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How can i modify the boot.img files so that when the power button and volume + is pressed during startup it doesnt start recovery but fastboot instead
How can i modify the boot.img files so that when the power button and volume + is pressed during startup it doesnt start recovery but instead starts fastboot?
P.S I can unpack the boot.img

I am not 100% sure but from my understanding those key combinations are checked before boot.img is ever called. Hence these keys are checked by the bootloader which runs before boot.img. Therefore by modifying boot.img you will not be able to change the keys to press or which mode to start.

Key preases during boot are not handled by boot.img (ramdisk and kernel), but by bootloader (ABOOT, ABL or equivalent) which hosts fastboot protocol as well. Bootloader starts main OS (kernel from boot.img) or recovery (kernel from recovery.img) or fastboot, depending on key combination or file/bits in cache / misc partitions. However you can modify recovery.img to make the kernel/init run a program (even a shell script) which reads key combination and restarts device to fastboot.

I'll again suggest you read my threads or other internet resources on Android partitions and filesystems and boot process so that you don't have to ask very basic questions.

The problem im having is that when i hold power button and volume +, the device is starting up factory mode instead of recovery mode, so is there anything i can do so it doesnt start factory mode? I see this in my preloader file https://prnt.sc/uhufvg and http://prnt.sc/uhugwz

Rebuild preloader the way you want it.

You can't actually do this with just modifying boot image. You can do it but it is not that easy.
If you have a QCOM, you have to modify aboot.
If you have a mtk, follow other's instructions.

The preloader is fetching from hrawork10/hra_huangxj/mt8788_v9.0_G26/P08765_git/vendor/mediatek/proprietary/bootable/bootloader/preloader/platform/mt6771/src/core/main.c as shown in your screenshot which is holding the variable which decides as to whether it should boot factory mode when you hold the power and volume up buttons or not.
Do not try to rebuild your preloader and flash it otherwise you may end up with a nice brick.

Irfan Latif is incorrect in that you should rebuild the preloader.

Sir you are supposed to answer the question, not my comments. I know that compiling bootloaders and playing with low level things is not an ordinary user does, but if you have a better solution please put it forward so that OP and future visitors can benefit. And btw, if source code is available and binary isn't signed with OEM's private keys, why one should not build the preloader? What's the restricting factor? Instead of giving advice or opinion, better back your answers with technical reasons (not just the expected risks). I'd love to learn from you. Thanks.

Given that he has a Mediatek device , where the preloader binary is closed source, its not possible for him to change the factory boot settings so that it starts recovery mode, from the preloader. Also as shown in his screenshot, the preloader is building the code from src/core/main.c, thus to change the factory boot settings that is where the changes should be made.

When I say "Rebuild preloader the way you want it." but the source code is not available (as is the case with mostly bootloaders for Android devices), it's obvious that OP is asking for something impossible, or at least something that he/she cannot handle technically. So it doesn't need a warning "Do not try to rebuild your preloader". // I still wonder how your answer addresses the question. This is a Q&A site where you answer the question to partially or completely solve OP's problem. But as I said, you answered my comment, not OP's question. You may edit it to make helpful for OP.

i think the point is, there is no known method to unbrick from corrupt preloader - playing with preloader is not worth the risk


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why DAC isn't sufficient for Android that it needs MAC(selinux)
I learned that each app is assigned a separate UID so that a rogue app cannot access other apps data and system sensetive data and files.
What's problem with this that they have to use MAC(selinux)

Because DAC is discretionary, and it's up to the discretion of the user/uid (humans in case of Linux distros, apps in case of Android) to enforce or relax the access policy (to files, processes, sockets etc.). MAC is mandatory, so the access policy set by administrator / program developer (in case of Linux distro) or Google / OEM / ROM developer (in case of Android) is mandatory. And humans/apps (or some malware code running in their name) cannot modify it to break the desired security model. Question isn't specific to Android. You'll find better answers in Linux forums

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How to force a smartphone to update?
How come two Nokia 9 phones have the same model, phone service provider and location, but one of them insists there were no updates (neither security nor Android itself which should be 10, not 9, by now) after 2019?
You can see Nokia had many security updates after 2019.
Neither taking out the sim card nor a factory reset helped with this.
P.S.
This phone is part of the Android One program, so it's even more concerning.

Neither taking out the sim card nor a factory reset helped

The following was suggested by Nokia itself. But turns out they didn't think to suggest doing both at the same time.
Although it can be far easier - just turn off Mobile Data, then check for updates. If it's not enough, also restart the phone while keeping Mobile Data off. Suddenly you get updates.
I'd chalk it off as a bug that lets the phone provider save bandwidth for itself even though you actually use WiFi for updates.

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


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How to flash /system using twrp when system.img is 1.7GB and internal storage has 1.5GB max limit
I happen to have an old phone laying around with messed up system partition(a couple of files accidentally deleted). This phone has an internal storage of max 1.5 GB(total 4gb, after setting everything up leaves me with 1.5 GB). I downloaded the stock firmware for the phone and the system.img size is almost 1.7GB I have twrp recovery. Is it possible to flash with an external sdcard.
N.B: I unfortunately don't have my pc with me atm.

It would help if you could tell us what phone (manufacturer, model) this is. Apart from that: no worries about the size, /system is not "internat storage" but a different partition – which is one reason why only 1.5G are "left" from the 4G announced (the remaining ~800M are on the other partitions, like recovery, cache etc).

Yes you can flash from SD card. There must be some free space out of 1.7GB, so you can put it in an archive to reduce size. Or expose system partirion through UMS to a PC and flash image there. Or stream the image over network (using adb/nc) and write to partition at the same time. There are even more possibilities.

@Irfan Latif, hey, turns out I can only flash boot partition using twrp, guess I'll have to settle for the pc then. I also came across this that it can be done with dd command as well. Like dd if=/storage/sdcard/system.img of=I forgot the name from twrp terminal. is that possible

Yes. dd is the most commonly used tool in Linux world to read and write raw partitions. The methods I mentioned above are meant to be combined with dd  to solve the problem of space shortage.

dd — Linux manual page

Yep, I know about dd disk dump, but am confused about the of=? directory as in where should I dump the contents to, at which directory. An idea just popped in my head, what if I extracted the files in system.img and replaced everything under / to the contents of the files from image. Isn't that the same thing as doing dd?

Sorry, the link I mentioned earlier was suppossed to be this https://android.stackexchange.com/a/125422/332427

See this answer to know how you find correct block device. The answer is about userdata partition. Replace that with system.

Yep! found it in /dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/system I did a ls -l on system and found that it is a symbolic link to /dev/block/mmcblk0p20 Now, should I do dd if=/storage/sdcard0/system.img of=/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/system or should I do dd if=/storage/sdcard0/system.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p20 Which one should I do?

This idea also popped in my head, the stock rom was in a zip file. Is it possible to flash the entire thing using twrp? That would be super easy.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.


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What is directory under selected numbers in redmi call recording settings?
What is directory button under selected numbers in redmi call recording settings?
Does it mean contacts?
Device : redmi note 7 pro

@Robert could you suggest some title? In github, the body is not necessary. Here it's hard to do that. If we give the title as body, it won't be posted.

Does it show additional options when you enable Directory?

@Firelord nope.


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Android 10 user CA file not being used in apps
I'm using an ISP that does internet filtering for me, I have install their CA file, and it works in the browser, and used to work in all apps.
After the latest update for Xiaomi Redmi Pro 9, Youtube, Spotify, etc. seem to be unable to load network resources.
I get this error on logcat
09-16 13:17:40.116 29069 29229 E GoogleConversionReporter: bffy: Exception in CronetUrlRequest: net::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID, ErrorCode=11, InternalErrorCode=-202, Retryable=false
09-16 13:17:40.116 29069 29229 E GoogleConversionReporter:      at org.chromium.net.impl.CronetUrlRequest.onError(PG:59)

Meaning the chromium component fails, or refuses, to use my user specified CA.
Is this on purpose? Is this a bug? I really don't want a VPN installed on my device to be able to use my own ISP.

User CA files are by default ignored by all apps (unless an app explicitly allows user certificates). This is by design since about Android 6.

Thing is, it DID work for me on Android 10 before the last update. Is there no way to force apps to use the user certificate without rooting and adding it as a system certificate? Works for me on another device I have, using Android 9. I just don't really want to root this device and start messing with it.
Also, it does work for Brave and Chrome for browsing.

Found an answer, it is described here https://github.com/YTVanced/Vanced/issues/45


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Sending SMS via adb
I have used keyevent 66 to click on send, i can see that keyevent is working right its clicking on the desired button but still SMS not sent
I am using following code still my message is not sent on desired number.
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SENDTO -d sms:$no --es sms_body SMS_BODY_GOES_HERE --ez exit_on_sent true

adb shell input keyevent 22

adb shell input keyevent 66

I can see enter has been pressed but don't know why sms is not sent.

Do you enter these commands manually or in a script? If it is the latter your timing may be too fast.

I have used these commands manually as well as using script. In both cases its not working. Also I have used delay before performing every action

Your question has already been answered HERE


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How do you sort your chats by contact name in WhatsApp?
How can one alphabetically sort the contacts on the WhatsApp chat list? Right now, the list is completely random, making it difficult to locate a specific chat by its author (contact name)

Hi, it seems you accidentally created a duplicate account. Please refer to the help center to merge your accounts and regain ownership of the question and reply to the comments on your post. Thanks for your understanding.

There doesn't seem to be any way to sort them alphabetically in the chat list. Currently the Whatsapp chat list is by chat date, meaning the most recent ones will come up.
If you click on the bottom right green button you can access the contacts list, and those contacts are sorted alphabetically.

There is no such a thing as a bottom right green button I’m my chat window.

Sorry mate, I’ve added a screenshot for further clarity. Do note that this only accesses your Whatsapp contact list that is sorted alphabetically, and does not change the way your chat list is sorted permanently. Also, Aayush has posted a really great idea to use Whatsapp Business’s label feature, you should go check out his answer.

Whatsapp doesn't officially added this feature.. but if you really want to sort them then download Whatsapp business. You can use label to organize things..
Just like this.. (items are the people actually)

I too use whatsapp business and really love its auto reply function..


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Stock Android 10 device is offline for ADB commands on Linux, can't use USB Debugging
Trying to use adb tool 1.0.29 on a PC running Linux Ubuntu 20.04 to debug my Motorola Moto G7 Plus running stock Android 10 (hence not rooted) connected via USB.
Previously it was working OK, I've granted USB Debugging permissions to my PC. But today adb devices shows it as an offline device, so I can't do anything.
Here's a list of actions I tried:

Revoke USB Debugging Authorization - it doesn't work, nothing happens, Android doesn't prompt for new permissions
Delete /data/misc/adb/adb_keys on the phone - Can't, no root, adb root and adb shell return error: device offline
Rebooting, disabling USB Debugging and Developer Options and disconnecting in any order didn't help
adb kill-server and adb start-server didn't do the trick as well

What else could you recommend?

Was it working with that Linux version before? Because often we have here problems with Linux t!hat require to set specific permissions on Linux side so that ADB can access USB. Please search this site for details.

@Robert thank you for reply. Yes, it was actually working. At least partially. Device was active (not "offline"), and I was able to do some operations. I've not tested evereything though.

Are you sure the relevant adb key is located in /data/misc/adb/adb_keys? From what I know I would have expected it to be located in the user directory, precise in ~/.android/adbkey and ~/.android/adbkey.pub.

@Robert Not sure. But in any File management app there's no ~/.android folder. Internal storage does only contain visible folders, and Show hidden folders is enabled. When I create a folder like .this, it registers as hidden and is visible when hidden files are.

I was talking about your Linux system there you can find the path ~/.android/.

@Robert Found it, deleted it, re-enabled USB Debugging, revoked auths on the phone. adb devices still returns my phone as offline

Solved by:

Deleting adbkey and adbkey.pub files from ~/.android/ directory on my Linux PC.
Using newer Android Debug Bridge (in my case, it's current 1.0.41/30.0.4 from here).

Also thanks to Robert for helpful comments.

Update 2020-12-29
Another solution could be in using ADB over Wi-Fi


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How to lock phone without pressing power button?
Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but how can I turn off the display without hitting the physical power button on Android 10 (Pixel 4a)? On my old phone I could customize long-press home or double-tap within launcher to do this. I enabled 3-button style but can't seem to find the settings for customization or for the Pixel launcher behaviour. I also couldn't figure out how to do this with gesture / swipe control.
Thanks!

If you're okay with apps doing this for you, then you could try this app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsc.lock You tap on it and it'll lock your phone and turn off your screen as well.


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How can I backup apps while in Safe Mode?
My phone is stuck on boot problem and I was recommended to wipe it all. However I still manage to get into Safe Mode.
My question: how can I backup my apps while in safe mode? No need to backup all apps, just a few important ones (among others: Kiwi Browser, Daylio [Journaling app], Swipetimes [time tracker], Sleep for Android, Expense Manager).
I already use the Android default backup but it seems like it only backup Google apps. I unfortunately do not use Helium or Titanium Backup.
My phone is not rooted. Any help?

You can only use adb in this case, and there is no guarantee you would be able to backup all the apps you want to backup. See https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/28296/how-to-fully-backup-non-rooted-devices?rq=1

@Firelord I'm fine with contacts, calendars, etc. I'm more concerned with things like sleep log or browser history or currently opened tabs. AFAIK those are hidden within directories accessible only through roots. Can the solution there backup those too?

Can you try using adb backup?

@TipzTeam how can I know they are fully backed?

for some apps they don't backup, like the WearOS app


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Formatted bootloader by mistake and phone won't turn on (device: MT6570)
I have a Techno Spark 3 with a MT6570 chip and i used the SP Flash Tool to flash the ROM but i kept getting the error STATUS_PARTITION_NOT_FOUND, so i thought that if i format the bootloader it would help but instead i have a dead phone which cannot even come on when you press the power button.
I also wish to know if i am using the correct ROM because my phone seems to be a clone and it cannot accept any of the newer chips MT6971 0r MT6580 i have attached the phone's about section so that you could tell me which exact model it is.

MediaTek based phones are typically flashed when the device is powered down/off. Have you tried to connect the device to a PC?

It is dead so even if i connect it to a pc nothing happens, it was working well before i formated the bootloader


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Accessing vdc from shell
I am trying to change my device encryption password by opening a terminal in TWRP and typing vdc changepw default_password 1234 and it's giving me vdc: inaccessible or not found.
Is there something wrong with my approach or is the issue with the phone?

vdc won't work in recovery. It's a dynamic binary in /system/bin which links to libraries in /system/lib. Usually this doesn't happen automatically in recovery mode. But even if you manage to do so, vdc is just a small wrapper to communicate with the actual bigger service vold. But in recovery mode OS and hence its services are not running. So many of Android's commamdline tools don't work in revovery mode, including am and pm.


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What android apps are these?
I currently use a TCL A1 (A501DL) running Android Version 8.1.0.
I went to check my Wi-Fi data usage. I scrolled down and seen all these apps! There are 9 of them. I've never seen them before and when I click them there is no app information.
I checked all 44 apps I have, and it doesn't show any of these and it doesn't appear to be feeding off my battery data I already checked that. What's going on? Am I being hacked?? I don't use the cell data on this phone. I just use it for Wi-Fi. Somebody please help me! I'm kind of worried about my privacy now.

Those could either be OEM bloat of it's a malware.

You said it's a OEM bloat?? What's that exactly? And you said it's malware or it is malware if it's not a OEM bloat

Do you know if these services existed when you first bought your device? Did you check data usage before?

Yeah I have never seen these before at all


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Install Android 4.1 on unknown custom Chinese tablet with X210 processor
I want to install Android 4.1 on a custom tablet running custom hardware and a custom Android 4.0.4 because I need TLS 1.2 to work on it.
I understand there is quite a big chance of bricking the tablet but I'm willing to risk it.
Here is some info for the device

Device Model: Unknown
Android: 4.0.4
Processor: X210 (armeabi-v7a)
Processor frequency: Unknown
Cores: 1
Audio chipset: X210
GPU: Imagination Technologies Power VR SGX 540
Display resolution: 753x480 @68 Hz (6.2")
RAM: 381 MB
Internal Storage: 540 MB

I'm just not sure how to go about it or what ROM should I use.
Do I try to find an original Google ROM or one of those custom CyanogenMod ones? I want to try something with the maximum chance of success, so any tips and guides are highly appreciated.

Google only provides ROM for Google devices. Though, without knowing the device model/maker, there's almost no chance. The real issue is that there is no generic ROM in Android

Basically the same as How to install a custom ROM on a generic Chinese Android tablet? which even for the community is a difficult task to answer satisfyingly.


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How to share as image from the Wikipedia App?
The Wikipedia app supposedly allows sharing selected text as an image, as seen on diff.wikipedia.org.
At the moment, at least on my phone (Nokia 7.2 TA-1196, Android 10), only “standard sharing” is available, which shares plain text.
Does the feature still exist? How can one share as image?

Just tried it on Wikipedia app (2.7.5033+2020-08-04) on a Samsung S9 running Android 10. And I was not able to have text over image via the share button as described. That feature was from 2015 and based on the comments in your linked post, they was some concern about image rights issues.
Regardless, I was able tap on an article image for normal sharing.


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Telegram does not recognise account after being offline for almost a week due to battery failure
On Sunday, 13th September 2020, the battery of my Motorola Moto G5 broke down and I ordered a new one. Today, on Friday, 18th September 2020, it finally arrived and it works just fine. Several errors, however, occurred:

I have lost some of my contacts and only had the chance to recover some of them by importing an old VCF file that was not very up to date anymore. This, at least, brought back some contacts in WhatsApp. (Does anyone know why many of my contacts were lost after such an incident and some were not?)

But when I opened Telegram, I was asked to set up a new account. Even when I reinstalled Telegram, I am still asked to do this. I am, however, able to log on the Telegram web app. (Telegram sends me an SMS instead of an in-app text message.) There, I am able to see all the chats that are stored on Telegram’s cloud servers and also the contact names of people who are now not in my address book anymore, are displayed correctly. (Why is that? Is there a way to recover my address book via Telegram?)

What shall I do? Can I just “re-register” at the Telegram app with my phone number and see my cloud chats again on my phone? What error occurred there?

Edit: One thing just came to my mind. Can I just log off my phone via the web app and then just try to “register”/log on to my Telegram account via the Telegram app on my phone? Would this work and prevent data loss?

Ok, I think I was able to solve the problem. Telegram just logged me off the phone app. I was able to log back in and now I can use Telegram as before.


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Block non-contact callers
I was wondering if there was a way to block all non-contact callers on my Samsung Galaxy A20 operating system Android 10. I have been through the settings and the only option I have is block contacts or block unknown callers I'm not sure if that just means private calls or non-contact collars. I'm unable to find a solution on YouTube so I'm hoping somebody on here can help.

Does this answer your question? Block calls for everyone except for contacts

One way that I know how to do this is though Android's Do Not Disturb feature.
You basically keep your phone in "do not disturb" mode always, then manually set who is allowed to interrupt you.
Some of the options for who can interrupt you are:

Conversations:

All conversations
Priority conversations. To choose
which conversations are priority conversations, tap Settings.
None

Calls:

Anyone, contacts or starred contacts
Repeat callers. To let a
call through if the same person calls twice in 15 minutes, turn on
Allow repeat callers.

Messages:

Anyone, contacts or starred contacts
None
Reminders
Events

Basically, this is essentially a white-list approach as opposed to a black-list approach.
There may be third-party apps that can accomplish what you are asking, but the above is a stock built-in to Android option for you.

I use an Android app called Calls Blacklist. Settings - Blocking - Unknown Numbers (Block all numbers except Contacts)

Hello. Can you provide link for this app?


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Method to monitor home electricity supply interruptions
I am looking for a way to find out, in a day at what timings electricity supply was interrupted. I guess if we keep our android device on charging all day we should be able to find power interruption by just knowing the current charging status of the device. So is there any app or method which can help ?

Battery history: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.psw.batteryToast&hl=en
This app may help, you can access the ‘unplugged/plugged log’ through the ‘charging’ button, which is on the top left of the app interface. It should be able to tell you when its ‘unplugged’ when it stops charging.
It’s ad and purchase free, but the downside is that the interface seems to be quite confusing and messy.
The below image is one of the app’s image preview on the play store.


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Unable to see system navigation gesture setting
It appears that I don't have all the setting for gestures on my Android tablet.
So that's how it looks on my tablet: https://i.stack.imgur.com/lhKMc.jpg
That's how it should look like I believe: https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/android-10-gestures-how-to-turn-on-2-1080x2160.jpg
When I was setting device up it proposed to choose between 3 button navigation and gesture navigation.
The tablet is Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab.
Thanks for any help.

Gesture navigation is available starting in Android 10 (API version 29).
Your phone is setup with gesture navigation because it is running Android 10+, but your tablet might be running Android 9 (based on your question tags).
Check to see if there's a system update for your tablet, otherwise you'll either have to;

Wait until Android 10 becomes available for your Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab.
Find an alternative launcher app you can install that contains gesture navigation.

Thanks for your answer. I got a bit confused, because when I was setting up tablet for the first time it proposed me to choose between gesture and button navigation. Eventually I found it was Lenovo tablet specific setting which I found in Settings->Display->Navigation Bar (So it has Lenovo specific launcher I suppose)

Glad you figured it out - and also interesting to hear Lenovo has provided their own gesture navigation pre-Android 10.  :)


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Where does memu android simulator save applications files?
I know that most Android phones save apk files and applications in the android/data folder but when I enter there is none of my already installed applications. Is there anywhere can I find them?

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP account is deleted and no answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

C:\User Name\Download\MEmu Download\


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How to access "Work Profile" files via USB on my PC
I've got an Android "Work Profile" on my phone, kind of setup as explained here.
It's trivial to access normal Android files. Plug a USB cable into my phone and PC, select "File Transfer" and my files show up in Windows Explorer. Is it possible to access my "Work Profile" files in the same manner? I don't see any path to them in Windows Explorer when connected (to Android 11) via USB. I'm guessing this access may not be possible.

Different questions but relevant answers: How to access /storage/emulated/10 (multi-users env) in adb shell on Android 9+ without root access? and How to share files between a regular account and a work account?

You need to install a file sharing app, such as AirDroid, to access your files in Work Profile.


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Mobile Data blocked while getting/sending phone call and message
I have 2 sim cards in my phone Samsung J7 Pro. Whenever I used the packet data for internet using sim 2 and there's phone call or message coming in my internet got blocked. I used packet data because it's the only reliable internet connection I have right now. How to totally block all incoming call or messages to avoid my packet data blocked while using the internet?, Thanks in advance.

This all depend on your network provider. And also android operating system.
Generally in 2G network  when you get call, mobile data turn off. while in 3g you can use call and data simultaneously. This also depend on network strength and hardware.
while in 4G LTE, you can connect internet and make call.
So choose network which support data + voice.
kindly provide what is written near your network signal strength at the top of the screen E or 4G Volte.

mine is LTE but when I use the packet data from SIM 2, any call or messages from SIM 1 got my packet blocked.

Normally LTE can handle voice + data simultaneously. But it all depend on how your carrier provide network and network strength at your area.


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UCCW/Tasker: Display system timer
I have an Samsung Galaxy S9 plus Default ROM but rooted.
I use my timer a lot with a default of 2.5 hours (medice req).
I have a nice UCCW theme customized to my specs.
I would love to have my timer displayed in there just like the clock. Is this possible in any form of way so I can display this with my UCCW skin ? (rebuilding the skin in KWGT is a option but not preferred.)

I got it partially working via KWGT UCCW cannot do this.
(source: https://www.reddit.com/r/kustom/comments/94wct4/countertimer_with_on_off_switch_possible/) `start with creating 2 text globals:
Name one endtime and leave it empty.
Name the second one cntdown with the value being tf(gv(endtime), "mm:ss").
Now all we need to do is add a touch action to anything, set it to toggle global switch > endtime, and set the value to $dp(a30m)$.`

whats left to go to timer settings on touch if timer is already running (otherwise it keeps reseting)


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The emulator process for AVD Pixel_2_API_30_2 was killed
I have just installed Android Studio on Windows 10. I am having all sorts of issues. The first, of many, is that I cannot get the emulator to work. I have tried the following:

Clicked software instead of hardware.
Restarted computer.
Uninstalled and reinstalled the emulator.
Clicked on all updates.
Googled troubleshooting answers, nothing.

It always comes up with the same error: "The emulator process for AVD Pixel_2_API_30_2 was killed."
Any ideas?

Make sure your Windows installation doe snot use HyperV (used by sandboxing, WUA2 and some other Windows features). Use this command to check: https://superuser.com/a/1538529/62676. If you execute the command it should not print any text, othewiese you have HyperV activated.

"emulator ___ process was killed" can be multiple reasons.

check if your machine having enough RAM support as starting emulator consumes too much memory.
You don't to select "hardware" or "software", select for automatic option in graphics options.

Work around can be, just create a light weighted emulator 1st and try to use, then use Pixel 2 with latest os. This will help to narrow down your issue in analysis.

Emulating an older phone model with lower hardware requirements worked, and helped me narrow down the issue on Ubuntu. Turned out the disk partition containing ~/.android/avd was full, so had to move+symlink it to a another partition with more space available.


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Weird problem with YouTube app on MIUI 10.2
There is this problem with the YouTube app on MIUI 10.2. When I open the app, the 'YouTube' logo part at the top has completely disappeared and it just shows the search box, the notification bell, and the account picture.
Tried the usual things like rebooting the phone. No use. When I clear the app data or uninstall YouTube app updates and re-install them, it goes back to normal showing the logo, when, after that, I open the app for the first time. But when I close the app and open it later it goes back to no logo again. Tried everything except factory reset.
Any idea why this is happening? Some kind of weird virus thing or so? Not that I miss the YouTube logo terribly :-), but this glitch seems annoying and doesn't seem to go away despite my best efforts!

Did you try updating it? Bugs like this are generally fixed in the updates..

Yes I did. Tried uninstalling and re-installing. Cleared cache, cleared data. Works for just  one time after that. But the bug appears on subsequent times.

Could you mention the YouTube version, and possibly upload the screenshot when the issue happens? The YouTube app (v15.38.32) on my Nexus 5 (Android 7.1.2) shows a search icon instead, not a search box.

YouTube version 15.37.35. Also goes away when i manage to sign out of YouTube app.


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Turn Android device into a wireless or USB webcam with background removal
There exist several applications such as DroidCam that  can turn one's Android device into a wireless or USB webcam.
Do any of these applications have a background removal feature (= only shows the human face/upper body that appears on the video)? I tried DroidCam but it doesn't seem to have this feature.


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Used dd to write userdata.img into phone, now asking me for password
I used dd from twrp terminal to write to userdata on my phone using dd if=userdata.img of=/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/userdata when I did reboot, it asks for my password. I tried all the previous passwords I used before, but to no veil. Why is it asking for my password? How to overcome this situtation? Reseting does not seem to be working.

Because of the encryption, encrypted backups are bound to the device. Have you performed a factory reset after you have created the backup?

If by "resetting" you mean "performing a factory reset" – then no, that just destroyed your last chance to access and decrypt those data, as a factory reset also destroys the key file needed for decryption.

But I never encrypted my device in the first place to begin with. Yes I did a factory reset, will flashing userdata.img again could work?

If this phone is dead my mum's gonna kill me

Good news!!! I reflashed userdata.img with dd from twrp terminal and I'm in the phone yes!!!

It didn't ask for a password this time.


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Fastboot stuck on "Sending 'boot.img'" (TWRP, Moto G7 plus "lake")
fastboot version 30.0.4-6686687
Trying to temporarily boot TWRP recovery image twrp-3.4.0-0-lake.img on my unlocked Motorola Moto G7 Plus.
Phone is connected via USB Type-C to Type-C cord from the box to my laptop running Linux (Manjaro 20.0.3) Live USB system.
When I run ./fastboot boot twrp-3.4.0-0-lake.img or ./fastboot boot boot.img (same file, renamed) with and without sudo, it always gets stuck at Sending 'boot.img' (30080 KB) doing nothing.
Bootloader logs section of fastboot mode shows cmd: download:01d60000.
The PC I use now is the only PC that helped me to actually unlock the bootloader. Other PCs I have were not able to send correct fastboot commands (for example, oem help transformed to oem helpersion, and oem get_unlock_data cut to oem get_unlock). Those PCs had regular USB Type-A 3.0 ports, so I connected them to my phone with corresponding 3rd-party cable. It might be of insufficient quality though.
All files are located near to the root of extrenal SSD connected to another Type-C port, so the absolute paths to TWRP image and fastboot executable should not be too long.
Type-C cords are new and OK.
Motorola doesn't distribute Linux drivers for their devices.
What else could be wrong here? Please help. Any advice is appreciated.
Will update this post later with my own findings as well for people who could stumble a similar problem.
Update 1
Tried fastboot boot boot.img on another PC. It is also running Linux (Ubuntu 20.04). Connection is from Type-A to Type-C. Wire is good. No noticeable changes. Main issue persists.
Update 2
Was able to perform fastboot.exe boot boot.img on another PC under Windows 10. Don't know why it worked. Specs are different than laptops', but cable is the same. Might be a driver issue.

An updated version of platform-tools works fine. Perhaps this was a bug.
To get latest platform-tools you can:

git clone --branch sdk-release --single-branch https://android.googlesource.com/platform/bootable/recovery and build it;

Check this repo for some building instructions;

Download pre-built binary executables at releases page;
Update package with your distro's package manager:

Ubuntu-based: apt upgrade android-sdk-platform-tools
Arch-based: pacman -S android-tools

Note: keep your system up to date too! USB drivers & other system parts could affect functionality of this case.

SOLUTION: connect the phone using a USB hub (even same port) :P
...worked for me.
Source: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/yet-again-fastboot-is-stuck-on-sending-boot-img.4166479/post-86491327

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Background process limit in developer options doesn't work on Samsung Galaxy S10
I'm using debloated Samsung Galaxy S10. When I set the background limit to any number or none, it doesnt work. I checked the cached process in running services, there are more than 5 apps.
Oh these are 3rd party apps. Im wondering if my phone is messed up since the settings I set it to isnt functioning.
Any solution?

I am not sure but I would assume that the background limitation only affects third party apps. Apps by Samsung (or to be precise system apps) are usually not affected by any limitations you can set in the Android settings.


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How can I switch from WiFi to mobile data without interrupting my current download in Chrome?
I am currently downloading a roughly 50 GB file in Chrome for Android (10). I am on my home WiFi. Given the speed of my network it should take roughly 8 hours. It is a regular file download which is being handled in the default way, just like when you download any file in Chrome.
I will have to take the device out of my house (thus outside of the WiFi range) later, and I do not wish to interrupt the download.
I have 1000 GB mobile data plan so I could just continue the download over 4G/LTE as I go out. But, as my internet connection switches to mobile data, will that interrupt the download, forcing me to start over again?
If so would it help to pause the download? I could then either resume it when I get back home (on the same WiFi network) or even if it would work to resume it once I am on mobile data?

You could do a little experiment, try downloading ths same 50 gb file for 1 or 2 mins on wifi. Then stop, give it a couple of seconds and then switch to mobile data. See if it starts downloading. If it continues, then you're fine, if not, try pausing on wifi. Disconnect from wifi for a minute. And then reconnect again, see if it continues. If it does then good day mate, if it doesn't, well may have to look for some alternatives (:

@honeymoly Well I am already halfway through the download, so if I were to try this experiment it would have to be on another device!

Well, if you happen to have one, better test it before going out.

@honeymoly Yeah good idea.

If you switch from Wifi to cell phone network your public IP changes and therefore seemless handover without interrupting a download is not yet possible.
There is a standard that is designed to allow such a seamless handover between e.g. Wifi and cell phone, it is called "Mobile IP". Effectively it works a bit like a VPN. No matter what internet connection you use your public IP remains the same and changing between Wifi and cell phone network is covered by the Mobile IP system.
Unfortunately at the moment such Mobile IP providers are not yet well established.
Besides that even with the current situation a number of web servers should allow to handle download interruptions: Well configured web servers allow to resume downloads, hence if the download stops (because of a network switch) and you continue it, it skips the bytes already downloaded and continues where you stopped. Of course this also has to be supported by the downloading app.

I'm curious if he got a VPN setup with the VPN then changes IP when he goes from cellular to Wi-Fi? Or would that be a workaround?

@TechBoyKev If the VPN would be UDP based and accepts the IP change of the VPN client without reconnect this could work.


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Android 10 based LineageOS not rendering Indic languages
I have tried going through many reference links for my below issue, but all of them are at least the pre-Marshmallow age so couldn't find a proper solution.
I have a Redmi 2 Prime mobile (2014 model) and I have flashed it with LineageOS 17.1 version (Android 10) (exact version is lineage-17.1-20200711-nightly-wt88047-signed.zip) along with OpenGApps pico version (open_gapps-arm-10.0-pico-20200725.zip).
The device came up fine, most other things which I have checked also is working fine, except for Indic language support. I am specifically looking for Malayalam (South Indian language).
When I try to add it in languages section, it shows the name of language itself as garbage (see item 2 in screenshot).
I tried adding GBoard and Google Indic keyboard, but when I select Malayalam->English, it says 'Your device does not support this language' (can be seen above the space bar of keyboard).
When I add Malayalam language (by typing in English and selecting the only option that comes), Google Play services is shown to check for some language support online but quickly stops and nothing happens.
I checked accessing a web page in this language in Google Chrome and it rendered nicely. But when I checked Malayalam version of Wikipedia, it is the same junk (both in Wikipedia and the Google search results for it)
Could someone help me with what I should try to get this fixed

At last I was able to add support for the language[Answering for the sake of others who might face this issue]. It seems there was some issue with the font I tried earlier( though it was looking fine in PC and was known to be working in other models of mobiles ). Steps followed

Downloaded relevant ttf and otf fonts to SD card
Rebooted to TWRP
Mount->Select System & External SD->Uncheck 'Mount read-only'->Select 'Internal Storage' for mount location
Press Home( not Back ). Clieck ADvanced->Terminal
In terminal, copy the fonts to /system/fonts/ using cp command ( The copy in Advanced->File Manager also might work, but I havent tried )
Mount->UnSelect System & External SD->Uncheck 'Mount read-only'->Select 'Internal Storage' for mount location
Reboot to system
Verify if font support is available by going to Settings->Language ( or browsing to a webpage with that language )

Many thanks for the support and the initial hint that this might be a font problem @Andrew

NOTE: This solution works for all the devices that have font issues.
Your problem can be solved so easily, let me give it step by step.

(Phone) - go to the recovery mode, select Advance Option and tick the  SYSTEM alone. NOTE: unselect data and cache for now.
go to this link, download and extract on desktop. Inside this navigate to fast-boot folder. Now get inside the fast-boot folder press(SHIFT + RIGHT CLICK in mouse) and choose open cmd window here.
Connect the phone to a laptop and enter the cmd> adb devices
You'll find all the attached devices.
In cmd give this code : adb push fonts /system/fonts and press enter
Please press home button in TWRP > click Advance Option > now check (Data and Cache) and unselect system - IF NOT YOU WILL STUCK IN BOOTLOOP.
Reboot the device and navigate to browser and see the magic


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Will any new apps or data installed or added to android phone after encryption also be encrypted?
if an android phone is encrypted, will any new apps or data installed or added to phone after encryption also be encrypted?

Obviously. That's the whole purpose of encryption.

Android 6 used Android Open Source Project: Full Disk Encryption

Full-disk encryption uses a single key—protected with the user’s device password—to protect the whole of a device’s userdata partition. Upon boot, the user must provide their credentials before any part of the disk is accessible.

So all apps & data installed on the userdata disk partition would be secured by that key. One way to think of Full Disk Encryption is like a exterior door house key, once you can get into the house, the contents are accessible.


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How to avoid black screen on call?
I have an Xiaomi Mi Max which for some reason stopped the proximity sensor at 0 and this means I get black screen on every call (Whatsapp calls in particular) and I cannot do anything but restart. The phone is rooted and I wish to find a way to use my phone otherwise I have to probably throw it away as the sensor itself cannot be found in my country.
Is there any trick or application which can help me disable or otherwise set the proximity sensor to a number that it doesn't bug me?

Download and install xposed framework then download sensor disabler..
Sensor Disabler (previously known as Disable Proximity) allows you to disable and modify the values for all the sensors available in your phone, including the proximity sensor!
Simple as that!!
Hope it helps (^-^)


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How can I change the resolution of Iriun 4K Webcam?
I use Iriun 4K Webcam for PC and Mac to use your Android phone's camera as a wireless or USB webcam in Windows 7 SP1 x64 Ultimate. It is supposed to support resolutions up to 4K. (Max resolution depends on the phone).
I use a Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 10. However on Windows 7 SP1 x64 Ultimate it says that the resolution of Iriun is 640x480:

I don't see any option on the phone:

and https://iriun.com/ (mirror) seems to have no documentation.
How can I change the resolution of Iriun 4K Webcam?

Skype doesn't allow me to change the webcam resolution (clicking on "webcam setting" doesn't do anything):

Two things: 1) this might be device-depending, there are several reports like this in the ratings; 2) your Windows screen says to "check the settings of your video application" – have you checked them?

@Izzy Thanks, "2) your Windows screen says to "check the settings of your video application" – have you checked them?" -> I thought this referred to the options on the phone that I took a screenshot of. I am not aware of the other options.

OK, just thought there might be more (e.g. in the app you want to use the cam with, like Skype or whatever). Sorry, I'm neither using the app nor Windows, so my "guess-limit" has been reached at this point. Good luck, hopefully there will be some solution! If you have the chance, maybe test with a different Android device and computer, to narrow down things.

Upgrading Iriun 4K Webcam from 2.5.7 to 2.5.8 on Windows fixed the issue:

had the same problems with you by the version of 2.5.7 but I figured out the version of 2.5.4 has worked to change its resolution. maybe upgrade problems?

Turns out you have to change the resolution in whatever program you're using the webcam with and Iriun will sync with that resolution. For example I use OBS and in OBS you can change the res in Sources>Video Capture Device. If you're using Skype, Discord or whatever, you're gonna have to change the res in the settings. Once you do that the Iriun window will also change it's resolution to whatever you selected. Hope this helps.

Thanks, Skype doesn't allow me to change the webcam resolution (clicking on "webcam setting" doesn't do anything). https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZyMHb.png


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Why can't I turn the volume all the way down during calls?
I asked this because I have searched way too long and all the results I'm getting is why is your phone silent during calls. I can't turn the volume silent during calls, like my zoom meeting. Why?

I may misunderstand the statement, but I assume by "I can't turn the volume silent during calls, like my zoom meeting", you meant "I can silent Zoom meeting, but not phone call", not "I cannot silent both phone calls and Zoom meeting"?

No, I meant that I cannot silent both phone calls and Zoom meetings

Related/possible duplicate: How do I completely mute the sound in phone calls?

Posting an answer that took me too long to find.
Settings > Accessibility > Hearing Enhancements > Mute all sounds

Looks like this is Samsung's customization. Google Pixel doesn't have Hearing Enhancements in Accessibility. Otherwise, could you mention the device model and Android version for completeness?


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Soft Bricked Nexus 6P
Back in 2015, I rooted my HTC One M7. It was an adventure; I messed up along the way, soft-bricking my phone. Eventually, though, I managed to get it working again. That was five years ago. So, I might as well have never tried to root a phone, because I've now soft bricked my Nexus 6P—and I don't know how to bring it back to working order. I seem to only ever know just enough to be dangerous.
On the Nexus 6P, the problem is that the phone hangs on the Google logo screen. However, I can boot into the bootloader and get into recovery. I've got TWRP 3.4.0.0 already flashed.
ADB does not recognize the device in the bootloader. It only recognizes the device when it is in TWRP. I am using PowerShell in Windows 10 as my terminal.
Everything went bad when tried to flash SuperSU-v2.82-201705271822. While I had done a factory reset before attempting this, the phone only reset to Android 8.1.0, the earliest build of which was 12-2018. Since the SuperSU I attempted to flash looks to have been from 05-2017 ... well ... my bad. Clearly. Rookie mistake.
This seems fixable, though. I just don't know how to fix it.
My error appears to have blitzed my OS entirely. In TWRP, if I look at the 'sdcard' partition, the only directory is TWRP. None of the Android file folders are there (Downloads, Pictures, etc.). Yet, at the level where 'sdcard' is listed, all the system directories seem to be intact.
Further, if I run 'adb shell su' in PowerShell, I get "su: not found", so my root attempt obviously failed.
In sum:

I have an unlocked bootloader
Device unrecognized by ADB except in TWRP recovery
I am not root
I seem to have no OS (but the directory structure above the 'sdcard' level seems intact)

I tried sideloading a factory *.zip from Google, but I can't do it from PowerShell with the phone unrecognized by ADB. I then tried using the TWRP ADB sideload option, but was told that my *.zip was invalid when I tried it (should I not have tried flashing the whole angler-[etc].zip?).
On XDA, I'm finding a lot of information, but it's not been helpful to me. This seems like a simple issue with a simple solution, but it's one of those "clear only if learned" scenarios, and I haven't learned.
As such, I just need some hand-holding for how to get back to a working OS. It seems that, for things being bad, they're not really that bad. If I just knew what to do and how to do it, I could get out of this pickle. If someone could teach me how to get out of this mess, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.

Just to make it clear adb never works in bootloader mode. In bootloader mode only fastboot works (if the device supports fastboot)! https://android.stackexchange.com/a/221635/2241

I don't have a full answer for you Ican only help with the issue of your device not being recognized. But since I can't comment I will answer instead.
For your problem with your PC not recognizing your device. When your device is in fastboot mode, and connected to your PC. Goto device manager, there should be an item that matches your device that has a yellow mark showing it needs attention. Update the driver for that item and select the adb driver this should make your PC recognize your device.
This assumes you have the adb drivers installed on tour PC.


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Google Sign-in not working in new Huawei devices: "There was a problem communicating with google servers"
Between the 11th and the 13th of September 2020 something has changed around the method used to log into Google accounts from new Huawei devices after installing Google Mobile Services (GMS).
Before, the method involved installing GMS-related apps and signing into the relevant Google accounts using browser sign-in (a legacy sign-in method kept for old android versions). However, it seems like just after Huawei announced Harmony OS, that backdoor was closed.
Is there any way to sign into Google accounts for GMS from a new Huawei device (such as a P40 pro)?

Disclaimer 1: I hope no one gets offended by this question being asked... I think that from a consumer perspective it is legit to try to find solutions to the side effects of what effectively seems to be a trade war.
At the end of the day, there are hundreds of thousands of users
affected by this situation and they are not the ones to blame for any conflict between governments and/or companies.

Disclaimer 2: The consequences of the ban get to an absurd level, is not just not having Google Play Store, but for example not being able to log into your Google account from your browser to sync passwords, history and bookmarks... Hope this helps people not experiencing the ban understanding the extent of it.

You should change your phone identification to any other smartphone brand and to change IMEI codes as well but let me tell you that it's against the law and I do not encourage it.
But in your place, I will simply sell it on any online platform and buy another smartphone with not a banned brand such as Samsung or Nokia.

Guessing this is only possible with a rooted phone, right?

Changing phone would mean either doubling the budget or halving the specs... Not ideal

@JesusIniesta Correct, but if it doesn't work for what you need, then you don't have the right phone. Huawei got rid of unlocking bootloaders years ago, so rooting is rarely an option unless a special, device specific exploit is found. Unfortunately, Huawei has largely been blacklisted in the US government and many US based service providers, so if it doesn't do what you need it to you, might be better to cut your losses and move on to a different device, and at that level of device there are a ton of competitive devices.

If you're concerned about budget, you could try Samsung Halaxy A01, it has 2GB ram, 16GB storage and is worth $100. You could give it a try.

It's not just that. Google will eventually close every door you  open. It's not some startup company you dealing with.  If you manage to find a way, small group of people will make use of this opportunity. After that,  many users will not be able to install GMS. And you are back to square one.

With root, you can fake your device as something else using MagiskHide Props Config and bypass this.


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Why does the Android SDK show Android 10.0+ (R) instead of 11.0?
If I open Android Studio and then open the SDK manager, I see 10.0+ (R). I checked for updates, but no other updates. Why is it 10.0+, instead of 11.0?

Android R/10+ was the name that was used in the beta phase of Android 11. I would assume that Android SDK manager does not update this name or Google forgot to change it to Android 11 after publishing the final release of Android 11.


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Unable to share photos
I just "upgraded" my Pixel3a to 11. Now I can't share photos from my piktures (yes, that is how it's spelled) photo management app via Messages or Gmail. Tapping the share button presents only two options: 'Nearby share' and 'bluetooth'. In Android 10, I was greeted with many apps.
I was able to briefly get Messages and Gmail to show up in the list by going to those apps and attaching photos from there. Alas, those apps are no longer visible from piktures. The problem with attaching photos from those apps is that they show the newest photos first. While that is often the right answer, sometimes I want to share an older photo and it is very tedious to scroll and scroll in the hopes of finding it.
As a side note, I can no longer delete photos from piktures either.
Is there a setting somewhere that allows me to share from piktures?

Starting with Android 11 apps have to use the new Scoped Storage API for accessing files on the sd-card section. piktures claims to be ready for Android11 (targetSdkVersion=30) but it still tries to use the legacy mode (requestLegacyExternalStorage=true) which will no longer work on Android 11. Therefore any file access problems are a bug that have to be fixed by the developer(s).

@Robert, the Pixel 3a does not accept an sd-card. Perhaps the Scoped Storage applies to main memory as well.

@Robert legacy storage works on Android 11 too but in different way. Though Google strongly disapproves its usage: https://developer.android.com/about/versions/11/privacy/storage#all-files-access

@IrfanLatif Thanks for the info. In this case however piktures app does not request MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE in it's manifest, hence if I understand it correctly it does not make use of this way.


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Phone extremely slow, even after factory reset
I have a Samsung Galaxy J5 2016. It's gotten extremely slow and buggy (>10 crashes a day, waiting more than 30 seconds to open default apps, ...).
I've done a factory reset, with removal of all data, including SD card. And... It's just the same.
I'm already looking around for a new phone, but I'm wondering what can cause this?
When I google why phones get slower over time, they point to more and heavier apps. But this doesn't explain my case.
What can cause this behavior, even after a reset?

Old phone have old unmaintained Android versions installed with a lot of vulnerabilities. Apps can therefore use these vulnerabilities and install malware as system app, hence factory reset has no effect. Alternatively your CPU may be partially defect or the heat transportation does not fully work and the CPU overheats.

The most common culprits for slowing down your phone is accumulating background apps and hardware degradation. Since you've factory reset your phone, that rules out the first.
Flash memory in your phone degrades as you repeatedly write data, but this is a slow process. Eventually you will have sectors of memory fail from physical wear or accumulation of electrons which makes them unreadable.
Same thing happened to my Samsung Note 4. Was blazing quick when I first got it, now its sluggish, even after a reset.
Btw, check out Cycle (https://cyclephones.com)
It lets you stream an android emulator from a server to your phone so that you can run any app smoothly.
Full disclosure: I run Cycle, but I'd use it even if I didn't. There isn't a good solution to a slow phone other than buying a new one.

Afaik flash degrades by its increasing probability of a hardware error, but not by its writing speed.


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ADB manual restore?
I've tried to do a full restore for a while now but i keep getting stuck on a specific app and when unpacking the backup and removing it a new problem occurs which is my phone being restarting when using the adb restore command.
is it possible to restore apps and files manually with ADB from an unpacked .AB file?
logcat

If your device is rooted, you can use Titanium Backup to restore selected contents from backup files. Without root, I'm not aware of any such solution.

@Izzy♦ i tried to use titanium but it told me that the adb backup was unsupported or something similar

Then I don't know. TiBu is supposed to be able to extract stuff from ADB backups, though I never tried it myself (I only make "granular backups" with ADB, so I can restore just the pieces I want).


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What are the chances of a malware being persistent if I dd to write system.img and userdata.img from twrp
If I had a malware on my phone, say malware like xhelper, or strandhogg or something even critical than that, what are the chances of it being persistent even after using dd to write the system.img and userdata.img to the phone for eg dd if=system.img of=/dev/block/platform/mtk-msdc.0/by-name/system to write system as brand new. Is it possible that the malware could snoop into /cache or /nvdata to attain persistence. Is it feasible to use dd to flash those partitions as well? Which places would a malware use to hide itself to maintain persistence even after stock image flashing?


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Why does ADB sideload always stop at 47%?
When I sideload stuff (like Google Apps) or LineageOS through LineageOS Recovery, it always stops at 47% with the adb sideload command. Why is that?

The answer can be found on Reddit

If I remember correctly (from a discussion long ago), Google's ROMs are transferred about 2.2 times across the sideload. To make the progress bar add up to 100%, they said "2.2 times the file size equals 100%". Our ZIPs are transferred just once, so the final progress is at about 47% with a success. The xfer seems to show the transferred data compared to the file size. Ours clocks in at x1.00 or x1.01, while Google's is about x2.something.


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Create a widget that displays an activity from any app
I want to create a widget that will display an activity from another app (not something I built). For example, I want to have a widget that shows the stopwatch activity from the clock app.
I am not looking to do this as part of an application I am building, but as a customisation. I tried KWGT, but was unable to find how to do it. Is there any way to do this using KWGT, or similar apps. If there are other alternates, please tell me.
I am on Android 10, if it is relevant.
Thank you in advance.

I assume you meant creating a home screen widget from any app as an end-user? Note that app development is off-topic since Android Enthusiasts focuses on end-users or power-users (but not necessarily developers) solving their issues.

@Andrew T Yes. As I mentioned, I am not looking to build any app. I am an end user, just wanting to costomize the home screen. I am looking for a KGWT like solution, which I suppose is on-topic. If not, redirect me, please.

Thanks for the clarification, and yes, it's on-topic here.


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Where are the download images for Android?
I'm attempting to update my older Samsung 10.1 to a newer version of Android (7.1) which has been confirmed on a few sites that it's working.
However, the only download links I've found are on sites I'm not so sure I trust to download Android.  I want to get it directly from Google/Android.
Does anyone know how to get the OS APKs?

As regular users usually do not install firmware images by hand most manufacturer (exception e.g. Google) don't provide public lists of firmware image download links. If you search XDA you may find links to firmware images hosted on the manufacturer servers. Theoretically original firmware images should be signed by the manufacturer but I am not sure how to verify this signature.

That explains that...  I thought that since Google was more open and that they'd have default OS compilations like I've used for linux.

OEM firmware images are not distributed as APK files, and most manufacturers do not distribute them at all, however some have special tools to flash the latest images. Otherwise as @Robert noted, check out XDA but also sammobile.com for some possible options. Note that installing it usually not as straight forward as installing an app and clicking update, it usually involves using a computer and specialized applications that do have a possibility of bricking your device.

It seems like for Samsung devices the image download servers are available but there is no user interface to select an image for download. According to XDA blog there is a new Python based command-line tool that allows to search and download Samsung factory images:
https://github.com/nlscc/samloader
As the download information and the firmware images are original downloads from Samsung servers they can be considered trustworthy.
The original article from XDA:
https://www.xda-developers.com/samloader-download-updates-samsung-galaxy/


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Turn off frp after reset
I have an Aspera Jazz 7.0 which had frp  turned on. Because of weird network issue, I had to reset it. But I forgot my account password and the phone number. I can go with a new account, but I can't turn off the frp . I tried fastboot. But can't hard reset it. How can I turn it off?

You can't... That is the point of Factory Reset Protection and there is a "duplicate" question about this very topic posted regularly. Marking as duplicate and noting answer.

Does this answer your question? How to bypass "Verify your account" (Factory Reset Protection)


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Can I factory reset a non-rooted pixel 2 with a bad digitizer?
I have a Pixel 2 with a broken digitizer.  I'd like to wipe it of personal data before tossing it.
Complications:

not rooted
adb has not been previously authorized.

Is a factory reset possible, or should I pull out the cordless drill and go to town?

Related: Razr Maxx HD, How to wipe data with broken screen. If you don't care about data look into fastboot mode

As the Pixel 2 supports OTG, you should be able to attach a usb mouse to it to navigate through the menu. You will need an OTG cable for this, which is available for a small price in your favorite shop if you don't have one yet.


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Uninstall Android app from Google Play website
I have installed one of the android apps, which is for double tap to screen on/off, but this app is  misleading. Unfortunately I gave admin permission for this app, after installing this android app, My mobile screen is never showing up. But, I can hear phone rings, message tones, and everything working fine. How do I make my screen visible now??
Is there anyway to uninstall that particular app, from any website?? I'm pretty sure that, screen is not popping up because of this app. Please help me here.

Have you seen: How to remove an app that is a persistent device administrator You should edit your post with make/model of Android phone and if possible what OS version.

Could you mention the link to the app in the comment? While we acknowledge the risk, some of us may experiment with it on the emulator/spare device to be certain. Though, AFAIK there's no way to uninstall an app from the Play Store website.


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How to fix bootloop
I unlocked the bootloader using fastboot, this command; fastboot flashing unlock I had downloaded the phone's firmware (Infinix note 7) and patched the boot.img using magisk I then flashed the boot with the magisk_patched_boot.img using fastboot;
fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img

After flashing it, the phone has not been booting, it displays the message below:
Orange state- this device can't be trusted as it is unlocked. Reboot in 5 sec and reboot

then it goes off, and on again.... this has been repeating itself over and over
I was requesting if there is a way, I can bring back the phone and root it with no issues state- this device can't be trusted as it is unlocked. Reboot in 5 sec and reboot
then it goes off, and on again.... this has been repeating itself over and over
Any idea on how to fix please?

The only way to fix a bootloop is to remove the cause of the bootloop. Yes some phones reject the magisk patched image because recenctly i wanted to change a phone from system to systemless root. Phones which i think have no problem with magisk are Samsung phones.
Sincd you said you had downloaded a firmware, flash the original boot img that you patched with magisk and then your phone will be back to normal. LG phones also reject patched boot images. If your phone refuses the boot image you must then try rooting using using pc client rooting apps or even android client rooting apps.


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How to remove Messages app for SMS from Android 10 Wiko View 4 phone?
I want to remove the default messages application called Messages which handles sms sending and receiving from my Wiko View 4 Android 10 device.
The reason I am wishing to uninstall this app is that I deem some of the content in this app inappropriate.
Can I install SuperSU or something to root the device and then remove this app?
Is there some other way to remove it?
Is there a way to remove it at all?
When I click on it I can only remove it from my home screen, but cannot uninstall it because the uninstall option to drag the app to in the screen is missing (only the remove place where to drag the icon appears).
If I remove the Messages app from the home screen, I still can see it in the list, if apps, when I scroll up on the home screen with my fingers to see all apps.
But I don't want this app anywhere on my phone.
Thanks.

Well yes you can root you phone and remove the messages app but i warn you that removing system apps is very risky. Why not just disable it because removing it completely you might regret it greatly afterwards

Go to settings
Go to apps or app manager
Go to all apps (differs from phone to phone)
Search for the message app tap on it and then disable it.


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Do I need to root my Pixel 3 phone in order to install GrapheneOS?
I am interested in stalling GrapheneOS custom ROM on a Pixel 3 phone.
Does this require that I root the phone?

No, it is neither required, nor recommended to root the device.
You will need to follow the official instructions here: https://grapheneos.org/install
It will require you to:

Upgrade the stock OS (to get any firmware updates)
Show dev options.
Enable OEM unlocking.
Actually unlock the bootloader.
Install GrapheneOS via fastboot
Lock the bootloader.


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So, I have an app called "ww_easteur001", never installed it, and it behaves... weird I would say. Need help with it
So, I never installed this app, it just appeared at some point on my phone. I didn't do anything at first, thought it was something related to android because it has an android icon.
The problem is that sometimes, when I would of opened Chrome, it would of opened with a site already on it (something with some kind of clickbait game) and a ww_easteur001 notification. Sometimes that notification just popped up without anything happening "apparently". I unistalled it a while ago, thought that it was gone, after a few weeks it appeared again. Uninstalled it again, appeared again, etc.
Today I looked closely and I saw that it had access to my Phone (calls and numbers), Messages and Storage, and I found out that at some point a message was sent to a number not in my contact list that seemed like pure gibberish. (My luck that I don't have credit atm, so the message didn't go through). I obviously suspected that app.
So... Need help. I'm not entirely sure what I should do (I know I should of done something the first time when I saw it, but I was dumb), I'm not sure what it does exactly, but definitely not something good. I cannot find anything online about it / similar experiences...
Now, worst case scenario I can just reset the phone and/or buy a new one, since this one is trash anyway, but I'm still confused about what's all this about, and I may or may not be a little bit scared to what it has done this whole time.
EDIT:
Model number: Xylo P
Android version: 7.0

It's definitely not an Android system app (or you wouldn't see the "uninstall" button). You could start by revoking its permissions (and see if they're "magically granted back" the next day). You could also simply uninstall it (and see if it comes magically back the next day). As you didn't install it yourself, some other app must be responsible for that (see e.g. Unwanted apps auto installing without me doing anything. How to stop them?)

FWIW, the Android icon is the default icon that Android Studio provides, so the "developer" didn't provide any icon for it. Please also consider mentioning the package name of this "app" by following View app's full package name?.

@Izzy "I unistalled it a while ago, thought that it was gone, after a few weeks it appeared again. Uninstalled it again, appeared again, etc." Yeah, already did that. I'll look to the link you sent, thank you!

The = as last character in the SMS often indicates base64 encoding. The decoded string is �M4yo2s51blzvrbsmco5gqp.


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Programmatically Set Minimum Width in Developer Options
How do I programmatically set the Minimum Width in Android's Developer Options from Llamalab's Automate app?
I use Your Phone on Windows 10 to view my phone's screen.  I maximize the window to get the full size of my monitor. With a minimum width of 1500, the phone is kind of like a tablet.  I would like to set the Minimum Width to 1500 when viewing the screen on my monitor and 486 (the default?) when viewing the screen on my phone.
Using the "Settings finder" flow from the Community, it told me the following:
Category: secure
Name: display_density_forced
Value: 188

I then used a System setting set block in Automate.  This threw an exception because Automate does not write permissions.
I connected my phone to my PC via USB and ran the following command to grant write permissions to Automate:
adb shell pm grant com.llamalab.automate android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Now the System setting set block does not throw an exception.  However, changing the setting via the block does nothing to the UI.
If I run the following command on my PC, then the UI changes.
adb shell wm density 188

Did you ever get anywhere with this?

@muistooshort I switched to using Samsung Dex.  It is much more powerful.


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Instagram videos shown upside-down on BlueStacks
I'm using the latest version of BlueStacks.
I have installed my Instagram account on BlueStacks.
It is for the time that I work on my PC instead of my phone.
All the videos are showing upside-down.

Is there any way to fix it?

the new update is finally here that fixes it, so install it in the about section in settings, and you should be good to go.

I've recenty (today) installed BlueStacks to upload a video to Instagram and the issue persists :(

I had the same issue, reinstalling Instagram fixed it

Some people said to try the cog icon in the top-right corner, press Settings, go to Engine, and press "Use advanced graphics engine mode (Beta)".
Note: this does not exist on MSI App Player (Bluestacks 4).


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SSL error on Firebase hosting on old Android devices
I am not being able to see my Firebase Web App on old Android Devices due to SSL error.

There is a question about this, but the answer doesn't say how to solve it.
Is there any solution for this?

SSL/TLS support is based on the Android version. There's no way for Android end-users to fix this issue unless to upgrade to a newer Android version if possible.
In this case, based on Qualys SSL Server Test, the site only supports TLS 1.2.

TLS 1.2 is only supported since Android 4.4.2 KitKat, where Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and before only supports TLS 1.0 (among other older protocols).

The only fix is to configure the server to allow other protocols and/or cipher suites (the specific depends on the server and out-of-scope of this site).


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Freennode Weechat Android Protocol error and Failed to connect error
I'm using weechat-android that I installed using f-droid and trying to connect to freenode in order to join an irc server. I am able to connect freenode on my Windows 10 PC using mIRC as expected. Not able to do so on Android after following this doc https://freenode.net/kb/answer/chat.
This is the exact setup I used when I get the protocol error.

This is the exact setup I used when I get the failed to connect error.

Where do you got the information about the server `freenode.net:8001 from? When I search for freenode I only get irc.freenode.net:8001 or chat.freenode.net:6697 for the SASL connection.

I must have mixed those up I got some of that information from this kb article about connecting to freenode, but wasn't sure about the ports.

When I set my relay password, relay port to 8001 and host to irc.freenode.net:8001 I still get a Error: Protocol error message.

I assume you have to use one of the TLS ports, not the insecure plain text ports.

I'm not sure what ports where used. I used both mIRC and compiled Weechat from source on Ubuntu, both abstracted the ports I believe.

Have you executed the commands form the manual I have linked in my first comment?

The one from Configuring SASL for WeeChat right? Would I need to root my phone to run these commands?

What makes you think so? Root is never mentioned anywhere you should just type in the commends into your chat program.

The chat program is running on my Android phone. How would type these commands in on my Android phone?

It is a chat program. Type the commands into the chat.

This is the program I am using https://f-droid.org/packages/com.ubergeek42.WeechatAndroid

Have you read the Quickstart info about the relay server? See also my edited answer.

I have, I think my blocking issue is I am having trouble getting this to work with my Android app, but all of the guidance assumes I have access to a CLI where I can run these commands. Which I don't have access to in Android unless I'm root.

You have to execute these commands in the Weechat program on your PC/server.

Okay I think I see now, I misunderstood. I run these commands on my desktop from your answer. Then the Android app connects to Weechat through the ports I expose on my local network?

Seems to be the way this app works.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Note: According to the Quickstart guide Weechat-Android is not a chat-program, it is only a UI for a chat program running on your server:

Weechat-Android is a relay client, that is it's not a standalone
client, but one that connects to your copy of WeeChat running on your
server. You can connect the two in a number of ways, listed below.

Therefore if you just install the app on your phone it is not usable. You still need an own server on the Internet where your Weechat program is executed.

You can connect to freenode by pointing your IRC client at
chat.freenode.net on ports 6665-6667 and 8000-8002 for plain-text
connections, or ports 6697, 7000 and 7070 for TLS-encrypted
connections.
Connect to chat.freenode.net

https://freenode.net/kb/answer/chat
Alternatively there is a Weechat how-to for setting the correct server: https://freenode.net/kb/answer/weechat
/server add freenode chat.freenode.net/6697 -ssl
/set irc.server.freenode.sasl_mechanism PLAIN
/set irc.server.freenode.sasl_username <nickname>
/set irc.server.freenode.sasl_password <password>
/save


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Android Whatsapp - How many stickers you can add as favourite on your mobile?
What is the limit of the number of stickers that can be stored as favourites in the mobile version of Whatsapp?


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HTC one infinite reboot. How to turn off bluetooth from adb?
This is my first question here...
My problem is similar to the one explained here:
HTC. infinite reboot. How to turn off bluetooth from adb?
..my HTC one rebooting continuously due to bluetooth. So I need to turn bluetooth off from adb or other.
I don't have any experience with adb/fastboot nor with recovery mode. I have a Mac with Android Studio installed (including SDK and adb+fastboot). (I'm only starting to learn "android programming").
I would like to try the commands posted in the above link to solve my issue but I have some problems:
To enter the Recovery-mode menu I pass through the "Recovery" option on the boot menu (see image).

In the HTC site they list the options available on the Recovery-mode menu. The options of this menu are the same I have when I enter recovery-mode, except that there should be an "Apply update from ADB" option that is not present on my phone. (see picture)

I know adb installation is correctly set up (I use it to connect to my other phone to test the app I develop on Android Studio).
I know that my mac can "see" my HTC when it's connected to USB (for a short moment, before rebooting, when the Android UI of my phone has already load, my mac shows me a message - from Android File Transfer application - telling me that it can't connect to the device).

When I'm in recovery mode and I connect my phone through USB and I enter the ADB command "adb devices" on my terminal and my HTC phone is not listed.
Do you think I have any chance to fix this problem ? I'd like to avoid factory resetting my phone.
Any help/guidance on how to operate would be very much appreciated. Thanks !

What recovery have you installed (e.g. TWRP)? Stock recovery has no UI options nor adb connectivity. If your device is still locked you have to unlock it which erases all user data. In such a case it would be better to try to use adb on the regular OS in the time span before it reboots.

Thanks Robert for your answer. When I speak about "recovery menu" I mean the recovery-mode on my phone. I have no recovery software installed neither on my MacBook nor on my phone.
The time span before it reboots is minimal.
I will re-edit the question adding some images, maybe it will be easier to understand (as english is not my mother tongue, I may not be clear enough)

As I wrote this stock recovery has no ADB functionality.

thanks again. I didn't know what you meant by "stock recovery".
As I wrote, there's no time before the phone restarts to connect on regular OS.
Is there any chance to recover my data before unlocking ?


text:
How safe is my Nexus 6 with Android 7.1.1 and the possible latest update (Oct 5th 2017)?
I found my old Nexus 6. No SIM in it, just connects to the Internet via my home wifi.
I've tried to catch the latest updates, upgrades, and security patches, then I realized, unless I doing something "big" like changing rom, or whatever it is called, which I definitely do not want, I stucked with 7.1.1 and its latest security update Oct.5th 17.
My question is it safe to use?
Nothing special sensitive there, but I would like to log in to Google Play with my account to download and by some apps

That depends mainly on the app you use. If you often try out new apps from PlayStore (or other sources) there is a chance that you may encounter an app that uses one of the vulnerabilities to gain root and installs malware on your system. However if you just use existing apps from known developers and disable Bluetooth (there some vulnerabilities in the last years) on the device the risk of getting infected should be manageable. As you can always go back as Google provides the firmware images I would recommend to test LineageOS for your device.

Rober, many thx for you instant answer. I am just doing Recovery Mode/Wipe Data Factory Reset. After that I would like to set to connect my home Wifi, then add my Google Account, then buy 2-3 well known application via Google Play. No sideloads, just a few well known app from Google Play.


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Mobile legends not compatible after unity fix
I want to play mlbb on pc, but it gets black after logo phase. Because its unity game I patched unity fix. Others game like granny now works but mlbb vanishes if installed. Its in data/app. If I uninstall with pm and install, it says not  compatible.
Pm install says :
cant find matching adis,could not extract native resources.
I managed to get it run on primeos somehow. But can't do it anymore.

May be you are trying to install an ARMv7/v8a only app on an x86 emulator?

I also tried armv8 version of soulknight. It works. Also previous version of mlbb worked only in phoenix os. And some how I managed to run new one in prime os , don't know how. But I used unity fix than and it didn't show compatibility issue. Now when I switched to DM I can't work it anymore even on primeos

Why would it be not compatible when I have arm layer for arm games

Do u know how unity fix works


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how to take android browser offline when my external ip changes?
My ISP only provides ipv4 ips dynamically. I have tracked them using a termux script and found that i can get back ips after reconnecting a couple of times.
Now what I want is to restrict my browser to a certain format of ips.
My idea:
Running a local simple proxy in termux and browsing through that. Whenever the connection gets lost, a script will shut the proxy and check the new external ip. will only restart the proxy when the format matches.
Now I am trying to figure out how to run a script whenever my data connection is lost ?
Please help me with your ideas regarding this or anything related to my main question. Thanks

Run a background service that executes curl checkip.amazonaws.com every few seconds.

but how do i pause a proxy. Can it be done using tinyproxy on android ?


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Google accounts (and apps not syncing) on RealMe 3 Pro (Android 10)
I have 5 Google accounts on my phone running on RealMe UI (Android 10). None of my Google accounts are getting synced I tried removing one of the account and adding back but then only Gmail synced but still not getting any mail notifications. I have tried all the solutions such as rebooting, re installing, turning off power saver mode. Problem is even if a uncheck and check the auto sync option nothing is happening.
Please find me a solution for this, as sync is extremely necessary because I need to get my notifications from Gmail Google classroom and Google calendar.

First use browser to log in to Gmail. If you are successfully log in to Gmail. Then it is confirm that problem with Gmail app.
Update Gmail apps.
Go to app setting / gmail / storage / clear data and clear cache.

I have done everything installing/ uninstalling, nothing is working. Problem is none of the Google apps are getting synced, in day to day life I use Google Keep, it is also not syncing with the google account. Thing is I'm getting mails on all the IDs but not receiving any notifications.

I've faced this twice now. It was fixed when I cleaned google play services and google play store data.

Update: The issue is with phone storage. That is, if out of 64GB only 5GB is free then Google Notifications might not come.

So the last time it happened was months back, and I had to factory reset it. It worked well so far, but the problem resurfaced again today. Funnily, I googled and found this page, and realized that I've been here before.
Anyway It might be the storage problem as you said, I was indeed low on storage, and after clearing some space. sync is working for now.
I wonder why devs are not working on this very apparent bug.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to fix the issue on my Realme GT but the only thing that did the trick was free up some memory as suggested by @sahil-jhawar (I was at 5% free memory and magically bringing it to 30% it worked!)


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"Unable to open this file on your device" : How to download the file to Android?
Using the Android app LINE, a friend sent me a file, and I would like to download it.
Upon tapping the file, the download takes a few minutes then displays:

I don't have access to a PC.
I can't find the file in my Android's folders Downloads nor Downloads/LINE nor data/jp.naver.line.android/temp/temp_download.
Question: How to get the file?

Maybe the file is saved somewhere in a temporary or internal folder?
Maybe I can use an app that would pretend to open the file, but in fact save it? I tried this trick with ToGoZip but it did not work, ToGoZip just said it could not open the file.
Any other trick is welcome! The file is a .key presentation, if that matters.

Did you check the log to see if LINE fires an intent to ask the system for apps which can handle this type of file? Btw what type of file is it?

I will check, thanks! The file is a .key presentation, if that matters.


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What is this symbol on the battery?

What does this mean? It is one of the many symbols and logos on a phone battery.
I know it's not technically an Android question, but at least it's related, and I couldn't find a more suitable StackExchange site...

According to this wikimedia commons site, it is Taiwan's official recycling symbol. Probably means the battery is recyclable.

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Recycle_symbol_Taiwan.svg


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Can’t move photos to SD card (because of “insufficient storage”) or make camera automatically store them there
My wife has a Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 10 on it. It has an SD card which has about 11 free GB, and the phone’s internal storage has only 400 free MB or so.
I have two questions concerning photos/videos and storage:

The phone’s camera is configured to store photos and videos in the SD card. However, we’ve found it arbitrarily stores them in the internal storage or in the SD card rather than respecting the setting. Why could this be happening?
When we tried to move a photo from the internal storage to the SD card (by going to Gallery, selecting the photo, tapping the three dots at the top-right corner and tapping “Move to folder”), it says there isn’t enough storage in the phone before even asking where the photo should be moved. This happens with all photos in the “Camera” folder in the internal storage, whether or not they’re uploaded to the cloud. It isn't a memory (RAM) issue (unless I'm mistaken as to how virtual memory works), because even if all of the phone's real memory were used up and the phone had to create virtual memory, the size of the required virtual memory would be equal to the size of the file(s) we're trying to move, and 400 MB is much greater than the size of one photo. (Not a duplicate of this question, which is about moving apps to an SD card.)

We’ve tried unmounting and remounting the SD card, but that doesn’t solve either of the problems.
Thank you.
Edit: Added a note on why I don't think memory has anything to do with problem 2.

Did you try deleting useless apps or files? If you did and it didn't help then open the phone dialer, dial *#9900# and select the 2nd option “Delete dumpstate/logcat” in the prompted menu. Select ok to ‘Delete Dump’ and hit exit. (Sometimes there is problem just with the logs).. Try this and lemme know if it doesn't work

@Aayush Android logcat logs are never saved to flash, logcat is a fixed cyclic RAM buffer. Deleting this buffer should have abolutly no effect on the used flash memory. Ever the amount of RAM used will not changed as the size of the used buffer is fixed.

You can find some pointers on how to deal with the insufficient storage space in our insufficient-memory tag wiki. After having initially solved this, to tackle your camera problem, you could try an alternative camera app (link goes to my site). I'm quite happy with Open Camera, which I use from F-Droid.

@Aayush No, didn't try that. My question isn't about how to increase free internal storage space, but about why having very little free internal storage space prevents moving photos from the internal storage to the SD card.

@Izzy Thanks for the tip. I'd be reluctant to try a non-default camera app on my own phone, but I'll ask my wife what she thinks of your idea. As for insufficient space, please see my comment to Aayush.


text:
Nearly every app I open directly crashes
As specified in the title my problem is only that. Any app I open in my phone crashes with the message "Unfortunately the app has stopped working".
Only the Google apps, Edge browser, Camera and Whatsapp are not crashing rest all apps are crashing on opening.
This started happening without any change. I left my phone in a good normal condition and after an hour when I came back it showed "unfortunately truecaller has stopped working". I also tried opening games but they also kept crashing. No use of restarting or switching off and on. I've done that literally a hundreds of times.
My phone is not rooted. Just a normal phone running Android 6. Please help me fast.

Hi @Robert !. Luckily I fixed the problem when I uninstalled all updates from "Android System Web View" Application in the settings app. After that BOOM. All my problems just flew away. I don't know how this problem originated but now I have fixed it. :)

Better try to install the Webview updates again otherwise all apps that use WebView will be vulnerable and might cause malware to be installed.

Alike the asker, uninstalling / removing updates of Android System WebView app fixed the problem for me too.


text:
Only use 2G for calls?
My current phone unfortunately does not support VoLTE, so I'm limited to 2G for calls.
However, for all other uses (internet, messaging), even the worst LTE reception is still infinitely better than 2G. In areas with low LTE coverage, my phone switches down to 2G, despite me not intending to make a call.
When I then wish to go online, I have to manually open up the secret menu, force it to use the weak LTE signal (by setting it to "LTE ONLY"), and remember to turn it back to its automatic mode when I want to make or receive a call.
Is there a way to do this automatically? Only ever connect to useless 2G when making calls, and forcing LTE in all other situations?
The "preferred network type" option in the settings ("LTE/3G/2G (Auto)", "3G/2G (Auto)", "2G Only") also seems to be very backwards for modern usage.

When on LTE without VoLTE support, doesn't the phone switch back to 3G on phone calls anyway? AFAIR that's the specification. Just not sure if your "enforce" can/does override that.

If it's on LTE on its own, it does. When I set it to "LTE only" in the "phone info" screen - which is neccessary to prevent it from going to 2G under low reception - it stays on LTE and can't connect calls.

Ah! That fact – LTE only – was not clear. Let's integrate that with your question, shall we? // Good luck, I hope someone does have a solution for this (I unfortunately don't)…


text:
this app is associated with a different google account
I am using 5-6 gmail accounts on my android phone.
There are situations when I access Google Files app on my laptop and then on phone it shows that I am signed in to play store via different account.
I want to make sure on laptop when I open Google files app and install an app that installs app on my mobile I am on same Google account.

How would the laptop know what concurrent account on the phone is currently active? Why should/would it care? Most importantly, what corrective action would you design into the systems to take care of a decidedly personal, decidedly rare, user case?

I have 2 Google accounts on my phone, and AFAIK, you can (and have to) switch the account manually on both the Play Store app and web version.


text:
Physical keyboard shortcuts that use the "search" key?
According to the physical keyboard configuration on my android phone, there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that involve the "search" key. E.g. "+⏎" for home. I've included a screenshot below showing the complete list. I am running LineageOS 16.0 (Android 9); the screenshot comes from the "Physical keyboard" configuration (System -> Languages & input -> Physical keyboard).
What key is Android expecting for the "" key?
I have a keyboard configured with a "Search" key. Using evtest on my Linux box, I can see the keyboard is sending the KEY_SEARCH keycode:
Event: time 1601635686.628475, type 1 (EV_KEY), code 217 (KEY_SEARCH), value 1

This comes from the "USB-HID Keyboard Consumer Control" device.
When connected to my phone, none of the shortcuts involving the search key appear to work. I am wondering if I just need to remap the search key to send something different?

I never heared of a "search key" on a physical keyboard. The Android display keaboard can have a search key in certain situations. I would assume that the commands on the posted screen shots refer to the software keyboard. See e.g. bottom right in this screen shot: https://i.stack.imgur.com/FjsAr.png

The posted screenshot comes directly from the "Physical keyboard" configuration (System -> Languages & input -> Physical keyboard), so pretty sure it's not referring to the software keyboard. This is LineageOS 16.0 (Android 9).

The Search key here actually refers to the OS key(Windows/Command/Super key). On some ROMs (e.g. Samsung's One UI), this search button is replaced by "OS" (see here)

The Search key here in Android refers to the OS key(Windows/Command/Super keys), so you would use the OS key + other combinations to activate the shortcut.
On some ROMs, such as One UI, this search key is replaced by "OS".

I guess why this is called the Search key is because when you press on it(OS key), it will activate the Search app(e.g. Google) and on newer systems, this is configured to activate the default assistant app(e.g. Google Assistant)

I've just connected my physical keyboard to my phone for the first time and was also shown that list of shortcuts. I too wonder what the Search key is on my keyboard. As I read you message I thought.... Maybe it's the key normally labeled as "Win" or "OS" etc. It's often considered a special key. Tried it.. Eg Win+C and yup, in opened up my Contacts app! :-)


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Recover phone data with a broken screen
Is it possible to recover data from my Xperia X whose screen is shattered(completely black). It's running Android Oreo and USB debugging is OFF. Unfortunately screen replacement is not available in my region for Sony Mobiles anymore :(

Is a pattern/PIN/password/fingerprint is set? Have you checked our broken-screen tag Wiki?

@Robert Ya, I have a pin set up

A PIN can be easily bypassed using an connected keyboard. As far as I remember the combination is RETURN  RETURN.

Yes. I am able to unlock the phone. But when I connect it with my PC, the default mode is "charging only". I have to change it to media transfer mode. How do I do it?

See Android key combinations and talk back mode https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6110948?hl=en

I tried this. I am able to unlock the screen. But nothing after that. Do we need to enable talkback ? On using those shortcuts, I hear nothing from the phone


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Found a locked phone, how can I access the contacts?
I found a P30 Lite which I would like to return to the owner. However, I have no way of contacting anyone on the phones contact list as the phone is locked. Is there a way I can recover the data to a PC or somehow access the contacts? Note that USB Debugging is not enabled.

Make sure the phone has power and network connection is enabled. If the device owner did not made a mistake she or he will use Google connoection to lock the phone and display owner info.

Try to access its emergency info. Owner might have left a clue there. I usually do so, leaving my other number to "contact me if found".

If you are really motivated, see if the phone has an IMEI number on a sticker (sometimes under the battery cover if removable) - if you can locate this number, try calling a few prominent GSM servicers in your area.  They might be able to contact the subscriber based on IMEI lookup.