text:
Where is the recovery installed on Android phones?
As far as I know, every Android phone has a stock recovery. Where is this recovery usually stored? On a separate partition in internal storage(usually an eMMC memory chip)?

It's exactly as you say: A special partition only storing the recovery is used. It's about 5-10 mb large and doesn't interfere with the boot procedure.

A good starting point on that is our partition tag-wiki – which also mentions a good article on this topic: Android Partitions Explained: boot, system, recovery, data, cache & misc. Also see on our site: Android Folder Hierarchy


text:
2014 moto x battery life
I'm experiencing an issue with my 2014 Moto X's battery running Android 5.1 and I was wondering if someone have any suggestions or something ...
for example, yesterday I had about 30% left of my battery when I launched "Real Racing 3" game to play and right before game even get to load, my phone powered itself off( since it was on 30% mark before, I decided to start it again, one phone finished booting I noticed my 30% went down to 5% and shortly after that phone powered itself off again, when I plugged in my phone into a charger and almost immediately my phone reported 30% mark on my battery...
today i let my battery completely die (it was about 10% when phone powered itself off) and I just finished charging it completely as well, but something tells me that isn't gonna fix anything...
any advise?

If it was a chinese battery, don't be suprised. they are... Erratic. Either way, you need a new battery.

@DanB pretty much all batteries out there are Chinese, especially that my phone was purchased directly from Motorola and Motorola a part of Lenovo (Chinese company) so again NO surprise there...

Even though you already drained the battery and recharged it, I would recommend doing it once more (except let the phone die), just to recalibrate the battery. After that, check out what is eating up your battery in the settings. Try playing with the different radios (BT, WiFi) and seeing what effect each one has. If all of these don't work, try getting a new battery under warrenty or buying one and replacing it yourself (I would try Motorola Moto X 2nd Generation Battery Replacement - iFixit)
If ALL of these don't work, then 5.1 is messing with your phone (even though I have a Moto X running 5.1) and try installing a rom of 5.0.1 or even something else like cyanogenmod.
Good Luck!

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Change mapping of Hardware buttons in an un-rooted device?
How can I change the mapping of my un-rooted device's buttons like swapping the volume buttons? My device is a Sony Xperia E C1505

Can you provide more information about what phone you have, and whether or not you're rooted or willing to be rooted?

About rooting: no. Not because I do not want to(I do really want to root it), but because the build.prop has been tampered, by my friend. The only plus is that no games are incompatible work.

My understanding is that the only way to remap buttons is with root.

I did, see this link here

@Firelord well, I have root now (apparently, king root changed how they work) so that's sorted.

Not sure why would you want to swap those buttons but you can certainly do it using AutoInput (for Android 4.3 and above), Tasker, both are/have paid/7-day full trial, MacroDroid (free/paid) and Shortcut Launcher/ AutoShortcut (free/paid).

After installing Shortcut Launcher you would see four icons namely Shortcut 1, Shortcut 2, and so on in your app drawer.
Tap Shortcut 1 → MacroDroid Shortcut → <Add New Macro> → Volume Up/Down → Volume Down → proceed → ignore Add Constraints → name it "Volume Down".
Similarly, assign a MacrDroid shortcut to Shortcut 2 but choose Volume Up and name it "Volume Up".
Alternatively, AutoShortcut can be used in place of Shortcut Launcher. Use it in a Tasker's task to directly access a MacroDroid shortcut. It is available under Plugin.
In Tasker create an Event based profile from Plugin →  AutoInput →  Key → Configuration:

Keys: Volume Up
Key Action: Key Down

Create a task and add following actions:

Plugin → AutoInput  → Modes:

Configuration:

Key Suppress: Enable
Keys: Volume Up

Timeout: None

App → Launch App → Shortcut 1

Create another Event based profile but for Volume Down (follow step 3)
Repeat step 4  but under sub-step 1 do Keys: Volume Down and assign the app Shortcut 2 in sub-step 2 there.

That's it. It's not completely flawless but the flaws can be ignored.
For any reasoning about related to AutoInput see my answer at Bind action to hardware key combination.

I just noticed that your device probably did not receive Android 4.3 so this answer may not be helpful to you, but it is still good for anyone having Android 4.3 or above.

i know, but I can still work with it.

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


text:
Ways to consume Linux and open-source related news on Android device?
I would like to read Linux and open-source related news from my Android device. My current solution is a gReader Pro, which supports 4x4 widget and I have configured it to display RSS feeds from multiple sources:

The problem is, that often those RSS feeds show only the title or short summary and one still needs to visit the web page to read the whole article. Is there a way around this or only solution is to use RSS sources which publish full articles as RSS? In addition, I tried with few "personal magazin" apps like Flipboard, but I still ended up at the news-source web-page.

In gReader, double tap on the opened article, article(summary) will convert to full article automagically. No Need To visit Web page of article. I use this feature a lot and love it.

Try Pocket or Readability. They are both Android apps that parse HTML into more readable formats without having to visit the site.


text:
Unable to purchase apps
I am new to Android but have got a new phone running 5.0.1 using my Gmail account administered by my university in New Zealand. However I am unable to purchase apps in the Google Play store. I am able to download free ones but no any for which I have to pay money. Instead I get an error which says
Error while retrieving information from server[RPC:S-7:AEC-0 ...]
The ... is a 13 letter code in the format XXXX-XXXX-XXXXX which seems to change everytime I try.
I have tried restarting, updateing,  clearing the cache of the play store, Download Manager, Google play services and have added and removed my primary gmail account and done the same. I have done everything suggested here: https://support.google.com/googleplay/troubleshooter/4592924
How can I fix this?
Thank you.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! While waiting for answers, you might wish to take a look into our google-play-store tag-wiki, which lists most errors and links to possible solutions. I couldn't find yours exactly by your description; Google play fails to install application with RPC:S-5:AEC-0 sounds pretty similar from the error code, but doesn't seem to be exactly the same.

Just wondering, Can you purchase apps from the play store via a desktop/laptop?

This answer was applicable in my case: Google play fails to install application with RPC:S-5:AEC-0

I also posted on the Google play store forum and Byteguy posted suggested that my university was likely blocking purchases. This had not occured to me and sure enough when I set up a new Google account things worked fine.


text:
Button to allow ADB backup not working
I have a Oneplus One running CyanogenMod 12.0. (Based on Lollipop 5.0) I'm trying to create a backup using ADB. I executed the command, and it gave me the usual prompt to unlock my phone and allow the backup. On my phone, the screen comes up asking me if I want to encrypt the backup with a password, and with the "Do not back up" and "Back up my data" buttons. So far so good.
The "Do not back up" button works fine: When I click it, the command on my computer stops running. But the Confirm button just does nothing. When I tap the button, nothing happens; the button doesn't even "light up" like buttons normally do.

The button is not "grayed out" or disabled: It looks exactly like the other, functioning, cancel button.
I tried inputting a password, thinking maybe it would not allow me to back up my data unencrypted, but it still behaved exactly the same
I tried running the "adb backup" command with literally every combination of arguments, with the same results
"adb devices" does show my phone properly connected

How can I either

Fix this, and make an ADB backup
Make a complete backup in some other way, without root access. (I want to unlock my bootloader, which wipes all data)

"When I tap the button, nothing happens" -- so what exactly happens on computer's screen when you tap "Back up my Data" button? // 2. Does the command exits abruptly like when it does for "Do not back up"? // 3.  Did you ever create Desktop backup password from Developer Settings of Android some time earlier when using the device?

Nothing. 2. No, nothing happens. It just stays on the "Unlock phone" prompt. 3. No, I never made a password.

Just asking out of curiosity: have you taken a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices?

I have now, and I followed exactly the steps of the accepted answer, resulting in the exact same problem as in my original question.

For me force stopping the Facebook Messenger seemed to fix the problem.
In your case it might be related to a different app.
Go to Settings->Apps->Select the application you suspect->Press "FORCE STOP"
Possibly this is related to the "draw over other apps" privilege.
Also see http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-s/520618-adb-backup-can-t-click-back-up-my-data-button-phone.html

try adding a picture to the answer to elucidate your point

it was Twilight in my case (paused and it worked)

I could not press the "Back up my data" button either on a Samsung Galaxy S3. For me I think it was a screen adjuster app that dims the screen. Stopped it after reading the hint here and the button worked. Thanks.

@Lance Which screen adjuster app was it?


text:
Turning off "charging" sound effect on Xperia Z3 Compact
Is it possible to turn off the sound when the charger is connected? I have got the answer from Sony Support that this is a "feature".

No. Assuming your phone is updated to Lollipop, the sound is just always on now.

Try installing Setting Profiles Lite.
If you are rooted, you can get an Xposed module that can properly do that for you. And if you are really tech savvy, you can mod the framework.jar, but that requires some coding knowledge and could seriously damage your device.

Maybe not the best answer but, try to change the ROM.
I'm using Resurrection Remix, so I can disable this sound and many other things. Like RR, other custom ROMs also have this option, such as Carbon ROM, AOKP, CyanogenMod, etc.
Some links:

Official Resurrection Remix site
Unofficial release for Z3C on XDA

You can switch to vibrate or silent/priority mode prior to connecting power to your device, it will vibrate or do nothing accordingly.


text:
Share Android internet from proxy Server app via hotspot or usb tethering
I have a proxy Server android app that lets you modify outgoing http requests
that app Called  "Simple Server Android"
With it I Managed to get a free internet from my Carrier (Hacked connection)
By adding proxy and port to it
every thing is Work just fine on my android , But I Want to share this connection to my computer with this settings

On pc type on search box configure proxyserver then tap lan settings and voila configure your own proxy

A stock android feature is that you can use your device as a portable hotspot. On that device, go settings → more (in the wireless an. Networks chunk) → tethering and portable hotspot, in which you'll see two options: Portable WiFi hotspot(is a checkbox) and setup WiFi hotspot.
Choose set-up, and give it the name and password of your choice. Then save, turn it on (Mobile data must be on, just as WiFi connection need to be off) and connect your computer to it as you would to any wireless network(assuming you are on Windows, internet icon in bottom right) click it then your hot-spot, put in the password and you are done!

dude that didn't work for me I already did it before i even ask this question
When I use a hotspot my android share only a regular connection without a proxy server setting  without this setting I can't open any thing in my computer
So I need Mobile data to make  it through (proxy server app) before I use  it in my computer I hope I make it Clear

Hmmm. Look below. Also can you send me your data for this proxy? Send it to moveslikebill@gmail.com

You need to set proxy in Wi-Fi settings on your PC too. The reason is that hotspot network cannot be configured to use proxy without modifying NAT rules and/or kernel routing table at OSI layer 2/3. Proxy is used on per-connection basis by apps themselves, it's not enforced system-wide. For details see Why proxy set on Android does not work when used as hotspot?

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


text:
How do I remove the 'Whatsapp' button in Firefox's menu?
The big green button in the second row of the menu, shown in the image below. It does not appear as a Firefox addon, and Whatsapp itself doesn't seem to have any option regarding this.

Screenshot - Firefox (Click to enlarge image)
And how can I prevent stuff like this getting added to Firefox in the future? This seems to have the same potential for abuse as the desktop browsers' 'toolbars' system, and I wish to preemptively disable such changes to the browser.

Whatsapp is the last app you used to share a link.
To change it to something else, you need to share a link with another app, or if you want to remove any app icon from the menu, just uninstall and install the app again.

Is there a way I can disable this feature in Firefox entirely? The general share button in the first row's right is good enough for me, this 'last shared app' taking up an entire row is superfluous to me.

@sundar As much as I know, you cannot disable this option. It's on most of the apps, including gallery and Google Chrome.

That's the last application you shared with.
Share with another application or just ignore.


text:
How to know how much recent activity has been seen by a person having access to my Gmail account?
My estranged wife has possession of my phone. I locked her out of Gmail access as soon as possible. Despite my efforts I can't view from my PC in my security settings how much recent activity she saw on my Gmail and what she was browsing while on my device. I'm afraid that my opportunity to obtain this info has passed because I didn't check the history before I signed out of all devices. Is there still hope ?

If you used Chrome for Android as your phone's web browser, you should be able to view its history by opening Chrome on your desktop, going to History, and selecting "Other Devices" (also requires you are signed into Chrome on your PC, and, I believe, a sync setting enabled in PC Chrome).
For other apps, though, most do not retain any such logs, let alone provide a mechanism for remotely accessing them.
(Keeping an activity history on the device itself would be impractical due to the limited write lifecycle of the internal storage; Chrome retains your browsing history in the cloud as a convenience.)

Google secures this data (any cloud provider should) in such a way as to not be readily accessible to their employees or hackers. However, many people are hyper-reactive regarding internet privacy, and erroneously assume anything in the cloud is accessible to the cloud provider, so they disable such features and advise others to do the same. My local news recently instructed viewers to disable Location History, without explaining that doing so breaks some very useful features, like telling you about heavy traffic on your daily commute, or when to leave to get to your appointment on time.)


text:
I Accidentally Deleted the Launcher
I was making some tests on my android phone and I accidentally deleted the launcher from the system partition and I forgot to copy the new one to the system partition again, and the phone doesn't show anything, just the status bar and I can't enter or run anything.
I tryed to send the launcher's apk using bluetooth, but neither other android phone nor windows 8.1 can't send any file to the phone, even if the phone is paired with both devices.
Is there any way to run the Play Store to install the launcher or to install the launcher from the SD card?
Thanks a lot.

You can find a launcher on the Google Play Store and remotely install it that way. Then reboot the phone after it installs. Once the phone reboots it should prompt you to pick a launcher and then you can go from there.
So for instance if you want the Google Launcher.
Then click on the Install button and select the device. As long as the device is online and signed into your account, it will install for you automatically.
Edit. Forgot to say this. You can do this from another device, just have to do it through the browser and not the app. Or since you said Windows 8.1 I assume thats a desktop/laptop. You can do it on there as well.
Edit 2. Adding on what @Izzy commented. You can download the apk for google's launcher from here. Then sideload via adb, using the command adb install </folder/nameof.apk>.

Beat me to it – yepp, that's exactly what solves it (+1). With the device not connected to GPlay, adb install is an alternative if you got hold of some launcher .apk :)

Was about to re-edit my answer to include that as well. But was looking for where he could download an apk to a launcher to sideload like that. Lol

I can help you with the latter: see my list of Home Replacements, many of them offer an .apk download (blue icon with an arrow pointing down).

I tried that, but the device is not detected on Windows. Is there a way to install it from SD? I don't have access from the device to anything, that includes the Play Store. One more thing, I have other device of the same model, it turns on but does not shows anything on the screen, the screen backlight turns on, but nothing is shown, just a "black screen". What can I do? by the way, both phones are iRulu Universe 2 and I got both from a gift.

What type of android are you using? My advice if google play store can still be used, use the keyword launcher to find thelauncher you want, then restart.

I did the same thing. Once I went to General Settings -> General -> Accounts & Sync and signed in, there were lots of notifications that took me to the Google Play Store.

authors: وجدان الحمدي


text:
Auto shutdown after about 15 minutes
I have a HTC G1 Dream device. I noticed that it has a problem.

When I unplug it from charger, about 15 minutes later it shuts down.
Is there any solution for this?
P.S Factory reset won't help here. I've tried this about 3 times.

Does it shutdown and you have to turn it back on? Or is shutting down cause the battery drains? Does it still have the factory battery in it? Over the years batteries tend to wear out from charging and discharging over and over. And just because it shows it has 100% charge, Doesn't necessary mean that it is truly at 100%. And since that phone came out in mid 2009. If I was a betting man, I would say you need a new battery.

Sounds like a bad battery, use logcat or a battery monitor and see what happens when it shutdown.
I had a device that would do the same but it would last 2 hours instead and under load would go about 5 mins :p
A new battery sorted it out in the end. But if you can get a new phone as once the battery starts to go the other compentnets will fail as well. If you cannot afford to do by a new phone at least backup on TB on a EXTERNAL SDCARD. so if worse comes to worst you have all the data for all your apps.


text:
I can't configure my tablet's USB-to-ethernet IP setting manually
I have Lenovo A7-30 A3300 (A3300-GV) tablet on Android 4.4.2 which has USB ethernet support. My device is rooted but no application before root or after rooted work. I use a micro USB-to-ethernet adapter and it works fine with my router.
Where my internet is provided by local cable operator ISP Siti broadband or Alliance, IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS must be set to PC ethernet IPv4 property or in a router. But when I directly connect it to my tab via USB ethernet, I can't configure it manually and the internet not working.

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?

To display Ethernet settings in Android parameters you can edit build.prop file and search for "ethernet" word. On my Haier E701 Tablet, I've found the line:
ro.rk.ethernet_enable=false

I've replaced the "false" value by "true" and Ethernet settings are displayed.

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


text:
Are there codes to insert Android emoji?
Just like how in HTML you would use $ to display a dollar character ($), do Android emoji have some sort of code that I could type in a text field (and if the app supports emoji it will display it), rather than browsing through the list of all emoji?

Yes
There are Unicode character codes for standard emojis. There's a complete list available here, but some common ones include U+1F601, which is . The actual representation of the emoji might differ across platforms though, as seen below.

Additionally, simply entering the Unicode codes into the app might not necessarily display the character since it assumes you want to enter the literal code and not the emoji representation.
Several services including Telegram, WhatsApp, Slack, GitHub, etc do allow for this fortunately, through a different list of character codes, such as :smile: for . Again there's a complete list available here.

The  unicode U+1F601 smiley and :smile are not visible to me. Instead a  vertical box is displayed.

This is on your computer I presume? Admittedly whether it displays properly depends very much on the degree of Unicode support, which is patchy at best.

Yes, Desktop version of  Google Chrome latest version(43.x.x). It would be better if you crop the image and post it in you answer for everyone to view it regardless of the Unicode support. Are you using a mobile browser or SE app?

That's weird. I'm on Desktop Chrome too. Anyway, I already have a picture with the representations on the respective platforms above.

@Lucky it's not so much about which browser you're using as which fonts you have installed.  works in both Chrome and Firefox here on my Linux box, because I have a fonts installed with that character.

As an alternative, consider using a keyboard app that offers emoji as suggestions when typing (as well as words).
Swype is one keyboard that does this. If you type "dog" you get various word suggestions, but also the dog emoji. Very handy. A few of the images in the Play Store (links below) show examples of this.
It is a paid app, with a free trial version.

Swype  (paid app)
Swype  (free trial)

Sadly, Swype is being discontinued by Nuance.
Google's Gboard claims to offer emoji suggestions, but it mostly does not work for me, nor it seems for many others. It does also offer direct emoji search-by-text, but you have to enter text in its emoji search box, rather than it reacting to text as you type (which is what suggestions is supposed to do, but often doesn't).

authors: Анастасия Кровополийская


text:
Is there any way to disable or remove the [ T ] Tesco navigation button on a Hudl?
Some years ago we bought a Tesco Hudl (the first one, not a Hudl 2).  It features a small Tesco button  on the navigation bar.  Its presence on the bar is not an issue but there is a problem where the device periodically starts registering presses to this button, opening and closing the Tesco website every few seconds.  The only way to stop this at present is to lock the screen using the power button, wait a few seconds, then resume normal use.  The manufacturers were clearly aware of screen issues, as one of the software updates that rolled out claimed to address this and did help.  The device is so old, it would make no economic sense to physically repair but disabling the button that registers the click would make the user experience much better.
Yesterday I looked around for ways to disable or remove this button.  It seems that some years ago people on MoDaCo created a custom firmware for the Hudl that did not have the button.  I tried to download the binary last night and the server seemed to through errors, so I assume it does not have the file any more.  Further to this the version of firmware this mod seems to apply to the more recent version installed on the Hudl.  The Hudl is running Android 4.2.2 and a later ROM version than the 20130923 specified for this alternative image.
A few people also suggesting using some software to remove or disable the soft button without loading a new ROM image.  I have managed to ''root'' the Hudl and install the Xposed framework but I have not been able to find a tool that would let me modify the [ T ] softbutton.  I have been able to change the style of the other Icons (which might be a welcome relief to my partner as she hates the Lollipop NavBar icons on her Nexus 4), but not alter the Tesco icon.
Please can someone provide some simple instructions of how to remove or disable this NavBar soft button?  As I have mentioned it is a rooted Hudl 1, running the latest over-the-air firmware.

Well that took quite a bit of work.  In the end I was able to get the custom firmware for the Hudl mentioned on the MoDaCo forum.  After that the difficulty was getting the USB Drivers up and running to get the Hudl happy as an MTP device.  I think this is how it went...
Enable Developer Settings & USB Debugging - This Hudl is an Android 4.2.2 device so you got to Settings > About Device scroll down to Build Number and then tap it 7 times.  After that you will find that you can go to Settings > Developer options then enable USB Debugging.
USB Drivers - Honestly I don't know what I did to finally get this working.  Even with the Android Development Kit installed the drivers did not load correctly.  Some scrabbling around took me to the AndroidCentral Forums from which I downloaded a MotoHelper Driver, extracted the files from that install executable and then installed the 64 bit driver version under \MotoHelper_2.1.32_Driver_5.4.0\$TEMP\ (this took me two attempts).  After failing to get an Unknown Device to install as a composite mtp devices, I tried replacing some of the other ones that came up; a Hudl and an MTP device.  That did not work so I unplugged the device, plugged it back in.  Eventually a second Hudl device appeard and this I could choose to be a Composite MTP which then let adb devices -l see the thing.
Backing-up the old and installing the new SystemUI.apk - This turned out to be the easy bit.  Follow the instructions from the MoDaCo forum post.  Navigate to wherever you have the new .apk in a console and then:

adb pull /system/app/SystemUI.apk SystemUI.mybackup.apk
adb push SystemUI.apk /sdcard/SystemUI.apk
adb shell
su
stop
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp /sdcard/SystemUI.apk /system/app/SystemUI.apk
chmod 644 /system/app/SystemUI.apk
reboot

I am very grateful to PaulOBrien for getting the modified ROM setup and providing the instructions that got me most of the way.


text:
Android gmail app
In micromax canvas, i am unable to find account settings in gmail app . I need to add recovery mobile number to my gmail account in my mobile ? how to do it in specified mobile?

Gmail app for android have no option to change your account settings. Instead you should add a phone number using a web browser. Inorder to set up a recovery mobile number or email address:

Sign in to your gmail account.
In the "Personal info & privacy" section, select "Your personal info".
Choose "Phone".
If adding a phone number, select "Add Recovery Phone".
  Or, if editing a phone number, select edit .
Follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: You must use a mobile phone with text messaging turned on.

I need to do it in  my micromax canvas set

Navigate to the https://myaccount.google.com section of your google account with your mobile web browser of your micromax canvas.

its not working ,its asking for login password in browser. i dont know my password, that is why i need to add recovery mobile number.Is there any solution?


text:
How to unlock my HTC desire 816 w after too many pattern attempts?
I got my phone locked after too many pattern attempts. Now it is asking me to enter my Gmail credentials. I tried that too but nothing is happening.
I have active data service but it is not enabled in my phone.
I tried to hard reset my phone, but when I tried to enter into Recovery mode by pressing Power button + volume down key, nothing happened.  Fastboot is enabled.
How can I unlock or reset my phone?

I solved it. Keep the phone switched on then press and hold POWER button plus VOLUME UP key. Once the phone switched off press the VOLUME DOWN key instead of UP key (don't release power button). It will disable fast boot and bring up boot screen.

It depends on which OS you are using.  It is my understanding that phones with newer OS cannot be unlocked/reset if the device password is not known.
This is an attempt to make it more difficult for people to reset stolen phones.
Bottom line, depending on your specific device OS - you may need the password to unlock it.

My android version is  v4.4.2

I am pretty confident there is nothing you can do.


text:
Alarms Sounds/Songs
Am I able to set my alarm sound as a song I have downloaded (either Google Play music or a third party music downloader) instead of the preset "sounds"? I have a files explorer already installed if needed.
Thanks.

Which phone do you have?

Actually in my phone I can set The Ringtone of my phone as a Alaram Tone..So when I want to use some dow loaded mp3 as alaram I first make it as ringtone than set it as alaram tone and than remove it as ringtone.

Using motorola moto G. My alarm tones can be viewed in settings as "default notification alarms". How do I make downloaded mp3 a notification alarm/ringtone?

Don't worry I just got an app that does ringtones and alarms

Cool..now you can add this in answer section and accept your own answer by upvoting so that in future if someone is facing same problem can get solution.

Download the app ringtone maker. Make the alarm/ringtone, save it and select it as the sound.

authors: Арсен Шихмагомедов


text:
How to upgrade Samsung galaxy A5 to lollipop without using Kies?
I'm on Manjaro Linux can't use Kies, I tried it in virtualbox, didn't work as expected. I live in Lebanon, so no A&T version or anything like that, I need standard firmware.
I have galaxy A5, current version 4.4.4, I want to upgrade to lollipop. Isn't available from settings > software update. I want to download it and do it manually, my device isn't rooted yet, will root it soon.

Model Number: SM-A500H

Found one here, first one, but I don't know if I can trust the source and it's Uzbekistan, I don't know if I should use it.Note that Kies in virtualbox detected some firmware, I just couldn't install it, so there is a firmware out there.

I downloaded this and flashed it using odin (windows running in virtualbox) and it worked. Using the Uzbekistan firmware should work too, from my own experience. But don't root it using CF-Auto-Root it will break your phone and you'll have to flash it again.

authors: عبدالرزاق محمد الدرويش


text:
How does Android WebView Update from Google Play work?
One of the touted features of Android 5 is the updates of WebView through Google Play.
The official documents state:

The initial release for Android 5.0 includes a version of Chromium for WebView based on the Chromium M37 release...

and:

Although WebView has been based on Chromium since Android 4.4, the Chromium layer is now updatable from Google Play.

Does it mean that the default built-in "Android Browser" is now actually Chromium M37 after updating to Android 5.0?
Does it mean that the default "Android Browser" auto-updates itself like the evergreen browsers on desktop? Assuming Play Store account is set up.

After updating a Samsung Galaxy S4 to Android 5.0, What's My User Agent? shows that the default Internet Browser is "Chrome 34". What's going on?

It means that applications that use the WebView class (for displaying a web page within an app, basically) will now use the Chromium version of WebView and thus render things the same way Chrome does, rather than the old way.  This also allows it to be updated so that any rendering/other errors can be fixed, instead of you permanently being unable to see/use certain pages or elements within WebViews.
And yes, the old Android browser has been replaced by Chrome as the default bundled with Android.

Thanks for answer. Does this mean the default Android Browser (the icon called "Internet") will be using the auto-updated WebView? Because despite some updates to the webview, the default browser still shows up as "Chrome 34" in whatsmyuseragent.com


text:
Cannot connect Nexus 7 to computer to see internal storage after flashing Cyanogenmod
I've managed to flash Cyanogenmod 12.1 onto my Nexus 7 2012 to give it a new lease on life, but now I can't connect it to my PC to view it as a storage device!
The Nexus 7 shows up as a "media device" in Devices and Printers and does not show up as a drive in My Computer - the driver for it is shown as the Android ADB Driver. The Nexus 7 is only charging when connected to my computer, there is no notification to choose the connection type. I have tried re-installing the driver, but Windows says it's already up to date. ADB and Fastboot both locate the device in Recovery and Bootloader, so the driver is obviously working. Connecting the Nexus 7 to a different computer that hasn't been used to flash images shows up as a storage device with no problems.
What am I missing/doing wrong with my computer that won't show my Nexus 7 as a storage device?
Clarification: Running Windows 8.1. Connected with MTP mode shows my Nexus 7 in my Devices and Printers (but Unspecified), but not as a Media Device in My Computer:
Connected with PTP mode works as expected:

I don't have a Windows 8 to troubleshoot, so in case you may want to see an alternative you may try my answer here.

Ran into the exact same problem: Nexus 7 wouldn't properly connect as MTP device on Windows 10 after flashing CyanogenMod 12.1. The driver I had installed was the "Universal ADB driver" (not "Android ADB Driver" as OP). It was needed during the flashing procedure.
Solution was to uninstall the ADB driver: Right-click on the device in the Device Manager and select "Uninstall". Then unplug USB cable and reconnect. Device now works as expected.


text:
LG l70 DBI Err Fatal - boot up display stuck here
I had LG l70 and I have rooted and fully unrooted it few times. Recently I fully unrooted it and factory reseted because I had intention to sell it. I left Lg l70 in sleep without battery in it for about 2 weeks and then I wanted to sell it, but when I booted up phone I got DBI Err Fatal. I have searched and tried every method to solve this, but the problem is I can't get phone to download or recovery mode. Everytime when I try to do it, it just displays DBI Err fatal. Even my computer can not recognise phone through USB connection. I am desperate for help.
Sincerely, divjad---
Here is the image of what it looks like everytime when it boots up.

authors: Иван Вашневской


text:
How to prevent Google from asking for location permission when enabling GPS?
I took this new phone which had a notification about an update. Thinking it is like Windows OS where I must have the newest updates for proper security practices- I agreed for the update.
Turns out it has become a Lollipop device now. It wouldn't be much of a problem except that the owner who has no Google account and want to stay away from them as much as possible, sharing as little info as possible- now gets a popup every time she turns on the GPS, asking her to share her location with Google ("use Google location services").  She keeps hitting 'Decline', but other than being annoying, the demand is obviously destined to be accidentally accepted one day.
I've spent the entire day looking for a solution and I'm fairly desperate. I am not allowed to install any 3rd party GPS app on the phone nor can I revert to the previous version if it involves me downloading some file from the internet (not from an official source) and trying to flash the device (I'm inexperienced and afraid to brick the device as well).
Can anyone help?
P.S.:

Funnily enough the popup has a "decline" button, an "accept" button, and a "don't ask me again" tick box- however when you choose the tick box- the "Decline"  button disappears (turns grey).
I just want to add that it goes without saying about a root being out of the question.

Do you want GPS only?

Yes.       I want this phone to be able to turn on and use the GPS chip, so for instance the location could be used by an app which was installed for such purpose,  but I don't want Google to have this information unless the user has ,specifically, intentionally, chose them for one task or another.

Google Location services are managed by Google Play Services. Disable them from Settings -> Apps -> All apps and you won't see that dialog again irrespective of the location mode you choose, until you re-enable the service. This may cause trouble for un-rooted devices since some 3rd party apps ridiculously depends upon Google Location/Play services to work, and disabling them would revert back to OEM shipped obsolete package, so you must have an updated APK ready at your disposal to re-enable and update the services whenever you need Google Location Services...continued..

Also, if you re-enable Google Play Services you would have to provide your Google credentials again to the system, which would infuriate anyone who is in hurry! So, root the device I would say to avoid such issues. Ask the rooting question and you most likely would be helped.

But if privacy is the issue then why not use a firewall on your device? As long as the Google Play Services isn't getting connected to the internet, you shouldn't bother whether you agreed for Location consent or not?

How do you get ride of the pop up ?

Hi ,there is a simple solution go to settings > location > Mode and
choose device only , the phone will use only the GPS sensor to get
your location it is more than enough because any app that want to get
your location will get your Coordinates (X,Y,and altitude too -height
above sea level- )

What is causing the annoying pop up ?

The pop up shows up becuase you choose high accuracy when you choose
that option the phone will use ,your cell network ,wifi hot-spot and
GPS sensor to determine your exact location in order to do so the
phone need to send hotspot location or network antenna location.

Thank you for the response, I'm afraid however that it doesn't help. The device was already running under "device sensors only". It is true that when I tried those other options said pop up appeared as well, but when I chose 'decline' they simply didn't turn on- as oppose to my situation where upon declining the GPS works well- until the moment it is turned off and then on again. Suddenly the pop up appears.

If it helps, I see now a notification  saying :" RECENT LOCATION REQUEST: Google Play Service."

@Stupidstupidstupid ,I remember having it ,you can check the never ask again but when you do the decline button grays out ,it's like the google maps annoying tip of turning on wifi all over again.  try this too : settings > wifi >>>> click the three dots at the top right and uncheck "scanning always available"  ,also try clearing data and cache for google play services ,google play ,google framework ,chrome ,google+ any google app available (clearing data will make you lose any data on that app )

thank you for trying. the 'always scanning' box was disabled but I tried to clear data from all the "google 'something' "I saw in the  app settings ('all' category)... nope, the request for access is still there. One thing though, the "recent location requests" is now empty even though I turned the GPS on and off multiple times now.


text:
Root checkers tells me my phone is rooted but most root required apps warns me that the system denied to root. Why? Anyone, please explain it to me
Before my phone was said to be rooted by root checkers, I tried many rooting apps, both Android and PC based.
The first significant change which happened occurred when I first installed and used the app called 360Root. 360Root seemed to install an outdated su binary in my system. After that, Root Validator tells me "Root Denied", rather than the usual "Root Unavailable". I tried to update su binary in SuperSU by chainfire, but the installation failed again. After multiple attempts to update the binary,
I thought I should try a PC program called KingoRoot. I used it after downloading and installing it. Kingoroot ran and completed successfully, but checking it in Root Validator still says "Root Denied". I tried again, and it still said sucesss. This time, some, but not all apps that require root like Busybox recognized my device as rooted, so I am able to install BusyBox applets. Kingo Superuser disabled SuperSU, although SuperSU still didn't work that time because su binary is just not updated.
Then I've tried again KingRoot, which succeeded in taking over the root from Kingo. I checked the root status in Root Validator. It now looks like a good news to me, because it tells me "Root is available". However, after opening some root required apps, they still don't recognize my device as rooted.
So finally, I had tried to replace KingUser with SuperSU by downloading terminal emulator first and then the "how-to-replace-kinguser-with-supersu.zip" file. I've followed the instructions perfectly, and it did replace it after updating the su binary and making SuperSU a system app. All the root checkers say that my phone is fully rooted. But, the apps that require root are still saying that I don't have root. Until then, I've noticed that there is a fifth line in Root Validator which says, "SELinux is enforcing". I downloaded a SELinux mode changer which can change SELinux modes from enforcing to permissive and vice versa. Even after changing that and rebooting, the apps still did not work. What could be the possible solution for apps not recognizing that I am rooted? Am I officially rooted? Is this condition have something to do with KitKat's improved security?
TL;DR: Root apps succeeded, and root checkers all say that I am rooted. However, apps that need root are denied root. SuperSU is installed.

Is the permission for su binary correct? I tend to think that if the Root Validator says that your device is rooted yet is not asking for permissions to access su, then it probably is looking for su's presence. Tell me what are the file permissions for su binary?

SuperSU already doesn't warn me about updating su binary 'cause I think it's already updated and I can fully navigate through the options and menus of SuperSU. What I believe is that my android isn't officially rooted 'cause it's just rooted by one click rooting programs & apps. What I seem to accept as customs to rooting especially on a Samsung unit are the usage of Odin program (flash tool) & Odin download mode to install roms and the flashing of certain downloaded zip files at the recovery mode to update the android's system.

Did you flashed a custom recovery? If so, then try to flash a flashable supersu zip. This is best way in rooting I have ever got.

KingRoot makes a terrible mess, and is probably the cause of the problem. Having used several other root apps on the same firmware doesn't help. I'd reflash the firmware and start over.

A small idea. Some brands (lik Coolpad used to) have anti-root mechanism built in their stock ROMs, which may be the cause of your problem. If you can provide your phone brand & model we are able to look further into this issue.

Go to SuperSu/Superuser(Or whatever app you have)
If app that doesnt got root access are listed there try giving it root access always.

For SuperSU Its like:
SuperSU > Apps > (App for which root access is denied) >  (Select GRANT) in Access

I've changed it from prompt to granted now. Then I tried to open one of my root required apps but it still don't recognized my rooted android device. Thanks for the advice as an answer but it didn't solve the problem. Sorry...

I will try to update answer as soon as I will find another solution.

@RukinoJinsen While waiting for other hints, take a look at our logging tag-wiki. Logs might give you a clue what's going on. Also, you could check whether next to the super-user app there's also a su binary available (SuperSU includes the featue to update it, which is another thing you could try). An one more thing to check: SuperSU has a log section. Are there any entries? Does the app section list any app?

This can happen in many cases.

Your device could not get rooted properly at first.
Some sort of settings in your SU/SuperSU/superuser app has been altered,  which shows unexpected root behavior.
Your device has become unroot, due to some activity you performed after rooting.

In all the cases above,  convenient solution will be to perform a complete root procedure again. And do not alter any internal root settings, unless you know what you are doing.
Also, use and update only the SU app that was installed while rooting. I personally prefer SUPERSU BY CHAINFIRE.

Clean the SuperSU app's Data in settings/Applications and try Again. It worked for me.


text:
Digital Clock Widget
I use the Digital Clock Widget on my Samsung S4 Mini. Recently, I have noticed that when on 'Lock Screen' as small 'Qo' is displayed below the date:

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
Anyone able to help identify this?


text:
How can you find which carrier a LG D803 is locked to?
I bought a LG D803 and it came locked to an unknown carrier. All the unlock services require the information of which carrier the phone is locked to give me an unlock code. So, how can I find that out?

The System Version of the device is usually unique to a carrier, due to the changes carriers make to the stock software in most countries. You can find that value in Settings > About Device > System Version and plug it into Google.


text:
I'm getting frequent inaccurate location as the same location, can I make this stop?
My wife and I are both having this occur frequently, with the primary issue it brings up being that we often find ourselves getting directions to our desired location or searches for things nearby oriented in Mascoutah, IL when we are in fact about 45 miles away from there.
I have an LG G3 running Android 5.0 and she has an LG G4 running Android 5.0.
I'd like to figure out how to make this stop occurring, or at least occur significantly less.  I would have blamed WiFi locations, but I'm including a few screenshots of three different days of mine that show it is very unlikely I'm hitting a WiFi consistently with that location.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Agreed: the first two maps definitely rule out the "moved neighbor effect". I can imagine one router moved. I could even imagine two routers using the same SSID. But that would be a few to many routers sharing the same SSID and MAC, definitely! +1 for the good documentation. Curiously looking forward to explanations – as this one leaves me speechless (unless someone from Mascoutah is watching you with a flying WiFi drone)! Good luck!

Btw, what was intended as a joke might give us a clue: Do you have WiFi enabled when that happens? If so, (yes, switching it off might cure it) you could check for "WiFi networks in reach" and see if you can see their SSID. Having that, sites like OpenBmap allow you to search for it (umm, St Louis area not covered there – Mozilla has it, if you can find a search for that).

You know, a WiFi drone would almost make me feel better, at least I'd have an explanation...  I do almost always keep WiFi on because of how Google Maps yells at me about it - even if I'm definitely not getting WiFi.  I'll try leaving it off for the ride home today and then see if any trips to Mascoutah still occur.

For what it's worth you aren't the only one. It shows that I been to Chicago recently, but in fact. I haven't been to Chicago in months. Other than that everything else is correct. No idea why. Just figured I would let ya know, it happens to me as well. Lol

So, I made the trip home with WiFi off and still show as being in Mascoutah for about 22 minutes on the way home.  Is it possible I've got a whole bunch of cell towers in my area with incorrect locations?  That seems unlikely though.  Is there some sort of inherent, recurring math issue with the GPS calculation in both of my LG devices?  (Just throwing theories up in the air at this point.)

I'm suspecting at this point there isn't anyone with any guesses of suggestions left, but thought I'd try and add a comment to attempt to ask for any further insights anyone might have.

When this occurs, send feedback to Google from Google Maps, with your location enabled.

Open Google Maps.
Touch the menu (three lines).
Touch 'Send feedback'.
Touch 'Report location issues'.

This is what Google requests that you do.
More background:
The Washington Post reports that location as reported by your cellular provider can be inaccurate. This story includes a successful resolution for one person from Sprint, but a continuing battle for another person. Part of the trouble is that no one owns this problem. Reporting it to Google is a start, but may not actually solve your problem.
It could also be a WiFi problem. Using alternate firmware like DD-WRT often resets the MAC and SSID to a common default; so it is definitely possible that there are access points at multiple, widely spaced locations that map to the same place.
If you have the location accuracy of the bad location, this may also be hint as to the error source. WiFi will generally report errors in the 10s of meters, while cellular is generally in 100s of meters.


text:
OneDrive - Android sign-in error
Same error for 2 weeks now: get notification saying sign-in error for one-drive, I try and enter password, says email address or password is wrong, so I reset password, then it goes away for an hour or two, then same error, repeat. Have googled but doesn't seem to be a solution out there - any help here? I would delete it but I like the back up service.

Have you tried clearing the data/cache for the app? Also could try uninstalling and reinstalling.

Had the same issue. I cleared the app cache and force stopped the app and it all worked again.


text:
How to root Samsun Galaxy Tab S running Android 5.0.2?
I've been trying to root my Tab S (Model SM-T700).
I haven't gotten very far before encountering this issue.
What I have done is gotten the Google USB Driver installed -- meaning I can use adb.
If you didn't follow that link, basically my issue is that I can't adb root, since my tablet is in secure mode.

Okay, I rooted it.
I don't remember the precise process, but there are two important things I used:

Odin, the external rooting tool
The knowledge that the "code name" for the SM-T700 is klimtwifi. Look that up instead of Samsung SM-T700 and you'll get a lot more stuff.


text:
Restrict Internet access to a particular app only for a specific time period on an unrooted device
I have an app that behaves poorly. It is constantly uploading stuff in the background. I think I could get it to use less power if I could impose some sort of "parental control" type feature on it. I'd like the OS to tell this app (and only this app) that there is no network (wifi/data) connection whenever it asks, except for two separate hours of the day (then if I have a connection, the app can use it for that hour).
Is there any setting that does this?

Yeah sure! It can be easily done. My first choice would be to use AFwall+'s Profile and Tasker in combination. But because the former requires root access which you might not be having, so the hint may not be helping much. 2) Because it's about power saving, using firewall might not be a good idea because the poorly coded app would still continuously show up in Firewall logs requesting connection, and all...continued..

(Still requires root) You can use XPrivacy and Tasker to restrict internet access using permission control for time being but I never really tested whether an app would still continuously demand for that permission and get denied or not. 4) If the app isn't of much use for whole day, then you can use Greenify to hibernate, so it won't be doing anything unless explicitly invoked by user or depending component, 5) You can use Titanium Backup (needs root) to freeze/kill the app for time being if condition in '4)' is satisfied.

Hmm, I'll check out Greenify. Haven't rooted yet. Might have to try that soon... Thanks for the comments :)

This doesn't apply to Wi-Fi, but the Android system has a per-app setting "restrict background data" that will completely stop the app from using mobile data except when the app is running in the foreground (i.e. it's the active app).
To access this setting, go to System Settings > Data Usage, then scroll down to locate the app and tap it. Then scroll down to find a checkbox for the setting.

Marking this as the answer. I looked into greenify, but it wasn't clear what that did for me. This (and disabling bluetooth) will at least prevent the app from draining data, and hopefully power. Thanks!

Update: it works! My battery's been back to an acceptable level since I "restricted background data". I don't use that app much anyway, so it's great that it's not eating so much power these days.

Glad to hear it! Also, welcome to Stack Exchange! Be sure to take the tour, and come back to vote this post up one you've earned enough reputation. (You're almost there!)


text:
Manage photo Library on Facebook Messenger app
I was just wondering if there was a way to modify the folder structure on the Facebook and Facebook Messenger app to use the folders already set up in the Gallery to select photos, rather than selecting all at once and ordering them by "last modified".
To explain, I have several folders in my Gallery app - "Camera", "Facebook", "Friends" etc. When using the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps, and I want to share a photo, I just get all of my photos, seemingly organised by the date they were last updated (including if the photo was edited).
So is there a way to get these apps to use the folder structure I have in my Gallery app, rather than the current setup?

The only way to do this I know of is to circumvent facebook when selecting photos.
To do this:

go to your gallery
select the photo(s) you want to send
press share on those
choose the method as facebook or messenger.

If you want I can explain in more detail, just comment if that's the case.


text:
How do I check which apps are hibernated the most by Greenify (so that if I don't use them, I can freeze them)?
I'm on a rooted LG G3 and running Android 5.0 - I have the paid versions of Greenify and Titanium Backup on my phone.
I just want to know if there's a way to check which apps are hibernated most often by Greenify so that, if I decide that there are often-hibernated apps that I don't really use that much, I can opt instead to freeze them using Titanium Backup.

I'm bit confused here. 1) Is the phone under consideration really yours? 2) If it is your phone, then wouldn't you know by yourself which apps you don't really use that much? 3) Did you hibernate some system apps/components as well which you can't tell whether you're using them or not?

Yes it's mine 2) I know which apps I don't really use that much, but I don't know what apps Greenify hibernates the most (because a lot of apps/services could be triggering constantly in the background and Greenify hibernates them often, but I don't monitor these so I don't know) 3) I don't know what you're asking here... sorry.


text:
Applied Pin Lock screen to Galaxy S6 Edge, forgot password, need to get photos from phone
I have tried using Google android device manager and end up with
"Since Google has verified that a screen lock is already set, the password you entered won't be needed."
Samsung's find my mobile site will not work because I didn't register device prior to being locked out.
I am desperate to get the photos and videos from the phone. They are memories I want to keep, please help.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! You might wish to take a look at our locked-out tag-wiki – and other questions with answers for the same issue, especially: How to unlock Google Device Manager remote lock?

You can use your Google account to unlock the phone.
Here's the steps from Google:

After you've tried multiple times to unlock your device, you'll see "Forgot pattern" on your lock screen. Touch Forgot pattern.
When prompted, enter the Google Account username and password you previously added to your device.
Reset your device's screen lock.


text:
Why does the play store show "deactivate" instead of uninstall
I was reviewing the recent update changes for the Outlook app when I noticed that instead of the normal uninstall button, it says dectivate instead:

Screenshot showing the button (click to enlarge)
I don't believe that this is a core app as its a Samsung phone (specifically the Core LTE).
Why is the play store showing deactivate instead of uninstall?

This is probably because you have configured Outlook as a Device Administrator. This prevents you from uninstalling the app. If you wish to uninstall Outlook you will need to go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators and uncheck Outlook. This will then allow you to uninstall the app.
Steps taken from Nexus 5 so may differ slightly on other devices

Thanks for the info. I didn't even think of that. +1


text:
Is it possible to restrict an app's permissions to a specific folder(s) (and subfolders)?
When installing an app, depending on the app, access to the filesystem is required and requested at the time of install. Is it possible to restrict this to specific folders(s) and their subfolders? For example a photo editor or diary app: why would such apps need to be able to access the whole filesystem.
If not it might not be a bad idea, security-wise...

May be I missed it but I don't remember an Android permission related to access to filesystem but only to shared storage. 2) Android uses Linux kernel so you can always restrict files and folders for something by using groups. // That said, your idea is broad to me, so I suggest you pin-point the specific issue you're having.

If you don't need access (except for app-specific folders), simply don't request any. By default, each app can write to its own storage space, i.e. /data/data/<package_name> and /sdcard/Android/data/<package_name>. A photo editor would need "full access" if you want to edit existing photos residing outside that scope, of course. // Apart from that, what is the background of your question? What permission to request is a decision of the app developer we users cannot deal with.

It's not clear which filesystem and directories OP is asking about. Either it's about completely private storage or private directories in shared storage or public shared storage or operating system partition (/system etc.)

Could work in theory.
Every app installed on an android phone is given a user id starting from 10000 for the first app and a group with the same id is created.
BusyBox (and root, maybe?) required!
To get the uid of an app, execute the following in a terminal emulator.
dumpsys package com.example.myapp

Replace com.example.myapp with the package name of your target app.

Format your storage (external/internal) with ext4, assuming you have a backup of all the files.
Restore the backup.
chown and chmod the folders you want to restrict. Basing your restrictions on groups will be a better option.

Again, it's just theory. May or may not work.
If you didn't understand any of the steps, get proper knowledge about them or don't try them. This may cause temporary as well as permanent data loss.

In Android's storage design formatting external storage with ext4 is not possible. It's shared storage among many UIDs, so a permission-less filesystem is used.

@IrfanLatif You are meant to format using ext4 yourself. Never once did I say that it came with ext4. It has been possible to get your sdcard recognized with a non-default fs for some devices. Except emulated sdcard and other external storage, all storage paths are already restricted based on apps uid.


text:
Lockscreen automatically relocks after unlock
The Problem: Sometimes, after a successful screen unlock, the device immediately relocks.
Specifications: Nexus 9, CyanogenMod 12-12.1, Android 5.0.1-5.1.1, pattern lock and Smart Lock > FaceUnlock and Location active, encryption active.
Further details: I also have a phone (Armani) that ran exactly the same settings from CM 12-12.1 and experienced no such problems. This is weird, especially that flounder is officially supported while armani is not. The problem comes, on average, every other day. I'd like to know if anyone else had experienced similar problems and what you did to resolve it. So far all that I had to do is to reboot the device - something that ain't so nice especially on an encrypted device.

Remove the lockscreen in the settings, lock your screen, unlock it again & add the previous lockscreen, see if that works

What is meant by remove the lockscreen in the settings? You mean set it to swipe?

There's a "none" option, select that.if there's not one, set to swipe. if that does not work, you can use adb to remove a lockscreen completely.

Trivial: I found the answer... (Not the type of Eureka! thing, but kinda...)
I'm using this Moko magnetic "smart"-cover since the tablet came, and it was only recently I realized that it messes up with:

the Compass (guess what, it's a magnet) which then gave me the idea that it will mess with ...
The Lockscreen

If I folded the cover in a certain way even at the back of the device, then it will automatically lock. If I reorient the cover that the magnet is farther from the tablet, then no automatic locking occurs.
(Re-tagging this. Nothing to do with software.)

I had a similar problem with my Samsung Tab A 2019 Edition, that's how I fixed it:

Shutdown
Hold Vol Up and then Power on
It should say Secure Boot or sth like that
Log into your WLAN/WIFI/idkWhatItsCalled
Look for android updates and install if any
Edit Security Options or disable
Restart device


text:
F-Droid 0.91 disappears after being installed as system app on cyanogenmod 12
I tried to install F-Droid (0.91) as system app on Cyanogenmod 12. The installation succeed but after that the F-Droid icon disappears.
Of course i tried to restart more times, i tried also to reinstall F-Droid as standard app from an apk but it crasches when i try to start it... probably for a conflict.
Someone knows if i can try something, i.e. where i can try to find the executable?

Worth a try: Remove the .apk completely from your device (use e.g. TiBu to delete it), download the latest .apk from F-Droid, copy it to /system/app (or where it belongs to on Lollipop – I'm not sure if it must be in the "priv" folder instead; check where it's currently), then reboot. Let me know whether this worked out.

@Izzy I tested your solution in my CM12 exactly, it works, and the .apk should be in /system/app since I see no reason for /system/priv-app. What's bugging me is TiBu just hung up (doing processing for eternity) when I tried to convert FDroid into a system app. May be TiBu isn't updated, I need to check.  // And I think you should get your hands on Lollipop soon, since you end up relying on an under for your tries. :)

And I forgot to mention that the latest F-Droid is v0.92 and 0.91.

@Firelord Thanks for your confirmation! I just returned home, and promptly converted my comment to a full-fledged answer. And yes, the version number was the first thing I've noticed – just hving updated the app myself recently :)

You can solve that as follows:

Completely delete the old F-Droid app (e.g. uninstall using Titanium Backup)
Get the latest .apk from F-Droid and put it on your device
(either download directly with your Android web browser, or use adb push)
Login to your device either via a terminal app or using adb shell
Obtain root privileges by executing the command su
Make sure to have the /system partition mounted read-write
mount -o remount,rw /system

Now get the downloaded FDroid.apk to /system/app. Change to the directory you've downloaded/pushed it to and run:
cp FDroid.apk /system/app

Secure your /system partition again
mount -o remount,ro /system

Reboot

Now F-Droid should be available to you again. Enjoy the great pool of open source Android apps!

+1, but I ignored steps 3-7 and used a file explorer like ES Explorer to do the copy-paste. :) But yeah, that ro security is important.

@Firelord Yes, I had that in mind – but preferred a more "generic" solution :) Your command adds the other option, so I'll give it a +1 as well :D

It hasn't worked for me :( : adb shell shell@totoro:/ $ su root@totoro:/ # mount -o remount,rw /system root@totoro:/ # cd /mnt/sdcard/download/ root@totoro:/mnt/sdcard/download # cp FDroid.apk                                                           /system/app                                         cp: can't create '/system/app/FDroid.apk': Read-only file system

.... even after the mount command, when i check with cat /proc/mounts the path /system remains in read-only: /dev/block/mtdblock8 /system yaffs2 ro,seclabel,relatime 0 0

I'm pretty confused: if you cannot mount /system read-write, there's not much you can do – so you should first figure why that part fails (hint: check the logs, e.g. using logcat – see our logging tag-wiki for details if needed).


text:
Error retrieving information from server
Whenever I try to download an app from Google Play Store, it allows me to accept the App Conditions but I don't see it downloading. A sign that shows there's an error pops up, 'Error retrieving information from server. [RPC:S-7:AEC-0 ZVSF-VF44-KHLR]'.
What should I do? Please help. I need to download an app.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Please, 1) see our google-play-store tag-wiki for explanations to error messages, 2) see questions on the same error on our site, 3) good luck! Oh: 4) Error while buying apps in Google Play store in Android Jelly Bean deals with exactly the same error code.

This answer was applicable in my case: Google play fails to install application with RPC:S-5:AEC-0

Goto Settings > Apps > All > Clear Cache and Data for these apps >
  Play store, Download manager and Google Services framework.

Remove you google account from your Account > Google section under your phone Settings.
Reboot your device and add your google account back and then try to download/update the apps from the Playstore.

Might or might not solve it. According to Error while buying apps in Google Play store in Android Jelly Bean (raising the very same error code) it could also be the attached credit card has expired ;) But yes: that's the "generic fall-back" to most errors with GPlay ;)

Yes i agree but the OP hasn't mentioned he is buying/downloading a  paid app. So I just posted a generic first aid solution which solved the problem for many. Other reasons also include corrupted sdcard, credit card expiry. etc. :)

Agreed, Lucky. I just found that relation by using our search on the error code. And mentioned it just in case – it might "ring a bell" with the OP (or other readers), saving them from "unnecessary work" :)


text:
How can I identify Mobile Speaker issue and how to reduce the noise while Music is playing in Speaker?
I'm using Samsung Galaxy Grand2.Recently I'm facing Noise(with some vibration) while listening to Music in Mobile's Speaker.How to confirm that it's mobile speaker issue and also how to fix it? Kindly help understanding it.I'm using KITKAT version of Andriod.

The thing is behind the phone speaker side there were dust particles with little Oil which caused the phone to have noise and vibration rather than flawless Music:) So be careful in presence of oil.Never allow oil to have contact with Mobile.


text:
How can I backup WhatsApp files to free some space?
I have an old 2.3 gingerbread phone and I'd like to free some memory from time to time. What's the recommended procedure to backup files from WhatsApp and free space?
(extra: Better if I wouldn't have to go again through the whole send-SMS-registrate process)

WhatsApp automatically makes backups every day at 4 AM and stores them in the WhatsApp folder of your Android phone. This folder is either located in your device's internal memory or external microSD card.
If you have a external sd-card, then you can back up your WhatsApp chat history on to sd-card.

Go to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chat settings > Back up
  chats.

For phones that have an internal memory / internal SD card (like most Samsung devices), you will need to transfer the WhatsApp folder from your phone. There are 2 possible ways for this:
1. You can use File Explorer app to do this or
2. You can copy files to to your storage card in Windows. Please find details of how to do so in this Link.
This way you are freeing the device's internal memory and it is one of the recommended ways of backing up the chat as per FAQ of WhatsApp.


text:
OnePlus One randomly soft-reboots after wipe
This didn't use to be a problem until  I wiped my phone and reinstalled 05Q.
Now, approximately every hour or so my 1+1 spontaneously soft-reboots. It's not a hard reboot; my phone is encrypted and it never asks me for the encryption password. It just randomly reboots for no reason, sometimes when I'm using it, sometimes when I'm not.
Sometimes, after doing so, the start of the remaining battery usage information automatically resets to the time of the reboot. Other times, it doesn't reset, and just displays random blank intervals. The reboots are driving me nuts, since they recently made me miss an alarm.
It's not WiFi or Bluetooth or even data (I've tried disabling all of these)... for the life of me I can't figure out what it is. Before the wipe, I also had 05Q, but it had been upgraded from earlier versions. But after wiping I just installed it directly. It's obviously a software issue, since it didn't use to be the case until I wiped and re-imaged it. I thought it might be because I used ART after the reinstall instead of Dalvik, but the problem persisted after I switched back to Dalvik and cleared the cache.
I can't figure out how to diagnose it either; I don't know which log files to look at because it's a soft-reboot and not a hard-reboot.
Any ideas on how I can fix or even diagnose this? It's driving me nuts; I'm missing reminders because of it.oneplus

Edit:
Here's the data from adb logcat...
(...)
[ 07-22 14:15:12.668 15394:17283 D/LBSSystemMonitorService ] handleMessage what - 7
[ 07-22 14:15:12.668 15394:17283 D/Wiper_jni ] Send Passive Location.[ 07-22 14:15:59.998 15394:15589 D/PowerManagerService ] acquireWakeLock: ignoring request from android
[ 07-22 14:16:59.998 15394:15589 D/PowerManagerService ] acquireWakeLock: ignoring request from android
[ 07-22 14:17:56.398 15394:15589 D/PowerManagerService ] acquireWakeLock: ignoring request from android
[ 07-22 14:17:59.998 15394:15589 D/PowerManagerService ] acquireWakeLock: ignoring request from android
[ 07-22 14:18:38.408   213:  213 I/rmt_storage ] rmt_storage_connect_cb: clnt_h=0xf conn_h=0xb88b9fb8
[ 07-22 14:18:38.408   213:  213 I/rmt_storage ] rmt_storage_rw_iovec_cb: /boot/modem_fs1: clnt_h=0x1: req_h=0x17 msg_id=3: R/W request received
[ 07-22 14:18:38.408   213:  213 I/rmt_storage ] wakelock acquired: 1, error no: 42
[ 07-22 14:18:38.408   213:  620 I/rmt_storage ] rmt_storage_client_thread: /boot/modem_fs1: clnt_h=0x1 Unblock worker thread (th_id: -1198791904)

It never happened to me so it's just a guess. Since you're certain that it happens every hour or so, you may do adb logcat -v long > <FILE>  before the completion of an hour and let it run until the soft-reboot happens (remember the time when soft-reboot happened). Now open the file and use the time to start searching for anything that resulted in soft-reboot (I guess it should be related to killing of system_server or zygote).

@Firelord: thanks, I'll give it a try. It's not certain to be every hour, rather it just happens more often around that time frame. I've seen it go multiple hours without rebooting and I've also seen it reboot much sooner, but overall it's around every hour.

@Firelord: Actually, it seems like this time it occurred exactly at the hour... at least accurate to a minute! I've edited the question to include the log I got; any idea how I should interpret it?

I think I figured it out. As described on /r/oneplus, it seems to have been due to me denying "Keep Awake" permission to Android System to avoid the annoying wakelock bug that drains my battery.
It seems that denying it to Google Play Services should be enough here.


text:
Android detects bluetooth gamepad as mouse
A couple of days ago I bought a bluetooth controller(Steelseries FREE Mobile Wireless Controller), but unfortunately my tablet detects it as mouse(I can move pointer with left analog etc.).
I have written a message to support, and they replied that they are sorry but there's nothing they can do...
So I decided to fix it myself. Some games that support keyboard controlling I can play with an app called Bluez IME. But all of the other - not :/
I started logcat in terminal and I've discovered that after I connect my gamepad, it loads hid-keyboard layout and says it's "keyboard mouse"
Below is photo of terminal with important part of logcat(Sorry it's a photo - I'm in a hurry)

So my idea is to load my own prepared key layout file instead of hid-keyboard.kl, but I don't know how to achieve it.
Any help would be appreciated :)
EDIT:
dmupsys input also didn't give me a lot of information: device is called hid-keyboard(while on my phone it's full name of device), its Identifier is:
"bus=0x0019, vendor=0x0000, product=0x0000, version=0x0000" - that's why my configuration file didn't load, but I can't call it "vendor0000product0000.kl", because my tablet sees a couple ofother devices with this identifier :(
My guess would be that it's some system app that hijacks input from gamepad and gives me mouse pointer - it would be fine, but when I enter some game, it's still a cursor :<

look under /system/usr/keylayout ,do you see a file called hid-keyboard.kl ?

Yes, there is this file. I have already tried substituting it with my own, as no other device uses this file. Unfortunately, everything is the same way it was :/
I think it's some system app, that's emulating mouse instead of just letting it be a gamepad...


text:
Can't connect to WiFi after spoofed MAC address
I'm changing the MAC address on my Android device; however, once I change it I get disconnected from the WiFi network that I'm connected to and then I'm unable to reconnect to the WiFi.
I realized that I can connect to unsecure WiFi but not secure. I know the MAC address is changing properly because I did packet capturing with WireShark and the spoofed MAC shows as the MAC address of the packets.
I have tried forgetting and reconnecting to the secure WiFi network, but it still doesn't connect. When I changed back the MAC to the original value, it works fine. I can only connect with the real MAC address, but not the spoofed one.
Is there something missing?

Make sure MAC filtering is disabled on your router or your spoofed address is allowed to connect to the network and try again.

Perhaps the router is smarter than you thought or the Mac address isn't spoofed properly....you need to format your Android phone to be able to reconnect to other WiFi

That seems pretty extreme... can you explain and justify that as to exactly why this is the correct answer?


text:
How do I change the default file association in ES file Explorer?
When I click on a .bin file in ES file Explorer, the default action is to move it to the recycle bin. How can I stop this behavior?

I am on a Samsung S4 running Lollipop, TouchWiz ROM.
I have looked in Settings -> More -> Default Applications. This shows 2 options only  for 'Home' and 'Messages'.
I have installed the default app manager and there is nothing that relates to .bin files.

There is no file type association settings under Android so it's not Samsung's fault. ES File Explorer doesn't have an option to set a default file association but you can have the same result if you do the following.

Long click the item (file) you wanna open it will create a check list with the file selected.
Click on the three dots at the right bottom of the screen.
Choose open as then select what type of file is your .bin file (text,music,image,video or others). ES File Explorer will prompt a list of available apps that can open the file you wanna open, choosing other will prompt all apps that accept intent of any type of file. In that list choose the app that can open your bin file.

As an alternative to fostandy's answer: From the three dots menu, click on "Clear Defaults" and that default app you wish to change from will no longer be the default, so you'll once again get the menu with the apps you can choose from. Of course, from that menu, you'll know how to set the new default.

I had a similar issue for mkv files on an android tv
I have found that if you click on the gear for ES file explorer Settings then you can click on the "Cleanup settings" -> "Clear defaults"
and this fixed the issue for me (i.e. from tham moment when  click on mkv files I was again prompted to choose which app to use as I desired)
BTW: this is done for all the filetype associations at once - it seems you cannot reset the association of just the .bin files


text:
How to stop one app from ever updating?
Recently BBC updated their app with the new Material theme, and it completely ruined the app, I reverted back to the previous version using Titanium backup, and I want to ignore BBC app updates indefinitely for now. Much like Windows ignore update etc. Is there a way to do so in the Play Store?

There is no such functionality in Play Store.  However, some backup/restore applications, such as Titanium Backup (that you mentioned) as well as MyBackup support the ability to completely remove or break the Play Store link.


text:
How to record a game music in Android?
I failed to find the background soundtracks for some Android games, so I thought I could just record their music when the game is active but I don't seem to have any solution to do so.
I first thought of using some Android apps but all I see in Play Store and forums are links to apps recording voice of the user or the external environment (using mic) while I'm interested in audio I hear from speaker or earphones.
I also came to know of screen recorders but my default screen recorder records sound using mic and using screen recorder is an overkill since it tends to use a lot of CPU which is needed for the game. But I'm open for any suggestion.
Then I thought to find a file or something under Android which may be redirecting output to earphones or speaker or may be grab that final end and save it using ADB, but I seem to have no idea how to do that.
I would like to draw attention specifically to the said ADB part i.e. anything related to Android that could solve the problem since the other parts or even the title might be considered off-topic for being Android Independent.
So, how exactly do I record my favorite game's music?
Note that the question can be extended to any app, be it a media streaming or lecture app, or anything that plays sound and user wants to record it.
I'm using OnePlus One running CM12 and is rooted.

If you have a computer and Bluestacks then it will be easy to record the sounds since recording sounds in a computer is much easier than in mobile. I'll keep posted if I find anything mobile specific too ;)

Arch, if you could be more specific on what game/app sound you are trying to record you'll get more response.

@Lucky Valiant Hearts: The Great War, The Bard's Tale.

Both the games would have downloaded extra game data. Look for where the game data is downloaded. Most probably it will be in you Internal memory-> Android -> data directory. Look for mp3/wav files inside the corresponding packages of the games. Use FXexplorer app and search for sound file. It will be under some directory like assest or sounds directory etc.

@Lucky I already tried such things before posting this question. The pure extensions are not used be Games anymore, instead, developers uses their in-house proprietary extensions. But thanks for the info. :-)

Possibly related, but the existing answer seems not correct: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20230/is-there-a-way-to-record-internal-audio


text:
How to delete dumpstate/logcat on Moto E
My phone is running out of internal memory. So I searched online and found a solution, which was to dial *#9900# and then delete dumpstate/logcat. But when I dial the same on my MOTO E, I dont see anything happening. It Just says USSD Code running and closes. My phone is running on Lollipop 5.1. Can you please help me delete dumpstate/logcat?

You are running an USSD(SIM specific) code. Once you enter the last character of an MMI code(usually a pound or hash(#) symbol) your phones parses the code and open the menu for you automatically.
Dumpstate, logcat files are stored on the /data/log partition that, unless you root the phone, you and none of the apps you install will have access to it.
Dialing *#9900# and selecting Delete dumpstate/logcat clears the logs even if your phone is not rooted and this seems to work only on some Samsung Phones. So that excludes the Motorola phones.
(based on the comments from this blog post)
Note: If you enter the MMI code in the dialer app your phone's MMI parser will automatically open the secret menu after typing the last character of the code. If the MMI parser of you phone doesn't recognize the code, then it will not work in your phone and pressing the dial button after entering the code will run USSD code to your network provider
You can try using adb commands to see if you can get help clearing logcats of you phone. The following command clears/flushes the entire log and exits.
adb logcat -c

http://developer.android.com/tools/help/logcat.html
But before trying all these things you need to see the frequent questions under the insufficient-memory tag and its tag-wiki for what to do when your phone storage is almost full.

adb logcat -c does not clear any log files on disk.

not useful for me


text:
No /system/build.prop in Nexus 7 (2012 / Wi-Fi) + Android Lollipop 5.1.1 after fresh installation
I've just updated my [old] Nexus 7 (2012 / Wi-Fi) to Android Lollipop 5.1.1 following the "standard" procedure I've alway gone through since I've owned it;
Here's what I've done so far:

Booted into the bootloader
Unlocked the bootloader via fastboot
Flashed everything via fastboot using a custom bash script

#!/bin/bash
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-grouper-4.23.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
sleep 5
fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-6.0.4.3-grouper.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img

*This did nothing more than flashing the stock Android Lollipop 5.1.1 (LMY47V) (nakasi) firmware for Nexus 7 (2012 / Wi-Fi) images downloaded from Google Developers, aside from the recovery image, which was the ClockworkMod Recovery 6.0.4.3 image instead.

Booted straight into the recovery mode
Downloaded and pushed SuperSU using adb push UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.46.zip /mnt/sdcard/0/
Installed SuperSU via the recovery mode

And here is where I got stuck. The idea was to edit /system/build.prop in order to force the first setup to allow me to skip the Wi-Fi connection step, however apparently there's no /system/build.prop whatsoever in the system.
Here's what I tried through the adb shell (as root):
user@debian:~$ adb pull /system/build.prop .
remote object '/system/build.prop' does not exist
user@debian:~$ adb shell
~ # ls -la /system/
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for localtime!
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for GMT!
__bionic_open_tzdata: couldn't find any tzdata when looking for posixrules!
drwxr-xr-x    3 root     root             0 Jan  1  1970 .
drwxr-xr-x   22 root     root             0 Jul 23 07:40 ..
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root             0 Jan  1  1970 bin
~ # find / -type f -name 'build.prop'
~ # exit

The /system partition wasn't mounted; I've noticed this only manually browsing the /system/bin/ folder, which was empty.
I mounted the partition within the recovery mode by browsing to "mounts and storage" and by selecting "mount /system"; afterwards I've been able to run adb pull /system/build.prop ., edit the file and upload it again running adb push build.prop /system/build.prop.
To unmount the partition afterwards, one might browse to "mounts and storage" and select "unmount /system".


text:
How to manually upgrade rooted Lenovo Vibe X2 to Lollipop?
I have Lenovo Vibe X2-CU edition that was come rooted and has Android 4.4.2, how I can manually upgrade the device to latest official ROM and where I can get this ROM ?
I am new to this process so please give full details.

You'll be able to upgrade to latest stock ROM only if it exists, and if it does then your device should've informed you about it (you may check Settings -> About -> System Updates, or something). As for where to find it, see this link. Anyhow, know that  finding or suggesting off-site resources are off-topic here in case you don't know it.

the system update does not work, it exit with error message I think because the device is rooted


text:
Set up and install non play store apps to multiple devices?
I set up roughly 10 android tablets running version 4.4.2 a day, running through set up manually, customizing the settings and downloading an .apk and setting that up.
I was wondering if there is an easier way to run through all this, whether it's a software that could allow me to remote control all of them at once since they all go through the exact same steps, using a script or anything really?
Thanks in advance

There won't be a one-stop solution for your need because the devices you set up obviously won't be rooted, and so, restrictions are so many to overcome. You may take a look at Helium or the very  popular guide namely  Full backup of non-rooted devices (it tells you to restore as well).

@Firelord the last link is the correct starter – fine-tuned in my answer :)

Indeed there is something to make your task easier – though not in the way of "remote control all of them at once", but working sequentially. Here's a "simple approach":

Prepare your first device (let's call it "master" here): install all the apps you want to have it, set them up if needed.
Create a full ADB backup of the "master" (for details, please see Full Backup of non-rooted devices)
Now, for each device, restore that "master backup"

This should definitely work, but with a few restrictions:

it works best if all devices are of the same brand and model, running the same Android version. It might work for devices not fitting (all) these criteria, but then special care must be taken (e.g. better not include "system stuff")
limitations come up concerning some data, such as SMS, which are protected against being backed up (don't ask me why)
limitations apply to apps protecting themselves against backups (by setting the ALLOW_BACKUP flag to FALSE in their manifests)

You might be able to work around the latter two limitations by rooting the "master", installing the Xposed Framework, and use the Backup All Apps module. You then would need to fine-tune step 2 to have the backup only include the packages you want (i.e. explicitly specify/include them on the command line).

Always glad to help, Taylor! If you like it, please don't forget to upvote it – and if you consider it a solution, consider "accepting" it (ticking the check-mark next to the answer) so others with a similar issue can see it worked out for you (that's how this site works ;). Thanks a lot, and enjoy!


text:
Accidentally deleted Google Play Services, now no Google supported app works
I accidentally deleted Google Play Services after rooting my phone . Now I'm not able to open any Google supported apps , can't open my Gmail. It says:

Google play service which some of your applications rely on, is not supported by your device. Please contact your manufacturer for assistance.

I downloaded Google Play Services from XDA also but it's not working.
Can anybody tell me how can I can correct this problem? I'm using Lenovo A3000 tablet.

Try installing google play apk and then convert it to a system app.

You could try flashing new google apps in recovery.

Please see: How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device? Note the GApps version must match your Android version. What you've downloaded from XDA (you gave no link, and neither indication what Android version runs on your device) might be the wrong one.

First, you can install Google Play Services APK, which you can find in the xda-forums. This should normally work.
If nothing else works, you can do a Factory Reset. Unfortunatly, this will delete your Data on the Phone, so i recommend making a Backup.
EDIT:
Go to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gms with your PC, log in, click install, and choose your phone.

This won't work as GPS needs to be a system app. Apart from that, it won't work because of, quoting the question: Now I'm not able to open any Google supported apps. OP might be able to click the Install button – but without the GPS running, no install would take place on the device (the latter would receive no install notification, as GCM, the GoogleCloudMessaging, is part of the GooglePlayServices). Chicken-and-egg issue.

There is absolutely nothing to worry about this issue. All you need to do is the following:

Find and Download Google Play Services APK (Pure APK File)
Copy the file in your mobile phone memory
Click on the APK file that you copied to your smart phone

After some time it will install Google Play Services on your mobile phone.


text:
What's the complete map from letter to mobile network type?
I was wondering about what all letters mean. Specifically the "R" that I'm currently on.
I found this summary by some provider, but it doesn't contain the R-symbol that I'm on right now.
These are the symbols I've found thus far:

G GPRS
E EDGE
3G 3G
H HSDPA
H+ HSDPA+
LTE LTE

R for Roaming , when you registered to foreign operator network

@Sneetsher That's not completely true. 'R' is definitely for Roaming but it doesn't necessarily have to be when the device is registered to foreign operator network. In some South Asian Countries moving from one State to another while remaining registered with the same network  provider company in both states could result in that Roaming symbol. The reason is because the SIM is local to one state and the plans and policies differs from state to state there, hence they charge Roaming when moved into other state.

@Firelord must not even involve charging. Roaming just means you're not in your home network. Sometimes carriers have special agreements when neither of them can provide "full coverage" in an area, that their customers can use the resp. other network "as if it were their own". That then makes the "R" show up with no special consequences – and that's also the background while some ROMs provide separate settings for "enable data in roaming", with one of the two labeled "national roaming".

The letter R means that you are roaming. You are out of your mobile provider home country or you are roaming while using a virtual mobile provider. Some providers that don't has his own network can cause that your phone shows a roaming signal, dependent of your phone firmware.


text:
How to force an apk to install?
I have an early build of CM12.1 running on my ZenFone 2 and I'm working on trying to get the ASUS camera app to work with it, however when I try to install the apk, it fails.
adb install gives me Failure: [INSTALL_FAILED_DEXOPT]. I was wondering if there was any way I can "hack" the apk in order to force it to install the app anyway, instead of throwing an error.

Even if there were, you wouldn't benefit from that. "DEX" stands for "Dalvik EXecutable"; if that cannot be created, the app won't run. If you wonder why that happens on Android 5.x which is using ART instead of Dalvik, that might be due to the fact the first steps of building the ART code are pretty similar to those used on Dalvik (for compatibility reasons; see Wikipedia: To maintain backward compatibility, ART uses the same input bytecode as Dalvik, supplied through standard .dex files as part of APK files …)

camera is usually a system app ,you need to push it to /system/priv-app via adb push command

@lord-ralf-adolf Why /system/priv-app and not /system/app?

@Firelord well since kitkat ,not all apps on system partition have the system level permission ,for example no app can access WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS if it is not under /system/priv-app  ,stock cameras apps needs that permission and more so it have to be putted there ,priv-app was created for manufacturers so they can limit permissions to pre-installed apps ,putting apps under /system/app will prevent user from deleting them and at the same time no extra permissions will be granted for that app

@lord-ralf-adolf Could you provide a credible source? I need to read about that "WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS" and your claim about /system/priv-app meant primarily to limit permissions

of course @Firelord here for the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS read it in the official android devlopers >> http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html    for the /system/priv-app and system/app ,I red it somewhere ,I forgot where ,but I use it all the time and when I put my apps under /system/app I can't get the rights to use system level permissions

That type of issue is mostly often caused by an app going over something called a "Dex limit", which has to do with the external libraries an app uses. If you're interested, there's an explanation over on Stack Overflow.
This type of problem has been solved for some people by wiping the device and reflashing.


text:
rooting my Videocon A55qHD
How can I root my Videocon A55qHD? I mean the steps to be taken, and if required to install some app, and if required from where to be installed.

You can also use KINGO ROOT app

If it's an OS <4.4, you can likely just sideload towelroot on it and do it that way.


text:
Music and Ringtones no longer found - Nexus 5 with Lollipop
I have a stock Nexus 5 with 5.1.1
Since last Friday, Google Play Music can no longer access music put in the Music folder AND my custom ringtones which are in Ringtones folder can no longer be found.

I've rebooted countless times.
I've tried to Clear Cache and memory for Google Play Music
I've tried to Clear cache for Storage
I tried to use Android File Transfer to download the songs again but it won't even start
I've used a File Manager app to confirm the files are in there
I've used Poweramp and it is able to play the music
If using File Manager, I tap on a song, Google Play Music can actually play it.

My next step would be to reset my phone but I really don't want to go there.

First step here would be to examine the logs (see our logging tag-wiki). But apart from your musinc files, have other media files gone missing as well? Can e.g. your gallery app still find your photos? I'm suspecting the media-scanner having issues.

ok will look at logs. Might be a bit. hmm good point. Pictures that were taken since Friday are there but anything before that is gone.

Might be a corrupted media database. If logs show the scanner is having issues, maybe resetting the database and then rebooting (or triggering the media-scanner in another way) should do it.

I ended up trying the following
1) Looking at the logs. Saw no smoking gun
2) Clearing the memory on the media storage. That didn't do it. Wasn't a good idea either. It couldn't see the pictures I had taken after the issue started.
3) Resetting the phone and restoring from backup. That did it. Bit painful.

I have what looks like the same problem on a 5X. Would appreciate if anyone can share a less drastic solution...