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5kaXNrdXNhZ2UiXQ..

Haha, no EX File Explorer tells the count.  Thanks for that app, I'm going to check it out.

Let's just clarify one thing: in your Internal Storage (not SD card), different system folders have different meaning:
/system: that's basically where your OS is placed, along with system apps you can't uninstall without using a root file explorer and other core things. I believe it is automatically wiped when you flash a new ROM
/data: that's where apps you install and their data get stored. When you choose to do a "factory reset" or "data wipe", this folder is cleaned. Basically, changes you did get erased, but your system remains untouched. It is a good habit to clean this folder too when you change OS, as retaining the same exact app on different ROMs may result in an unstable or unclean system. Plus your apps may not start at all, as some apps have different version for various ROMs, or create different data for them. To avoid losing everything, various apps for backing up exist.
These folder are separate partitions at all, so there's no risk of damaging one when touching the other.
In the great majority of cases the data (better, userdata) partition include your personal files, such as photos, music and downloads. Just some devices (like Xiaomi ones) separate those things into an emulated SD so that you can do a factory wipe to clear apps and apps data without losing your Documents, with the downside of having a limited space to install apps in.
If you want to delete all old apps, but keep your documents, and dedicated apps don't work, this is my advice:

With a root file manager, delete the content of /data folder (this will erase apps and apps data, it is like a factory wipe limited to insalled apps)
Wipe the /system folder using your recovery
Flash your new ROM

Be careful to do step one only when you have everything ready to perform step three, as it may break your current system. If you want to remove apps but you want to save your saved data (like progress in games), use dedicated apps like Titanium Backup.

my answer is using the app sd III is all for the good a great application to uninstall and reinstall applications to your phones hardware it clearly cleans up the internal storage by moving vice internal storage to the phones modem and then cleaning every single application and downloadable file you then set your data to transfer to the mobile phones external hardware it really does work and doesn't lose any phone data it's as simple as that and I mean simple.

Uhhhh.... can you please re-edit your answer as it clearly does not make sense....


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Monitor data connection based on location constantly
I was wondering if there was way to ping google.com (or any other stable site) and record my GPS location. It would then append the result of the ping, GPS position, and the time to a log file on my phone. It would run every 10 seconds or so.
Basically, I just want to get a view of my phone's Internet connection throughout the day and at different times. After a full day running, I could then look at the generated log and figure out all sorts of interesting analytics for my phone.
Is it possible, perhaps using apps, script, or anything?

It looks like a customized app. You need to make an app yourself, or have someone make it for you.

I think this question could be on topic if you would rephrase it like "How can I keep track of my phones data connectivity and location (GPS)?" See also the sites FAQ and http://meta.android.stackexchange.com/questions/1181/how-to-ask-android-questions-the-smart-way

I have tweaked the question to make it more about a problem to be solved than an app to be found. I think it can be re-opened.

@StephenCagle: GPS can be pretty battery-intensive. Are you sure you'd want something like this firing every 10 seconds? Further, it takes a long time for a GPS fix; the GPS receiver would need to be on constantly.

There are no apps appear to suit to your need. But you could use two separate apps to do what you need to do.
Use Googles My Tracks to record your location data automatically. This app,

Record data of where you are using GPS coordinates.
Allows you to monitor your trip or the places of visits in 3D maps.
Promotes easy sharing of your data.

Use Traffic Counter to monitor your data usage. This app,

Records your data usage details real time
Offer some good in-app analysis tools
Can be used to monitor calls, SMSs, WiFi, apps, etc. as well

With the help of these two, you can achieve your objective. No need to ping a site!


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Factory reset in phones that don't support SD-cards
Does factory reset on a phone without SD-card support delete the files stored in the ExternalStorageDirectory?
Explanation : Say I have a device like the Galaxy S or an iPhone(I know, sacrilege) both devices don't support SD-cards(Not sure about Galaxy S, definitely about the iPhone). My question is if such a device which doesn't support SD-cards is factory reset, then do your files and media stored in this device's "External Storage Directory" which actually happens to be on the phone get deleted?
My guess is no, am I right?

You are correct.
The external storage directory is classed as an 'External SDCard'. Anything with SDCard in the title is not wiped during a factory reset.
When you go to factory reset, you will be given the option to wipe your SDCard as well as the internal storage data directory.


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How can I programmatically backup Android phone's settings?
I was wondering if I could programmatically backup my Android phone's settings. The "PHONE"'s settings and not application settings.

TitaniumBackup allows scheduled jobs that can e.g. save to the cloud, see http://matrixrewriter.com/android/

Just to clarify: what do you mean by the 'Phone' settings. You can back up SMS etc with MyBackup (as mentioned below), you can use Tasker Scripts for others, you can back up third party launcher internally in the launcher. Google will backup your contacts, app data and WiFi passwords. What else are you looking to backup? If you are rooted I recommend paying for Titanium Backup. It is an absolute life saver!

The easiest way availaboe to you is using a third party app. I found My Backup Pro (there is a free version as well) which seemed promising.
You can also search he market for settings backup.
I use an system app provided by the manufacturer which is called backup and restore. I'll give them if the mentioned solution does not work for you. The reason im asking you to go with the first app is that the manufacturer's system app is highly unlikely to work properly ina device other than the one is originally made for.

If your phone is an LG, it's easy to do that with LG backup. To backup your phone's settings, go to Settings - LG Backup [in list mode] - Backup. Unselect everything except settings, and click backup.
If not, try Titanium Backup.

BTW you can do this automaticly, but you cant choosewhat to backup

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. It seems some of your answers lack detail and might get downvoted or even deleted. Consider [edit]ing and explaining the step on how to do it automatically, including on your other answers. Thanks.

If you know the location of the settings database, you can use LlamaLab's Automate to copy app data within the application itself, even in the root directory.

I believe this needs root access since app data is located on the internal storage.

Can you tell how to do that exactly? Automate is a multi-feature app and not straightforward to use.


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Looking for a custom ROM for HTC Inspire 4G

Possible Duplicate:
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

The ROM should have:

Android 4.0+
WiFi hotspot
4G capability
Long battery life
Increased volume
Fast speed

It would be better if you looked around yourself before asking, but here are a few I found:

CM10.1 unofficial
This ROM has JellyBean and works for Inspire 4G and the HTC Ace. XDA link.

MIUI.us v2.10
A popular, heavily styled ROM running JellyBean. It also comes with an app called toolbox which allows you to customize the ROM. Eg, overclock option. XDA link.


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Can Java be exploited through Android app ads?
It turns out that Java has a security flaw that is currently being exploited to put malware on people's computers. Is there any risk that advertisements in Android apps will have embedded, malicious Java code in them? If so, how can I make sure to update whatever runs the Java in those ads once Oracle releases a security patch?

Apps for Android are compiled into a dalvik, machine code like format before they can be run on the device.
This means that everything is compiles, and things like Java etc cannot be updated on the device - as the device doesn't actually use Java.
It could be possible for malicious code to be installed into an Android app, however Google Play does check all apps for malicious code on upload, so you should be safe as long as you download from Google Play.


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LG P500 Rooting Isuue
I got a LG P500 Android device and I want to root it.
The device is on stock ROM, android 2.3.3 V20e.
Should I use SuperOneClick? And if so, how can I reboot my phone after the SuperOneClick procedure is finished? If I power off my device and then turn it back on, will it break it, or is this "reboot"?

Just few minutes before I again rooted my LgP500 running v2.3.3 stock v20d. I used SuperOneClick v2.3.3 and rooting was just a cake walk. I charged my phone fully and installed Lg's drivers and enabled USB debugging support. In the SuperOneClick's UI, I just clicked Root and waited for few tense minutes. Phone restarted automatically and after that the UI said rooting was successful.
It is not clear what you ask about booting, I just switched on normally and phone works normally.
Update: Found a link as asked...

Download root master (.apk) thent install it and start rooting, it creates an app 'super user' which gives root permission, and enjoy root
Link:- http://www.9apps.com/android-apps/Root-Master/


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Force links to open in the app, not the default browser
For example, I get an email from Pinterest with interesting links for the week. When I click a pin, it opens in Chrome and not in the Pinterest app. This happens with a few apps and was wondering if there's a way to "open link with" type of feature.
Is it possible to force the links to open in their respective application and not in the default browser (e.g. Chrome)?

Apps can request that links be opened using the app, using an API called an "intent filter".
If the app has the correct intent filter, you will be prompted to open the link using that app, and the app will then do something with it.
This has to be coded in by the app developer, and there is no way to implement it yourself unless you decompile the app and add it in.
An example of an app that does this is the Google+ app.

More examples include: Twitter, Google Maps, Foursquare. So it completely depends on the app developers.

I find it strange that the Gmail app isn't doing that. For instance: on Chrome on Android, click on recent tab showing an email on Chrome desktop; it would make sense in that case to open that email in the Gmail app.

Please could you provide some documentation or further information regarding intent filter? Thanks a lot you'll probably get a lot more credit for this answer, very helpful.

This helper app makes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, and Goodreads links open in their apps instead of the browser: Open Link in App
It doesn't yet support Pinterest, but if you're technical, it's easy to add new apps, and doesn't require writing code! Details in the GitHub repo.

I installed Open Link in App and it's working! I have a database app and added a field for URL in one of the tables and it always open on browser before. Thank you for sharing.

This doesn't work with Firefox in Android  though?

If the links were opening in Chrome by default, all I had to do was, go to Settings -> Apps -> Set as default, choose the Chrome app and hit Clear defaults.
Next time when I clicked the link, the phone asked me to Open with with only two options: Chrome & Samsung Internet Browser. When I choose Chrome then Just once, once again the Open with came up but this time with 3 options: Pinterest, Chrome & Samsung Internet Browser. I chose Pinterest followed by Always and that is it.
Not sure why but this worked.

I don't use Pinterest, but I might have a guess that the first link is a shortened/compact URL that is not recognized by the Pinterest app, then the browser redirects to the link that is now recognized by the Pinterest app, hence the additional option on the 2nd link. (further info on how this works is on existing answer)

If you can get the APK, then you can open it in JADX [1]:
jadx-gui com.pinterest-10098030.apk

and check the Androidmanifest.xml file:
<intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
   <action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
   <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW"/>
   <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
   <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE"/>
   <data android:scheme="https"/>
   <data android:scheme="http"/>
   <data android:host="www.pinterest.com"/>
   <data android:host="post.pinterest.com"/>
   <data android:host="pin.it"/>
   <!-- ... -->
</intent-filter>

So only link with those host will get noticed by the app. In addition, some apps also filter on the path:
<intent-filter android:label="@string/app_name" android:autoVerify="true">
   <data android:scheme="https" android:host="www.pbs.org"/>
   <data android:pathPattern="/video/.*/"/>
</intent-filter>

Finally, if you have adb, you can use it like this:
adb shell am start -d https://www.pbs.org/video/american-horses-i5v309/

https://github.com/skylot/jadx

In general, you can't do it. The reason behind the links opening in a browser is that they use the same protocols of normal web links. So if the particular app is not a browser, the links have to be opened with a browser app.
But you may have seen some links (particularly links to Android apps on the market) can be opened with the Android Market/Google Play Store app. This is possible because those links use market:// in their links rather than typical http://
If you need to confirm it, try clearing the defaults of your Chrome browser. It will make you choose an app to open a link when you click them. This will give you an open link with option (of course, to use the browser apps)
To do this, go to Settings -> Apps and select the Chrome app. Scroll to the bottom and find a clear defaults button and click it.

This isn't actually true. An app can register an intent to open any URL, even if it uses http. For example, the Play Store app will handle http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=foo links, as well as market:// links.

JUST REMOVE http:// or https:// bofore URL and Enjoy!

Is this specifically for Pinterest? Are you sure it will work? Browsers will usually add http:// automatically if the input looks like a URL, so it won't really change anything.

This won't work for a link - as the question requires - as that will already have the  protocol prefix included within it.


text:
How to disable a specific calendars notification?
How can I disable the notifications for a specific calendar only?
Example:
I have the calendar of my girlfriend synced to my phone to know the times she is at home, working, etc. Now I get all the notifications about the events from her calendar. I want to get notifications for my calendar only, but not for hers.
Maybe this is important too:
I am using a Davical server and sync my calendars over caldav sync.

You could use e.g. Calendar Event Reminder, and disable notifications in the default/stock calendar. With CER, you can setup reminders for each calendar separately, and even deactivate alerts for calendars you don't want to be alerted for (in your case, the "work" calendar).
The added plus is you will never miss an alert anymore, as you can configure CER to annoy you until you shut the alert of manually. I've bought the app when it was still payed, and it never let me down.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to do that with the native calendar -- but at least this is a free solution, though it takes an extra app :)

The app now costs $2.79, no longer a free solution.

Yupp, seems like. I switched to Business Calendar about a year ago (even bought the license), and disabled "alerts" from the default calendar. Not sure whether that was already possible with the free version, but it's worth a try. Apart from that, you might wish to take a look at my list of Kalender-Alarm-Fixes.

I opted for a different app than OP mentioned, but it has the same exact name. The developer is Milan Sillik. It requires an in-app purchase to selectively disable alerts for certain calendars.
I think the reality is any replacement reminder app will do the job here, but OP's approach is the best fit until Google decides to address this issue in their UI.