text:
Can anyone confirm updates to an application are what causes the notifications to turn back on?
I have turned off all notifications in Android 5.1.1 (although from my research, it doesn't appear to be limited to that OS- 4.3 and up at least). It appears every time I update the app, it resets the notifications to "on." Which is only mostly annoying at 1am. :/ I can confirm it isn't a reboot, and mine is not related to crashes of the apps themselves. I have run some brief tests to confirm it's the update, but don't have enough data to confidently say it's the update. Anyone? Related: Does anyone know if Marshmallow's (6.x) "specific app permissions" alleviate this problem? Thanking you all in advance!

No, doesn't happen here, and I didn't update the app using Play Store but sideloaded it on Android 5.0.2 or 5.1.1. What device are you using?

I'm going to guess that it is an Amazon app? Either the Kindle app or the shopping? I have turned off notifications to many times, and find it restored later, and it occurs to me that the recent update probably flipped the switch (again). Please supply the specific app name if this assumption proves false.

Related on Galaxy S3 running Android 4.3: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/68931/disabled-app-notifications-getting-automatically-re-enabled, and on AOSP Issue Tracker #75544

This depends on whether or not the application is replaced, or simply updated. If you do it through the Play Store, it will likely reset the notification settings. If you were to install it through other means (such as adb install) then it depends on whether or not the original application was 'updated' or re-installed

Please don't post untested answers. You've left everything on probability here: a) "it will likely reset the notification settings" -- would or would not, preferred is would, but not confirmed. b) "then it depends on whether or not the original application was 'updated' or re-installed" -- again, no concrete evidence. What would it be: for update or for re-installed? And why would it be any different from update from Play Store?


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What results in blank net.hostname property on Android device using ADB?
Referring to https://superuser.com/questions/408539/how-to-set-friendly-network-name-of-android-computer/1022739#1022739
You can check the device's hostname with net.hostname property (no root needed supposedly) but for setting it to take effect, needs rooting.
My question is, in what cases would result in blank net.hostname?
I noticed that on (GSM) AT&T Moto E (2nd Gen), net.hostname has a value. But on (CDMA) Sprint Moto E (2nd Gen), net.hostname value is blank when I fetch it via ADB. Both run Android 5.1, and both have their SIM cards removed, and the Sprint phones are not unlocked nor activated but the AT&T ones are. Not sure if those make any difference.
I would assume all Android devices should have a net.hostname. Unless for those with that property blank, the device pulls/uses hostname from somewhere else. I just checked on the router/access point side, and found the hostnames for these devices with blank net.hostname. Just wonder where to fetch hostname on the device side then via ADB, etc. for these problem devices.

cde has a related explanation here: How do I change the name of my Android device?

ah, I saw that post earlier but neglected to read that long post there. thanks.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Chrome not loading tabs
I have Moto G3 XT1541 on stock Lollipop 5.1.1 and sometime tabs won't load. I just get stuck on this

Usually, I just have to close the tab and reopen it and it will work but it's quite annoying

So you're saying that reloading also doesn't work? Are you using Chrome stable or beta? Is it updated?

@Firelord Absolutely. Not using chrome beta, no update available

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


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Copying WeChat Sight Videos from S4
I use the WeChat messenging application on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition (GT-I9515). Among its features, users can send short videos as so-called Sights.
I am trying to copy these videos to my PC.
I have found some hints that ultimately have not helped me yet:

/tencent/MicroMsg/WeChat/ contains JPEG images of all the photos sent via WeChat messages, but no according video files for the video messages.
This website claims that videos are saved as MP4 files in the path mnt/extSdCard/Tencent/MicroMsg if an SD card is installed, but doesn't say anything about phones where no additional SD card has been installed (like mine). Evidently, the videos must still be saved somewhere, as I can access them without a network connection. Moreover, the website says "It varies depending on the phone model you use.", which makes me suspect my question is specific to S4s (and maybe a few other models), rather than generic for all Android uses of WeChat (hence the samsung-galaxy-s4 tag).

Even so, after installing an additional SD card, WeChat apparently keeps saving any recorded or received data to the internal memory. There is no Tencent subdirectory in mnt/extSdCard, as far as I can tell.

/tencent/MicroMsg/*long number*/video/ seems to contain JPEG thumbnails of the videos, but not the videos themselves.

Have you checked all these locations viz. /data/data/com.tencent.mm, /sdcard/data/com.tencent.mm/, /sdcard/tencent/, /sdcard/Tencent/?

@Firelord: What is viz? In any case, there is no directory data or sdcard in the root directory of my phone.

Can you show the screenshot of what you consider the root directory of the phone? Every Android has the directory data under / but now I assume your device is not rooted.

@Firelord: By root directory, I was referring to what I was seeing when looking at the phone contents in Windows Explorer after connecting it via USB as a "camera". It contains folders such as Alarms, Android, Application, and DCIM. I now see AndroXplorer apparently shows some more levels, including a data directory, but it appears to be empty. /sdcard/data/ and /sdcard/Tencent/ do not exist, /sdcard/tencent/ looks exactly like the /tencent/ directory I can access via Windows Explorer. I have, however, found an additional trace there (edited into the question). ...

... No, my device is not rooted.


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Why cant TWRP boot into recovery mode anymore?
I installed cyanogenmode using TWRP and used my MOTO G 2013 without any issues. Used it all afternoon without major problems (let me add that it is a nightly version) After a few hours I decided to create a backup file and then reboot the phone. Now it is stuck at the logo screen and it wont even let me use the recovery mode. What can be the issue?

Maybe because it is nightly? See this http://android.stackexchange.com/a/132046/131553

@beeshyams yeah...you are right. It had to be the fact that it messed something up. I use Ubuntu...so using these three commands:
fastboot erase system

@beeshyams It had to be the nightly that messed something up. I use Ubuntu...and using these three commands below, I cleaned my Moto G from the terminal:
sudo fastboot erase system,
sudo fastboot erase data,
sudo fastboot erase cache (I seriously dont know if I needed all three..oh and sudo was necessary since my phone lost the root access)...
Then using the terminal I reinstalled the recovery (twrp).
Then I wiped the whole thing again and installed the stable version of cyanogemod.


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Permanently disabling wifi
Nexus 5, rooted running paranoid android.
So my wifi stopped working about 4 months ago, I did ever reset under the sun. Jumped between ROMs all to no avail. Seems hardware related. That's fine I have unlimited data. The problem is that even with no functioning wifi it's trying it's hardest to find a network. Just scanning over and over, never connecting. Problem is I can't turn it off. I click the switch and nothing happens, it just stays on draining my already meager battery.

Does adb shell su -c svc wifi disable do anything?

delete or rename your wifi module in /system/lib/modules .


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Apple Mac will not see HTC Desire 620 via USB
I have used HYC Sync manager previously but now both this software and double twist will not recognise my HTC Desire 620 when plugged in via USB.I have used both MTP and PTP settings on the phone but still the mac will not allow me to access it. Thoughts please!

And you also tried using a different USB cable?

Also try Google's solution for USB connections here.


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Series of application freezes and battery discharging fast after turning on flash in camera once
I have LG Optimus L9 P760, Swift L9 with Android system.
Few days ago I was using my phone camera and turned on "flash" under settings for it (the lamp). When I wanted to take a photo, camera application frozen. I restarted the phone (the lamp is not lighting). I cannot take any photo or video now, application freezes each time I try to run it (I only see the welcome screen).
From that day I experience also:

The standard music player - it starts, shows the title bar and freezes before displaying the songs list (the media explorer shows all the music files).
Battery discharges extremely fast - the phone does not last for even 8 hours on stand by (when I don't use it). And before that day I could use it for 2-3 days without charging.

Both that changes were rapid (before that the battery was working very well for several months).
Phone reset didn't help. Same for putting the battery off and on.
Can it be something related to Android/software? Or is it a hardware problem?
Can I somehow reset the camera/music player (even if I haven't made changes to music player)?


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Contacts App in Marshmallow does not pull contacts from all accounts
I have a Moto X Pure Edition running Marshmallow. I have multiple accounts set up such as Messenger, Skype, WhatsApp, Outlook etc. However, even though I have chosen "Show all contacts" option in the Contacts App, the list is only filled with a few Google contacts and Skype contacts. I am unable to see any of the Messenger or Exchange Contacts. If I go to the Outlook app which is synced with the Exchange account, I am able to see the contacts.
I would very much appreciate it if I could get some assistance.
Thanks
SV


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Show Play Music's 'now playing' notification on Windows PC
At my desk, while working, I typically stream music from Google Play Music (GPM) using my Chromecast Audio device linked up to my hifi. I control this via my Samsung Galaxy S5.
What I'd like is some way to display the 'now playing' track on my Windows 10 laptop (as a widget or notification, preferably), as this is the screen that occupies my attention; I don't want to have to divert my attention from my work in order to turn the phone screen on every time the track changes.
Is there anyway I can accomplish this (I could conceivably script something if there was an appropriate API, but there doesn't seem to be). Or a way to send that info from the phone to the laptop?

There are a couple of tools that allow for display of your Android notifications on your desktop. Pushbullet is one that comes to mind.

First, make sure you have Google Chrome Chrome on your computer and
  add the Cast button to your toolbar.
Then, follow these steps:

Open Chrome
Connect your computer and Chromecast to the same
  wireless network
Go to Google Play Music (play.google.com/music)
  using Chrome. You can also add the Play Music chrome extension and
  cast from here instead
Click a song, album, or playlist
Click the play icon
Near the bottom of the screen, click the cast icon. It will be next to the playback controls
Under "Connect to a device", select your Chromecast from the device list.

To disconnect:
  Near the top right of your browser, touch the cast icon Cast > Stop
  casting.
Playback controls: You can use the playback controls on Google Play
  Music, near the bottom of the screen.
Note: You may want to keep the music player open when casting music
  from your computer. Playback controls can't be used after the music
  player has been closed, the computer has been turned off, or an
  Internet connection has been lost.

Source: Use Google Play Music with Chromecast

yes, this is one option; but I have a feeling this solution doesn't allow the Chromecast to play the stream direct from the web source? Also, I dont do all my work in a browser - a notification would be better.

@fearoffours It does play it directly from the web source, as you can close the browser after you start the cast, though you would no longer be able to control it. This is currently the only way to cast GPM.

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


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Why do so many applications try to get the SIM and network operator name?
I understand what Android permissions mean and I have a specific question about two telephony permissions.
I've been using XPrivacy for a while and noticed that many apps that ostensibly have nothing to do with the low-level telephony features, nevertheless make repeated calls to getSimOperatorName() and getNetworkOperatorName(). MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter is one such app.
What need would ordinary apps have to call these methods?
For example, why would MyFitnessPal care I'm using AT&T or Verizon, when the app could be running just fine on a Wi-Fi only device?

Possible duplicate of Can `Phone Calls` application permission allow developer to read my contact book?

@beeshyams: my question is more specific than the one you pointed to, which itself is a dupe.

Isn't Dan Hulme's answer sufficient?

@Firelord: not at all? I'm asking why apps would be interested in the SIM operator's name. Why would MyFitnessPal care I'm using AT&T or Verizon, when the app could be running just fine on a Wi-Fi only device?

I agree with @DanDascalescu – this question is no dupe, it's more specific. One might tend to say answers might be "opinion based". May I hold against that that people with some insight (e.g. developers) might be able to list a few good reasons (apart from the obvious "data gathering")?

I have read that Android applications created through a standard method are set by the creating software to ask for certain permissions by default, even if the developer did not pick them. The permissions you mention may be among those. So the developer might not be interested in them at all.

Do you mean that some app generators might just dump code in the app or libraries that makes those calls?

Where you read that matters here. Consider linking it since you're not sure either whether the case is true or not, at least at this moment.

@DanDascalescu: I don't know how people make an Android app. But I was told most people use a certain thing to do so, and that this thing automatically adds those permissions. The word "SDK" comes to mind, although I don't know exactly what it means. I'm afraid I don't understand it well enough to be more specific, but it came from someone knowledgeable.

@Firelord: I'm afraid I'm not sure where I read it. It was probably in some discussion about Xprivacy. Perhaps it was Marcel Bokhorst himself who mentioned it on Github.

@Cerberus you overlook one crucial detail here: OP pointed out XPrivacy explicitly showed apps made repeated calls to those (XPrivacy logs that). So it's not just "some default permission granted", but definitely information accessed.

@Izzy: would it be possible that some app building IDE generates boilerplate code that makes those calls regardless of what the app does?

@DanDascalescu that might well be – though I'd rather suspect some ad frameworks behind that (again outside the realm of the app-dev who only includes a framework for revenue in that case, but usually cannot tell what exactly that framework does). One could try an app to Identify Ad-Modules and do some research on the findings to prove that right or wrong.

@Izzy: I don't recall any conexion to advertising networks. Minmin Guard shows me some advertising networks that applications are using, and I have plenty of applications that ask for e.g. identity and sensors that don't have any apparent advertisements.

@Cerberus To clarify, the SDK is mainly where you take the ability from to communicate with the android system. So, in an app you tell the SDK for example to display sime text (simplified) and it displays it.

Those settings are often used to block the usage of the application in some regions, like embargoed countries. If the app would rely only on IP address location, for example, the user could bypass the protection just by using a VPN.
By relying on information provided by the Operating System based on the current inserted SIM card, the only way to bypass this security would be reverse engineering the app or the OS itself.


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Last Android update removed icons from several apps
I have a Moto G 3rd generation, and updated it with latest Android version (24.11.25). After the Update the icons for some APP disappeared.
I think it were all the applications i had moved to my SD card.
The APP is not showing on my desktop neither on the menu that shows all applications, but its still installed, because i can open the APP from its page on play store and it is on the list of installed applications on the config page.
How can i restore the icons to these apps?

From play store page can you try to uninstall an app and reinstall? If it installs, then the icon should appear...clumsy approach. Alternatively can you try moving one app back to internal storage to see if icon reappears?

@beeshyams the latter approach is to be preferred, as with the former the app's data would be lost. // Could indeed be an issue with App2SD (that's what you've used I assume?). This sometimes happens on device startup, especially with "slower" cards (cards are mounted after the BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast, i.e. at the same time the launcher is started; so if the launcher was faster and the mount to slow, the launcher doesn't see those apps as available. A reload of the launcher app should solve that then as well).

Go into Applications, click on the app affected, force stop, then select the storage, then click change. Force stop may restore the icons, but if you prefer you can move the apps back to internal for safety.

Download All-in-one Toolbox from the Google Play store and when entering the app go to the toolbox option (it's on the right side) and then tap app2sd and have it scan your SD card. Voilà! All of your apps shall appear.

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


text:
Prevent stock keyboard app from being activated while/after connecting physical keyboard?
I have a Samsung I9305 with rooted stock 4.4.4.. I have Xposed framework.
I use SwiftKey.
When I use a Bluetooth or OTG keyboard, SwiftKey is automatically disabled and the stock keyboard is enabled.
Is it possible to

Prevent the change of keyboard and have SwiftKey continue even while using the physical keyboard?
At least make the system automatically change back to SwiftKey after the physical keyboard is disconnected?

Possible. See my answer here , plus another one here :)

@Izzy I'm sure your solution would have worked fine, but I found a simpler way to do it. I have posted it as an answer.

Glad to read you've been able to solve the issue your way! I must have misread a little (didn't notice you don't want to switch between keyboards, but wanted to use a sole keyboard other than the default). I've re-formatted your answer a little, hope you like it that way (+1 btw). Another warning hint: with the OS default keyboard unavailable, there might be issues with lock screen (enter password/pin) as well as encryption (same thing), which might rely on the "stock keyboard". We had such cases reported here already.

@Izzy Thanks for the edit and info. During the next few days I will evaluate if there are any glitches with my phone and come back here to make necessary edits if I find any. By the way, you can make the Tasker method as a second answer. Some readers may prefer that answer.

Glad you like the edit! As the Tasker variant is linked from there, I see no reason to duplicate it – can be found easily this way. In case you need to edit the answer again, feel free to make that link bold if you like :) Now: Shall we do a little comment-cleanup? Several of them got obsolete by now. I'll start that already.

@Izzy I've already discovered one disadvantage of my answer. I've edited it to reflect it.

I've also added some details from my previous comment, please cross-check.

Great. With my particular ROM there are no problems with the lock screen.

I used Root App Deleter to disable the stock keyboard app. That way I just keep using SwiftKey whether using physical keyboard or not.
Note: SwiftKey only lets me use the English layout when using a physical keyboard. I normally type in both English and Norwegian, and like to switch between layouts. The Samsung stock keyboard let me easily do this by pressing alt+Shift. As far as I can see, Swiftkey has me locked onto English layout when using a physical keyboard. If you want to be able to switch between different layouts, you will be better off using the Tasker method suggested by Izzy.
With SwiftKey, the soft keyboard disappears from the screen as soon as the physical keyboard is connected. One catch is that there is annoying message I have to click OK to every time I connect the physical keyboard, but that is okay. It just amounts to a simple press of the Enter key.
Warnings:

This method worked on my particular device and ROM, but there is no guarantee that it will work on other devices and/or ROMs. The app I linked to above requires root. Do NOT delete the stock keyboard app of your device, just disable it. Even disabling the stock keyboard app of your device may in some rare devices and ROMs cause the system to misbehave. If that happens to you you can use the same app to reenable the stock keyboard app again, and use the Tasker method suggested by Izzy in the comments instead.
A very small number of Android ROMs may be unable to reenable apps after having disabled them with this app. The app has a test module that you should run before disabling any apps, to make sure that reenabling them again will work.
With the OS default keyboard unavailable, there might be issues with lock screen (enter password/pin) as well as encryption (same thing), which might rely on the "stock keyboard". Such cases already have been reported here – see e.g. How to enter password for decrypt without system keyboard on android. Especially for the encryption password, this is a logical consequence: the user-installed keyboard app is stored on the user partition (/data), which is encrypted – so the keyboard cannot be loaded before that partition is decrypted, which requires the user to enter the passphrase; a typical dead-lock situation..
In general, use this (and all other) root apps at your own risk, and backup your system with clockworkmod/twrp regularly if you have a rooted device and use root-applications.


text:
How to remove Measure/mobileOcr/engriks malware?
My phone is attacked by barrage of error dialogs every 1 second:

Unfortunately Measure Has Stopped
Unfortunately mobileOcr Has Stopped
Unfortunately engriks Has Stopped

It makes the phone so laggy until it restarts by itself. Some other apps also don't work, and it's hard to use the keyboard due to the error dialogs.
I have tried:

Disabling and uninstalling the apps from Settings
Installing antiviruses (NQ Mobile Security & Antivirus), but it didn't help either
Factory reset

I found out that turning off the WiFi (or internet) and restarting the phone prevent the error dialogs to appear, but as soon as I turn it on, they appear again.
Is there a way to remove these malwares?

*This scenario is written based on the post from AndroidCentral forum and Cafe Arjun blog. Original poster didn't face this malware personally

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP cannot confirm any answers, and no answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

I also have an idea!
Buy an SD card (a new one), put it into the mobile phone, and go to settings. Then go to apps and select engriks ... move them to the SD card, and then remove the SD card.
Maybe it works. I still did not try it.


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couldn't sign in/there was a problem communicating with Google servers - Xiaomi Redmi 2 Pro
I have a new Redmi 2 Pro and I am unable to sign in to my google account.
I have Android 4.4.4 KTU84P version and MIUI 77.00.99.
I'v already tried to login with other google accounts, I disabled 2-step-verification and DisplayUnlockCaptcha. I Cleared data/cache of play store, account manager, service framework. All tries were unsuccessful.
I can login to my gmail through the browser on my phone.
The error message: Couldn't sign in/There was a problem communicating with Google servers/ Try again.
Apps used to sign in: Google Account Manager 4.4.4-1227136 and Google Play store version 5.4.12 (these apps are initially installed on the phone)
Steps to sign in on the phone:

Add google account -> Existing account -> user+password -> error message
Start Google Play Store -> Existing account -> user+password -> error message

UPDATE
After a long night search, I found out that the phone came with a vendor specific ROM, namely 77.00.99.00. The official version looks like 7.1.0.0. So, I'm thinking to flash the ROM. I have no idea what else is installed beside the official package.

Much better, thanks! There was no error number given along? (if you just missed that: our google-play-store tag-wiki holds a quite comprehensive list of those with links). All things I'd suggest you've already tried (clearing cache/data, checking network connection). Might still be a server-hickup curing itself within a few hours/days/years (oops). So I've got to leave this to someone else. Meanwhile, make sure to check the messages in the "related" section (to the right using a desktop browser).

Related: Cannot sign-in Google account on Samsung Galaxy S with 2-step authentication / Nexus 10 cannot sign into Google Accounts / There was a problem communicating with Google servers, try again later / Problem in setting up google account - “couldn't open connection to server.”

No  error number was given and if I hit next at the bottom it appears the same error message.  I'v been trying to login since yesterday...  do you know if my play store  version is all right or should I install an older one?

You can always try to "uninstall updates" (via Settings › Apps and its "All" tab). They'll re-install again soon, but this sometimes helps.

Actually the problem was with the ROM, Gearbest replaced the official one with a buggy one. I flashed the latest stable global ROM MIUI 7.1.1.0 with a little trick described by Bilhouse in the miui global forum here
The steps are as follows:

downloaded the Latest Stable Global ROM from here for Redmi 2 version 2014813
file: wt88047_global_images_V7.1.1.0.KHJMICK_20151209.0000.6_4.4_global
downloaded the China ROM for mobile version 2014811, I used the one mentioned in this post here. file name wt86047_images_5.4.3_4.4_cn_94aabfc129
from the China ROM I copied NON-HLOS.bin file and replaced the one in the Global ROM - if you don't do this than you wont have a functional network module and you wont be able to connect to any network.
Flashed the ROM with fastbool as described in my first link.
At my first try of flashing, I encountered an error massage: mismatching image and device in fastboot, which I solved by changing the name of the folder from wt88047... to wt86047... after this I was able to flash the ROM and tired again but this time the folder name should start as ti was originally wt88047...

Redmi 2 Pro is also called at some places Redmi 2 2GB RAM/16GB or Redmi 2 Enhanced.

1.- Root your device (of course)
2.- Editing the file
You will need a proper editor
On your device open your browser and go to: www.ghisler.com/android.htm
Download and Install Total Commander for Android... and open it
OR DOWNLOAD BELOW
3.- Browse with Total Commander to root/etc
(hint: on the right side of the screen there's a shortcut to system folder.. look for etc/ and you will find it)
Long tap on "hosts" > edit file > Totalcmd-Editor
Open etc/hosts and edit the file. Just put # before 74.125.93.113 android.clients.google.com.
4.- SAVED
Edited file should look like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost
74.125.93.113 android.clients.google.com
remember: based on my own observation it should be look like this:
127.0.0.1(just one space)localhost
74.125.93.113(just one space)android.clients.google.com
5.- Turn OFF your device.
6.- Got it on Recovery Mode
7.- Factory reset, wipe data.

Reboot your device.
Once the phone reboots, input your google account information when the phone asks for it.

10.- Sync to your account and contacts
METHOD 2:

Make sure you have a ROOT ACCESS on your Device.
Install Root Explorer, Run App, Grant SU Access.
Browse root / etc... at the top of your screen you will see mount R/O and mount R/W...

4.Tap mount R/W
5.Look for host file, long press it and open with text editor.

just Add # (pound sign) on the first number.

like this:
74.125.93.113(just one space)android.clients.google.com
SAVE IT and Reboot.

So, you also forgot to mention the source and give appropriate credit to author(s), right? Follow How to reference material written by others

I'v already seen this advice elsewhere, but I am not professional in Android but I'm using Linux, so I choose not to try yet. Please tell me what actually means this modification. # is commenting that line, if yes, why do I have to do that, is the given IP address wrong? I'm  a programmer, please take into consideration in your answer.

@Elod there is what we call rooting your phone link


text:
How to enable developer mode to install apps via ADB for this cheap Android Watch?
I just bought one of these:

It was fairly cheap so, unsurprisingly, in "Settings" I don't see any way to select "developer mode".
How can I go about enabling developer mode (USB debugging) to install apps via ADB?

If its an Android Wear watch (and it seems so) there is no options on the watch directly. It depends on the phone it is paired with, and all the options are available on your phone.
I have a Moto360 and I also don't have any developer options on my watch. If you plan to develop for Android Wear, you need to install everything on your phone, which will push all needed resources to your watch.

Sounds promising (+1). Can you tell/provide a link to how to go about it? Thanks

All info is surely here: http://developer.android.com/training/building-wearables.html because its the official site, but I have this info from some presentations that i attended so that I don't have a fixed link to this info.

Is there any chance that you could upload it to some free file sharing site? DropBox woudl be ideal, but anything will do. Thanks

It was a talk at a conference (droidcon London 2015). Here is the link to the talk https://skillsmatter.com/skillscasts/6653-android-wear-get-your-app-on-your-wrist but you need to register to watch it.

You should follow the steps mentioned here: Creating and Running a Wearable App.
It's quite similar to the phone : go to Settings -> About, then tap on the Build Number seven times. It will enable the Developer Options where you can enable ADB Debugging.
If you can't connect your watch to your computer via USB, you can always enable the Bluetooth debugging following these steps : Debugging over Bluetooth

Enable Debug over Blutooth on Developer Options on the watch
Enable USB Debugging in the Android Wear app settings on your phone
Execute these adb commands :
adb forward tcp:4444 localabstract:/adb-hub
adb connect localhost:4444

If the second command fails, try replacing localhost with 127.0.0.1 .

I changed ADB Debugging to USB debugging. I don't think Developer options has any option named ADB Debugging but USB debugging. Feel free to revert though.

It's really ADB Debugging on the Developer Options on the watch side. But it's useful only if you can connect your watch to your computer via USB.


text:
Change the Samsung's "Quick Settings" background color Or Remove Quick Settings
I have Samsung galaxy core 2 Phone. I just want to change the background color (The Dull Blue Colored one) of the quick settings tab. I tried it by using Wanam Xposed. It has many options, but I can't change the Quick Settings background color using it.
Can anyone help ?

Open Wanam Xposed.
Go to Theme → Background Color → You may give any HEX value..
Also Go to Theme  → Panel Background → You may give any HEX value OR Transparent Panel Background.
Also Change theme → Tile Pressed Color (scroll down to last ).

Related subreddit - Some modding I did with my S5, thought I'd share with y'all

Bonus: Install Bluured UI - icons color on notification panel might not change on Galaxy Core 2


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Titanium Backup resets my desktop background image when creating a backup
I recently switch from Helium backup to Titanium (still free version) and experience a strange effect:
Each time I run a batch backup of my app data, the background image of my device is reset to the default.
Any idea why? Actually, I'm quite surprised that something is changed during backup.
And what I could do to make Titanium leave the image I selected?
I run CyanogenMod 11 / Android 4.4.4
(BTW: Is there a support forum for titanium somewhere?)

That sounds very strange, I'd ping Joël (the dev) for that. AFAIR he offers support via his TitaniumTrack website. // I'm a long-time user of the Pro version (was one of the first apps I've bought, about 5 years ago), and I've never experienced such – though I must admit that lately I never changed the background image away from the default, so I wouldn't have noticed ;)


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Running a batch backup in Titanium stops my a set alarm on my alarm clock
I recently switch from Helium backup to Titanium (still free version). I tried to use the scheduled backup and experienced a quite annoying effect: I ran the backup at 3am in the night - and my alarm scheduled for the moring was not working.
It seems that titanium stops apps for doing the backup (I think I read this somewhere), and my interpretation is that the alarm clock app cannot exec scheduled alarms once it has been stopped.
Is there a way I can exclude the alarm clock app? In fact, I really don't need a backup of my scheduled alarms ...
I run CyanogenMod 11 / Android 4.4.4

What's the issue with the clock? Yes, TiBu might need to stop apps to make a clean backup (RESTART_PACKAGES). I run scheduled backups every night, and have no issue with that. The Alarm Clock doesn't need to run continuously; for alarms, it gets "awoken" by the system (alarms are registered with the system). Btw: Running CM 11 here as well on multiple devices using different Alarm Clocks. And the full (paid) version of TiBu.

I just improved my question above; I experienced that the alarm clock was not working in the morning :-(

Can you also 1) add which alarm clock you are using, and b) try if the same happens with a different alarm clock? I have a nightly TiBu job running at 3am (as you do), alarms never failed me (firing around 6…7am). I use the "default clock" on one device, and AlarmDroid on another, both devices running CM 11/Android 4.4.4. Additionally: what kind of batch backup are you performing (e.g. all apps, changed only, …)? I could then compare with mine.

I used the CM 11 standard alarm clock app (however it is called). Good idea to try another one. It was the standard "backup changed data" job in Titanium without any modification.

OK, that's the same running here nightly. No such issues, neither with the standard alarm clock nor with AlarmDroid. I wonder what that should be, as "alarm clocks" usually register an alarm with the Android System, which then wakes them up at the set time so they can play their alarm. So as long as the alarm is not at the same time as the backup, that shouldn't matter at all. Sure you've set the alarm for that day, and it wasn't a one-timer already fired – or a repeating not including that day?

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I used nightly TB backups (free version) with the last Android update Google provided (4.3) and never experienced this, but recently I installed 7.1.1 AOSP from XDA and indeed, since I did, I can confirm that TB now stops the clock app and doesn't restart it. When the notification says that the clock app is being updated, the clock in the status bar indicating that an alarm is set, disappears, and doesn't come back until the clock app is restarted manually.

Can't edit comment after 5 mimnutes; OP is running 4.4.4, @Izzy is running CM1 which is 4.4 or 4.4.1 - maybe it's a bug in TB with newer Android versions ?

Good to hear s.o. else is also having this issue ;-) I didn't find a solution yet.

Just to clarify (I shouldn't write at night :-P) :
"s/7.1.1/7.1"
"s/updated/backed up"
"s/CM1/CM11"

Update : also happens under 7.1.1 on a brand new Nexus 5X.


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Changing the default login credentials to internet on my samsung phone
I bought a Samsung galaxy chat phone a few weeks back. I experienced difficulties downloading whatsapp at the workplace, where we have access to wifi. As a result, I enlisted assistance of a technician, who ended up using his credentials to login to wifi, and successfully downloaded whatsapp and few other apps into the phone.
Each time I have to login to wifi at work, the login screen comes with the technician's username and (the dots at the password window - for) his password. I have to delete these each time before typing-in my own, and it is rather inconvenient, even frustrating. How do I get rid of these default credentials of the technician and have mine (or blanks) instead?
Will greatly appreciate your assistance.
Thanks
Silas

Am I assuming correctly you're talking about a captive portal here, and that "login screen" actually is a page shown in your web browser? If so, you might need to remove the stored credentials there (from the browser settings).

Mentioning your Android version would have made it easier to provide specific instructions, but then it's pretty easy
Press or tap Menu button →Settings→Wireless & Networks → Wi-Fi
Long press your office Wi-Fi network → Forget
Go back to Wi-Fi settings page, your office network will show up (if it doesn't Scan for it). Enter your username and password and save. Subsequently, it will connect automatically and show your office network name instead of technician

The recommendation by beeshyams was spot-on and extremely useful. I was able to follow the suggestions, and instantaneously disabled  the default login credentials - very much appreciated.

Thank you and since it met your needs, you can "accept" it by clicking the tick mark next to answer. This would also show others that the answer has merit, when they search . You do not have enough reputation to upvote now, once you acquire 15 points, you can upvote any answer you like


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Xperia Z5 Compact not visible in adb
I got two android devices: Nexus 7 and Xperia Z5 Compact. Both of them are easily find by adb on my local computer, but I usually work on my notebook, and here comes the problem. Both my devices couldn't be found. I reinstalled SDK and installed Google USB Drivers. Then I reinstalled drivers of my Nexus to Google drivers and Nexus is visible for ADB. But I cannot do this for Xperia. When I try to update my drivers, it says the best one are already in (MTP USB device).
My OS is Windows 7 on notebook and Windows 10 on local computer.
Any ideas how to make Sony's child visible?


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How much difference does the camera app make for photo's quality?
I have just bought a Moto X Play, which comes with the proprietary Motorola camera app. I am wondering, how much difference does the camera app make for the basic photo quality like:

automatic determining of exposure
automatic white balance
automatic ISO settings
noise correction for low-light shots

I understand that some 3rd party apps give the users a lot more manual control over the settings, apply some post-processing, make sharing of the photos easier, etc. I am, however, mostly interested in using the phone as a point-and-shoot simple camera, so I would like to get the best quality out of the box in different conditions (especially in low-light).
So the question is, how many of the aspects I listed above and controlled by the hardware/lower level drivers, and how much is controlled by the camera application?

This article says they don't make much of a difference http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/tested-can-the-right-camera-app-make-your-phones-camera-work-better/

@beeshyams well, some horrible app (devs might mess-up as well) might make a big difference #D Which works in both ways: if you have a good one and try a bad one, you'll see the difference, the other way around you see it as well. Some apps might have better white-balance, for example. So while it might be true it makes not much difference in most cases (especially one high-quality app compared to another high-quality app), it might well make a big difference in other cases.

True but for point and shoot, which OP is looking for,IMO don't really help much. Where they outshine is in image processing, effects etc. BTW, do you think this stands a better chance of being better answered in Photography SE?

@beeshyams I'm not active over there, so I cannot tell. But what I can tell is that for at least "automatic white balance" the app can make a huge difference (my own experiences). Same with the noise correction (which goes to the "image processing" part).

I wish the native Samsung camera app didn't crash so frequently.  I've tried it on several brand new Samsung devices, and it often crashes just by zooming.

Based on my experience with my Samsung Galaxy J7, the best camera app is the built-in camera app.  You can adjust any parameter manually (except on Google Pixel phones). Then you can modify your photo by other apps like Photo wonder, etc..
Some selfie apps will take your photo with the small size (960x500), and you cannot adjust any setting.


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PIE supported ssh server for android 5.1.1
I recently updated my moto E to  android 5.1.1.
When I executed dropbear binaries that used to work well on previous android versions, It showed this error :: only position independent executables(PIE) are supported.
I searched on net to fix this. Replaced linker file with patched one , but did not work.
Searched for PIE supported dropbear binaries but could not find any.
Please give a link for PIE supported ssh server/dropbear or resolve this PIE issue ..

Servers Ultimate Pro appears to work in my device.

Any binary or app freely available on net ?

[Softwarerecs.se] would be a good place for recommendation. See Where to ask for app recommendations? or What is required for a question to contain "enough information"?

if you build the dropbear with proper switches, it should work for you well.


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Google Play Store does not open
i have a alcatel onetouch, since two days ago i try to open the Google Play store, but it does not show up, i looks like it will open but it get closed inmediatly, i don't know why
does anyone can help ?

Does it show any dialog, something about being stopped or not responding? Have you attempted any troubleshooting so far?

it does not show absolutely nothing, and i have Google play services installed and running.

Umm... What do you mean by "does not show absolutely nothing"? Please be clear with your English, colloquial speak doesn't help others to understand what you mean out of context. Did you mean "does not show anything" or "shows something"?

does not show anything.

Try to clean cache and other data to Google Play Services & Google Play Store (Menu-->Configuration-->Application).
If it does not work try to remove updates from google play store.


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Can different calendar apps coexist without interfering with each other?
I have multiple personal Google calendars (all under the same email address), and I have an Exchange calendar for work.
I'd like to use the Google Calendar app for my personal calendars and alerts, and then use the Business Calendar app for my work calendar.  I have widgets set up for each app, running okay.
Here's the rub: If I open Google Calendar, and disable display of my work calendar in there, it also disables it in the Business Calendar app. And vice versa.
So my question is: can you have multiple calendar apps on the same device without them interfering with each other?
Nexus 6p, running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

I don't think you can have multiple calendar apps but am not sure why. But it is possible to have multiple calendar within Google calendar. In case that works for you http://www.androidtipsandhacks.com/android/sync-multiple-calendars/

thanks, but I'm already running four personal calendars within Google Calendar. I'm just looking for a way to keep a second calendar app from interfering with Google Calendar.

I think it is not possible since calendar storage is only one....

This may not be the solution to your problem, but this is what I do to choose which calendar(s) to display on the app.
I see that you use Business Calendar app, which I am also using.  Under "Calendars & Task lists" setting you are able to "favorite" your calendar(s) to be displayed at the bottom by tapping on the star(s) on the right.  Once done, I just have to tap on the bottom buttons (those favorite) to switch between my personal and business calendars.
Hope this helps.

There is a simple way to do it- only keep the account you want to use with a calendar app setup in Accounts (like your personal calendar). Then open a browser to view your other calendar there.  It's not a great solution but simple, especially if you make a shortcut to that webpage on your phone's home screen. (Note: if both are gmail accounts, don't use Chrome if you have signed in as both accounts there. Use another browser or your phone's default internet app.)


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How to connect Samsung J7 via USB but disable charging?
I would like to know if is it possible to connect my smartphone to a pc via USB without charging it?
It would be very useful to be able to disable charging (but still allow USB tethering, ADB debugging, file transfer etc).
Thanks a lot.

Answers here should help: How do I override charging current on Huawei Honor 6?

You can try these solutions, which directly address what you are trying to achieve (may not work on all devices)

adb commands from ADB Useful Commands

Adb shell echo 0 > /sys/class/power_supply/battery/charging_enabled (1 to disable; 0 to enable)

adb setprop-persist

Disable USB charging

If these methods don't work or you want to explore more possibilities, see methods below, which can offer you  clues

On your Device:

As suggested by Firelord. Be aware that you would need time in identifying the right file to change values to fool the system. Naming of files related to this is apparently not standardised. One of the answers in the link is mine so I am talking from experience.

You could also see this for another way it has been done https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11698979/how-to-change-android-usb-connect-mode-to-charge-only

On your PC: You have not mentioned your PC configuration, but these have been successfully tried add may give you pointers

https://serverfault.com/questions/8130/configure-usb-port-to-only-act-as-power-source-charger

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11698979/how-to-change-android-usb-connect-mode-to-charge-only

Modifying the connector hardware (recommended since earlier two options ate Android and Windows version dependent but you would need to try doing the opposite these methods are opposite to your need)

http://www.instructables.com/id/VGA-to-USB-power/
http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Condom

Yup, you should be able to use the adb command. Or use an app I just released  to disable usb charging in Android phone. Has not been tested on Samsung  j7 though.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bramantya.stopcharging&hl=en
It needs root access.


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sideloading gapps after cm13 install
I've tried to use cm recovery to flash the Gapps package, but it can't find the zip.
I get an error "invalid argument"
I have tried flashing through ADB also, but once in recovery mode, the pc can no longer see the device ( nexus 6)

Have you tried with a different recovery? Try it now if you haven't. Which GApps are you using? From where have you downloaded it?

If you need Gapps for CyanogenMod 13, chek please this link: http://cyanmod.pl/download/open_gapps-arm-6.0-nano-20151207.zip They should work

your installation might be broken, download latest Nightly-build, clear caches install Android 6.0 again, then for gapps use link above

I'm voting to close this question because CM nightly builds appear to be shipping with a nightly build of CM recovery (see it yourself) and issues related to nightly build of a software are not helpful to this site in long run. Refer to http://meta.android.stackexchange.com/q/2077/96277 for details.

Best way: First, install TWRP because CWM doesn't support it, then wipe data and cache. Be sure to take a backup. Now install CM13 and GApps. Reboot and it will work smoothly.

You didn't mention that TWRP also has stable and nightly builds and it is not free from bugs either. It would help if you provide the version of a stable build of TWRP meant for OP's device.


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Nexus 5 battery drain - dropping from 50% to zero instantly Marshmallow 6.0.1
I've been having some problems with the WiFi drain issue that some others have posted on here, but yesterday I had a new problem with my battery which may be related but may be entirely different.
My battery was around 50% when the phone suddenly switched off (first time this has ever happened). When I switched it back on, battery was at 1%. I tried to quickly finish what I was doing (Uber app) expecting the phone to turn off again, but it didn't. I looked at the battery and it had gone up to 5%. About 15 mins later it was up to 20% and climbing, as if it was on charge.
Today around the same time it happened again, but I wasn't using Uber.
I can't see how to post screenshots, sorry all new to this forum!

Nexus phones have battery reset logic procedure. As explained here https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/nexus/D7er7nMbzHI
and http://android.stackexchange.com/a/129529/131553. Try doing that and let me know if it worked to convert into answer

@beeshyams It sounds like there are multiple issues being reported in that thread. It also appears that there is a hardware issue for many people. I am interested in knowing what works for the OP

@user1354557: I am not sure, not having the specific device-hence posted as a suggestion

Having the same problem, and pretty sure it's software related. Generally more specific in my case, drops from 15% to 0, then if I plug in a charger it jumps to 15% again.


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Why are all my pictures gone after EACH reboot?
I was on vacation for two weeks and took a couple of photos with my smartphone camera (Samsung Galaxy S3). When I came back home I connected my smartphone to my computer to copy the photos to a "safe location", however I could not find the pictures on my phone. There were only pictures saved by apps (Telegram&WhatsApp) and very very old pictures.
Actually I also noticed that for some of my Apps (very, very few) the icon was replaced by a ghost symbol and an "SD card" symbol in the corner. If I tap it, it says "application not installed".
After some testing I figured out that I can reinstall these apps and also take new pictures, but they are reproducibly gone after a restart of the phone.
There is no error message at any time except the mentioned "application not installed".

Could my vacation pictures have suvived somewhere? If yes, how can I revover them?
What the hell is going on? Or how can I find out what is going on?

What I tried
When I connect the microSD card with an SD card adapter to my computer and try to access it with dolphin it says:
An error occurred while accessing '59,5 GiB Removable Media', the system responded: The requested operation has failed: Error mounting /dev/mmcblk0p1 at /media/yankee/45BC-6301: Command-line `mount -t "exfat" -o "uhelper=udisks2,nodev,nosuid,uid=1000,gid=1000,iocharset=utf8,namecase=0,errors=remount-ro,umask=0077" "/dev/mmcblk0p1" "/media/yankee/45BC-6301"' exited with non-zero exit status 1:
stdout: `FUSE exfat 1.1.0
'
stderr: `WARN: volume was not unmounted cleanly.
ERROR: fsync failed: Input/output error.
'

From lspci I know about my card reader:
b:00.1 SD Host controller: O2 Micro, Inc. OZ600RJ0/OZ900RJ0/OZ600RJS SD/MMC Card Reader Controller (rev 05)

It is a built in card reader of my Dell Latitude E6520.
Another "normal" SD card with 128 GB formated with exFat can be used normally with my computer, but nevertheless I found some posts on Google that suggested that the error may as well be connected to some incompatibilities somewhere between card reader, card and driver. However due to lzzy's comment I also tried:
$ mkdir /tmp/ttt
$ sudo mount -o ro "/dev/mmcblk0p1" "/tmp/ttt"

and to my surprise this worked! And to my disappointment my vacation pictures are not available.
To fix this I tried:
$ sudo fsck.exfat /dev/mmcblk0p1
exfatfsck 1.1.1
WARN: volume was not unmounted cleanly.
Checking file system on /dev/mmcblk0p1.
File system version           1.0
Sector size                 512 bytes
Cluster size                128 KB
Volume size                  59 GB
Used space                   19 GB
Available space              41 GB
Totally 499 directories and 2997 files.
File system checking finished. No errors found.

However as we can see here this did not fix anything. Additionally sudo badblocks /dev/mmcblk0p1 completed without any output at all.

Could it be those "lost pictures" have been stored on the external SD card? We had a similar issue here not that long ago, also with a Galaxy device (Ace 2). Turned out the SD card had given up, not "holding a charge" anymore. What you saved there stayed as long as the "file system cache" had it. Checking the card for bad blocks (using a card-reader attached to a PC) showed the card seemed to consist of nothing else anymore but bad blocks. Try with a card reader then: copy something to the card, unmount, mount, check if it's still there.

@lzzy: Sounds legit. Plz see my extended question. Post your comment as answer so I can accept it. Is the SD card still worth anything or is it trash? (Bonus question: Why is android doing this to me? Why is it not just saying when I take a photo "sry could not save" or something? Is there any technical reason or is this just stupid design?)

As you run Linux: try the badblocks command against the card. The remaining questions of your comment will be answered with my answer then (spoiler: it's not Android to blame, but rather the controller of the card I assume).

@lzzy: sudo badblocks /dev/mmcblk0p1 took a long time, but terminated with no message at all.

It takes a long time, yes. And the outcome was other than I expected (in my case, it spit tons of errors right at the start – so the card was gone for good, which explained the behavior, see my first comment). You are correct however that there are sometimes incompatibilities between cards and devices. // As for your photos, I'm afraid they're gone. You could try the card with PhotoRec (see our data-recovery tag-wiki on file carving).


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Could not create folder. Try reconnecting or restarting your device
I am using a Xperia C4 with Mac OS X Yosemite.
I have Android File Transfer Installed.  It allows me to drag files over and transfer but it won't allow me to create folders or move folders across for transfer.
I have tried entering developer mode, rebooting, restarting device.  Nothing fixes it.  Any ideas why this is happening?

Is your Android phone unlocked (i.e. "swipe to unlock" or you have unlocked it) before trying to create/transfer the folder?

Yes, it is unlocked.  Normal files transfer fine, it just doesnt like me creating folder or moving folders.

Mind if I ask what Android File Transfer program you are using?

@Ankush , in this case there is only one common Android File Transfer program. It is the standard one recommended by Google to communicate with Android devices via MTP. In short, basically the app is a MTP Client.

Could the OP try updating his AFT app? That could help. Also, although this may be a bit rash, if it is possible, could the OP also update to El Capitan? I heard somewhere that that may help.

I have updated the app but I'd rather find a solution that upgrade my OS.  Last time I upgraded my development environment got messed up.


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Unlock bootloader on cm12
I'm now having a Samsung Galaxy Superior (GT-I9260) running on cm12.1 downloaded from the cm website. I want to flash it to kali linux now, and it tells me to unlock the bootloader first. After doing some research, I found out that people suggest some commands like adb reboot bootloader and fastboot oem unlock. But I just cant boot into the bootloader, even if I'm booting it from the recovery using the option reboot bootloader. My problem is, is that my bootloader has been unlocked, or I need some other ways to make it work?
Note: I'm currently using a linux computer.

What about long pressing Home + Power + Volume down when device is powered off? (Source) It is called download mode in Samsung devices.

it enters the download mode immediately, and shows odin mode. and then I cannot use either adb or fastboot.

How is flashing an Android phone to Kali Linux even possible? Where did you get that idea? it won't work at all. Even if Kali did support ARM processors like that of your phone, it wouldn't work because of incompatibilities with other hardware in your phone. What is the guide you were planning on using to do this?

Also, most Samsung devices don't have a specific fastboot mode, you'll have to use the ODIN PC program to access the device in download mode and flash stuff, once you have the correct drivers installed on your PC.

Thanks. And the idea is from here


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Windows 8.1 can't access SambaDroid server
I'm trying to set up and smb server using SambaDroid on my HTC One (M7) running Cyanogenmod 12.1 to sync certain folder on my Windows 8.1 laptop. Once the service starts running on my phone, I can see the SambaDroid appear in my networks on my laptop.
If I click it, I see the sdcard folder. However, if I try to open the sdcard folder, a window pops up that says Windows cannot access \\SambaDroid\sdcard. If I try to map the network to a drive I get the same error. Why is this happening and how can I fix it?
Additional details:

My wifi network is on the wifi whitelist.
File sharing is enabled for the wifi network on my laptop.
Both SambaDroid and laptop are connected to the same wifi network.
Under 'Manage Shares' in the app, the sdcard and all its contented show up and have RW access.
In win8.1 in Network and Sharing Center I have allowed file sharing for 40 and 56 bit encryptions (the only other option is allow only 128bit)

Edit: I've seen on some threads that I need to change the local security policy, but this feature of Admin Tools is only available on the pro version of Win 8.1

This is probably an issue with Windows rather than Android. Please add additional details to clarify where the issue might actually lie so we can address it properly.

what sort of details do you need? I'm a newb to the whole file sharing server thing.

For example, does your laptop work correctly with a dedicated (hardware-based) NAS Server (Samba host)? Have you correctly configured the SambaDroid app? Can SambaDroid access the SD card normally? etc.

I don't have a dedicated server to check this. Is there another way I can see what kind of problem the laptop has connecting to a Samba host? I have updated the post a little more. I honestly just don't know much about connecting to a server, but I don't mind reading up on something relevant if you can link any information that might help.

To be honest, I've never used an NAS, so I can't help you enough. I suggested some general troubleshooting steps. +1ed your question as I feel it should get a bit more attention, but I suspect this is the wrong site for the job. You could try SuperUser, but do ask for a migration by flagging it for a moderator, don't cross-post

If you have another device to cross-check (e.g. an Android device with a Samba client, or a Linux machine), that might help narrowing down the issue – and e.g. see on which end the culprit sits. If no other client can connect either, it might be the server; if others can connect fine, it's rather Win8 as client.


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How to use speech-to-text offline?
When online
When I am connected to Wi-Fi, I am able to say "Okay Google" from any screen and it will automatically start a voice search for me and look up whatever I say. I am also able to manually start a voice search by tapping the microphone button at the top of my homescreen on the right side of the Google search bar, and my phone will search for anything I say. Lastly, when I am using the on-screen keyboard to type I can hit the small microphone button in the corner and speak whatever I want to type (which it will instantly change to text, but I have to hit the "x" with my finger to make it stop).
When offline
When I go offline (not connected to Wi-Fi or data), however, things start getting weird. I can bring down the white pull-down menu for voice search by saying "Okay Google," but after I am finished talking it will stay stuck loading on "Recognizing" for a while, until finally it will say "Can't Reach Google at the moment" (see image 2).
After messing around with things for a while, I finally got it so that when I am offline and hit the microphone button on the keyboard, I can speak my sentence and then after an absurdly long wait it will translate it into text (I don't know if this is normal or just my phone).
What I've tried/what my specs are
I have a Moto-X (second gen.). My OS is fully updated (as far as I'm aware – Android 5.1.1), and I have the most recent version of the Google app (version 5.7), the most recent Google Now Launcher app (version 1.3.large), and the most recent version of the Google+ app in case that matters (version 6.9).
In my Settings>Language & input>Google Keyboard, it is set to "English (US)."
Settings>Language & input>Google voice typing, it is set to "Automatic" and inside that the "Languages" is set to "Default language: English (US)."
Settings>Language & input>Google voice typing>Offline speech recognition, I have "English (US)" installed.
My Question
Why do the Google offline voice commands not work when I am offline and how do I make it work?
*Answers as to why the keyboard text-to-type takes forever when offline are appreciated to but they're not my main concern for this question. Thanks! :)

Screenshots - Click to enlarge
EDIT: As of October 2016, I got a new phone (the Moto G4 Plus) and it has the exact same problem. All the symptoms are identical and I cannot use the voice commands unless I have Internet connection, and the offline voice-to-text is really slow (still not my main concern). It has the most recent version of Marshmallow (Android 6) installed.
EDIT 2: Occurs on Android 7 now as well. But I found out it was the Google App, not the phone or OS specifically. (see answer below)

Maybe I don't understand the question but are you trying to use the Google app by speaking to it whilst offline? If so, what are you trying to achieve by doing this as you will not be able to search the Internet. I believe that Google is possibly in the process of making certain commands work whilst offline but I'm pretty sure that this hasn't rolled out yet.

I was hoping to use it for things such as opening apps or setting a timer or other phone-side actions that don't require internet with my voice.

Also solutions suggested in link in above referring to  https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/websearch/0orlGW-CjOI/discussion  various app versions . See also comments pertaining to Motox posted by micber67. See this for app settings recommended by Google https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2839743?hl=en

@beeshyams I followed your path and turned on the "Personal Results," but didn't see any visible change. I tried using the "Turn on Wi-Fi" voice command that it suggests, but it still "can't reach Google at the moment" (I even told it to turn on the Wi-Fi a couple times when already online to get it used to my voice). However, when attempting this, I did manage to get this screen again.

That's bad. Can you try reversing to earlier versions as some people have successfully done as mentioned in Google link? As you can see, this is a problem for lot of people and there is no "single solution". Since I don't have the device, can only suggest what had worked for some

I'm not sure on how to "reverse" my phone to a previous version (wouldn't my phone need to be rooted?), but I read through the entire thread you linked to and I didn't see anyone posting any Moto X phone versions that worked? Also, they seemed to be concerned with not being able to activate "Okay Google" from the lockscreen, not from when the Wi-Fi is turned off.

Okay, over a year later I have finally figured out what is going on. My carrier apparently uses "MQTT protocol," which means they need the Cellular Data option on to send texts (however, they have their own app set up to make sure that sending texts doesn't count toward your monthly data allotment).
The problem is that when the Cellular Data option is turned on, the Google app thinks that it should have Internet connection even when it doesn't. In my case, I don't pay for any data but I have to keep the "Cellular Data" option always on, as previously mentioned. But this makes the Google app not recognize that the phone is offline, and so internally it doesn't switch over to its "offline mode" and that's why the Offline Commands don't work and it doesn't recognize speech. I tried turning off my Cellular Data (while not connected to wifi) and the offline features worked as expected.
This means that I am not able to use Google's offline features, though, unless I turn off Cellular Data. And when I turn that off I won't be able to receive texts. So I can't have both :(

There are two apps involved in this case. First one is Voice-To-Text engine app. Other one is Google app.
The app you start by hitting the mic on keyboard is the former one. It normally relies on Internet to work, however, can be made to work offline too. I can't explain the reason of the long wait though. Maybe it tries to connect to internet first and then, when it fails, it switches back to working offline method.
The app that you start by saying Ok Google is the latter one in this case. It also uses Voice-To-Text engine in the background, however, it uses the input it receives from your microphone, directly to start a Google search. Which is impossible to perform when offline, and therefore, it fails.

So I can't even use "Okay Google" commands to open apps or other local actions that don't require Wi-Fi?

This may be available (probably only for US English). Have a look at this article: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/google-now-gets-offline-voice-command-support-for-some-functions-report-745940

I knew it! I've seen that image shown in the article that says "Offline voice tips," which is what inspired this question. That article was from last September, so the feature should definitely be on all updated phones now. How do I use it instead of getting the "can't reach Google at the moment" message?

Google offline voice commands limited to 10 actions http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/28/the-google-android-app-now-supports-limited-voice-commands-for-offline-use/


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Disable homescreen auto rotation on rooted stock Xperia Z2?
My rooted Xperia Z2 has the latest stock firmware(23.4.A.1.232) and the Xposed framework. I don't know how or where, but now the homescreen also rotates when tilting the phone and I've not found any setting to change it. I have tried Xblast tools from the Xposed repository, it has an option to change home screen rotation, but that doesn't work either.
Can this be fixed?

Do you want to stop rotation always or for some apps? Have a look at this and let me know if you want changes http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/132945/default-rotation-direction-for-landscape-apps

Not for any apps. Just the home screen. I already have Tasker to turn it off for specific apps.

Trigger: Screen unlocked . Action: auto rotate off should do the trick.Please check and see this for MacroDroid set up and q quick start http://android.stackexchange.com/a/133394/131553

Please let me know if it works for you and will post as answer

You can setup default orientation using App Settings module. I think Rotation - Orientation Manager would also work for per app orientation setting. Your ROM is not close to stock Android so I'll hold back from posting an answer until you confirm the success.


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Does blocking app notifications stop app from accessing internet?
On Android smartphone, we can hold finger on any notification from app and after clicking on "i" it shows option to block any further notification from the app. Say for example, I do this for gmail then it won't show me notifs about new email.
Does this disable the app from accessing the internet or only the display of notifications is disabled?

How hard was it to research (not search) this on your own, I wonder. And why did you think internet has anything to do with hiding notifications?

@Firelord i just wanted to be sure. i thought it was like answered but wasnt sure.

As it says - notifications only. The app will continue to work as usual, just won't show any notifications until you enable them again.

The app will even keep creating the notifications in the same way: Android will just ignore them instead of showing them to you.


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Can I found a contact photo in Android 6.0?
I want to add a photo to contact. So I found the person I want to add photo. And I click the camera icon then it took me to the camera and I took a photo of him. After that it crop the photo into square. However I cannot found the contact photo and I cannot even found this photo in my phone. So can I find this photo in my phone? or any cache of this photo in my camera application?

There are 2 possibilities:

The photo is indeed saved but in a folder which is set not to display media in your multimedia apps like gallery, music etc (contains the .nomedia file). You need to look it up somewhere on your storage using a file manager app instead of gallery.
The photo is saved in the contact you associated it with, on your Google account. Meaning the photo itself when shot, was saved in the contact, and then the file was deleted from the storage.

I think the 2nd possibility is probably what happened, because if you wanted to take a photo and save it on your phone, you would have taken it with a camera app, not through contacts.


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TWRP not detecting external storage, shown as 0MB
I have managed to install TWRP using Odin on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100). Installed TWRP version twrp-2.8.7.0-t03g.img.tar. It is showing External Sdcard (0MB).
Why is that so? Can anyone help me out?

Try mounting external storage from the 'Mount' menu (if it's not mounted) OR 2. You flashed a recovery of some other variant of your phone.

@GokulNC Samsung galaxy note 2 comes with 2 variants GTN7100 and GTN7105 this TWRP version is compatiable with Both of the version as per this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7z8W6b2CrQ .

Use a smaller SD card.  TWRP does not work with exfat formatted partitions at least on a T210R

Format your memory card to FAT32 that should solve the issue. Also you are using an older version of TWRP for your device. Latest version can be found here TWRP for Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100


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Flash losing space
I am using Samsung Galaxy Superior running on cm 12.1, and I am losing space on my flash(Internal Storage). I tried to delete all the files on it, but I find I am still lack of space. The composition I get in the Settings > Storage is :

1 giga apps
some small media files (less than 10MB)
free space 1 giga.

My drive is 4 GB so I am losing 2GB of it. When I turn to ES File Explorer, it tells me that there are some 2 GB "other files". How can I fix this problem? Please help.

That "lost space" might be logs (see here) and/or tombstones (see here).

That's no use. I don't have the /data/log folder, and tombstones only have 2~3 MB. There must be something else, because I tried to clean things in the /data folder.

I finally find out who is taking my space. It is in the /data/media folder. I move them to the SD card and everything is okay. But can you tell me what is the folder for?

Wha… I'll be damned. Thanks a lot for that comment! I had thought those data lost already. Have you done an OS update recently? I've just checked with my devices, and found it on one I recently updated and thought the content of the internal SD card lost afterwards. Now I've found it, in /data/media. And remember the background: Before Kitkat, that was where the internal SD card was placed. Since Kitkat, that went to /data/media/0 (I've upgraded from 4.1.x; the change actually was with 4.2: Why did /sdcard/ turn into /sdcard/0/ with 4.2?).

Actually, I am using lollipop... The stuff in that folder seems to be something long time ago when I am using 4.1.2 JB. And the Internal Storage changed to /storage/emulated/0

Exactly what I've meant: Leftovers from update.

You are not "losing space", it's just left-overs from a past Android update. Back then when your device was running Jelly Bean 4.1.2, /data/media was the place your internal SD card was allocated. With 4.2, this location changed to /data/media/0, see Why did /sdcard/ turn into /sdcard/0/ with 4.2?
So when your device was updated to Lollipop, it located the internal SD card in /data/media/0, but did not migrate the contents from the old location. You've propbably thought then the card was "wiped" during that update (as was I when updating from 4.1.2 to 4.4.4 on one of my devices), but Android simply left the content where it was. Moving it to your SD card (as you did) thus was the perfect solution.
Hint to other readers: Moving that content will most likely require root powers, as without root you cannot access directories below /data directly.


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Can't reboot to recovery mode
I have a galaxy grand prime.when i try to reboot into recovery mode with 3 button combo, clock mode dosn't start. it booted normally.how to solve this.

Either some other combinations. Or if your phone is rooted, type this in Terminal: su -c reboot recovery

phone is not rooted.can i try CMW .is it require root permission

Here: How do I enter Recovery mode without keyboard or Home button?

On some samsung devices (rather newer, e.g. Galaxy A3), there is no need for root access to reboot into recovery mode.
Enable the Developer options on your device (Settings > About device > pushing several times "Build number") and switch on the USB debugging.
You need to install adb http://lifehacker.com/the-easiest-way-to-install-androids-adb-and-fastboot-to-1586992378/ and to run the following command:
adb shell reboot recovery

This should reboot your device into recovery mode without root.


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Device confusing internal storage with external storage
Ok! I'm going to try my best to explain this but it will be hard because it's sort of confusing. It's confusing to me in the least so it's hard for me to explain.

Device: Proscan PLT1066
Andriod Version: 4.1 Jelly Bean

A few statements:

My device is showing two internal storages but there is only one.
My device is reading a SD card but I have no SD card mounted in the device.
When mounting my SD card into the device it reads it but it doesn't?

I have two Apps installed.

ES File Explorer
Google Play Games

My ES File Explorer shows only one SD card that is named sdcard0.
sdcard0 - 108.15 MB/4.79 GB

My Apps in my system settings show:

Downloaded - Internal Storage - 752 MB used - 130 MB free
ON SD CARD - SD card storage 108 MB Used - 4.7GB free

What I have posted above is all before I mount my 16GB SD card. After I mount my 16GB SD card it doesn't change much. It shows that the SD card is mounted and how much space it has but once I go back into my App settings it still says

ON SD CARD - SD card storage 108 MB Used - 4.7GB free.

Also when I go into my ES File Explorer it shows the SD card and it is named external_sdcard.

ES File shows: external_sdcard - 8.00 KB/14.71 GB

It's clearly able to read my SD card. Both the device and ES File Explorer can see the SD card perfectly and can read the amount of space I have on the SD card.
Except I can't use the SD card. When I'm try to install an app I get an error "Insufficient Storage". By the amount of space the device has and the amount of space my SD card has I'm pretty sure I have enough storage space to download just about any game. Yet, it won't let me download anything.

I guess to make it simple. There is one internal storage on my device but it's reading two and has mistaken one for the SD card. My device can read that there is a SD card mounted when there is not and when I actually mount one it won't use it.

Any help into solving this is greatly appreciated. If you need any more info feel free to ask and I'll answer as fast as I can.
Note: I would provide more images but I'm limited on how many I can post.

I've had what I think is the same problem with my tablet in KitKat.  I'm watching to see what if anything you get on this.

Sadly that is the way things are.  People started making phones without any external storage, but apps needed external storage so they split the internal storage and pretended some of it was external.  This then got replicated onto devices with real external storage so the manufacturer could ship the device with no SD card in it.  It's a mess.


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How to enable adb in bootloader mode?
Is it possible to enable adb in bootloader mode? I've already managed to enable it at boot following this, but couldn't figure out yet how to enable it in bootloader mode (if it is even possible?).
Does anyone have any idea?

Afraid that's not possible. Strictly speaking, Bootloader hasn't even anything to do with Android at all. You can have ADB with the "normal system" booted, and with Recovery (as both are running Android). But in Bootloader, there's no Android running (think of it as kind of boot-menu with update options, or "BIOS mode").

Does that count for download mode on Samsung devices too? I understand it's Samsung's version of bootloader mode; am I right? Is there any possibility to start a shell in bootloader/download mode similar to adb shell?

AFAIK yes, that's how Sammy calls it (they've got to do things different always, no idea why).

Do you know whether there is any way to start a shell in bootloader/download mode similar to adb shell?

As said, there is none in bootloader mode. As the name suggests, this is the mode prior to loading any OS. No OS, no shell.

That's not possible – as in Bootloader mode, there's no real OS loaded yet (see XDA Wiki and AddictiveTips). Quoting from AddictiveTips:

In literal terms, bootloader is code that is executed before any Operating System starts to run. The concept of bootloaders is universal to virtually all Operating systems that inculcates operating systems on your PC, laptop, smartphones, and other such devices. Bootloaders basically package the instructions to boot operating system kernel […]
Every Android phone has a bootloader that instructs the operating system kernel to boot normally.

(emphasis mine)
As there isn't any OS running yet in this mode (especially no Android), there's no ADB that can be run. That applies all the same to "Download mode" with Samsung devices, or HBoot with HTC (just different names for the same thing).


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What is the standard voltage and current levels for an android battery?
I am using Micromax Canvas Nitro A310; recently, I bought a new USB cable and it seems its not doing the job as required.
My phone is not getting charged as it was before. Either it takes too long or the battery indicator not change to even 1% after being plugged on for 2-3 hours.
I am using Ampere app to check current and voltages with different USB cables and found that the one which I bought recently is showing very low current observations (230-250mA).
Need to know what are the normal ratings.

That's nothing specific to Android, but generic to the LiIo batteries. Charging devices usually reach from 500 mA (USB) to 2A (wallet plug). 250 mA is definitely too low.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who helped me understanding what can be the problem exactly; I am posting it as an answer because this is what solved my issue.
The problem was neither with the charger nor with the USB cable. The real culprit was an extension cord which was offering very high resistance probably.
Since my socket is at a certain height, i was using an extension cord to extend my USB. I observed readings from both ends, keeping extension cord and then removing it. I found huge difference in the current ratings. It came as 230 mA and 770mA respectively.
Now, I am using a home made mobile holder while charging and removed the extension completely from the circuit. Everything seems to be working as expected.
Hope this helps someone else who is encountering same issues using extension cables.

Firstly one needs to understand C-rate or charge rate. Quoting from the linked article

C-rate is a measure that governs at what current a battery is charged and discharged. At 1C, a battery rated 1,000mAh charges at a current of 1,000mAh. In an ideal world the battery would be fully charged in 60 minutes. At 1C, the same battery discharges at 1,000mA.

Li-Ion or Li-PO (both have same charge/discharge characteristics) -typically charged between 0.5 C to 0.8 C, more often closer to 0.8 C (as a thumb rule, depends on a lot of other factors like charging algorithm,"quick charging" ,OEM specific charging protection methods etc)
Next, one has to account for charging efficiency which is typically 90% for Li-Ion chargers, so effective charging rate would be about 0.7C (=90% of 0.8 C)
Your device battery is 2500mAh as per information on net, so the charging rate in mA =0.7*2500= 1750 or less = 900 mA ( =90% of 0.5C* 2500) if your charger is charging at 0.5C (Edit OP has confirmed in comments that his charger is 1A rated, so the charging rate appears to be 0.5 C)
This is the current your app should show using standard 2A,5V wall charger (rare to find lesser rated chargers these days)
USB charging is much slower as USB 3.0 give only 900 mA and USB 2.0 gives 500mA (refer linked Wikipedia)
Current drawn for charging is NOT uniform. Li-Ion batteries go through three stages of charging of battery charging Figure 1 of Charging Li-Ion batteries- Constant Current, Saturation Charge (current decreases), Ready (almost zero current). If you plot current drawn using your app while charging a battery from 10% or lower to 100%, you would observe this. So this had to be borne in mind while measuring. As a typical example of this graph plotted on charging my phone see  this

tl:dr;
So much for theory, coming to your question:

Need to know what are the normal ratings Explanation above should have made it clear that there is no normal or standard rating being dependent on C-rate, battery capacity, charging efficiency, charging algorithm, source of charging and in which stage of charging it was measured
It is not clear from your question whether the readings are obtained while charging from a wall charger (definitely very bad if that is the case ) or from USB charging from laptop (bad)
USB cable purchased seems to be a suspect. While buying USB cables go in for shorter and thicker USB cables (they offer less resistance to current) compared to longer and thinner cables as normally available (offer more resistance to current and hence slower charging). You can always test the current using your app before buying. Alternatively Google for 24/28 awg micro USB cable and purchase that. I would suggest latter option, though more expensive but lasts across many phones you may own over a period of time (A robust Blackberry cable purchased ten years ago is still doing good)
To estimate charging time required considering all the factors enumerated, use the Battery Charge Time Calculator

On my charger, its mentioned that its output is 5V -  1A. Do I need to change my charger itself..? (The charger came along with the box when I purchased this phone)

So how can I verify whether the USB cable which I bought recently is faulty or there is some problem with my battery?

This issue arised after flashing a custom rom. I guess I lost my battery calibration. Tried several full 0-100% battery charging cycles. But, somehow, it still seems to be charging at an extremely slow rate.

The voltage and current rating of your battery won't be the problem. It will be the quality and rating of the cable you are using.
Different qualities of cable will handle different amounts of current and this is what will allow your battery to charge at different rates (assuming a suitable charger is used).
The fastest type of cable would be a USB 3.0 compatible one as these are designed to handle much larger currents by default. At this time a standard Android device is likely to require at least a USB 3.0 compatible cable so that it can handle enough current to charge your device at a reasonable rate. You also want to buy a reasonable quality one and not just any old cheap variety.
Based on the battery your device is shipped with (Li-Ion 2500 mAh battery), you want a cable that is capable of handling at least 2.0A (2000mA) - the more the better as the device will draw what it needs and certainly no more than your charger can supply.
The other thing to check is that your battery is not "dying" and not holding charge.


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Cannot start Nexus 9 screen mirroring to Viera TV
Nexus 9 currently runs Android 6.0.1 (MMB29S) with ElementalX kernel 4.05 and Chainfire's SuperSU 2.66 (if that matters); on the TV side, - it is Panasonic Viera TX-42CSR610 and it has screen mirroring function. WiFi direct finds the device, I am also able to send videos with sound from Nexus to it (as well as from a Windows 10 pc). However if I start the "Cast screen" from Nexus, it says "No devices available"; also when I invoke screen mirroring app on the TV, WiFi direct loses it.
I've tried about dozen playstore apps with no avail, including Chromecast, Mirror beta, Wifi display, Wireless display (Miracast) and others, all of them failed in different ways.
Presumably it will work with additional hardware like Chromecast, what I want to know is whether it is supposed to work as is, and if yes, why does not it work.
I found some similar questions here, they are about some different hardware/software combinations. Is there a known common problem?

Managed to do it thanks to this: after adding persist.debug.wfd.enable=1 to build.prop the option to enable wireless display appeared in cast screen options. It took several attempts to connect and I don't really know what did it work after all, but it works now.
One drawback remains though - when mirroring display I don't have access to the wireless router, so I cannot display any new content from, say, facebook, only the stuff that was cached beforehand. But this is obviously the matter of a different question.


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Can I use Google Play Services geofences to get location profiles without a service running all the time?
Apps like Llama let you use location-related properties (such as Wi-Fi network visibility) to trigger automation actions such as putting the phone on silent, but they do this by running as a background service and polling for Wi-Fi networks or directly for location.
The Google Play Services library contains a geofencing facility, which allows apps to define geofences and to be started in response to (the phone) entering or leaving those geofences.
Since Google Play Services already needs to run and update my location for things like Google Now and Location History to work, I'd like to be able to use this to have it automate things on my phone, without having an extra service in memory all the time and running periodically. Is there a way I can set this up on my phone? Perhaps there's an app like Llama but using Google Play Services geofences instead of Wi-Fi, or a way to configure Tasker so that it only runs when triggered by a geofence I define. (I've never used Tasker.)

The AutoLocation add-on for Tasker allows you to do this. It makes use of Google Play Services Geofences, and is put out by one of the most reputable Tasker add-on designers around.
To set it up once you've installed Tasker and AutoLocation, create the geofences in the AutoLocation app and click start geofence. Then in Tasker you can set profiles to start from an Event. Choose Plugin, then AutoLocation, then Geofence, and set up the condition. Be sure Tasker is enabled (if the app icon in the action bar isn't coloured, long-tap it). Tasker does have a foreground service (always-on notification) by default: you can disable it from Tasker's preferences.
One shortcoming of this technique is that AutoLocation's geofences only create events in Tasker, not contexts, so you can't have settings changes automatically undo themselves when leaving the geofence.

That's a good tip. Is it possible to make this combination work such that Tasker's "monitor" isn't running all the time? The Tasker FAQ suggests that you can't do this reliably.

As far as I know, Tasker's monitor only runs when called (I.e. used in a profile or task) so if you use AutoLocation, then that will run instead.

Most automation apps support geofencing, using either the Google Play Services or the standard proximity alert APIs. Automate has built-in support for both, see settings. However, the Google Play Services geofencing is no longer the default as it has proven to be the most unreliable.

It seems like Automate uses a foreground service even if you set it to use a Google Play Services geofence. Is there a way to make it only run when started by the geofence intent, instead of having a foreground service all the time?

@DanHulme No, most features require some kind of background processing. If the system requires all memory the foreground service will be terminated regardless, and of course restarted when memory becomes available.

The whole point of using Google Play Services geofences is so that the service doesn't need to be running all the time. GPS will start it by intent when the geofence is entered or left.

@DanHulme Sure, but automation apps usually have lots of other features that do, and to do so reliably. So does the Google Play Services, it constantly have around 8 services running, although it doesn't need "foreground services" since it has special permission.

I know, that's why I asked a question specifically about this feature, instead of just picking any automation app. Since I have Google Play Services running anyway, I don't need a second app polling location all the time.

@DanHulme There's no polling involved, that's the whole point of using the Google Play Services or the standard proximity alert API. If you only used the automation app for geofencing, its service would be idle, awaiting a enter/exit event.


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Is it possible to stop the GPS from 'jumping' on a MT6592 phone?
I'm using a MT6592 phone. On the first sight, the GPS reception is not so bad - it gets a 3D fix within 1 or 2 minutes.
There's a problem though: on apps like Google Maps, I noticed that my position 'jumps' within a range of ~30 meters. This is definitely a problem when using Google Maps for car navigation because at times I receive the wrong directions.
Is there a way to fix this? I've tried MT GPS EPO Fix but that didn't help for the jumping issue.

Within 30 metres is sadly within the specification of GPS, so legally your phone works perfectly fine and does not qualify for warranty (refund or repair).
The issue seems to be common with your chip, and a software fix is known for rooted devices: http://www.chinasmartphonereview.com/gps-test-and-fix-for-mt6592-octa-core/. I don't know however if this is any different from the fix you tried, but it sure is worth a shot.

Ensure your device is rooted
Download Mobileuncle Mtk Tools
Launch the app and go to "Power GPS Search". Tap "GPS Set" and reboot.
Ensure you are connected to the internet and have all location settings enabled.
Launch the app again and go to "Engineer Model (MTK)" –> "Location Base Service". Tick GPS ON.

Thank you. Sadly, this method consists of largely the same things, namely downloading the EPO files to get an earlier fix.

If that doesn't work for you, then you're probably out of options.


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Location showing inaccurate movements
Google showing that I left work for almost an hour. It has me located at s nearby restaurant. I never left is this possible? How is thus happening? It shows moving and leave, arrive times. I don't understand. Please help.

Possible duplicate of Google Maps Location History is showing an incorrect location

GPS is by definition not always accurate. If it functions normally, it should give you your position within a radius of 30 metres around you. However, it might malfunction and place you somewhere else.
In addition, your phone uses the list of connected telephone masts to triangulate your position. If GPS was turned off, your location would be found from this. This kind of triangulation is very inaccurate, and changes to your telephone network by the provider could influence it at any point in time.


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How can I get a list of files in a directory as text?
I have a folder containing a large number of MP3 files. I want to export a list of all the filenames of files in that folder, so I can then send it by email etc. This can be either copying to the clipboard or saving to a text file.
Couple of very crude suggestions come to mind:

I could try connecting via USB to my (Windows) computer and running "dir > listing.txt" at a command prompt
Install Terminal Emulator/IDE and run "ls > listing.txt"

However I tend to think there must be a better way to do this. Does anyone know of an app which has a feature to do this, for example?
NOTE: Most of the MP3 files do not have correct ID3s. So I'm really after the filenames as opposed to any way of exporting the media information.

Should you choose Tasker, you can follow this method: Get list of filenames via Tasker or use Code -> Run Shell to try the command-line method.

See Where to ask for app recommendations?

The besy way is Method 2 you mentioned. It's easy enough if you make an alias in shell.

There is simple method for getting list of files in any folder in Android -
Create FTP file connection between your android phone and Windows PC version of Filezilla.
in Filezilla interface, Select your desired folder from remote site pane and drag it to bottom pane of file transfer status.
Now in Queued files pane,choose export option.It will by default save in XML format.Once export xml file created,use Office Excel to getting proper format for edit.


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Is there any Netcat like application available in Android OS by default, like most of the Linux systems?
In most Linux systems Netcat is installed by default. Is any Netcat-like application installed by default in Android OS?

In recent Androids (e.g. Nougat and later), you don't need to install busybox for running netcat; it is enough to get a terminal and then type:

toybox nc [options]

and you will have the usual netcat functionality.

Not natively. You first need to install a Terminal application like "Termux" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=en then "Busybox" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox&hl=en. Here is some info on all of the tools included in the Busybox package https://www.busybox.net/downloads/BusyBox.html
There are also several other Netcat style applications available from the Google Play store - https://play.google.com/store/search?q=netcat&c=apps&hl=en

Termux from the play store is deprecated if i understood correctly.. you need to download it from F-Droid now (or the APK file from their website if you don't mind updating manually every time)
And btw you don't need busybox, just do inside Termux :
$ pkg install netcat

There is a simple GUI app anyone can use without prior knowledge in netcat.
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nikedlab.netcat&hl=en][1]
It also has port scanning facility with filtering ports and timeout.