text:
Possible to turn on Airplane mode with WiFi on only?
I know the definition of Airplane mode is all communications and radio signals are blocked. But is it possible to turn off the "calling/receiving" part of the phone so your phone is not connecting to a cell tower and only allow Wifi? I've looked into a couple of apps in Google Play but they're either not working or out of date with newer versions of Android.
I know there is strong opinions on both sides of the issue but I'm worried about radiation from my phone since i use it a lot in bed and I hold the phone close to my head and face. At night I'm not worried about receiving calls, so I just want to turn off the phone part and  use WiFi. Is there a way? Or am i just crazy and paranoid?

It's possible on all Samsung devices, maybe not only on Samsung, but I am speaking about what I have personal experience. Just turn on Airplane mode and turn on WiFi. Simple as a pie!

Possible to turn on Airplane mode with WiFi on only?

Well yeah, possible in all of my devices running Android 4.2.1, 4.4.2, 5.0.2 and 5.1.1. This applies for portable hotspot too.
The radios that are supposed to be turned off when Airplane mode gets enabled are saved  in the key airplane_mode_radios under the table global inside /data/data/com.android.settings/databases/settings.db (Settings Storage app's database).
Set up adb in PC, enable USB debugging in device, connect it into PC, launch a shell, and enter:
adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_radios
adb shell content query --uri content://settings/global  --projection name:value --where "name='airplane_mode_radios'"

Given the command executed, you would see (either one of the result) something like:
cell,bluetooth,wifi,nfc,wimax
Row: 0 name=airplane_mode_toggleable_radios, value=bluetooth,wifi,nfc

You can choose to remove wifi from the value to achieve the final objective.
Enter any one of the commands:
adb shell settings put global airplane_mode_radios  "cell,bluetooth,nfc,wimax"
adb shell content update --uri content://settings/global --bind value:s:'cell,bluetooth,nfc,wimax' --where "name='airplane_mode_radios'"

Note: Do not copy-paste. Note the string that you got in the first output. Then remove wifi, from it and then pass the resultant between the double quotes "" the way I've shown above.
Now you can turn on the Wi-Fi followed by the Airplane mode. Your Wi-Fi wouldn't turn off.
The need for using ADB was meant for once only.  If you decide to stop Wi-Fi when Airplane mode becomes active then simply include  wifi in that key's value.
All good here!

Do you know?
The reason you're able to toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC manually even when Airplane mode is active is because they are mentioned in the value for key airplane_mode_toggleable_radios.
Enter any one of the commands:
adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_toggleable_radios
adb shell content query --uri content://settings/global  --projection name:value --where "name='airplane_mode_toggleable_radios'"

You would see (either one of them) something like:
bluetooth,wifi,nfc
Row: 0 name=airplane_mode_toggleable_radios, value=bluetooth,nfc

Remove a radio from that key's value such as wifi and you wouldn't be able to toggle that radio (Wi-Fi here) again when Airplane mode is active, no matter what, unless of course you revert the changes in that key's value.

To others having trouble with exceptions when querying with where clauses that have text, you have to escape the single quotation marks. So in the example in the answer, you'd say --where "name=\'airplane_mode_toggleable_radios\'" (notice the \').

This still works perfectly on android 9.0 when backslashes are used.

If you come across this for forcing Wifi Calling to use Wifi and not randomly switch to a spotty cellular signal, it works on Motorolla G Power 2021 (Android 11) but you need to turn Airplane Mode on before starting your call, otherwise it will drop the call.

I use my mobile like this when I travel. So first turn on Airplane mode and then activate WIFI (for example in notification panel). At the end you will have Airplane mode, WIFI activated, and all other connection deactivated.

Lolwut! This totally works :-D.  Works for Bluetooth also

Easy way to enable only the radios you want. Thanks.

As you probably already correctly guessed, that's device dependent. On my old HTC Wildfire (aka Buzz) I was able to switch of GSM radio separately – on my Motorola Milestone 2 (aka Droid 2) I am not. What always seems to work is a work-around: Switching to airplane mode, and just enabling WiFi again (and Bluetooth, if you need it).
To not end up "playing piano" each time, this can be automated: tasker e.g. offers to create widgets (rather "shortcuts") for its tasks. So you could first create a task (airplane on, WiFi on, Bluetooth on...), and then make a widget for that. Same for the other direction, if needed. That way you can switch around with the simple tap of a shortcut.

That works great on all of my devices, using Tasker (it's scheduled as my "do-not-disturb night-mode" from 1am to 7am, so wheather info comes in for my morning alarm, but calls don't ;)

In your Dialer / Phone app, enter *#*#4636#*#*
Select Phone Information
Select Turn off radio

Or use an app like Cell Radio ShutOff.
Note also that you can turn Wi-Fi back on during Airplane Mode (though it can definitely be annoying to have it turned off in the first place).


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android updated system app, how to remove the "updated" status?

link2sd can list  all updated system apps. as this screenshot shows.
I thought that link2sd categorize an app as UPDATED when it finds the same app in /data/app and /system/app. So I deleted the Gmail app from /system/app, and the corresponding file from /data/dalvik-cache. but link2sd still say Gmail is updated.
I'm just wondering, based what criterion that link2sd categorize an app as UPDATED?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Change system font on 4.2.2
On my GT-I9105P with 4.1.2 there was a section in the Settings where I could change the system font. But now I've done the 4.2.2 upgrade and the Settings have been redesigned I can't find any option to change the system font. How can I change it?
P.S. I would not use any applications to change the font, so I wanna know if the option to change the font have been removed or simply I can't find it.
EDIT: I found the solution.

Are you running an official Samsung firmware? It should be in Settings > Display > Font Style. Failing that there are apps, maybe they would be worth considering? I have the option on a Touchwiz ROM on the S4 but not on the 4.4 Google Edition.

@RossC, Based on my experience, this seems like an entirely valid answer. I'd be happy to upvote it if posted as an answer.

What was the solution? Could you share it here, and accept it as an answer 2 days later?

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


text:
Unable to reach Google Play does not recognize my device
I have the HUAWEI G520-5000 mobile phone which was bought in April 2013 from China during a business trip. The device, despite of being locked for China Mobile carrier, is working properly for my carrier (Cosmote) in Greece. I don't have problems with talking or accessing the internet. My problem is that my Google account does not recognize my device and I can not use the Google Play store and it is impossible to install even the simpliest application. I suppose that the problem is the Android OS on my device which seems to be modified by China Mobile and Huawei (only Chinese apps are accepted by the device and the s/n of the OS is also pretty strange (something like 123456ABCD).
I would appreciate if somebody could help me out with my problem. Thanks

Google play services are blocked in China, you may have to root to lift the regional restrictions in the firmware. Check out the how to root my device thread: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1184/how-do-i-root-my-android-device

No, rooting will not help. The OP will need to wipe the firmware and install another into the device. This is because pretty much all mobile devices made for China market primarily work with Chinese apps - thus, instead of Google Play, they get their equivalent Chinese market app. They are a paranoid bunch over there!

Is there a some way to find new firmware and fix my problem by myself  or should I find someone to have this job done? Are there any risks for my smartphone?

Is the Google Play Store app available on that device? Can you create a Google account on it, or are the appropriate settings missing as well?

No. Unfortunately the Google play store is not available on my device and this is the main problem I have.

Did you find any solution?!

The following worked for me, but requires root:

install Total Commander
open it
browse to /system/etc
look for a file named hosts
long-press the file, then chose to edit it via the CMD editor
comment out the second line (place a # in front of the digit)
save the file (approve superuser request for Total Commander when asked for)

Now the problem should be solved!

you've just damaged all our ears! Please, do not use ALL CAPS – that's considered screaming and impolite. Apart from that, it makes your post harder to read.

Besides bad formatting, this is a wrong answer.


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Does Samsung Galaxy Grand Support USB OTG?
Hii Everyone iam Using Samsung Galaxy Grand (GT-I9082) Duos Model and it is running with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Version. I Just Wanted to know whether my device supports USB-OTG Cable Support For Connecting USB Drives i have Searched for the same in google and found different answers like this
video from YouTube is saying that my device doesn't support OTG and in other site here saying that my device will support OTG
Please Help Me to know whether my device supports OTG or not
Thanks in Advance

The Galaxy Grand kernel does not support OTG from what I can see. There may be a custom Kernel to support it if you are willing to root etc, the only one I found was for 4.1.2 and abandoned due to huge number of bugs. Try XDA developers for your device and see what custom kernels are available. As it stands you don't have that option (unless something in the firmware has changed in the last few months). http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2359166 Seems to confirm there isn't a kernel you can use for this I'm afraid.

@RossC Your comment is a better answer than any of the answers on this question! Please post it as an answer so people stop posting bad answers.

The Galaxy Grand kernel does not support OTG from what I can see. There may be a custom Kernel to support it if you are willing to root etc, the only one I found was for 4.1.2 and abandoned due to huge number of bugs.
Rooting will void your manufacturer/carrier warranty and is not for the wary or anyone who can't risk losing all data from their device.
Try XDA developers for your device and see what custom kernels are available. As it stands you don't have that option (unless something in the firmware has changed in the last few months). This XDA thread seems to confirm there isn't a kernel you can use for this I'm afraid.
This XDA thread has an experimental kerlel, which may help, but as previously stated there are warranty, and functionality issues with any custom kernel.
IF you decide to root your device, this link has a how-to guide which you use at your own risk!
Read, and read some more before you decide. Back up everything and follow the steps to the letter. Ensure that you have the EXACT same device as in the thread also.
DISCLAIMER: ROOTING YOUR PHONE WILL PROBABLY VOID YOUR WARRANTY FROM BOTH THE CARRIER AND THE MANUFACTURER. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT FAULT FOR ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ROOTING, THEN DO NOT RISK IT. HERE BE DRAGONS.

Is your device rooted? If not try rooting and installing USB OTG Helper or Stickmount. These apps work only on rooted devices and help to mount USB devices.
However, USB OTG Helper app has a site which has a database of supported device.  Even there confusion prevails. A user has commented as:

The best way to know is to try is to root and try these apps yourself.  By rooting you can change kernels that could help these apps to mount USB drives.
There is a XDA webpage, which seems to show some light at the end of the tunnel. However, patching kernels are not for faint hearted and I would not advice to take that path, if you are hesitating even to root.

Rooting Voids Device's Warranty how can i do that ??

Unfortunately that's true in India. Samsung says in its warranty agreement that warranty will be void, if it detects changes made to its software. There could be a chance if in such cases you could flash the original stock ROM before claiming warranty. However, I am not sure whether there are QFuses/bootloader unlocking etc are involved which would inform the service centre that you had attempted to root.

Samsung Galaxy Grand (GT-I9082) Duos 4.2.2 Jelly Bean does not support OTG. I checked.

How did you check and where?

You could check with USB Host Diagnostics - though, you'd need to get a USB OTG adaptor and actually plug something in to check.
I'd also add, while many devices may support USB OTG, they may not support plugging in mass storage devices - I have a tablet that I can use a keyboard with, but not USB drives.
I do seem to find a lot of references to it not working, like RossC's link, but nothing that says it does.


text:
Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 stuck on boot screen (bricked)
This is going to be a long story because my tablet is just having problems left and right.
Firstly, I received this tablet (SCH-i905) as a gift with cyanogen mod already pre-installed. Thus, in attempts to remove it, I tried to do a clean format in the android settings, but that didn't work.
Then I tried the manual restore to factory settings, holding down the volume button + power button. Selected wipe data/factory reset. This didn't work either, cyanogen mod was still installed.
Then I decided to unmount and mount the system and some other things. That's when I can't even start up my Tablet anymore. It is stuck at the load screen Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 .
Now I am trying to flash the original hardware to my tablet using Odin, however I cannot find the rom. I also look into the official samsung page, and downloaded the EXE for the USB drive, but can't run ADB.
Where do these ROMs exist or what other alternatives do I have?
EDIT: In the advanced menu, if I select show log, I get the following:
Checking for extendedcommand
Skipping execution of extendedcommand, file not found...
Can't partition no vfat: datamedia
can't format unknown volume: /external_sd
can't format unknown volume: /emmc
unknown volume for path [/sd-ext]
can't remove '/sd-ext/dalvik-cache' No such file or directory
EDIT 2 :
I also tried using Odin with PDA_SIGNED_P7105.tar.md5 . Now my device is in an infinite boot loop.

All I want for xmas is to restore to factory version

There is only one possible way to restore your device after unmounting system and/or bricking it.
And that is to flash (via Odin) the original stock firmware in a file named : PDA_HC31_EG01Ba_AP352081user_CP1033580_LTE20110704_0708.tar
Nothing else will work. Only this one file will be able to unbrick this device.
The procedure is quite easy.
On the device

Hold volume up + Power
Select Odin mode (right icon)
Connect USB to device and computer

On the computer

Download and run Odin 1.85 (This is important because diff versions of Odin support diff files)
Check off PDA and select the above tar file
Click start (3 boxes should be checked, 2 default and PDA)

The Odin software will then transfer the stock firmware to the device and shut off when the transfer is finished. User must boot up the device again. When the device boots up, it will automatically install the firmware. The device is now officially unbricked.

Part of the problem I had was finding the original firmware because every website provided dead links. However I eventually did find it. I am not sure if I violate any SE rules by posting a link to a file host here, so just send me an email if you need this file / leave a comment here.

This is a perfect example of a user answering his own question awesomely, with great instructions and everything. Feel free to [edit] the question and put the link up as it could be useful to someone in the future (and it's so hard to find!). And stick around on Android Enthusiasts!


text:
Is there a TRUE brightness controlling app?
I need to set my brightness below what Android allows me, and thus I'm testing a bunch of "dimming" apps. What they all have in common though is that they put on a filter over other apps so while they protect your eyes they do nothing to get you more battery life.
Is there an app that has low-level access to the screen brightness so that when you go beyond the default minimum brightness it actually gets you more battery life?
RootDim might be fitting, but I need something without root access.

As far as I'm aware, the brightness levels are coded into the kernel. If I'm correct, then no app can really override them if you want to go lower than the minimum - you'd need to flash a custom kernel that has more flexible brightness ranges.

Related: How can I reduce screen brightness below the minimum without an app?

Related: Make my screen dimmer than the lowest setting available on my Moto Droid?

Thanks @Krampus, looks like I was wrong. Won't be the last time.

@user1891836: Don't know if this might help, but can you try DroidSet Free. The app has an auto brightness and manual brightness function much like Android screen brightness setting.

Having tested Lux thoroughly I can confirm it only adds a layer of grey (or brown, if in its "night mode", or red, if in its "astronomer" moder). Lux's blurb talks about altering the quality of the backlight, but this is not true. It only alters how much you can SEE of the backlit screen by obscuring it with a layer of grey (or brown, or red). "DroidSet Free" is more limited than "Lux" and simply offers a single brightness-control slider that is much like the one that comes with the Android systems.

I have been using Lux Lite and it works well for me.

Lux isn't your ordinary brightness app. It intelligently adjusts the brightness of your display based on the environment you're in. If you step into a dimly lit room, Lux will automatically lower the brightness of your display to make it not only comfortable to read, but to also preserve battery power.
Lux is also able to adjust the screen temperature of your display automatically to make it appropriate for night usage. At sunset, you can have Lux automatically warm your display and switch to your Night profile. If you're an astronomer, you can enable astronomer mode to cut out harsh white light. If you have a root enabled phone, you may even be able to apply these enhancements at a low level with Lux's plug-in system.
Perhaps the best thing about Lux is that you can teach it how to behave. If the backlight is too bright or dim for your liking, simply open the provided Dashboard, adjust the brightness slider to the level you desire, then hold the link button. Lux will use this new 'link' as a reference in future.

Are you sure Lux Lite is not only applying filters as well? The app's feature description (following your quote) makes me assume so, especially Astronomer mode. Adds a red filter to your display to preserve the eyesight of stargazers. The others could be interpreted both ways; no clear hint. On the other hand, Screen Adjuster explicitly mentions dimming the screen 15-100% (below minimum system brightness) and system brightness 0-100% adjustment (note: not filter).

Astronomer mode is an extra filter over and above the backlight dimming options. (Gives the screen a red cast.)

I thought so, yes – but from the app's description it's not clear. Can you confirm everything else is really reducing brightness (and thus power-saving, as requested by the OP), and not just other filters?

According to Battery Doctor, Lux Lite is draining battery like crazy so it is certainly not controlling system brightness

@user1891836: Doesn't drain my battery.


text:
Is Nexus 7 2013 LTE usable as a phablet?
I've stepped into a B&M the other day, and they had Nexus 7 in stock; I've realised how small it is, and it occurred to me that it might be usable as a phablet.
Other than being unable to use voice over 2G/3G (and 4G?), and size distinctions, are there any other features that are different between Nexus 7 and Nexus 5, especially as far as phone usage would be concerned?

I assume that when paired with a bluetooth headset, you'd be set. It doesn't have a handset speaker as far as I'm aware, so you wouldn't be able to hold it to your head and talk on it.

Besides being unable to make traditional voice calls, one difference is there is no earpiece, so unless you have headphones, your VoIP calls, video chats, etc... will all be on speaker.  Since it is a tablet, it's obvious why you wouldn't have one and it would look crazy holding that giant thing up to your ear.  Another  difference that people also tend to overlook is SMS.  Since there is no phone number associated with the tablet you won't get SMS service.  That can be mitigated by using services such as Google Voice which uses data instead of the SMS protocol to send these messages but yet are delivered to the recipient as SMS messages.
Due to the above you'll be missing the phone and messaging app components of the android OS on the nexus 7 (although as of 4.4 messaging app has been integrated with hangouts). Also you'll have support for multiple user profiles on your tablet, which is not an option on android phones.
BTW, you'll probably need to wear cargo pants to accommodate a Nexus 7, as it would probably be too large in your front pocket for you to sit comfortably.


text:
Broken Glass on Samsung Galaxy S4 with slightly bent frame
So a few days ago I stepped on my Galaxy S4 on a hard tile surface, mainly around the home button. The digitizer and the lcd screen work just fine and I am able to use my phone normally. The glass on the lower section is shattered and the frame just below the home button is bent in. Not the main frame thats about 10mm, but the small outer frame that surrounds the display. This part appears to be plastic when chipped but it isn't.
Is there a way to repair this during the glass only replacement?

It depends which frame was impacted. If it was the "thicker one" this
  one is easily replaceable (though you have to remove pretty much
  everything - there are videos on youtube). Of course if you have a
  warranty sticker on one of the screws warranty goes bye, bye if you
  remove it.
If it's the "thinner" to the front the only way to fix this is to
  replace the whole assembly - screen included which costs big (about
  250 USD import). That's because the AMOLED is glued to that frame -
  you'd have to unglue the glass, and unglue the screen which is
  impossible without breaking it.

(Source)


text:
Restarting after installing Cyanogenmod, it is just going around
I installed cyanogenmod 10.1, following the steps of this link. After the restart, it only shows the logo going around. It did not change in the last 5 hours.
What can I do?

This has happened to me also. Do a full wipe and flash the ROM again. It takes around 5-10 mins for first boot.

what is a full wipe?

In ClockWorkMod Select the Wipe Factory/Data Reset.Before doing this Do a Nandroid Backup.If anything wrong happens u can Restore it.


text:
USB Debugging is not showing in ADB devices
I Enabled USB Debugging on CyanogenMod 11 for LG Optimus L7. The Device is showing in Device Manager.
But, it is not showing in ADB devices list. And there is no notifications for USB debugging.

What is the device listed as in device manager?

Reflashed the ROM.Found in adb devices But No Notifications

I find solution for this problem..
steps:

Download Google USB Driver.
please find your device USB Driver from this link.
Then open devices in windows.
After that right-click on devices open property.
select update device driver.
Then select pickup from disk & select path of download Google USB driver.
Then type into command prompt at android-sdk\platform-tools
adb kill-server
adb start-server
adb devices
after all this you get your android devices.

Since you're comfortable with using Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can try the following steps in order:
1)  Open a command prompt (Windows) or shell prompt (Linux) at android-sdk\platform-tools directory.
2) Type adb kill-server
3) Type adb start-server
4) Type adb devices
If your device does not show up, try updating the Android SDK to the latest version and repeat the above steps again.

Tried Not Showing Up ....

@ArulNadhan: Hate to point out the obvious, but have you installed the LG USB drivers for your device onto your operating system (Windows, Linux)? Without these drivers, ADB initially won't work.

Reflashed the ROM.Found in adb devices. But No Notification is not showing up...

This has always been a problem. Try this, always works for me.

Ensure debugging is enabled
Install device drivers
If it still doesn't work use this
http://koush.com/post/universal-adb-driver, reboot and try again
should definitely work.

I'd suggest checking the settings of your device. Just like the usb debugging in Developer settings in stock android. Scroll down to # Superuser on the settings panel and tap. At least on my Sorry Xpendaple Goo running Cyanogenmod 11 rc 1, on the upper right corner there's the icon for the log and three dashes or dots. Tap them dots and select settings. Under Security, tap Superuser permissions and select Apps and ADB. Or Only ADB.


text:
Google+ data connection issue on Samsung S4
I'm having a strange problem with my Samsung S4 using the stock, current firmware. The phone is new and straight out of the box. Updates have been allowed to proceed and now report current.
Google+ reports 'Data connection error'. This error should not be taken literally as there is very clearly a fast network connection available: on both 4G and wifi. Every other network accessing app, including other Google apps (including those using the Google user account) work fine.
I've cleared the app cache and data without effect. The issue existed prior to and after a Google+ app update.
Any suggestions?

Google+ comes bundled with the firmware installed on your S4. Just uninstall the latest update via Application Manager to take you back to the Google+ version that comes with the phone. If you still get the same error, log a bug report with Google and get them to fix their crappy product.

As I stated above, the issue exists both before and after the Google+ app update: perhaps I didn't make it clear enough that the initial version (prior to update) in the version locked in firmware. What is the point of emailing Google, I might as well shout at the wall.

Well, a friend of mine has Google+ v4.2.4 on his S4 international version and it seems to run fine before and after the update. What version do you have on your device?

It is unfortunate that this question stayed without reply. It seems I have the same issue but with my S3. The phone works perfect with all apps on Wifi and 3G/LTE. However, for the last 2-3 weeks, Google+ just stopped being able to update. I tried to clean data and cache without success, then I cleaned data and cache and uninstalled the app to go back to the firmware version of Google+, same issue. I then re-cleaned data and cache and re-updated to the latest version, Google+ is still not able to connect.


text:
Browser which always allows scale/zoom?
I absolutely 100% hate, hate, hate mobile-optimized design sites, particularly ones that disable zooming. Up until now, I've done pretty well spoofing a desktop user agent to get the full pages, but with the advent of responsive design, it seems like more and more sites are feeling comfortable using viewport meta-tags to set user-scalable to false, which means that I am in effect forced into using the horrible mobile sites.
From what I understand, viewport tags are ignored by desktop browsers - is there a browser on Android which does the same thing, preventing web sites from removing key functionality from my phone? Maybe a Dolphin add-on?
I think potentially a greasemonkey script excising the offending viewport tags would also work, but I'm not sure there's a stable version of greasemonkey for android yet, and it might be preferable if the browser itself were built to always allow zooming.

I would really like this aswell - a chrome or firefox extension would be nice.

Is this question about text wrapping (fitting) when zooming? (the meaning of "viewport metatag parameters user-scalable" escapes me).

Just found the setting in Chrome.  If you go to Settings -> Accessibility and then tick the option "Force enable zoom" then you should be able to zoom in on any site.  (I have read a few sites still manage to stop you, but the vast majority should then work).

as far as i can tell Android Chrome is not yet able (in 2019)  to wrap (fit) text when zooming

UC Browser already has capability of forced zoom on mobile sites - and not only that, but the possibility of automatic text wrap when zooming. As far as I know, it's the only browser to have this behavior.
Plus, with hardware acceleration browsing is just smooth on low specs smartphones, like I have :)

Click the settings button (which looks like 3 horizontal lines in the bottom left corner), Click Settings, Click "Font Size & Page Layout", select "Force Webpages to Zoom".  I also had to select "Enhanced Page Layout" too otherwise UCB would resize the image to full screen an no larger.  That doesn't work when you're trying to read text from an image.

In Firefox mobile and derivatives (IceCat, Nightly, anything else based on "Fennec"), you can make it ignore the 'user-scalable' tag by toggling the preference browser.ui.zoom.force-user-scalable in about:config to true.

Only works to enable zooming in, not for broken pages that wrap text outside the screen boundaries and don't allow zooming out or scrolling.

This is true, unfortunately. Not sure how best to fix that.

You can use Chrome or Opera Mobile.They Support Zooming the web pages

It's not whether they support zooming web pages, it's whether they will ignore the viewport metatag parameters user-scalable. Many sites can be zoomed, but the web designers have the option to disable that using a meta viewport tag, for some stupid reason. This applies to Chrome, Dolphin and the standard browser at the very least.

authors: อัมรินทร์ กุลชัยพิพัฒน์


text:
A way to quickly toggle proxy settings on non-rooted Android phones?
I am on a WiFi network in China and occasionally wish to connect to an HTTP proxy I have set up on a shared computer to bypass the Great Firewall.
As my computer isn't always on/with me, I wish to easily switch on and off the proxy settings.
Unfortunately:
System settings/WiFi: When setting proxy settings to manual, old settings are removed. Have to re-enter, which is annoying. Also hard to access.
Many apps (e.g. ProxyDroid) I've seen require root for some reason and do not work on a non-rooted device.
Is there a simple way to toggle proxy settings for the current WiFi AP?

require root for some reason

It requires root because the global proxy setting is a secure system setting; on non-rooted devices, only system apps (like the Settings app) can modify secure system settings. Imagine if just any app can modify your global proxy setting, you can inadvertently be redirecting all your internet traffic to some shady server somewhere across the globe.
Your alternative is to set up two browsers, one that uses normal internet and another that can have per-app proxy configuration. You can set Firefox for Android to use a proxy by changing the network.proxy.http and network.proxy.http_port settings from within about:config. More details: How to change proxy settings on my firefox 4 beta for android.

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


text:
My PC doesn't recognize my GTablet through USB
I have a GTablet GingerEdition. It has no OS, hence I need to install it from my PC, but when I connect the tablet to my PC I can´t see it as a USB device. The PC says that there are no drivers.

Missing USB drivers for the operating system on the PC. Just go to the manufacturer website, download the correct USB drivers, install it, then connect your GTablet. The operating system, like Windows, will automatically search for suitable USB drivers to enable the connection between your tablet and PC.

I am not sure if it works. But first of all update the driver from sdk\extras\google\usb_driver for your device. Also, check in root mode if any help is available.


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Organizing Files Between Files Saved in External SD Card and Files Saved in Internal Drive
For example, let's say I want to take some settings for organizing the directory target. When I take photos, I want to automatically saved directly onto the removable SD card (external drive) while apps downloaded and installed are stored in internal drive. Is it possible?

You can try Redirect File Organiser.
The usage by dev is explained at /r/android over here.
Hope this is what you are looking for.


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Check network availability using phone's modem (low level)
I am trying to find network availability using my phone's GSM modem. Last night I had almost done it using following procedure with adb shell connecting phone with Ubuntu laptop.
Terminal 1
./adb shell
su
cat /dev/smd0

Terminal 2
./adb shell
su
echo -e "AT+CIND?\r" > /dev/smd0

In Terminal 1 I had CIND 4 4 1 x x x output and I figured it's 3rd digit which is either 1 or 0 depending on network is available or not. Now today after factory resetting my phone, I can't reproduce this result.
What could be wrong? I have already tried ttySMD0, ttyGS0, ttyUSB0 etc.


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email dark background with android 4.1.2
I have Galaxy S2 and upgraded it to 4.1.2. All microsoft exchange emails when opened has dark background. How mails background can be changed to white?


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How to save a copy of SQL Server book online in my Android tablet?
In SQL Server 2000 days, books online was in .chm format, and was very easy to save a copy on smart phones for reading. Now the new format is .mshi and .mshc, which can't be copied directly to an Android tablet for reading.
Is there a way to convert the book online into a format that can be read on Android system? Or is there a place that I can download some other format?

How to convert .chm files to a different format would seem to be independent of Android.

OP is asking about converting files from the new help format (MSHI or MSHC) to CHM or another format that's easily read on Android. Maybe a better question for SuperUser if Android is the wrong site?

I guess this question can also be read as "How can I read these books on my Android device", converting it to another format was just the fist thing coming to Yousui's mind, and other solutions might be welcome as well (@Yousui: please clarify!). If so, it's on-topic here. If not, it really is a better fit on another site.

Yes Izzy. Other solutions are welcome as well. Thank you guys!

Now that the question isn't on DBA.se anymore, it might be worth clarifying for anyone not familiar with SQL Server that 'Books Online' is the name for Microsoft's SQL Server documentation.

Microsoft has an eBook gallery available at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/11608.e-book-gallery-for-microsoft-technologies.aspx
There's several slices from SQL Server Books Online there.


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LG Optimus G Pro - automatically turned on when charging
I use OGP for last 2 months, everything is fine untill last night. I turned off the device and plugged in the usb and charge it. Suddenly the device is turned on. Try to turned it off again, but it just like restart. Back again to home screen. Root my phone about a month ago and no issue at all. Except last night. Rom is stock 10e.


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remove apps like Browser
I got a samsung galaxy note 8, and it came with an app called browser and also Chrome.
Obviously Chrome is better, so how can I remove the generic browser app (or at least hide it)?
The same goes for apps like Email and Gmail.

Samsung seems to provide similar software on its devices, so this procedure from a different Samsung device (Galaxy Tab 3) will probably hold.
Open the Menu > Settings > Application Manager
Use the right-most panel "All", and scroll the list to find the application(s) you want to disable. Click the button to do so (generally labelled "Disable" or "Turn Off", or similar).
You generally cannot uninstall pre-loaded apps without rooting the device.

Go in to settings and chose the application option.
From there you can chose the list with all and find the browser or internett app.
When you press that app you can uninstall it.

You can also read more about how to do it here http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7952573/android-4-0-disabling-apps-on-the-device

I don't think you really want to uninstall it. Stock apps cannot be removed unless you root the device, ignoring the app though is much easier.
First, you can remove the so from your home screen and perhaps even from the launcher (only doable on some devices). @wbogacz had shown how for Samsung device.
Second, you'll want to delete the default app setting so that when other apps request to open a page in browser, you'll be launching Chrome instead of the stock browser. You could do this from Settings > Applications > Manage applications. Find the Browser app there and choose Clear Defaults. Next time an app launched a browser, choose Chrome and set it to always launch with Chrome.


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Will flashing a custom fix lag on my Android?
I have a 1 GB RAM tablet running a pretty much vanilla Android Jelly Bean 4.1.1 and it's been running very slow. Apps startup time have been slow, noticeable lag exists while scrolling between the home screens, and apps crash sometimes. Browsing on the Internet has scroll lag and I have many more problems. I know that 1GB of RAM is more than enough to run Jelly Bean smoothly without any lag. How will rooting my device or flashing any custom ROMs help? I am new to the Android world, any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

Can't tell from your post what manufacturer made your tablet. If it's Samsung, their TouchWiz application tends to muck up occasionally, like lagging. This is more evident in Android 4.2 than 4.1. Worst case, backup your app and data, do a factory reset, reinstall your favourite apps and see if the lagging return. Custom ROMs might eliminate the lagging, but no guarantee.

Im not sure about the hardware of your tablet ,so might not be that powerful .That could be the reason for the lag
About rooting and custom roms they are not assured to remove lag  ,some roms might help while some may be even slower, it depends on the rom You use .But that said generally custom roms are made to be lightweight ,fast and fluid.


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How can I root my HTC One for T-Mobile using ADB?
I want to use ADB. FastBoot isn't working on my OS X machine.
 ./fastboot devices

lists nothing.
 ./adb devices

shows my device
I downloaded SuperSu from the Google Play store but it says it I had to manually root my phone if I am running 4.3 (which I am).
Can anyone please tell me how to use ADB to root my device? ISIS Mobile Wallet app thinks my phone is rooted.

Try running fastboot as root

There's a website called HTCOneRoot.com I guess you can find instructions there (videos at the right side, scroll down)


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STUCK on logo after installing cwm recovery ,samsung sl gt-i9003
I am using a Samsung SL GT-i9003.
After installing CWM recovery I am stuck on the logo screen, and my external sd card is also not showing in the recovery mode.
But I am able to enter download mode and CWM recovery mode (by amit.bigiria v 5.0.2.8)
How can I get my device back to normal mode?

Flash Stock ROM for Samsung SL GT-i9003 in ODIN.
Here are some Stock ROMs: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1004647


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Nexus S battery drains after updating to 4.2.2 even if turned off
My Google Nexus S battery drains after updating from 2.3.7 to 4.2.2, even if it is turned off. One night I shut it off at 70% charge, and when I turned it on in the morning it was at 9 or 10%. I bought a new battery but it has the same problem. What should I do?

Sounds like a hardware problem to me.

You should calibrate your battery:

Fully discharge your phone
Fully charge it when it is turned off
Disconnect charger and wait a minute
Connect it again and turn your phone on
Delete your data/system/batterystats.bin file (with battery calibration for instance)
Reboot your device and disconnect charger

Also, it is common problem, so try to google it yourself
Hope this will solve it for you


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MHL connection not working properly
I just bought an MHL adapter for my Nexus 4. I have connected the adapter with a HDMI cable to the TV, plugged the microUSB into my phone and provided power on the other microUSB input as I should.
The TV showed an error message:

Check signal cable +some small text about possible power and source problems

If I unplugged the power from the adapter, or disconnected the HDMI cable, it said:

No Signal

So I think I was on the right source. I tried a different HDMI cable, another HDMI port on the TV, and another phone (Samsung S4), but the TV still showed the error message. It seems to me the phone did not give a signal through the microUSB port. Is there something I should turn on?

Are you sure the TV is set on the correct input?  Have you tried a different HDMI port on the TV?

I have tried HDMI 1 and 4, same result.

That leaves either the device or the TV as culprit. Can you try on a different TV? Or a different device with the same TV?

Apparently the Nexus 4 does not work with MHL, it has SlimPort instead. Can someone confirm this?

As András' comment says, the Nexus 4 uses Slimport not MHL. I use this Slimport adaptor to connect my N4 to a TV.


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Camera light flashes when the phone rings - how do I turn this off?
With Android version 4.3 for my Samsung Galaxy S3 (or perhaps just Verizon's flavor of it) my camera flash has begun to blink very brightly when I am receiving an incoming call.  How can I turn this off?  I've been through the settings and nothing obvious really jumps out at me.

That's certainly a weird thing! Since each manufacturer changes settings menus slightly (or a lot sometimes), it may be helpful to [edit] your question and include information about which phone you have.

I see you've included the tag for Galaxy S3, so I just made a quick edit to include that in your question text. Please [edit] to correct if I was assuming incorrectly =).

I found the setting, and something interesting as well:
Settings > Accessibility > Flash notification

When I came into the settings it was already unchecked, yet my phone was exhibiting behavior as if it was. I had to check the setting and exit the menus. Then I went back in to uncheck the setting and exited the menus again. This time the setting took effect - my camera light is no longer flashing.
Hope this helps others in the same situation.

Thanks for this. Once I entered the Settings app (on my AT&T SGS3), I had to select the My Device tab. If that's true of you as well, you should edit the answer to include that step.

@TreborRude On Verizon's SGS3 I did not have to take that step, but thanks for pointing out the difference on yours.


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Clear "Recent Labels" list in Gmail
It's bugged me for awhile that Gmail shows a "Recent Labels" list when viewing the labels.  Does anyone know how to clear this list or even remove it?
Gmail: 4.7.1
OS: Jelly Bean - 4.1.2

Although the Original Answer is already in place, let me just re-phrase it, which hopefully resemble Vanilla Android AOSP based phones.

Open "Settings" application
Choose "Apps" or "Applications" from the list of different Settings.
Locate "GMail" App in the List of Apps shown.
Select "Gmail" App and in this screen, there is "Clear Data" option available.  Tap the button Clear data. Confirm the operation and wait for Gmail Sync to complete.

This should clear the Recent labels.

Do the following:

Go to App info for Gmail: Open app drawer and drag up the Gmail icon to the option App Info.
Tap the button Clear data. Confirm the operation.
Wait for Gmail sync.

You'll be greeted again as if it was the first time you opened Gmail, but Recent labels list will be cleared.

authors: Олександр Петров


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Why are so many apps using permissions that take my personal data?
I am again and again noticing that a ton of apps ask for ridiculous permissions, and I'm getting frustrated by searching for apps that don't ask me for too much - and frankly, I would download 3 times as much apps if they would ask for reasonable permissions. The one that I personally don't like to share is my phone id and your accounts, but there are various apps asking for permissions they don't need. Some examples:

A game that needs to load itself after boot.
A game that needs my accounts.
A game that needs my phone calls.
A browser that needs my phone calls and accounts.

Why are these permissions requests there? Are most of them doing some data collecting? Are the developers too lazy to check what permissions they really need?

You could use something like App Ops, or the Cyanogenmod Privacy Guard to block certain permissions.

Not covering games that much, but listing apps by real-life categories: Android.IzzySoft.DE groups apps for specific tasks and lists ratings, number of permissions requested, plus some additional information along, which should make a pre-selection easier. Admittedly, the lists cover only about 1% of what's on Google Play – but hand-picked avoids a lot of trash :) Disclosure: I'm the one who built, runs, and maintains that site. Oh, and don't mind the ".DE": it "speaks" English as well (switches automatically based on your browser preferences).

There are a few points to note on this. Not all of them will help you on your issue, but at least explain things or point you to helpful information:

some devs explain in their apps' descriptions what they need those permissions for, others do so at least on the corresponding web sites (e.g. in the FAQ). If they missed that, contact them and ask to have that gap filled.
phone id + internet is required by most ad modules. To avoid that, check for payed versions. Android apps are not really expensive, and of course devs like to be compensated for their work. The average price of 1 buck should be worth it.
no real issue with the accounts stuff. For explanations, please take a look at

What can an app do with the “USE ACCOUNTS ON THE DEVICE” permission?
What does permission “MANAGE_ACCOUNTS” mean?

I agree that a game rarely has a good reason to access your contacts, calendar, call lists, browser history, and bookmarks. My guess in those cases is, that in ~80% the dev simply made a "bad decision" concerning the ad module chosen (there are some really bordering spyware). Again, contact the dev and ask. According to a study I read a while ago, about 60% of the devs are not even aware of that issue; being approached, they were open for alternatives (unfortunately I don't remember the source currently).
I also agree concerning phone calls, and even SMS. They might be used for in-app purchases, but I don't think this is a good practice.

Further good sources can be found in our permissions tag-wiki.


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Getting Trace Keyboard back after Android 4.1.1 update on HTC Desire X
I have a HTC Desire X. It was running 4.0.4. Yesterday I updated OS to 4.1.1.
This took away the Trace keyboard - is there a way to get Trace keyboard back after the 4.1.1. update. If not, can I revert back to 4.0.4? I am not rooted?

I installed next 2 OTA updates & got my trace keyboard back. The first one was a small 10MB OS Update which was still Android 4.1.1 but Software Number as 2.22.720.7. This required booting after upgrade. The next was a HTC Sense Update which required no booting and got me my Trace keyboard back. The stupid Power saver notification which came with the Jelly Bean update is still not gone but Trace keyboard back is good enough. Never going to update the OS again on this phone!!!


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How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Loose Home Button?
Samsung's Note 3 smartphone has cool features and utilities than other smartphone in market. And even it doesn't heat in long use. But Home button stuck randomly while using and sometimes Volume button also has same problem. read brief in http://eviltek.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-fix-samsung-galaxy-note-3-loose.html
How to Fix it

If your device is still in warranty I'd stop fiddling with it and get it fixed at an authorized service center. Opening the device yourself will void warranty.

It is a broken phone. send it back to Samsung. I also use the features that it comes with and mine works fine.

Why would you send a Samsung phone to Google?

I'm sorry I ment Samsung editing now


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How can I change the app for managing root access from SuperSU to Superuser?
I used a rooting package on my Galaxy S4 which installed SuperSU. Howvever, I preferred to use SuperUser, so I removed SuperSU and installed SuperUser.
Now the apps that normally request root do not seem to do it anymore, and also cease to function correctly.
How can I make my newly installed SuperUser App into the default root manager?

open settings in Super SU.
go to cleanup section.
switch Superuser app.

weird enough that clean for switch options removes both superSU and superuser, after reinstalling superuser and launching it, it still complains about old binary and cant install new one.


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Listing all apps that updated at once
When multiple apps update in one batch they trigger a single system notification saying X apps updated and listing about two of them. Then it takes one to Google Play app where "recent" updates are listed - but this list includes multiple last update batches so even more than X apps are listed. Is there a way i can see the real X app names that updated in the  very last batch only?

There is no way to do it via the play store, but there are other ways to do it.
You can use something like AppMonster or Titanium Backup (if rooted) to display the list of apps ordered by last update date. This will show you the order in which all apps were last updated, as well as the date of the update. To me this a lot more useful than the recently updated list in the play store.
It's not a perfect solution, but it gets the job done :)

Actually there is a way to do this, but it must be done before applying latest batch of updates, so maybe it will not be as practical as one might expect, as you'll find out below:

Go to the app drawer and drag up the Play Store icon, to App info.
Tap the button Clear data and confirm
Next time you start Play Store app, it will greet you asking you to accept the TOS again, do it.
Now the list of recently updated apps will be merged with earlier ones, and next update batch, when done, will show on top of the list.

To be honest, I don't recommend you this procedure because of potential collateral effects derived from clearing app data too frequently. I'm posting this answer only for informative purposes, but I'd rather go with the answer given by @Krampus


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Android freezes while sleeping - how to find why?
I can't wake up my Android DNS M83g tab from sleeping for several weeks. It freezes totally - pressing power button cause nothing to appear on screen, only holding it pressed for 10-20 sec helps to turn device off and then boot up from start. I can find nothing in logs using catlog since it shows only this time boot logs. Is there any known reason of the problem or could someone give me an advice to localize it (other then remove all recently installed/updated applications one by one and Factory data reset)?


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Unable to delete file on sdcard
Can anyone tell me what the file and folders are in the picture below? I can't do anything or delete these files and folders. They are coming into my external sd-card. If I format the sdcard they are removed. If I take this sdcard out of my phone and put it into my PC I'm still unable to do anything with the files and folder.

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited the site after posting the question, 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.

These are corrupted directory entries, stored in the File Allocation Table if the card was formatted for an FAT family filesystem.  Reformatting gives you a new clean File Allocation Table, and therefore the spurious entries disappear.
Thanks to Wikipedia for providing this background:

The name of the file system originates from the file system's prominent usage of an index table, the File Allocation Table (FAT), statically allocated at the time of formatting. The table contains entries for each cluster, a contiguous area of disk storage. Each entry contains either the number of the next cluster in the file, or else a marker indicating end of file, unused disk space, or special reserved areas of the disk. The root directory of the disk contains the number of the first cluster of each file in that directory; the operating system can then traverse the FAT table, looking up the cluster number of each successive part of the disk file as a cluster chain until the end of the file is reached. In much the same way, sub-directories are implemented as special files containing the directory entries of their respective files.


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How can I send a SMS (Instead of MMS) from a Motorola Atrix 4G?
I was writing a text when suddenly I noticed the message say MMS not SMS. How do I change it back?

It automatically changes to MMS when a message's length goes over 160 bytes (160 ASCII characters). You should be able to go back to SMS by starting a new message.


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Restore/recover Supersonic Matrix SC-91JB Android tablet
My friend brought me his granddaughter's tablet a couple weeks ago and it was stuck at the Android logo screen, just gray "android" text with white highlight moving across repeatedly.
I already had ADB from some stuff I was doing on another Android tablet some time ago. I was able to connect to the tablet using ADB. I searched around and found the adb shell wipe data command and that got the table working again. Gave tablet back to little girl and everyone happy.
He just brought me the tablet again, same problem, I tried the same solution. This time it did not work. After wiping data, the tablet still gets stuck at the Android logo.
This time I found echo -e 'boot-recovery\0' > /dev/block/nandf; sync, issued the command from within adb shell, rebooted, and got an Android on his back with a green triangle / exclamation point. I hit the Home button and got into the recovery menu, but the only thing I could do was to reboot. What makes this extra tricky is that this tablet has no volume button(s), only Power and Home.
After rebooting, I got the Android logo again. I can still get into adb, so there are signs of life, I just don't know how to proceed. Manufacturer support seems to be non-existent. Don't know how to find a proper factory image to restore the tablet. Don't want to just start hacking and brick it forever.
I don't really know anything about Android but I am a pretty good (i.e. old, haha) computer guy and have general familiarity with operating systems, UNIX/Linux/Posix commands, and hardware. I should be able to follow instructions if anybody out there can walk me through this.
Any suggestion is really appreciated.
P.S. Following is output from the wipe data. I do not recall if I received similar error messages a couple weeks ago when the wipe data fixed the tablet. I don't think the tablet has ever been rooted, etc.:
D:\Users\me\Downloads\Root_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v31\stuff>adb shell wipe data
Wiping /data
rmdir() error on '/data/system/dropbox' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/system/throttle' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/system/shared_prefs' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/system' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/backup/pending/journal-133428497.tmp' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/backup/pending' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/backup/com.android.internal.backup.LocalTransport/@pm@' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/backup/com.android.internal.backup.LocalTransport/@pm@.new' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/backup/com.android.internal.backup.LocalTransport' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/backup/com.google.android.backup.BackupTransportService' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/backup/ancestral' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/backup' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/system.notfirstrun' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/anr/traces.txt' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/anr' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/cfs.version' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_00' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_01' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_02' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_03' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_04' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_05' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_06' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_07' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_08' 'Read-only file system'
unlink() error on '/data/tombstones/tombstone_09' 'Read-only file system'
rmdir() error on '/data/tombstones' 'Read-only file system'
Done wiping /data

The output suggests /data was mounted read-only, which is quite unusual. You could try to re-mount it first in r/w mode, then the wipe should succeed. Concerning the "factory image", a useful resource might be Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Playing around with "mount" and various commands, it looked like the /data file system was already mounted r/w. This left me with the option of trying to reload a "factory image".
The link you posted was informative and looks like a good resource, however I am a bit gun-shy about trying to load code that was not specific to the exact device in front of me, as I got burned on that once before (fortunately that one was resolved when the manufacturer finally made the correct stuff available).
I was finally able to get this one working without having to resort to trying a generic A10 image. I ended up using "echo -e 'boot-recovery\0' > /dev/block/nandf; sync", from within adb shell, connected a standard USB Windows keyboard from a PC, then issued "reboot" command still from within adb shell. Again I got an android on his back with a green triangle / exclamation point. I hit the Home button on the tablet and got into the recovery menu, and voila, the arrow keys on the keyboard actually worked to navigate the menu. I selected the option for wipe data / factory reset and used the Power button on the tablet as Enter, used the keyboard again to navigate the "are you sure" prompt, Power button again for Enter. The device showed that it was formatting /data and some other file system (I forget), then when it was done it went back to the recovery menu. I disconnected the USB keyboard and hit Power one more time to reboot, and this time we made it past the Android logo and back to a like-new out-of-box state! Back in business!
The concept of connecting a PC keyboard might be a breakthrough for anyone struggling with recovery on one of these tablets with no volume buttons, though I can't say it was entirely my idea. It briefly flashed through my mind at one point but I didn't actually try it until another post I read somewhere kicked me again. ;-)
p.s. I don't know if the exact sequence of connecting the keyboard etc was significant, but I figured I'd try to be specific just for the benefit of anyone reading this in the future.

OK, got an update. I posted a long thread here a while back and it got deleted. I've got better news this time.

SC-91JB is the same as the Turkish Piranha Business II TAB 9.0. Go to this site (its in Turkish) and download Livesuit and Phoenixsuit from the "Destek" -> "Sürücü ve Yazılımlar" tab.
You can get the firmware there, (it's the plain 4.1 JB ROM) but there's a better place.
Install Phoenixsuit and Livesuit. Make sure you install the drivers.
Connect your tablet and open Phoenixsuit (if updates are available, then update.)
Go to the "Firmware" tab and choose the P422 ROM you downloaded earlier, then hit upgrade.

There's a high chance the upgrade will fail to go through on the first try. When it did on mine, it gave me instructions saying you had to hold the power button down for 10 seconds, then a series of button presses and connecting the tablet to the pc. Make sure you use a good USB cable. When I followed the on screen steps, Livesuit popped up and I was able to force a firmware upgrade. The screen on the tablet stays dark, but the "Firmware" screen on Phoenixsuit will show you the progress.
Once that's finished, My tablet started up with the "Piranha" logo and booted into Android. Of course, Android was in Turkish so I just went into settings and changed the language to English. This ROM includes a lot more apps than the Supersonic one did (including Angry Birds Space.) I just did this update today, so now I will see if the issues we were having were due to the ROM or hardware.
Summary: This method can revive a tablet that is completely dead! So Philip, in your situation, you may simply have to plug in and force the upgrade. A long press of the power button will switch the internals on and off.
This is a super easy way to get your tablet back up and running without having to drop to the command line. Most of all, good luck!!!


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New Samsung S4 reloading deleted emails
I use verizon.net as my main email address.  after reading emails on my Samsung S4 and deleting them several days later they reappear as new messages.  How can I stop this from happening?

What email app are you using: stock or something else? Are you sure you have enabled account sync?

yes the account is synced, i'm basically technologically impaired...so I don't know if it's stock or something else.  It was set up at the store, and then a couple of days later started re-loading previously read and deleted emails

Follow this video tutorial for the Galaxy S4 stock email app, and make sure you activate Sync Email option.
Maybe you'll have to remove and re-add your email account. Also you can try with other email account(s) you have, in order to discard an issue of Verizon's own mail servers.

thanks, yes i have two other accounts set up and neither have this issue.  I just noticed a setting called "auto resend times" under more settings for the account.  It was set at 3, i have changed it to none.  Could this have been the problem?

No, I guess this actually refers to how many times the app will try to send a message again if the first attempt fails. Try changing the value or Sync Schedule from Every X minutes to Push (it may drain your battery though)


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Application for randomly deleting files
I like to listen to my music randomly, so I have an application on PC that can upload random part of my music collection to my Android phone.
But sometimes I run out of space while not near the PC, so I would like to delete a random part of the uploaded music. Is there an app for that?
In other words, I'd like to have an app where I can select a folder, tell it how much to delete and it randomly delete files from that folder until it reaches the limit I specified.

Assuming you have Windows Media Player, you should be able to do this pretty easily.
In Windows Media Player, click on the "Playlists" selection. Then select "Create Auto Playlist". Click on "Click here to add criteria" under any of the music libraries you see there. A list with a scroll bar will appear. At the bottom of the scroll selection, there should be an item called "more...". Click "more". Next, a new list will appear, and on it will be an item called "Randomize Playback Order". Click that. Then you will be brought back to the previous window. Now click "Click here to add criteria" again. Click "more" again. This time select "Limit total size to". Type in the total size you want. Say, 4GB or so? And lastly, save your playlist.
At this point you can edit your playlist manually if you want.
Now that you have a playlist created, save it and then click "Sync" to sync it to a portable device. Follow the instructions. I usually manually remove the files first using the Android file browser. But Windows Media Player should handle that automatically if you do the "auto sync" feature. I'm not sure if it just deletes everything first on the Android device or whether it just deletes enough to free up space. I think it's probably the former, not the latter.
Hope that helps.

I'm not looking for the syncing application on PC, I already have. I'm looking for deleting app for Android. (I have clarified the question.)


text:
Getting unwanted message "There are trespassing signs. Check it in Observer Settings screen."

There are trespassing signs. Check it in Observer Settings screen.

I am getting the above message whenever I open a new app on my Android 4.1.2 Samsung Galaxy Grand DUOS. This has started suddenly when my child was just playing a simple ABC kind of rhymes.
Following things have been tried by me, in the given order, but without success:

Check out which was the last 3-apps installed and uninstalled them
Cleared App-cache
Did a restart

Any pointers or solution is welcome.

That could very well be a misbehaving app (or rather malware), as you already guessed. Trying a malware scanner might reveal the culprit. From the message, it could also be some "security app" (a true one or one posing as such). Have you installed something like that? // BTW: Googling the message, I found it here, so it belongs to a specific app. Does "RedzMax" ring a bell?

It is caused by the app Smart App Protector that maybe you installed and activated an option called Observer. Just check the observer and watch who wanted to enter your apps.
Good luck.

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


text:
Unable to move apps to the SD card
I have certain apps, like Google Maps, on my phone which I am unable to move to my SD card from the internal memory. I tried moving it from the App management menu in Phone settings, but the move to SD card option isn't enabled. Is moving these apps going to affect the working of the device?

You are very ambiguous regarding which OS is in question. Judging from "Google Maps", I will assume it is an Android device.
Case 1:
Factory apps which are pre-installed with your system can never be moved to the SD Card, as they are hard wired in the ROM. The only solution in that case is rooting the phone and replacing your ROM software. I will not explain rooting / ROM swapping here since it is an entire subject.
Case 2:
Most apps installed from Play Store can be moved to the SD Card by navigating to:
Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > On SD card
(Android 2.3.6, menu may slightly vary on other versions)
You will be able to check / uncheck the apps that you'd like to move to the SD Card. Most apps will allow you to move them, but some apps will not. Once again, rooting resolves this.
Note: Pre-installed apps which have been updated through Google Play Store behave like in case 2, because the updated version does not reside in the ROM.


text:
icons disappear from desktop when app updates
On KitKat when I have a shortcut on the desktop and the app updates the shortcut on the desktop disappears, is there a way to stop this from happening?

Does this happen with all apps? I have noticed this with earlier versions 4.4.x, but only very occasionally.

This appears to be fixed with an update from Feb  2014


text:
Recover contacts from Galaxy S2 when saved to an email
If I saved my contacts to an email on my Samsung Galaxy S2, and my email account was deleted on my phone, is it possible to recover my contacts?

If they're saved to your account then can't you just add it to your phone again or export the contacts from it? It sounds like you wouldn't need to "recover" anything, just retrieve them from the email account.

Only if your email was sync'ed before you deleted the account from your phone. Check from a PC in the email account you used has the message in "Sent" folder (or inbox if you sent to yourself).


text:
What Android parts do these terms describe?
Android users frequently use a lot of words with unclear meanings. In particular, they use these words a lot:

Framework / framework-res.apk: What purpose does this structure serve?
Flashing: What does this refer to?
ROM: What does this refer to?
Firmware: What does this refer to?
update.zip: This is an update package replaces files on your filesystem. What parts of the system can update.zip change?
Kernel: The kernels they talk about seem to persist across 'flashing' and 'resets' of the device.
Android Release: When someone talks about Android 'KitKat,' or 'Gingerbread' or '4.2.2,' what parts of the whole system are they referring to?
Custom ROM: What parts of the system do 'CyanogenMod' and other 'Custom ROMs' replace?
Titanium Backup: What parts of the system does Titanium Backup back up?
Factory Reset: If I wiped the internal storage (say, dd if=/dev/null of=<storage device>), what can it reset to!?

Here are some relevant terms that are publicly well-documented and known:

BIOS. When the system is powered on the BIOS initializes and does sanity checks on the computer's hardware and peripherals. The BIOS is 'firmware' and exists outside of the computer's normal storage. Even if the system was started with no mass storage, the BIOS would still be there. The BIOS runs a piece of software in the system's storage called the bootloader.
Bootloader. The bootloader uses and is itself a set of files on the filesystem, sometimes in the /boot directory. The bootloader (depending on the case) presents a list of options for how you want to proceed in starting the system.
Each option (usually) corresponds to starting a kernel with specific boot parameters. The kernel is a binary contained in a package file called vmlinuz (or similar) that resides somewhere on the filesystem (like the /boot directory). The kernel creates abstractions between hardware and software, like the hardware interfaces, filesystem abstraction, processes and threads.
Sometimes vmlinuz also contains some utilities that are put into folders like /sbin. Things that are in vmlinuz cannot be modified without repackaging a new vmlinuz file, and replacing the old one.
The kernel loads kernel modules which do various things and are sometimes drivers. Some kernel modules are built into the kernel's binary file and some are separate files on the filesystem, sometimes in the /usr/lib/modules directory.
The kernel also starts a program called init which is in a location that is sometimes specified in the boot parameters. init mounts mass storage devices to directories and starts a bunch of programs. These programs are on the filesystem and usually have all their files in /usr. They are called the system's userland.
In Android, there is a Java-like virtual machine called Dalvik which is started by init, which is what most programs run within.
Rooting: Rooting a device allows users to grant themselves root permissions.
To simplify managing all the software on the system, a system usually has a special program called the package manager which can manage, update and install sets of related files as `packages' corresponding to individual development projects. Android's interface to its package manager is the Application Manager in settings. Applications are available for download via the Play Store
Home Folder: Users have a directory in /home where all their files are stored (including local configuration settings for applications).
Recovery: a separate userland which the bootloader launches that only does system related tasks. You get to it by restarting your device while doing a special dance with the buttons.

It doesn't have enough to answer your question here, but this previous question has more info on some of the terms you're asking about: What is the difference between: Rooting, Jailbreak, ROM, Mod, etc.?

I'm proposing that this become a community wiki, to solidify the definition of the terms included here. I'm not sure this has a definable QUESTION, except as a dictionary.

That sounds good. Is there any way I can change it to community wiki myself?

I've posted a community wiki answer. It's pretty sparse now and only touches on the very basics. Also, I'm not sure what the OP means by "Framework" in this context. Perhaps if we had more information, we can add that to the wiki answer as well. Edit away!

Root: As you understand, "root" in this context refers to the ability to grant a user the privileges of the root user. It's similar to installing sudo on a linux box (but Android root uses su, so there's that fundamental but small difference). We have a tag-wiki for it which has more information: root.
Flashing: In the world of embedded systems, mobile computers, microprocessor-based development, and other technologies that led to modern smartphones, to "flash" something is essentially to copy files to a device. The etymology goes deeper than that, and doesn't seem to have a specific single meaning, but in all practical terms, in the Android world, it's essentially a word that means "Replace system software" (But varies contextually).
Firmware: Firmware is actually a word that, in its original meaning, doesn't seem to apply to Android. However, the word has come to be synonymous with the Android OS when used in this context.
OS: This won't be any different from the term in other computing-related contexts. Android itself is an Operating System - and many other things. (For example, it's also a development platform, etc).
Bootloader: The bootloader standard used for ARM Embedded systems (like most modern smartphones) is indeed quite different from what we're used to on X86 and X86-64. Speaking in a practical sense, the bootloaders used on Android phones have the same job as grub or syslinux, they just work differently.
Recovery: Many Android devices come with support for a separate extremely basic piece of software, which is called "Recovery". It generally includes its own kernel, separate from the kernel Android runs on, and is limited in functionality. It is used to write to system partitions in order to perform actions like changing/updating the kernel, Android OS, or other modifications that can't be done while the Android system is in memory. recovery
update.zip: OS version updates, patches, and many more things are often saved to a file called "update.zip". When Recovery Mode is started (booting to Recovery), it can be set to automatically load this file and install whatever it contains.
Kernel: The kernel used in Android is the Linux Kernel - Version 3.4 for most modern devices.
CyanogenMod: Cyanogenmod is a fork of Android which purports to maintain the "true" Android Experience. It is actively developed and supports many devices.
Titanium Backup: This is an app, available in the Play Store, which backs up applications and application data. It can, of course, also restore apps and data. It requires root access in order to do this.
Factory Reset: When performing a factory reset, the device does not erase the main filesystem. It restores it to a "factory" state - removing user settings, applications, root, call history, etc. You'll want to check the tag-wiki for factory-reset for more information here.


text:
wiped SD card, trying to find text messages
A friend borrowed my microSD card to take some pictures and ended up deleting the android directories.  I assumed that text messages were stored on this card.  No message history appeared after the card was removed.  incoming messages from old contacts started new threads.  contacts and everything else stayed.
I want to find the year's worth of old text messages.
I've recovered some files using photorec (mostly pictures and audio from my phone).  The only non-obvious files are a 10MB .elf file and a 72KB .SQLITE file.  the directory structure is not preserved, so all files appear in one directory.
does this approach make sense?
what file extension am I looking for?
how do I read the database that texts are stored in?

possible duplicate of Where on the file system are SMS messages stored?

In a sense. They are usually not stored on your SDCard – unless you did some tricky things with DirectoryBind, Link2SD, and the like. Did you?

Try to examine the .sqlite file. It could be the database containing the SMS, although that's not typical as @Izzy already mentioned.

It would also help to know the complete name of the .sqlite file to determine whether it's really related (which I massively doubt). The .elf file you can ignore, that's a so-called ELF binary, and doesn't hold any of your personal data.


text:
Unable to download media Whatsapp while using Wifi with proxy
I'm using a wifi network that contains a proxy. I am using proxydroid to run the proxy for all applications on my Android phone. But sometimes I am not able to download media on Whatsapp.
How can I use a proxy for Whatsapp and other applications with no restriction?

As mentioned in the WhatsApp FAQ:

WhatsApp is not designed to be used with proxy services, so we cannot provide support for proxy configurations.

There are many other apps that have this restriction and hence many other applications may have issues functioning properly with proxy servers.

A phone wide VPN would be a good thing to try. Tunnelbear is free, but there are other services you can pay for. Essentially, you need to use a system VPN or something similar, rather than an app, to proxy all traffic through another source.

In that case that proxy is blocking WhatsApp. I can confirm because I am in the same situation, while being on corporate network WhatsApp can't even recieve or send messages.
This is not an issue in WhatsApp or a general bug, its just blocked by your network administrator. You can try with VPN, but depending how that VPN works it might also be blocked by the network (ports that VPN uses for connection).


text:
KitKat update has made Google Play and Gmail inaccessable
The update to KitKat on my phone was done automatically, and since then I have been unable to access google play, or sign into gmail. I've gotten no notifications or e-mails since Nov. 23rd. I'm told I can't sign into Gmail, but when I'm prompted to try, I can't even get to the screen.

What device do you have and is it using a custom ROM?

Yeah first please answer the question that which device you are using and did you get an official update from your manufacturer or did you manually install a custom ROM?
(Although by your post it seems an official manufacturer update but please confirm...)
IF:
1.Official update , then you can just do that update all over again and this time try it through PC software(if you had previously done an Over the Air update). Or finally contact your manufacturer's customer care or go to service center.
2.Custom ROM , then it may be problem with the ROM or kernel . Reach the developer for that. Or you can even replace the Google Apps. Just find an appropriate .zip coinciding with your Android version.
Hope this helps or ask again with doubts. :)


text:
How to root my next book premium 8 tablet
How do I root my nextbook premium 8 tablet

Follow the guidelines from xda forum
have a look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1374742

Welcome to  Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 has USB OTG (On The Go)?
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 supports USB OTG (On The Go)?
I've dedicated a long time to research, both in Google and on specialized sites (rich in Technical features), but I could not figure out if this device has this feature.
Here in Brazil this device is marketed as Galaxy S II Duos TV, much poorer in specific device technical features since it was only released for this local market. Therefore if I find out about the Galaxy Ace 3, brother machine, I think I find the answer.
Having to buy a device only know it's crazy, but I have real buying interest for being OTG valuable.

phoned to samsung hotline today, they said no.


text:
Can I use Tasker to enable and disable WiFi hotspot functionality?
I have an Android tablet (Nexus 7) and an Android phone (HTC One) and I use my phone as a WiFi hotspot so that my tablet (which doesn't have it's own internet connection) can access the internet when I'm out and about.
Since running a WiFi hotspot is a very battery intensive activity I was looking at using something like Tasker to disable it under a specific set of conditions;

Whenever the HTC One is in range of a specific WiFi network (SSID is Pegasus), disable the WiFi hotspot
Whenever the HTC One is not in range of the same specific WiFi network (SSID is Pegasus), enable the WiFi hotspot
Whenever the HTC One is outside of range of the Nexus 7, disable the WiFi hotspot

Is this possible with Tasker? I suspect that the first two steps would be but since it's the Nexus 7 connecting to the HTC One and not the other way around the last one might not be possible?
If this isn't possible with Tasker, is there anything that can provide this kind of functionality?
Any ideas on how I can achieve this?

Is the problem still relevant to you? I can possibly post a working answer after getting some details, provided that the issue is still relevant to you.


text:
How can I calibrate the tilting sensor on Android
I have an Android mobile which seems to be of Samsung, or at least a clone thereof. I got it for my wife as a present, so I don't really know which one. Under the battery pack it says "Model: 19502"
when I look through the menus there are absolutely no identifications as to which it is and the settings only allow rather high level stuff, like setting background images, and similar, but nothing system relevant.
When I play games I noticed that the tilt is not correct, so I installed "App Sensor Box" which allows me to test the sensors. It shows a board with a ball on it, and I can see that the ball rolls off when I keep it balanced. Unfortunately this app doesn't allow me to calibrate it, so I wanted to know if such an app exists, or what I can do to calibrate it, because there are not setting to trigger this. The apps I found on Play Store all seem to just read, but don't change it.

It's a tough one to answer, as I'm not sure what version of Android you are running, and you have stated it may be a clone.
Method 1:
Open "Settings"
Find "Motion" and tap on it
Scroll down the menu and tap on "Sensitivity Setting"
Open "Gyroscope calibration"
Place device on a level surface and tap Calibrate
Method 2:
Download 'G-Sensor' from the Samsung Apps store pre-installed on your device.  Here is a weblink.
Method 3:
Download  Bubble Level  from the Google Play store, this has a calibration option also.

There are no settings as far as I can see, which is very annoying. I try the other suggestions and report back then. Thanks!

I didn't think there would be settings, that seems to have disappeared on newer versions of Android. Don't forget to put the phone on something perfectly level before calibrating. If none of the above work, I'll see what else I can dig up!

Thanks! That worked perfectly with that Bubble Level App. Exactly what I was looking for. :)

For German Users, you should look for "Wasserwaage" in the Play Store.

Glad to hear it!

The bubble app does not work for the Galaxy Tab 3. I'm downloading "G-Sensor" now to see if that works.

I don't know about method 1 (never owned an Android device with a calibration setting menu, and I got quite a number of them...), but method 2 and method 3 are bound not to work. Unless they are leveraging some root-access feature, there's no single functionality in the Android api that allow to calibrate the sensors (and all apps claiming otherwise are fads)

Looks like Bubble Level uses accelerometer instead of Gyro

All mobile device compasses and magnetometers are constantly gathering data and recalibrating themselves. The best way to calibrate them is to provide them with enough data of the magnetic field around them. You do this by rotating your phone by 360º around all 3 axis. Essentially this is what all apps ask you to do. There is no api neither on android or on iOS because this is done by the hardware and there is no need to interfere with it, just give it enough data by pointing your phone at all possible directions. I'd gladly post an answer but I don't have enough reputation yet.

@KonstantinosGaitanis: I wish... I can't count the number of times I turned and flipped my device going through a dozen fake 'callibrate accelerometer' apps. Still getting into 'portrait' requires to set it completely vertically, and the 'bubble level' app shows it thinks it's flat, when it's roughly 45 degrees from flat. Tilt minimally sideways, goes into 'portrait' Set it on a flat surface and the screen flips upside-down.

Referring to the first answer ...
Method 1 - There is no calibration setting on my Samsung Galaxy S5.
Method 2 - Search the Google Play Store for "Accelerometer Calibration Free" for a specific calibration app, the link in the older answer is dead.
Method 3 - "Bubble Level" works fine and coped with portrait and landscape orientation OK and has a simple calibration option
Additional Method 4 - Search for "Just a Compass" on the Google Play Store for a very detailed compass with a calibration option
Additional Method 5 - Use the calibration option in Google Maps.
Open the Google Maps app, wait for the blue device location icon to show. Tap the location icon to bring up more information about your location. At the bottom there is the “Calibrate Compass” button.


text:
Hangouts SMS not showing emoticons
I have a Nexus 5 with Kitkat 4.4.2 and have the Hangouts app as the SMS app. My friend has an Samsung Galaxy S Relay and also uses Hangouts app as SMS app. Whenever we send SMS to each other with emoticons, emoticons are not converted, instead we just see the text code for it. I'm baffled by this since we're using the same app for texting. I'd understand if it was like from an iPhone to Android, or something like that.
Any idea what could be causing this and how to fix it?

SMS are only normal text characters. Many phone detect emoticons in a SMSs content but it varies from each phone.
Only messages you directly send from Hangouts i.e from your Google Account to your friends account.

Yes the messages are sent directly from Hangouts.  Both phones have Hangouts app and are set as default SMS app.


text:
How can I disable viber on my stolen device?
My mobile phone has been stolen. How can i stop viber services process?
I need your urgent help to stop the people reach my friends.

You should not expose personal information in your posts. I doubt that it's possible, but I am not a viber user and could be wrong. IMHO the best you can do is ask to second party to inform your contacts that your phone has been compromised.

Viber is linked to you phone number, not to the Device? Why don't you block your SIM-card (this will not deactivate your Viber), get a new card from your cell operator, then install and activate viber on it, then deactivate youe account?

You can't stop the Viber process. Only way to stop Viber is by uninstalling.
See this: How to stop Viber running without uninstalling it?

Due to the C2DM feature, you are always available on
  Viber, there is not way to "log out" and "log in". Please
  note that if you "exit" Viber, it will open again only if
  you get a msg or call.
  Let us know if you have any additional questions.
  Thanks! Viber Team

First you can login to another device with same ID. After that you should de-activate your viber account. Then reactivate your account in new device with same ID(phone number) with different password.
Steps:

Open Viber
Enter the More Options menu
Select Settings
Select Privacy
Select Deactivate Account

Deactivation can only take place within the application.
What happens when I deactivate my account?
Deactivating your account will erase everything associated with your Viber ID, including your call and message history, groups and downloaded stickers (both free and purchased). It will also unlink all other accounts linked to your Viber account (e.g. Twitter, Facebook).
Once an account is deactivated, there is no way to restore any of its information. Re-registering to Viber with the same Viber ID (phone number) will not restore the previous account history.
Viber Out credits will not be lost if your account is deactivated.

You cannot disable it remotely.
Maximum that you can do you can delete your messages from other device.

Deactivating your viber account with the same phone number is not possible because viber will send the code to your stolen sim so there is no way you can reactivate it to another device then deactivate.

My device has been lost or stolen. What happens to my Viber account?
You may re-install Viber on your new device using the old device’s phone number. This will reinstate the previous account on your new device.


text:
Google maps app works without wifi?
So I have been using google maps in airplane mode. I only connect to cafe´s around Barcelona and once I have searched the directions. I leave any wifi in range. Shouldnt that mean my google maps no longer works? However, on the app, when I walk down a street or make a turn, the little blue dot seems to update where I am, regardless of the presence of internet connectivity...
If I try retyping a search or starting a new route without wifi, it says that it cant connect to server, which is expected.
My question is basically, how does it know to update once I have established a route?

The blue dot is because of GPS and not because of WiFi. GPS doesn't require internet connectivity to work when it locks onto your position.
How does it know to update? When you go off course then the app will try and update your route with a new route(which needs internet).


text:
Sending linux commands over serial
I have a question about being able to send Linux commands over a serial connection to an Android device.
I have heard of putty and tried to use it, but i am ultimately lost with it. Like if I was in the Linux shell of the Android and could type, reboot and the device would reboot. The Android device has a virtual serial connection, and I have been able to connect to it using putty, but I don't know where to go after that. I know this is confusing and may be completely wrong, thank you for your time in advance.
I also have been able to connect to it with QPST, and see a 100mb drive come up with some files in it.

what do you want to do with linux commands?.You can check for devices in the i2c bus and you'll get to see the debug messages.If you want to test something specifically  please mention it.


text:
Persistent download notification on Galaxy S3 running Android 4.3
My Galaxy S3 from Sprint keeps showing me that a file (a picture) has been downloaded. I deleted the downloaded file after a day or two, yet the notification still pops up and when I tap on it, it says item not found.  I believe there is a bug in the software that this keeps happening. How can I get rid of this?
Note: I don't want to get rid of download notifications at all, just this one.

Saw this on another site:
Ryan answered 4 weeks ago
I was having the same issue after I updated my Galaxy S3 to Android 4.3.
I think I just fixed it. Here's what I did:

From the home screen, click the Apps icon
Open the "Downloads" app
In my case the files that kept showing up in the notification pull down were in the Other Downloads tab
Click the "Clear list" button at the bottom of the screen

After a restart I didn't get any more notifications.
Source: Just did this myself.


text:
Problem pairing again Nexus 5 with Alpine car stereo
I had my Alpine radio paired and working with my nexus 5.  Then someone unpaired the device on my phone when they wanted to pair it to a different bluetooth device.  Apparently the Alpine phone passphrase is '0000' (if it is needed - I can't recall it being asked for when I initially paired it and it seems that that is a "default" PIN that is attempted automatically?)
The new device did need a passphrase which was '1234'
I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to re-pair my car stereo with the phone.  The message I get is that pairing was unsuccessful due to an incorrect PIN/passphrase.
I can't find anywhere in setting on how to change the passphrase - because it never asks me for one.
I am assuming somehow this is a bug and the last successful PIN is being used.
Previously my stereo would prompt if it should allow the pairing and i would select Yes - this time it doesn't work.
I have seen what looks like similar questions/issues on other forums.  It seems to be a bug or at best a horrible hidden configuration somewhere.
To reiterate:

device A was previously paired fine.
device A was unpaired
new pairing to device B with a PIN
no longer able to pair with device A - with an error message of bad PIN/passhphrase but I
never supplied one for this device.

Any pointers or URLs or suggestions would be most appreciated. (aside from resetting to factory)
EDIT:
To answer the questions in a comment:

I have to look up the model number
I cannot attempt to pair using PIN 0000 - the phone does not give me a choice to do so.  I wish it would - in that case I could probably do it.
Same as above
I have turned off the radio - not sure how to disable BT on it - I will try that
Yes - many, many times - as well as shutting down phone
I am pretty sure visibility is on.  It was working fine until then and I will try it with another phone later today - it is visible. The phone discovers it.  Must be on
The message is displayed on the phone.

I have some questions about yours: 1. What model is your Alpine car stereo? 2. Have you tried to pair your Nexus 5 using '0000' as PIN code? 3. Using '1234'? 4. Have you disabled and enabled bluetooth in your car stereo? 5. In your Nexus 5? 6. How is set the Visibility Mode of car stereo: ON or OFF? 7. The error message comes from your phone or from your car stereo?

The issue was not Android.  (Except perhaps the misleading error message.)
The problem, it turns out, was that the pairings on the radio were "full".  It seems this radio (CDE-133BT) allows 3 pairings.  Well, I inadvertently renamed my Nexus some point along the way when I also unpaired it from the phone.  Attempting to re-pair without first emptying a free slot on the radio failed.  I do not know what the comms is like for denying a connection based on that, but either the radio sent incorrect information about why the pairing was denied or Android reported an incorrect reason.
The problem is solved - By the way  - the way to empty the bluetooth pairings is NOT in the manual - I watched a YouTube video of someone making pairings and discovered a way to find what the pairings were.
Not sure if this Q/A still belongs here, but maybe it will be helpful for someone with an Alpine CDE-133BT someday.

Tim: We are glad to know that you managed to solve the problem and yes, this Q&A belongs here because that's the idea: to help anybody having the same or similar problem. BTW, if you could add the link for that video you watched, that would be good.

It seems there is no way to change your default PIN code, because I've found the following note on some manuals for Alpine car stereos in the sections about Bluetooth pairing (emphasis mine):

The PIN code is fixed as "0000".

(Note found in Owner's Manual for Alpine CDE-HD137BT, Alpine CDE-133BT, Alpine CDE-143BT, Alpine CDE-147BT... I don't know what model you own)

I can't test the following because I have neither a Nexus 5 nor a Bluetooth capable car stereo (in fact I have no car, sorry), but it might help you to solve your problem (the names of settings might be different in Nexus 5 than in my Galaxy Nexus):

In your Nexus 5 go to your app drawer, tap Settings.
Tap Bluetooth (not the ON/OFF switch).
Enable Bluetooth (using the ON/OFF switch). Wait until list of paired devices is loaded.
If in the list of Paired devices it is included your Alpine car stereo, long tap its entry.
From the menu for that entry select Unpair.
Tap Search for devices.
Your car stereo should be detected again and be added to Available devices list: Proceed with the pairing procedure as you normally do, hopefully this time it will allow you to input the right PIN code.

thanks!  But, the problem is that it is NOT paired.  The problem is the phone does NOT allow me to enter a PIN at all.  The devices are UNPAIRED.  The radio is discovered.  Attempting to pair them fails.

Different manufacturers will use different Bluetooth stacks and each is implemented differently. There is no mandate that manufacturers must implemented Bluetooth stacks equally according to the standard set forth here. So, if  Bluetooth devices won't pair properly, then it is safe to assume that the Bluetooth stacks are implemented differently and are not compatible wrt to functionality, like entering a password. You could try to reset the Alpine unit and try again, but I wouldn't hold my breadth...