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I'm trying to root my haipad but none of the methods I found over the internet works. Here the PAD821 features: <code> Basic parameters Time to market: February 2013 Product positioning: Entertainment Tablet PC Operating system: Android4.1 CPU/GPU Processor architecture: ARM architecture Processor model: ARM Cortex-A9 Processor Main Frequency: 1.5GHz Processors core: Dual core Storage device System memory: 1GB Storage capacity: 8GB Storage media: Flash Flash disk Storage expansion: supports Micro SD (TF) card, maximum support 32GB Display Screen size: 8 inches Screen resolution: 1024x768 Screen description: Capacitive touch screen, Multi-point touch screen Pointing device: touch screen Screen characteristics: Five-point touch screen,The TFT screen,LED backlight Language support: supports many languages Network connection: WiFi support Network mode: 3G module reserved ports Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4 Multimedia features Sound system: Double stereo speakers,Built-in microphone Video playback: support playback of 720P vide Camera: dual camera (front: 300,000 pixels, rear: 2 million pixels) Video recording: support for recording 720P video Flash features: supports Flash Format support Audio format: supports MP3 format Video formats: supports MP4 format Picture formats: support JPEG,BMP,GIF,format Text formatting: supports TXT format Buttons/interfaces: Data interface Micro-USB Audio interface: 3.5mm earphone interface Other interface: power interface,memory card interface Function keys: switch button, volume buttons Power parameter Battery type: Lithium battery,4400mAh Life time: depending on the using environment, at a specific time Power adapter: DC (5V, 2A) adaptive AC power supply Function parameters: Built-in induction The intelligent gravity sensor Basic applications: Baidu input method,The ES file browser,PPTV,AppChina,WPS Appearance parameters Product size: 204.37x155.42x9.5mm weight: 432g Casing material: composite materials Casing color: silver </code> Is there someone who knows a ROM compatible with such a device? Otherwise: is there a way to root it? Which version of the recovery (CWM or TWRP) can I install? Thanks in advance. | A quick Google search leads me to believe that the device in question is extremely osbscure. Rooting it is probably possible, but almost definitely won't be easy . I was unable to find any methods for rooting it. A custom ROM is almost entirely out of the question . I don't think there are any custom ROMs compatible with the device at all. Additionally, I don't think there are any custom recovery options available to you at all. I would say that unless you are very experienced with treading where none have tread before for the device - gaining root manually, hacking, compiling kernels, compiling ROMs for the device - you're more or less out of luck. Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. | Root and/or flash ROM on Haier Haipad 8.0 (PAD821) | android |
Say I am reading a paper with a pdf reader on a tablet and I get to ... the second inequality follows from Lemma 3.2 ... and I click on the text "Lemma 3.2" to jump to Lemma 3.2. Now that I reminded myself of what Lemma 3.2 was, I need to go back to the page I was reading before the jump. What PDF reader on Android allows me to go back easily? | Recommendation questions are not allowed here, but I'll give this a shot because I have already encountered this feature . ezPDF Reader supports this. Assuming you have a table of contents (TOC), clicking on a chapter link will take you to a page far from the TOC. If you click on the button encircled below, it will take you back to the TOC. | Any pdf reader with the "go back" feature? | android |
My device is Google Nexus 7 wifi only version. I rooted this device by using Team Win Recovery Project. I wanted to upgrade to android version 4.3 so I am looked at this article and video I follow their instructions and I selected following items Dalvik Cache System Cache and wiped them all. But unfortunately, I found out that there is no file in my device with such name <code> AOSP-4.3-JWR66V-grouper-rooted_Androguide.zip </code> I need to get this file onto my device. But my device has no OS because I already wiped it. Now I cannot access my device using my pc ( win 7 ). Could anyone please give me suggestions on how can I solve it. | Don't worry, you have a few options! Option One: (I don't have an N7 anymore, so I don't remember if it supports <code> adb push </code> in TWRP. But I think it does) Boot into TWRP and use <code> adb </code> to push the file from your computer to your device. You can try to open a Windows CMD prompt or Linux Terminal Emulator, navigate to the local file, then do the following: <code> adb push AOSP-4.3-JWR66V-grouper-rooted_Androguide.zip /sdcard/ </code> This will push the file to the <code> /sdcard/ </code> directory - which should exist already (Even on a Nexus device). Option Two: Boot the device to Fastboot/Bootloader Mode and flash any of the Factory System Images via the fastboot tool. Because using fastboot can be intimidating. You could also use the Nexus 7 Toolkit to automate the process. This will put stock Android back on your device, and will also remove TWRP. Fortunately, you can use the Toolkit or Fastboot to reinstall TWRP immediately afterward. | my Nexus 7 device is formatted accidentally | android |
Device : MMX A89 OS : ICS 4.0.4 What is an alternate way to Switch Off mobile without use of Power Button? Can we Switch Off from OS itself? Is there any setting available? Or Does it require to install any further app? | There are some apps who have this feature, Like switch off, reboot and etc. One of them is Notification Toggler , This app isnt particularly for switch off and reboot stuff, but you can do that also. :) EDIT:: I think you have to root your device to use reboot and shutdown , You can't do it without Root unless applications are signed with the System Firmware Key. And playstore applications aren't that kind of applications that are signed with that. EDIT 2: To root your Device , Check out these links, Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 | What is an alternate way to Switch Off mobile without use of Power Button? | android |
I just got a new 2012 Nexus 7 16 GB Wifi tablet today & setup it up. It is originally running 4.2.1. In a few minutes, I got the message that System update downloaded (4.3 Jelly Bean) & that I should touch to install it. Can I make the notification about the system update downloaded disappear? Unlike other notifications, this doesn't seem to go off when I try to slide it to the right. Reason: There are various reports that screws up your Wifi - and my Nexus 7 is Wifi only (no 3G). I don't want to risk to install this by accident. Update: I think another new update arrived and was downloaded (probably KitKat 4.4.3). And the notification showed up and didn't disappear even if Show Notifications was unchecked in Google Services Framework. Had to this uncheck 'Show Notifications' in 'Google Play Services' to make the notification disappear. | Try disabling the notification then restart your tablet and see if it reappears: Go to <code> Settings > Application Manager > All > Google Services Framework </code> and then uncheck "Show notifications". Are you rooted? If so, and if disabling the notification doesn't work, try freezing or uninstalling the update apk : Use Root Explorer or ES Explorer and go to phone memory system/app/ and delete or rename UpdateCenter.apk. Alternatively, you could freeze this application in Titanium backup application. You could also try modifying your build.prop file to trick the tablet into thinking it's already updated (root required). This was also mentioned in an stackexchange-url ("answer to a previous question"). To prevent the update notification, you will probably just have to change the build.prop values. So, change: ro.build.description=voles-user 2.2.2 FRG83G 91102 release keys to ro.build.description=voles-user 2.2.3 FRK76 185902 release keys and ro.build.fingerprint=verizon/voles/sholes/sholes:2.2.2/FRG83G/91102:user/release-keys to ro.build.fingerprint=verizon/voles/sholes/sholes:2.2.3/FRK76/185902:user/release-keys Note that this quote is referring to old software versions and that the <code> ro.build.description </code> and <code> ro.build.fingerprint </code> lines will need to look different for you than those quoted. Check out stackexchange-url ("this answer") for more information on making such a change. For me and my 2012 N7 I just lived with the notification until I couldn't stand it any more, then I just upgraded anyway. | Can 4.3 update notification be removed? | android |
So, yesterday my phone took a serious tumble. It is now essentially useless, as the screen either fails to turn on, or when it does, there is nothing useful to see (just lines of primary colors, mostly). I believe (from the fact that it still chirps at me when emails come in, etc), that the phone is still functional, otherwise. I would like to perform a full system dump, so that I can get off any files from the phone (a TMobile SGS2 (hercules) running slimrom 4.3 build 1). The sdcard probably isn't important, as I can just pull it, but the phone's own internal storage I should like to get a copy of. When I plug the phone into a usb port, it 'mounts' the usb via MTP, and I can see all the files. Unfortunately, when I do a <code> select all | copy | paste </code> operation, the paste op dies before transferring all files. I've tried a couple other ADB shell operations, in hope of flipping regular USB mounting on, but nothing has worked. Any ideas how I can get a full dump of my poor phone's contents? Edit Currently running a <code> adb pull /sdcard/ </code> ... Its copying files presently, but its too early to tell if its going to get evertying I'm expecting. Edit #2 looks like its going to work...its taking a rather long time, but it appears to be grabbing everything I was expecting it to. | Not a full-fledged answer, as even an excerpt would make it a rather long post, but here are some things you could try: An XDA article describes How To Backup and Restore using tar on adb shell . The article holds complete scripts for both. Still you should not execute them straight ahead as they are, but first use e.g. the <code> mount </code> command (without parameters) to make sure the mount points are correct, as they might differ between devices. Use AndroidScreencast to "transfer the display to your PC". This way you see what you are doing, and might be able to backup using apps like Titanium Backup or Helium Backup GadgetsDNA has a useful article with 15 Useful Android Terminal (ADB Shell) Commands , including how to restore a Nandroid backup via fastboot. Unfortunately, nothing to create such. A German Tutorial at Android-Hilfe.DE ( GoogleTranslate Variant ) describes a tool named ADBRecovery , including download links. This should enable you to do a Nandroid backup as well as restore. I hope one of these hints proves helpful to you. | How to perform a full system dump/backup with a broken screen? | android |
I use Opera Mini when on 3G, and Firefox when on WiFi. Is there a way to set them as default? I have a custom 4.3 ROM and Tasker, if it helps. | Actually, Tasker is the key here. You can find a tutorial here: Control which app is the default for an action . In addition to Tasker , you will need the Secure Settings plug-in . The action involved which can be found there is called Package State , where you can select between disable, enable, and toggle. So basically it is a work-around: You disable Firefox when switching to 3G, so only Opera is available then and will be used. As soon as you switch to WiFi ( Tasker condition: WIFI connected ), you toggle both package states, so Firefox becomes the default browser as it's the only one available. | Set different default browsers for 3G and Wifi | android |
My Samsung GT-I8150 is sending a text message after every reboot witch is not appearing at all in the sms area of the phone. The phone is rooted and has cyanogen mod 9 installed. I think someone at work/at home got into my phone and installed some hidden tracker. How can I detect this and also prevent this? Thanks | Sounds more like a virus. The only guarenteed way is to flash a fresh ROM and start over. Malware is getting smarter and smarter and may be able to hide itself on the OS unless you start fresh. | Hidden sms message sent at every startup | android |
I am planning to get some NFC tags which I want to use to control some profiles in Tasker. Where in Tasked can I choose NFC tag as my trigger? If that does not exist, how can I turn tasks on and off for free using NFC tags? Any plugins? Thanks. | I don't know whether Tasker can meanwhile handle that itself, but it's at least doable with the right plugin. There's e.g. Locale NFC Plugin which could fill this gap. Alternatives exist as well, like a modified version of AnyTag , which is used e.g. in this tutorial . For more examples, tutorials, and possibilities, I recommend a GoogleFu, ahem, search for "tasker nfc" , which brings up a lot of tuts and even Youtube videos explaining different magical things to achieve this way. | How to use NFC tags to trigger profiles and tasks in Tasker? | android |
I've got an app that refuses to open according to how I'm holding my phone. So, it makes it uncomfortable to use it so I uninstalled it. I do have auto-rotate on but I guess this app doesn't recognize it. Is there a safe way to get apps that run upside down to work the right way? I can't function without the home button near my left hand. OS: 4.1 S3 | You might try the Ultimate Rotation Control app -- when I tested, I found that it could force any of the apps I tested to rotate. It's a seven day free trial, then requires a license purchase (US$2.99). It turned out that I didn't really consider the app that inspired me to download this any better when force rotated, so I did not purchase, but your mileage may vary. | Any way to force an app to rotate? | android |
I own a Samsung Galaxy S4, which has the Blocking mode feature. It is very useful because it mutes notification sounds during certain hours (I use it to automatically keep my phone quite while I'm sleeping). It works perfectly for all the applications but WhatsApp. It seems to be a known issue, and I found a workaround that involved a led notification management application. I don't like that solution because it is not clean and I'd like to find a better one. I come from the iOS world where all the applications are forced to pass through system notification center and I can't really get what's happening on my phone nor how WhatsApp can deliver me notifications. | It looks like a Whatsapp problem. Your best bet would be to raise this concern with Whatsapp themselves. There's no guarantee that they'd fix it, but this isn't Google / Android issue either (from a general perspective). Developers should follow "best practices" when developing Android apps. UPDATE 2013-10-07: This issue has been discussed in XDA , and it's because of how Whatsapp handles notifications (no specific details given). In that thread, there is a possible solution using the Light Flow app. | Blocking mode not working with WhatsApp | android |
I recently got an Samsung Galaxy S3, and I prefer the GMail app than the default mail client (the one with the red seal). The default mail client seems to autocheck for email and displays a notification in the top left corner, but I can't get the native GMail client to do the same. Any suggestions on doing so? | Open GMail, and open its <code> Settings </code> . Click your <code> username@gmail.com </code> , and make sure <code> Notifications </code> is checked. Then, click <code> Inbox sound & vibrate </code> and click <code> Turn Gmail sync on </code> . Configure the <code> Notifications </code> at the bottom as you like. In <code> Settings </code> , make sure <code> Sync Gmail </code> is also checked. With regards to GMail sync frequency, see this question: stackexchange-url ("How to set gmail sync frequency?") | Gmail app not displaying status bar notifications | android |
Android: JB 4.2.2 I am trying to launch Android apps from the terminal emulator using the <code> am </code> command. When I tried the phone's terminal emulator application, it gave me an error:- <code> java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: startActivity asks to run as user -2 but is calling from user 0; this requires android.permission.INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS_FULL at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1425) at android.os.Parcel.readException(Parcel.java:1379) at android.app.ActivityManagerProxy.startActivityAsUser(ActivityManagerNative.java:1906) at com.android.commands.am.Am.runStart(Am.java:494) at com.android.commands.am.Am.run(Am.java:109) at com.android.commands.am.Am.main(Am.java:82) at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit.nativeFinishInit(Native Method) at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit.main(RuntimeInit.java:235) at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) </code> If I go into root mode, then the am command works. Any idea how to get <code> am </code> to launch browser without doing an <code> su </code> in the terminal emulator? | You just need to add the <code> --user 0 </code> option to your <code> am </code> command. | Running am commands in terminal without using su | android |
Recently I get a lot of warnings that the internal memory is full, which also led to full SMS memory. What I did was to delete some messages, which seemed to work for a while. Yesterday however, I installed some updates and those warnings messages came up again. Is there a way to find out which application are installed on my phone? A rather indirect way is to remove the SD card and see which applications are on. Is there a way to figure this out in a direct way? | In the settings option you have Application Manager. In Application Manager if you swipe to the left you will get apps installed on the sd card. It should look something like this: | How to see which applications are saved on phone | android |
On iPhone it's very easy to clone an app (running multiple copies of the app on the same device); e.g.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4f_aLSRnQ8 Is it possible to do this on Android? | On Android, the package name of the app is what identifies it on the phone: that's what gives it its own space to run in, and it has to be unique in running apps. There are two options to get one app running two instances: If you're on a Jelly Bean tablet, you can do this with multi-user support. Create two user profiles on the tablet, and you can run the app once in each profile. Each user's instance of the app gets its own storage. If you have access to the source code of the app, you can create a new app by changing its package name. Then install the new app. What you end up with is actually two apps, each with one instance, but since they both have the same code and resources, it has the effect you're looking for. These are the only two ways. If your device doesn't have multi-user support, and you don't have access to the app's source code (i.e. you're not the app's developer), then you're out of luck. | How can I run multiple copies of the same app? | android |
Yes, I do have that phone, rooted few seconds ago. Anyway, is practically impossible for me to be able to mount my MicroSD and/or phone's internal storage on GNU/Linux even if the USB mode is turn to "MTP". On my father's laptop that runs Windows, I can plug and open the folder about my phone and then select between mounting either the MicroSD or the internal storage. So, How can I mount my MicroSD or phone's internal storage on GNU/Linux? | Wow, I had this problem just this week! And just got access to my MicroSD... Accessing your MicroSD The Problem: My MicroSD card works GREAT on my phone, but when I inserted it into my card reader and plugged it into the computer (Ubuntu 12.04), it didn't read! Well, this MicroSD card was a 16GB, Class 4 so I thought maybe it was due to the Class that it didn't work. Since, when I plug in a 2GB MicroSD, it works great! Works on my phone as well as using the card reader. What I did: Updated my USB drivers as well as my computer and it's all GREAT! Here's the command that I used: <code> sudo update-usbids && sudo update-pciids </code> And then use the Software Center and just do a full system update. That's it. The post where I got the info from: Ubuntu 10.04 USB drives not mounting ! - These are instructions for Ubuntu 10.04 but it worked for my 12.04. *I didn't have anything to do with mount-manager at all. Accessing your internal storage This is something that I'm not an expert at but I'm quite sure it's what the rooting program using the ADB connection did to my Android when it needed to install the sudo binary. But here's a link I hope will be of a great help to you - stackexchange-url ("How to access intenal storage or internal memory of Android while conecting to PC?")! | MicroSD and/or internal storage of LG Optimus E615f phone doesn't mount on GNU/Linux | android |
I had run over the air update from Android 4.1 to 4.2 on my Samsung Grand GT-I9082. It seems to have completed fine (screen with robot and progress bar for a while, then some messages about "optimizing" and "running" applications, then boot). After update the phone itself works fine, however a lot of third party apps now crash on launch with "Application [name] has been stopped" (loose translation since my phone interface is not in English). It is consistent and specific to the app - either it always crashes or it just works normally. The one slight exception is Chrome which opens and closes immediately, but doesn't give the message. Clearing cache for the app doesn't fix it Uninstalling app completely and re-installing does fix it (so far - for those few I did it for) What else can I try? At this point I guess reinstalling every crashing app would fix them, but that seems very boring and menial option, not to mention losing settings and data in those apps where it's relevant. | If your device is rooted, and you have a custom recovery installed: Wipe the dalvik cache. Next boot will take a little longer (as the Dalvik cache has to be rebuilt), but the problem should be gone. If the above is not an option, you could try to backup the affecgted apps and their data using e.g. Helium Backup , then uninstall the apps, and restore them (including their data) from their backup. This way their Dalvik cache would be rebuilt as well, you don't lose your data, and Helium can do that in a batch-process to save you a bunch of clicks. | Many installed apps crash after OTA update to Android 4.2 | android |
So I do a lot of development for Android these days and a lot of it involves reformatting my phone repeatedly, and then that leads to me re-entering my wifi password each time. This, over the course of a lot of time, is adding up to quite a lot of time spent entering my wifi password. So what I am looking for is a way to get past that without having to download an app. Is there a way to get internet to my device on boot, without entering my wifi credentials. I'll take any way that's much faster, if I can transmit my password via NFC, if I can share it from another device, if I can wire my internet through USB directly. I have not found a way to do any of these things without installing additional apps . Also, I need to consider security still, so getting rid of the wifi password is also not an option, sadly. | This is a suggestion, it may not meet all your critera and not all routers support it. Set a second SSID on the router which isn't broadcast Have a simple password on this SSID with a minimal number of characters Implement MAC lockdown on this SSID Enter the MAC of your phone as the only approved connection Your router will only accept connections from specific MAC addresses on the new SSID, even if others guess your password. | Store and retrieve wifi password without installing an app | android |
How can we be assured that the APK of an app that we are downloading from a website is safe to install on our Android phone? Is there a way to know that the downloaded file is safe? Is there an app or service that scans the APK file and says <code> This file is safe to install </code> . | It is difficult to know whether an APK is safe or not. Your best bet is to download from trusted or reputable sources (like Google Play, Amazon, etc). Some (trusted) developers also provide an MD5 (or other message-digest algorithm) hash of their APKs. After your download the APK, you verify if the APK has the same hash. If it does, then it's safe to say it hasn't been tampered with. You can also check the permissions required by the APK / app, and use common sense (or your own judgement / instinct) to tell if it's safe to install or not. BOTTOMLINE: Always install from trusted sources. Stay away from pirated APKs; it's possible they may have malware. | How to know if a side-loaded app is safe? | android |
I'm trying to wipe my device using <code> adb shell su -c wipe all </code> , but when I run it I get the following errors: <code> unlink() error on '/system/vendor/res/images/dock/dock.png' 'Read-only file system' </code> and <code> rmdir() error on '/system/vendor/res/images/dock' 'Read-only file system' </code> except very many of them for varying files and directories. Is there something I should do before running the wipe command? thanks! PS. This occurs on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus with a slightly customized 4.3 OS. I don't really have anything else to compare against, but doesn't seem like a hardware issue, therefore no samsung galaxy nexus tag. | As Izzy points out, <code> /system </code> is usually mounted read-only, because it contains the operating system itself. The only reason you're getting these errors is because you specifically asked the command to wipe both <code> /system </code> and <code> /data </code> : that's what the <code> all </code> means. If you actually did that, you'd have to reboot into recovery to reinstall the OS. If that's what you really want, you should first remount <code> /system </code> as read-only by running the following command in a root shell on the device : <code> mount -ro remount,rw /system </code> If you just want to wipe user data, to get an effect like a factory-reset for a clean slate for testing, then the command you need is <code> wipe data </code> . | unlink () and rmdir() errors when running adb wipe command | android |
I'm using Android 4.3, and a few days ago I added a new root certificate to my phone (Via Settings > Security > Credential Storage / Install from storage). This required me to choose a screen lock pattern or PIN. So far so good. Now I've removed the certificate, but I can't change back to using swipe to unlock. The option is disabled, with this message: Disabled by administrator, encryption policy, or credential storage To be clear: There are no options selected in the "Device administrators" settings page Encryption has never been enabled on the device There are user credentials stored on the phone (The "User" tab of Trusted credentials is empty) Is there any way of finding out what is preventing Android from enabling the swipe to unlock feature? | Just from my readings, I think choosing the option to clear credential storage (removes all certificates) may allow swipe. Even if there are no certificates, you may need to explicitly use that option to clear certificates. | Cannot change screen lock setting | android |
For development and application purposes an organisation I am with is considering buying a cheap Android handset here in India ( this is the handset ). But what kind of problems can one anticipate in such a phone? Most of what I can find on the net is just references to a "short life" - which does not tell us what kind of problems would actually occur - and lack of access to Google Play (on the software end). I should note that this is a rather peculiar use case in that it's mainly going to be an SMS gateway and at most a very low demand server for SMS (possibly for Web too - there is a discussion on our situation in stackexchange-url ("this SO question")). But we are interested in this question in general as well. Edit: For reference, most such cheap handsets in India - and I suppose in most of the world - are made using licensed designs of low end Chinese phones. | My answer for you is twofold; there are innate downsides to off-brand devices but - most importantly - your use case (development and application purposes) might make off-brand Android phones a poor choice. This is from my experience with the phones (I have a lot, having lived in Asia for years, and seeing a lot here in the States) First, the general issues. Cheap, off-brand phones like that can actually perform quite well - but those good phones can be few and far between. Often, you'll face issues with any/all of the following: Screen quality - This is generally the first place no-brand manufacturers cut corners. Many, if not most, of the devices will have low resolution and poor color reproduction. Battery - This is the next big issue with these. There are many reasons that cheaper design, development, and manufacturing generally mean poor battery life. From the chips used, to the battery technology used, to the radios (In your case, dual-SIM is a known battery-drainer). Local Support - Your Mileage May Vary™. Many, if not most, no-brand devices are quad-band GSM-devices - worldphones!! But many are not, and almost all are poorly documented. It may claim to be a worldphone, but who knows for sure? Slowness - These things are cheap. Good NAND is expensive, good SOCs can be expensive. Most off-brand phones are much slower than the big-name phones from HTC, LG, Motorola, etc... Customer Support - Almost universally non-existent when dealing with these things. Long-term Manufacturer Support - You're almost guaranteed to never see an update to the Android OS on these phones. Community Support - The devices are, unfortunately, almost never supported by the hacking/modding/Open-Source communities. Phones from big names almost all have communities for modding/roms/help built around them. That doesn't seem so bad, right? You'll be developing software for your organization. You don't care about watching movies - so screen quality doesn't matter - and it'll always be plugged into a dev machine - so battery doesn't matter either. You probably expected slowness too. You probably don't care about those issues! Let me tell you why you might want to care. Screen - It's likely to be an old, depracated screen resolution. If you're going to be developing applications to publish then it could be a problem making your app compatible with standard screen sizes. (Your SO question implies you're not, so this might be a nonissue). Slowness - You mention that this will be a low-demand server and SMS gateway. Slowness may be a downside for you. The phone you linked is VERY SLOW. Long-term Manufacturer Support - This thing runs Android 2.3.6. That's ancient . Even though that version is still used on many Android phones today, it could be very limiting for you with its old API. Community Support - It's very likely that you'll need to use ADB, perhaps get root, and a plethora of other generally-simple tasks that could be made difficult by the way the phone is engineered. Usually, there's a community to ask for help when things like this get in the way. Not so for this phone. TL,DR: You will probably be able to make a workable solution with the phone you linked. There are some very significant unknowns - hiccups you may run into with your project, and hiccups you may run into with the phone - that might be bad with this phone, or they might be no problem. If it was me, I suggest this little phrase: If you have to ask, "is this phone going to work?" then you should probably consider a different phone. Get a device that you know will work. Nexus phones are made for this situation. And big-name phones, while not as much as a Nexus, will probably be a better solution than the phone you linked. I realize the price of Nexus phones in India is expensive, but I would say it's worth the added cost. | What kind of hardware problems is a cheap Android phone likely to have? | android |
I have a Galaxy S3 International Version, without any modification whatsoever-- no rooting, no nothing. It is as good as a stock phone with a few Play Store apps. However, of late, I have begun experiencing problems I do not have background processes (of my own) running and even then all I have left free in the RAM is usually only 300MB of the 800MB that is there. Task killers cannot free more than that. I experience lag when opening settings. What I mean is this: Say I click on the <code> Battery </code> option under Settings. There is a visible lag between the time I press the option and when the battery information is actually displayed on the screen. Android Version: 4.1.2 Build Number: JZO54K.I9300XXEMF6 | First a few things on the symptoms: On Unix/Linux/Android, "free RAM" is considered a "wasted resource". If RAM is not occupied by running processes themselves, the system uses it to buffer and cache other things, like the file system. This should speed things up, as usually RAM allows faster access. For more details, please check out stackexchange-url ("ram tag-wiki"). "task killers" are discussed controversely. While most (if not all) people agree they are fine to stop "rogue processes", it's certainly not their job to "free up RAM" or even "save battery". In these terms, they are rather contra-productive, as most killed processes simply restart themselves (which costs more battery than if they'd kept running, and fills up the "freed RAM" again as well). For details on this, closer information can be found in the answers on e.g. stackexchange-url ("Do I really need to install a task manager?"), stackexchange-url ("Do task killers actually work?") and stackexchange-url ("Is it advisable to run a task killer app on Android"). And finally, to the issue itself (experiencing lags). As you describe it as a problem "growing with the time" (i.e. it was not there in the beginning, but slowly became more and more visible), you will probably find some help in the answers to stackexchange-url ("My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?") | Galaxy S3 high RAM consumption even on idle | android |
I recently accidentally installed an app from Google Play onto my android phone (Version 2.3.6) which was clearly a fake... It had the same name and icon as the app I wanted, and I hit the install button. While it was installing, I noticed it was not the real app, and as soon as it completed, I uninstalled the app without opening it. 1 - What actions should I take to assure I have no infection? 2 - Does the fact that I did not run the app mean that it did not have the ability to infect the phone in any way? 3 - Just by installing it, could it have sent my MEID to a bad guy? Thanks in advance for your help! SteveG | Android won't run anything from the app as soon as you install it. An app can only set alarms, register broadcast receivers, etc. after the first time you run it manually, for example by: launching one of its activities from the launcher clicking Open in the Play Store app creating a home screen or lock screen widget provided by this app starting it from another app (via a Share action or the like) This isn't a complete list, but it should be pretty obvious what actions start the app. If you haven't started the app, it can't have run yet, unless the author is able to exploit a bug in Android that no one else knows about. This is very different to the situation on desktop OSes. In Windows and most GNU/Linux package managers, installing an application consists of running code provided by the app author. In contrast, Android is designed to limit what apps can do. Android itself installs the package by reading its manifest , which tells Android the name of the package and what components it contains. Android unpacks the app's files to its own private directory in internal storage, without running any code provided by the app. If the app wants to do any further setup (such as performing an anti-piracy check, or getting you to sign into a server), it can only do this when you first run the app. | Malware App Installed, Then uninstalled immediately- Next action steps | android |
I tried backing up my Galaxy S4 using this method: http://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-tutorials/how-to-backuprestore-rom-on-galaxy-s4-with-root-cwm-recovery/ 1st backup failed but I could still boot the phone When backing up, it failed halfway, it failed backing up /data/. I rebooted my phone and found that my keyboard doesn't remember my custom words anymore. 2nd backup failed and I can't start the phone anymore I rebooted into the recovery and tried backing it up again the second time. It failed halfway, it failed backing up /system/. Then I tried the backup again (without rebooting) and it failed immediately saying no space on the SD card (I am not sure if it's true) So I rebooted the phone and it is showing the boot animation forever (I waited over 30 mins). I tried restoring /system/ from the first backup but it didn't help. I don't even know where the problem is, how can a backup break your phone?? Any help will be appreciated. | I finally did a Wipe/Factory reset. I lost all apps and data, but at least I can use my phone again. And yes, that was because I ran out of space in the internal SD card. | My phone can't start after backup failed | android |
I have a problem with my tab. With the new version of Play Store, My tablet PC keeps restarting. So, I restored Google Play to the Factory Default. Soon after, it updated itself, causing the device to restart repeatedly when in standby. I am running 4.1.1 on my Karbonn ST10. I, at the time of posting the question, do not have any intention to root the tab. Thanks, Akash. | Go to Setting--> Data Usage under the usage graph there is list of apps with usage specified on right side. Go to Google Play and at the below you will find Option Restrict Background Data click on that check box.. and here you go. Though you cant install any apps from Play store with these setting, but you can always enable background data whenever needed. | How to stop Google's Play Store from auto-updating itself (without rooting)? | android |
I have a rooted Kindle Fire running TWRP that I let my kids use. Last week the battery ran low and it shut off, but my three-year-old son somehow booted it into TWRP and wiped the device. Now the Fire hangs at the Kindle logo during boot. TWRP still works, and I've attempted to mount /sdcard in order to upload cyanogenmod. Strangely, the Kindle is not talking to my Ubuntu PC: when I plug it in, <code> lsusb </code> reports no additional devices and <code> dmesg </code> reports that the device is disconnecting almost immediately: <code> [450654.465431] usb 1-4.7.2: >new high-speed USB device number 14 using ehci_hcd [450654.558614] usb 1-4.7.2: >New USB device found, idVendor=18d1, idProduct=0100 [450654.558622] usb 1-4.7.2: >New USB device strings: Mfr=5, Product=1, SerialNumber=2 [450654.558627] usb 1-4.7.2: >Product: kindle [450654.558631] usb 1-4.7.2: >Manufacturer: Amazon [450654.558634] usb 1-4.7.2: >SerialNumber: 0123456789ABCDEF [450657.586116] usb 1-4.7.2: >USB disconnect, device number 14 </code> I'm at a loss for how to diagnose this further. The <code> fk </code> / <code> FireKit </code> tools can access the device but only while it's booting up, and despite using fk to reflash TWRP I have noticed no improvement. Edit: As my answer indicates, I solved the problem by unbricking the Kindle with a different computer. This shouldn't have helped. I'm still very open to any answer that helps to identify the real issue. | Ultimately I plugged the Kindle into my Macbook instead of my Ubuntu machine, and it mounted it just fine. No idea what the issue is with my desktop - all other devices on the hub work fine, switching ports changed nothing, etc etc. If your device won't mount, try it with a different computer. For some reason. | Can't mount first-gen Kindle Fire in TWRP | android |
I am trying to flash a recovery-image file into my Nexus 7 but the flashing fails know that I am working on windows and my image file is located in the same folder as adb and fastboot files are here are the steps I am following: start the tablet android system, and the device works fine I restart the tablet into the bootloader using: <code> adb reboot bootloader </code> browse to the Recovery Mode and then check if the adb sees the tablet: <code> fastboot devices </code> adb is working fine and can detect the device and read its serial number then when I flash: <code> fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork.img </code> : I get this error: <code> error: cannot load 'recovery-clockwork': No error </code> what am I doing wrong ? | Most common errors (and solutions to them) are: different file name: make sure the file is really named <code> recovery-clockwork.img </code> , in your example, or adjust your command according to the file name wrong path, e.g. your file resides in <code> C:\Downloads </code> , but you're executing <code> fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork.img </code> from <code> C:\ </code> : Either first change to the directory the <code> .img </code> file is located in, move the <code> .img </code> to where you want to execute your command, or try specifying the file with its full path (e.g. <code> C:\Downloads\recovery-clockwork.img </code> ) sometimes <code> adb </code> / <code> fastboot </code> behaves strangely when executed from "somewhere else". In those cases it helps to first changing to the directory where the resp. executable is located, and run your command from there. | Clockwork: error: cannot load 'recovery-clockwork': No error | android |
I just purchased an S4 Mini, my first android phone. I was wondering - is there a way to send/receive messages on my Windows 8 desktop when my phone is connected to my machine? | You might wish to run a search on Google Play. One good choice will be Airdroid , which gives you a full remote maintenance suite. And of course you can send/receive SMS using any browser you like. | Is there a way to receive my SMS messages on my desktop? | android |
I was pulling the .apk files from the device using the following command: <code> ./adb pull /data/app/com.example.tracker-1.apk </code> When I tried using the same command for the encrypted app as below: <code> ./adb pull /mnt/asec/net.stfj.spelltower-1/pkg.apk </code> I get the following message <code> failed to copy '/mnt/asec/net.stfj.spelltower-1/pkg.apk' to './pkg.apk': Permission denied </code> The device is not rooted and the app is a paid app. The intention of pulling is not piracy but to understand the library and architecture of a set of apps. Is there a way I can retrieve that .apk file? | You wont be able to pull a "protected app" without root, sorry. This has nothing to do with the app being payed, except that usually only payed apps are "protected" (theoretically, free apps could be "protected" as well); think of it rather as a kind of "DRM". Once your device is rooted, you can use "root powers" to pull those <code> .apk </code> files. This can be done either using a specialized app (such as AppMonster ), or via <code> adb pull </code> if the ADB daemon runs in root-mode (it usually doesn't, but that can be achieved using adbd Insecure ). <code> adb root </code> usually doesn't work on "production devices", so you have to use this different approach. | Pulling an apk of paid app from the device | android |
With my Sony Xperia Z1, I can use NFC to "pair" it to Sony TVs to broadcast what is being displayed on my phone on the TV screen as well. I would like to do this however I don't have a Sony TV. Is it possible to use an app or set up streaming so I can view my screen on my TV? I have a typical "dumb" tv connected to a Western Digital Live Hub which can access the videos/media stored on my phone without issues (supports DLNA) over my wireless network. | I'll go ahead and post this as an answer. Android 4.2, including Sony's package on the Z1, supports Miracast - a wireless display standard that's sorta becoming a thing now. Miracast is what Sony uses to connect you to their own TV's, so it's not a proprietary Sony thing (surprisingly). In order to use Miracast, you need either a Smart TV with the feature built in. Or you can use a Miracast Receiver - they range from $50-$80. I personally use this one - it's worked great for me from Android and Windows without any hiccups. Note that there is real latency between the phone and the TV's displays. You're looking at a 500ms lag at best, so this won't work well (or at all) for games. It's really good for watching videos, and things that don't require much interaction. | Broadcast screen over wireless | android |
I'm aware of a few questions that talk about controlling a PC with an Android phone: stackexchange-url ("control android device from pc") stackexchange-url ("Is there an Android application for Remote Control?") stackexchange-url ("How to Remote Control Android smartphone, if not in same subnet") stackexchange-url ("How can I turn my android phone into a remote control (mouse/keyboard) through bluetooth for ubuntu/linux") Is there any support for Air Gestures of the Galaxy S4 in any of these products? I would love to place my phone on table during a presentation and wave my hands around to magically advance the slides. | If you take a look at the Air browse feature under Air Gestures, you will see that it is limited only to the following applications: Gallery Internet Music Player Music on lock screen S Memo So NO, you can't use it for presentations. | Control a PC with Air Gestures | android |
With the Facebook Android app I can add and remove friends from existing friend lists but I cannot find a way to create a new list. Am I missing something? If not, is there an app available that does this? | The Facebook app does not have this feature (and several other features that are available on the web app). However, you can create a new list with a 3rd-party app like Fast Pro for Facebook. | Create new friend list on Facebook | android |
Cyanogenmod released the stable version 10.1.3 yesterday and it apparently includes SELinux enhancements running in permissive mode per default. I thought that you could change the mode in the settings, but so far I have not found anything. Is this possible at all using the graphical touch interface? | Go to <code> Settings -> About phone </code> menu and scroll all the way to the bottom: Tap the "SELinux status" menu 3 times in a row in a quick succession. This will bring up a prompt asking you to confirm enabling the other modes: Be aware that currently this feature is still under heavy development, and isn't supported on all devices yet. | Where can I configure SELinux in Cyanogenmod 10.1.3? | android |
I have installed some anti-viruses on my device, and since then I am feeling that the performance of the device is quite slow, and when I uninstall them the device works fine, and the device starts heating so quickely. So is this because of Apps from the Market or this issue is with my device. | All antivirus applications on all platforms will impact the performance of the device. This is because they intercept your actions and check them for unwanted effects. You say you have installed anti-viruses - plural. If you install more than one such application on any device they will start to check upon each other. This will have a significant cumulative affect which will be immediately noticeable. If you have installed more than one, then uninstall in the reverse order of installation. | Can Anti-virus affect device performance? | android |
Xperia S has the sleep-to-snap function : A single key press takes you from sleep to snap in just over a second. But when I press the shutter-button, the phone wakes, goes into camera mode, but it doesn't snap a photo - I have to press the snap button for that. How do I make it also snap automatically? | A friend showed me how to, you go to the Camera App's Settings, then go to "Quick launch", and check "Launch and Capture". It was set on "Launch only (still camera)". | Xperia S, sleep-to-snap not capturing automatically | android |
I have a Nexus 7 (2013) edition with Jelly Bean and set up several user accounts. I have enabled developer options on one account (clicking Settings::About tablet::Build number 7 times) and everything is working as it should. Now I would like to enable developer options on a different user account. However, no matter how many times I click the Build number field, the Developer Options refuses to appear. Is there a way to enable Developer Options on another account? Is there a way to switch Developer Options from one account to another? (I have tried stackexchange-url ("clearing settings") in the account with developer options. It did remove developer options, but it still didn't allow developer options in the second account). | Only the main user (owner) has access to <code> Developer Options </code> . Related question: stackexchange-url ("stackexchange-url | Developer options for a second user on Android 4.3 | android |
I have a HTC One X (not rooted) running Android 4.1.1 but unfortunately it keeps disconnecting from my router when I am at home. The router in question is a Buffalo AirStation WZR-HP-G300NH2 running DD-WRT and the issue occurs even when I am less than one meter away from it. The phone shows the WiFi signal as full strength, but most of the time it will constantly disconnect and reconnect. The router is running in 802.11g/n mixed mode at 2.4GHz. Here's the thing: the phone was previously working fine with my network for several months yet nothing has changed that I am aware of and I have not updated the firmware of either device in some time. I still have no problems connecting to my neighbour's router (which I have been granted access to) from the same phone even though the signal is understandably poor. Also, no other devices have trouble connecting to my router. My router was configured to choose a channel automatically. Using inSSIDer on the phone I could see that the router was picking channel 6 - this seems to be logical as there does not seem to be anything else using it. I manually set the WiFi to channel 6 to be sure, but the issue remains. I'm having trouble working out whether the phone or the router is to blame. I'm guessing that there could be some kind of interference on the channel I'm using, but I don't want to change to another one because no other devices have a problem using it and I'm guessing that performance could be reduced due to interference from other networks. Any help in diagnosing the problem would be appreciated. Both devices have been restarted yet there was no improvement. | Ironically the Android 4.2.2 update I had been waiting many months for turned finally turned up the day after I posted my question. Since I updated I haven't seen the problem occur again so I'm hoping it fixed it. On the other hand it might just be a coincidence so I'll have to see how it goes. | HTC One X Has Started to Constantly Disconnect From My Network Even at Close Range | android |
I have a Galaxy S2 and a Linux Mint laptop. For a while I was using a long USB cable, maybe 1 metre in length, to connect my Android device to my laptop. It worked fine, but the extra length was unnecessary and sometimes got in the way. So I went to my local electronic store and bought a 20 centimetre USB cable. With the shorter cable, it would recharge my phone, but I could not connect to the file system on the phone in any way. No USB related activities, such as connecting to the device from Eclipse or transferring music files from within Banshee would work. I thought maybe I was just unlucky and got a bad cable. So I went and bought a second 20 centimetre cable, and it was the exact same situation. Bad cables are rare enough that it seems unlikely that I got two in a row. In any case, I'm a little hesitant to just go and buy another until I know what's going on. My 1 metre cable still works, so I assume there is nothing about the system that is failing. Why would the 20 centimetre cables behave any differently from a longer cable? Is there a type of cable I need to be getting? Is there something else I need to know when buying cables? This is what my 20 centimetre cable looks like: | It's possible that the USB cable is designed for charging only (i.e. not a data cable), or is of poor quality. Off-topic : Although not a USB cable, I have encountered OTG cables that could not detect a USB drive. In this case, it was a poor (or defective) OTG cable; other cables were able to detect the USB drive. Related posts (external): All micro usb cables are not created equal? | Why are these short USB cables not connecting my Android device? | android |
I changed the option to only see my Google contacts (GMail) (and hide my SIM contacts). This is working perfectly in the "Contacts" app, but when I try to send a text message, and I provide a keyword in the "To" field, all my SIM contacts appear as well. Is there another possibility to hide the SIM contacts, except removing the numbers on the SIM card? Thanks! Jochen ps: I'm using 4.1.2 (Jellybean) | It seems that the Messaging app has its own Contacts app, with no way to configure it. How about using 3rd party alternatives? I use GO SMS Pro as replacement for the Messaging app, and Go Contacts Ex as replacement for the Contacts app. With this combination, you can hide the SIM contacts. | SIM contacts are shown in Messaging application, but not displayed in Contacts list | android |
I did a hard-reset, wiped everything everywhere, reinstalled firmware and changed SD card. However, the phone still works extremely slowly, not as when it was bought. What can wear out in phone? Inner flash memory or something else? | This is likely to be caused by one (or both) of two things. 1: Your phone does not have TRIM support - something that was only recently added in 4.3. This makes some devices slow down significantly over time - notably the 2012 Nexus 7 - and they stay slow even after a factory reset. 2: Aging flash. Depending on the quality, type and age of your device's flash memory, it may be deteriorating and you could be losing performance because of this. Note that you won't usually lose any noticeable speed or storage over the life of most flash products, but that depends on a lot of factors. These are two likely culprits, but it really could be other things as well. We would need to know more about your device, more about the software you're running, things like the brand and model of your SD Card, phone, etc. Your question gives almost no information about any of this. | Why a phone gets slower as time passes? | android |
On my prepaid phone, I can receive current balance as text message responses. They are five messages, four indicating the balance itself and some additional bonuses, and one more indicating remaining SMS count. Usually, I would just call the balance number and receive these five responses, then read each one to get an overview of my balance, then delete each one since they serve no purpose anymore. Currently, I am using the nice piBalance app to make this a bit more simpler, by showing main balance on a home screen widget, as well as notifications of balance increases or decreases. There are quite a few changes this app would need for working well for me, so I wonder if Tasker can help. My goal is replacing this multiple SMS reply with a more clean and quick approach using a single notification summarizing all of them at once, and which I just need to slide for getting rid of. Something like this: So can anyone help figuring out how to set up something like this in Tasker? Basically, I want to detect all of these five messages using regex patterns or similar, then I want to summarize all of the collected information into a single notification as shown above. The parts I want in the four call balances are of the form <code> R$ \d+\.\d\d </code> , and the one in the SMS balance is the first occurrence of a <code> \d+ </code> . I read about the Variable Split action but I am not sure if that would help at all. | Here is a summary of how I have implemented it. Besides Tasker, I also used: AutoNotification , for a richer notification. SMS Popup , for suppressing SMS notification for the balance responses. SMS Auto Delete , for silently deleting those SMS responses after a while. Profiles Request Balance on Calls - on outgoing call, call Balance Before Call , on exit call Balance After Call . Process Received Balance - on SMS received from the balance numbers, call Process Balance . Show Balance Summary - on Balance variable set, call Show Balance . Tasks Balance Before Call <code> AutomatedBalance = Yes CheckConsumption = Yes Request balance by SMS </code> Balance After Call <code> Wait 15 seconds Unset CheckConsumption Request balance by SMS Flash "Balance has been requested" </code> Process Balance <code> response = number from each SMS response Case SMS sender is the one responsible for Bonus balance BonusBalance = response SMS balance SMSBalance = response Normal balance BalanceConsumption = (Balance - response) Balace = response Favorite-number balance FavoriteBalanceConsumption = (FavoriteBalance - response) FavoriteBalance = response Same-carrier balance CarrierBalanceConsumption = (CarrierBalance - response) CarrierBalance = response Local landline balance, then LocalBalanceConsumption = (LocalBalance - response) LocalBalance = response Unknown sender # This normally means an error, when none of the above have been fired Append "(previous)" to Balance </code> Show Balance <code> If CheckConsumption If Balance is not currency notify "Error while getting the balance in the beginning of call" Exit from task Wait 5 seconds If Balance is currency If FavoriteBalanceConsumption > 0 consumption = FavoriteBalanceConsumption Prefix consumption with "Call to favorite (min) consumed" Else if CarrierBalanceConsumption > 0 consumption = CarrierBalanceConsumption + LocalBalanceConsumption + BalanceConsumption Prefix consumption with "Call to same-carrier number consumed" Else if LocalBalanceConsumption > 0 consumption = LocalBalanceConsumption + BalanceConsumption Prefix consumption with "Call to local number consumed" Else if BalanceConsumption > 0 consumption = BalanceConsumption Prefix consumption with "Regular call consumed" Else if AutomatedBalance consumption = "Free call" Else consumption = "Phone balance" Notify consumption and all balances Set all unset balances to zero Set all consumptions to zero Else previous_balance = number from balance prefixed with "Previous balance is" notify "Error while getting the balance", previous_balance Unset AutomatedBalance </code> | Simplified prepaid phone balance with Tasker | android |
Recently I've noticed a really annoying orange highlighting feature that I can't find a way to get rid of. It usually appears in the default browser and apps that use webview (websites that act like apps). So I was hoping someone would know of a way to get rid of it. Some info about my devices: Archos Platinum 50 Runs a vanilla flavored stock ROM (android 4.1.2) Rooted I've attached a sample image with it. | <code> Settings > Accessibility > Enhanced Web Accessibility > Don't Allow </code> . | How to get rid of this orange highlighter | android |
I am unable to record calls on my HTC device, and also there is not any app to record the calls. So I tried with the Third party apps from Play store, but then to I am just able to Listen my voice not the other person with whom I am in call with? So is this the issue with software or just with my device? | Some devices don't use the Android system to process the audio that comes from the other end in a phone call: the audio goes straight from the phone hardware to the sound hardware. On such devices, there's no way to record that audio using software on the device. It sounds like your HTC phone is such a device. | Call Recorder Issue in HTC Devices? | android |
I have HTC One (model PN07100 - 801n) which I've unlocked and rooted. However I'm having an issue with booting Cyanogenmod, and the boot screen seems to loop endlessly. At my last attempt I left for half an hour. I'm using TWRP to install the ROMs, and doing a cache/dalvik cache clean before attempting a reboot. The Cyanogenmod website lists many roms (not sure which ones apply to my model) and I've tried two; m7tmo & m7ul. cm-10.1.3-RC2-m7tmo cm-10.1.3-RC2-m7ul NB: I'm on T-mobile but T-mobile in the UK. | Go here and follow the steps: Official CyanogenMod thread for HTC One Download latest version from here: Official CyanogenMod downloads for HTC One Regarding your problem, getting stuck in a bootloop may mean that you forgot to flash the kernel(boot.img) or didn't flash it properly. Do that again. | HTC One recommended Cyanogenmod ROM? | android |
I hope my question is not too strange. I would like to buy the current Google Nexus 4 16GB in Germany from Google Play. But I am interested if anyone can confirm that it has English language installed in in the system languages. I am concerned that it only has German. Thank you very much. | It will indeed have English. The default language may be German, but it can be changed in the settings. | Languages in Nexus 4 from Germany | android |
How do I set Window animation scale and Transition animation scale to Animation off when the option to do so is not available on my ROM (though it ought to be). Specifically it should be under Developer options in Settings but all of the User interface options are missing. | If you have root, you can edit the Settings database through adb: <code> adb shell # sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db sqlite> update system set value=0 where name='window_animation_scale'; sqlite> update system set value=0 where name='transition_animation_scale'; sqlite> .exit # exit adb reboot </code> I first attempted to edit the field with the SQLite Editor app from the Play Store: <code> Settings Storage (com.android.providers.settings) → settings.db → system → window_animation_scale </code> but it unfortunately gave me <code> Update failed - error code 5: database is locked </code> . Whereas updating the database from adb worked fine. (Perhaps a different app would also work.) Other settings are also editable this way. If sqlite3 says permission denied you may need to chmod it to allow execution. You also may need to find the right path to use above for the settings.db file, here's an example: <code> # find / -name sqlite3 /system/xbin/sqlite3 # chmod 755 /system/xbin/sqlite3 # find / -name settings.db /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db </code> | Disable window animations when the menu option is missing? | android |
Are GPS-tracking apps data dependent or will devices use GPS signals alone, to notify their locations? I am looking for a GPS-tracking app to track family members on a trip where we gonna have limited network coverage, and in some areas no coverage at all. I am not sure if these apps need data connection to send the location to another device, or they would only use GPS signals. | It's not entirely clear from your question what exactly you mean by "tracking". If you only wish to record a log of where the device has been (so you can look at it later, or retrace your own steps), then you don't need any internet access for that. The device just receives the GPS signal, calculates its position, and saves that position to a file every so often. There are many apps that can do this: some of them are intended for sports, and offer features like finding your top speed, or comparing your time over a certain route with your friends; others are designed for making your own maps, or geotagging photos made on a real camera. However, it sounds like you might want different devices to tell each other their positions, using something like Google Maps "location sharing", so that you can find where family members are right now. Obviously that would require internet access (whether that's 3G or Wi-Fi) so the devices can communicate with each other. The GPS receiver is exactly that: it receives signals from satellites to determine its position, without transmitting anything. GPS only tells you where you are, not where anyone else is. | Are GPS-tracking apps data dependent? | android |
I have a Samsung Galaxy Stellar on Verizon. Whenever I hear anything about rooting a phone, people always say that you have to install a custom ROM. How do I just use my current stock ROM and root my phone? | In theory - yes. In practice, it varies from device to device - a very common way of an end-user obtaining root is to flash an insecure kernel. This can be a standalone kernel or a pre-rooted kernel + ROM combination. For certain devices, there are also available a number of 3rd party "one-click rooting" apps. That being said, rooting might cause your device to be unusable (if not done correctly or something unexpected occurs), so read the instructions carefully before proceeding and ALWAYS backup your data to an external source like Dropbox or to your PC before you begin. Here's a link (unverified) on how to root your Verizon Stellar . | Is it possible to root my phone without installing a custom ROM? | android |
I've been looking into flashing a custom ROM on my Galaxy S 3, and most of custom ROM are only supported by the I9300 model of the Galaxy S 3. When I went into my phone's settings, it said GT-I9300, so my question is: Are these two are the same and the HTC part is just being omitted, or these are two different models of the device? Thank you for the attention, I. | I9300 is just a shortened form of GT-I9300. They both mean the same device. Just don't mix it up with the I9305, which is a different device, specifically the international LTE version. Wikipedia has a useful chart of the different models and how they differ . Minor models (e.g. I9300/I9300T or I747/I747m) are inter-compatible for ROM purposes. | Is there any difference between Samsung Galaxy S 3 GT-I9300 and I9300? | android |
I am building an adhoc network using Asus Nexus 7. I've managed to root using CyanogenMod and ClockworkMod recovery and establish the adhoc after installing Thinktube image-file. However, i need to buy similar tablets so that i can test the network for real. I am now trying to find out my Nexus 7 model number. But when i go to Settings--> About Tablet--> Model Number , All I can see is Nexus 7 . how can I find the Model of my Tablet ? | The XDA Wiki entry of the Nexus 7 only mentions two models: Wifi Model: ME370T Cellular Model: ME370TG So if you have a functional SIM card slot then you have the cellular Model, otherwise the wifi-only one. | How do I find my Nexus 7 model number | android |
I've managed to root Google Nexus 7 (2013 Wi-Fi) and now I have CyanogenMod 10.2-20130919-NIGHTY-grouper running on it and Clockworkmod recovery v6.0.1.9 following this guide . Then I downloaded and installed Thinktube image-file to allow ad-hoc networking. I am now able to create ad-hoc network in my tablet (not yet tested with other same-model tablets) and I can see the adhoc network from other iOS phones and adnroid 2.1 only. However, I want to make sure that: does Thinktube image-file actually support OLSR rooting protocol or not ? if not, then I am already following this guide to download, install and enable OLSR mode. But , when I am in the Recovery-mode in my tablet, and when i open the adb-shell from my PC, I can list files and browse folders in my tablet normally. But I cannot run any other command on the adb-shell. it always gives me this error: <code> /sbin/sh: "any-command-rather-than-ls-&-cd": not found </code> what is this error ? what did I do wrong ? and what I should do to fix it? | Unlike a desktop GNU/Linux system, Android isn't designed for command-line use, so it doesn't come with the full set of command-line programs that a GNU system would have. It only has the most basic commands (like the ones you've already seen working), and Android-specific utilities such as <code> am </code> , <code> pm </code> , <code> bmgr </code> . You can get access to the basic POSIX commands (such as <code> less </code> and <code> grep </code> ) by installing Busybox. There are several installers for it on Google Play. For any more specialist programs like <code> make </code> , you'll need to find an Android port of the particular program and install it. | adb-shell : /sbin/sh: command: not found | android |
My phone has a wall charger with outputs 5vdc and 850mA, which just broke (I saved the USB-microB cable which I've been using to charge from laptops). Unfortunately, OEM chargers of that particular model are not readily available in our area. So, I have to resort to generic/replacement chargers or adapters. Now, when I got to an electronics store, they don't have a charger with the exact specs. It's either a 700mA or an iPhone adapter that has 1A output current. Which should be somehow better/safe for my phone which has Li-Ion 1320 mAh battery? I've seen other threads which suggest getting higher outputs while some say otherwise. | Using a higher current charger will not be a problem. The phone "pulls" current, rather than having the current "pushed" to it by the charger, so it will only take as much current as it wants, regardless of how much the charger is capable of supplying. By relation, there's no point in getting a charger with a current rating higher than your phone will accept. It's just a waste of money, as your phone won't make use of the extra capability. Exactly how much current your phone will accept is usually unspecified and is generally only determinable by direct measurement (i.e. put a multimeter in the circuit), and thus generally isn't practical to exactly determine for an everyday user. 1A chargers are fairly standard and would be completely adequate for almost any phone. Chargers with more current than that are generally intended for tablets/phablets which have much larger batteries and will accept more current (e.g. 10" tablets generally charge at around 2.5A). Your phone will charge off those fine, but as I said above, just won't take advantage of the extra current capability you paid for. | How can I pick the correct replacement usb charger for my phone? | android |
So I know similar questions have been asked, but I feel my situation is a bit unique to everything I've read. So I transferred my old number that everyone knows to Google voice, then I got a new phone with a new number that only has calling and texting. I took the SIM card out of that phone and put it into my android phone, effectively giving me an android that has calling and texting, but no data plan. I set up google voice to recognize my new number and call forward and everything seems to work while I'm on wifi, but I don't seem to receive text messages when I am not on wifi. Is there a way to tell google voice to send all text messages it receives on my gv number to my carriers text plan with my new number (even if I don't have access to data)? Also can replying to these messages without being near wifi show my gv number instead of my new phones number? I can call Google voice and have it call the number I want to have my old number always show up, but with texting I haven't seemed to find a way yet. Anyone in a similar situation have a good solution? | I figured it out. If you navigate to this page, and tick the receive text messages on this phone box all texts to Google voice will be forwarded to your phone via SMS. This generates a new number for each of your contacts that will travel between Google voice before delivery, making it so you will always show as your Google voice number to friends, even if you are outside of wifi. So just need to save the new number for each contact and be sure to text that instead of their actual number and it works perfect. More info here . | Using Google voice number without data | android |
I recently bought a HTC One. Everything worked fine including mobile-data and Wifi. Until I once used my phone as Hotspot for my laptop. The whole time while using the hotspot I had working internet on both my phone and laptop. But the next day (hotpost disabled), I couldn't get the mobile-data to work. I don't get an error, it just doesn't load. Wifi connections still work. Now I tried reenabling hotspot and to my surprise it works. I now have internet on the laptop but NOT on the phone. It seems that somehow the mobile-data will only work when the phone is used as hotspot. What have I done wrong? Android 4.2.2 | Somehow there was a proxy set up in the APN settings … Edit: To change the proxy you have to go to the settings and click on mobile data. Select Access point names, select the active APN (or the one you're having problems with) check/reset the Proxy/Port settings. | Mobile Data only working when used as hotspot | android |
I have a strange problem with Wi-Fi with my Sony Xperia. I can't connect to most of the networks I have tried, but the list of networks is ok (but somehow slowly loaded). It stopped working suddenly after a week . My previously used networks are all marked as "Saved", but when I try to connect the following happens: Saved (doesn't even change when tapped) Connecting -> Saved Connecting -> Authentication problem -> Saved This is what I have tried to fix it: Restart phone Restart phone, take out battery, SD card and SIM card Restart wi-fi router Connect to another network (sometimes works with some networks) Forget network -> Type password again Connect another Android device to the same network Connect another non-android device to the same network Change the router wireless settings to WEP, WPA and unsecured Factory reset of the router Sony Companion -> Repair Factory reset of the phone Router: D-Link DIR-615 Phone: Sony Xperia ZR C5502 Android version: 4.1.2 Baseband: <code> 9x15A-ACEFWMAZQ-30110041-29 </code> Build number: <code> 10.1.1.A.1.310 </code> Kernel: <code> 3.4.0-g6df7905-02327-g1aa3092 BuildUser@BuildHost) ) #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Apr 11 11:17:13 2013 </code> Log after turning on the wifi and trying to connect: <code> 09-18 09:10:08.116: I/WifiManager(2391): Process ndroid.settings enabled Wifi 09-18 09:10:08.186: E/WifiHW(571): File "/data/misc/wifi/WCNSS_qcom_cfg.ini" exists, not copying 09-18 09:10:08.497: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): nl80211: Don't connect to APs with RSSI < 0 09-18 09:10:08.497: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): rfkill: Cannot open RFKILL control device 09-18 09:10:08.497: I/ActivityManager(571): No longer want com.google.android.onetimeinitializer (pid 1747): hidden #51 09-18 09:10:08.637: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wapi_supplicant_init: Init WAI packet p2p0 09-18 09:10:08.637: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): Own MAC address: (Here's phone MAC address) 09-18 09:10:08.637: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): Initialization: WAPI:set Staues=1 09-18 09:10:08.657: E/Diag_Lib(3838): Diag_LSM_Init: Failed to open handle to diag driver, error = 13 09-18 09:10:08.757: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): QMI_UIM_EVENT_REG_REQ_V01, qmi_err_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): QMI_UIM_GET_CARD_STATUS_REQ_V01, qmi_err_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].card_state: 0x1 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].error_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card READY 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].app_type : 0x2 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].app_state : 0x7 09-18 09:10:08.777: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card found 09-18 09:10:08.797: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): Reading GSM home network domain configuration file '/system/etc/wifi/gsm_domains.conf' 09-18 09:10:08.877: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): nl80211: Don't connect to APs with RSSI < -83 09-18 09:10:08.877: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): rfkill: Cannot open RFKILL control device 09-18 09:10:08.917: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wapi_supplicant_init: Init WAI packet wlan0 09-18 09:10:08.917: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): Own MAC address: (Here's phone MAC address) 09-18 09:10:08.917: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): Initialization: WAPI:set Staues=1 09-18 09:10:08.957: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): QMI_UIM_EVENT_REG_REQ_V01, qmi_err_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): QMI_UIM_GET_CARD_STATUS_REQ_V01, qmi_err_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].card_state: 0x1 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].error_code: 0x0 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card READY 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].app_type : 0x2 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card_info[i].app_state : 0x7 09-18 09:10:08.977: E/wpa_supplicant(3838): card found 09-18 09:10:09.037: E/WifiConfigStore(571): Failed to look-up a string: W 09-18 09:10:09.037: E/WifiConfigStore(571): Failed to look-up a string: SMS4 09-18 09:10:09.037: E/WifiConfigStore(571): Failed to look-up a string: SMS4 09-18 09:10:09.077: I/WifiManager(2391): Process ndroid.settings requested an active scan 09-18 09:10:09.087: E/Parcel(334): Reading a NULL string not supported here. 09-18 09:10:09.087: E/Parcel(334): Reading a NULL string not supported here. 09-18 09:10:09.097: E/Parcel(334): Reading a NULL string not supported here. 09-18 09:10:09.097: I/SuperStamina-WifiAnalyzer(571): WiFi is ON. 09-18 09:10:09.117: E/wifidirect(3726): onStartCommand 1 09-18 09:10:09.117: E/wifidirect(3726): Exitting file transfer service. 09-18 09:10:09.117: W/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Failed to initiate AP scan 09-18 09:10:09.117: W/wpa_supplicant(3838): p2p0: Failed to initiate AP scan 09-18 09:10:09.127: E/wifidirect(3726): onStartCommand 1 09-18 09:10:09.127: E/wifidirect(3726): Exitting file transfer service. 09-18 09:10:10.128: W/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Failed to initiate AP scan 09-18 09:10:11.119: W/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Failed to initiate AP scan 09-18 09:10:12.130: W/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Failed to initiate AP scan 09-18 09:10:12.811: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Trying to associate with (here is my router MAC) (SSID='smartus@unifi' freq=2427 MHz) 09-18 09:10:14.023: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-ASSOC-REJECT bssid=(here is my router MAC) status_code=1 09-18 09:10:19.088: I/WifiManager(2391): Process ndroid.settings requested an active scan 09-18 09:10:22.812: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Authentication with (here is router MAC) timed out. </code> These lines will later repeat: <code> 09-18 09:10:12.811: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Trying to associate with (here is my router MAC) (SSID='smartus@unifi' freq=2427 MHz) 09-18 09:10:14.023: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-ASSOC-REJECT bssid=(here is my router MAC) status_code=1 09-18 09:10:19.088: I/WifiManager(2391): Process ndroid.settings requested an active scan 09-18 09:10:22.812: I/wpa_supplicant(3838): wlan0: Authentication with (here is router MAC) timed out. </code> Any ideas what could cause CTRL-EVENT-ASSOC-REJECT? I believe this is usually happening when the network is congested (there are only 3 devices, 2 of them work. The phone won't work in the network alone neither). | I did not get any definitive answer what is wrong from the service centre. They tried flashing some special ROM they had, but same result. They closed the issue with the conclusion it is a HW problem in the phone. | Sony Xperia ZR wifi problem: wpa_supplicant: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-ASSOC-REJECT | android |
I have multiple Android devices, and each time I go to the play store website to install an app, I get a list of devices to install to. my questions: Is it possible to change the order of them? currently i only see how to hide (no removal? weird) or change their names ( here ), but it doesn't help re-ordering them. I ask this since I use one of them the most. is it possible to install to multiple devices at the same time instead of one by one? | 1) No there is currently no way to sort them. As you have noticed you can hide them and give them different names but not remove them. From my experience they disappear after 9 months without checking in to the play store, so simply hide any that you don't want to see. 2) Again I don't think this is possible at the moment via the Play store. | handling multiple devices on the play store | android |
Context I can run adb commands on my Nexus 4 and they work fine but when my device is in the bootloader and I try to list the device with, <code> fastboot devices </code> my device is not listed. I was having problems with adb on my Windows 7 VM due to driver issues, so I switched to OSX because it does not require any drivers. I think I may have corrupted my bootloader and recovery in my previous attempts to root my phone with a toolkit(I know I should have done it manually). Question Is it possible to reinstall my bootloader or a recovery using just adb i.e. without using fastboot? | The problem with my device not showing up with the <code> fastboot devices </code> command resolved itself. I was then able to flash a custom recovery. The only thing I did different was, I rebooted my computer and symlinked the <code> adb </code> and <code> fastboot </code> commands in my bin folder. | adb can find device but fastboot cannot | android |
When I use apps like Google Maps on my Nexus 7, I find that the compass drifts, with the indicated direction rotating counterclockwise over time (from north to west to south to east). As a result, I am unable to rely on the direction information. Is this a hardware issue? Is there something I can do to correct this? | It turns out the compass needed to be calibrated. I rotated the tablet a full 360 degrees in all three axes, and the problem cleared up. I used this app to monitor the orientation sensor, and while I still see the X axis orientation value drifting, it is being corrected automatically so that accuracy is maintained. | Nexus 7: Compass drifts over time | android |
I'm unable to get my Nexus 4 phone recognized by ADB on Ubuntu (12.04 with a newer kernel installed: 3.8.0-30-generic). Developer mode is enabled on the phone. The device shows up in lsusb : $ lsusb ... Bus 003 Device 034: ID 18d1:4ee5 Google Inc. ... But when I run adb devices I get an empty list. I found many posts on the internet about this problem but none of them solves the problem. There are two solutions. Add a rule to /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules . I found various variation for the content of this file. In most cases a idVendor and idProduct value should be set based on the output of lsusb . Below are some examples that I tried SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTRS{idProduct}=="4ee5", MODE="0666" GROUP="androiddev", SYMLINK+="android%n" SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev" SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="18d1", SYMLINK+="android_adb", MODE="0666" SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="4ee5", MODE="0666", OWNER="my-login" After adding this I set the permissions for the rule file to 644 and I rebooted PC/ restarted udev, restarted phone and plugged in my Nexus 4. Add the vendor id to ~/.android/adb_usb.ini. echo 0x18d1 > > ~/.android/adb_usb.ini I ran adb devices as root and normal user but I only get an empty list: $ adb devices * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 * * daemon started successfully * List of devices attached Any ideas on how to solve this problem? Any help of suggestions would be greatly appreciated. | It's not enough to make the Developer options page appear in the settings menu (by repeatedly tapping the build number). On that page, there's an option USB debugging , which defaults to off. When USB Debugging is enabled, connecting your device to a PC using USB makes the "USB debugging connected" notification appear, regardless of whether <code> adb </code> is currently running on the PC. | ADB on Ubuntu does not recognize Nexus 4 | android |
I successfully installed Lookout but when I try to open it it says "Unfortunately Lookout, has stopped. I tried reinstalling it. I can see it running in the notification bar e.g. it says it has finished scanning apps What can I do to use it? | I contacted the makers and they said it's a known problem and they were working on it. The latest update fixed this. | Lookout security not working | android |
I'm using Sony Xperia S (also I have old SE Xperia X10 Mini) and want to install mytaxi app . But Google Play says that I'm not eligible to do this and I do not understand why! I've found an apk in the internets and it works fine, but I want to know the reason and have updates. | This problem is rather frequent and only the developers can fix it. Reason is probably that the app wants features like GPS, certain screen sizes or a minimum Android version. One of those requirements is not met although it runs just fine. So the obvious way to get this fixed is to contact the developers and have them relax that declaration.. | Is there any way to know the cause I cannot install app from Google Play | android |
this question is with regards to HTC Desire X dual Sim. I have this device and since the day I purchased this device I am suffering a lot with the CID massages, in a minute I am getting 10-15 messages, and I am not able to turn that off. So please suggest me how to turn the CID massages off. | Put the SIM in another HTC mobile like Wildfire and go to <code> settings > call > cell broadcast > uncheck it </code> and delete any subscribed channels like 50. | How to stop "Cell Info Display" in HTC Desire X Duos | android |
I've been confused about how this works for quote some time now-- when I click a link, say in a browser (Chrome for example) and get the "open with" dialog if you will, if I chose to save a default for a Google maps link, will that set the default to ALL Google maps links, that particular link, or am I missing something? I'm often afraid to set defaults because I'm not clear on what it is I'm actually setting a default for-- is it the domain name? I'd appreciate any tips, links to documentation, or app suggestions to make this clearer to me. Thanks! | Short answer: yes, it's for all Google Maps links. The long answer is that Android's intent mechanism (which is the way Android decides what app to start) can use different parts of the URL to match the app. The app can register itself with Android to handle: a particular URI scheme, such as <code> market:// </code> a particular domain, such as <code> youtube.com </code> paths within the domain matching a particular filter, such as <code> /users/* </code> Apps can also filter on other things not relevant to clicking a link, such as different actions (e.g. share) or different MIME types. One app can have more than one filter, and one filter can match any combination of the above things. For example, a YouTube app might have one filter that matches when all these conditions are met: the scheme is <code> http:// </code> or <code> https:// </code> the domain is <code> youtube.com </code> the path matches <code> watch?v=* </code> and another that matches when all these conditions are met: the scheme is <code> http:// </code> or <code> https:// </code> the domain is <code> youtu.be </code> (the domain for short URLs) In this case, there are two different defaults to set: the first time you click a link <code> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJRFaR71HfY </code> it will set the default for that kind of link. Then, if you later click a <code> http://youtu.be/DJRFaR71HfY </code> , it'll ask a second time, because that counts as a different kind of link. In the case of Google Maps, there are several different kinds of link it can handle (as well as other intent filters not relevant to links):- <code> geo://* </code> <code> latitude://* </code> <code> http://maps.google.tld/ </code> or <code> https://maps.google.tld/ </code> (with nothing after the <code> / </code> ), for every TLD that Google has (google.com, google.fr, etc.) <code> http://maps.google.tld/maps* </code> or <code> https://maps.google.tld/maps* </code> <code> http://mapy.google.pl/ </code> or <code> https://mapy.google.pl/ </code> ("mapy" being Polish for "maps") <code> http://mapy.google.pl/maps* </code> or <code> https://mapy.googl.pl/maps* </code> <code> http://local.google.com/ </code> or <code> https://local.google.com/ </code> <code> http://local.google.com/maps* </code> or <code> https://local.google.com/maps* </code> <code> http://m.google.com/latitude </code> or <code> https://m.google.com/latitude </code> <code> http://www.google.com/latitude </code> or <code> https://www.google.com/latitude </code> <code> http://m.google.com/u/m/* </code> or <code> https://m.google.com/u/m/* </code> Each one of those lines counts as a different kind of link, so Android will ask again. In addition, all but the first of those have two separate entries: one for opening or browsing a link in the usual way, and another for scanning an NFC tag (or receiving by Android Beam) a matching link. Again, those two things count as different links for the purposes of setting defaults. To get this information from the Google Maps app, I used the app PackageExplorer . The information it gives you takes some knowledge to interpret: you may find the Android intent API guide for developers useful. | Setting Defaults for Links | android |
I was following these instructions to unlock the bootloader on my Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo until I reached steps 9 and 10. There was no extras/google directory or android_winusb.inf file anywhere. So from Eclipse's Android SDK manager I tried to download the Google USB Driver but found it as not compatible with linux. What should I do now to replace steps 9 and 10? | both solutions mentioned by @Izzy and @darknight in comments could work, But I found the easiest way is to replace steps 8,9,10 of the instructions by the following terminal command: <code> sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot </code> and then continuing as normal (and of course write fastboot instead of fastboot.exe in steps 15,16). That saves the trouble of manually downloading and installing flashboot and configuring files and so. | unlock Xperia Neo bootloader on linux | android |
I've got a new sim card. After it found the network, soon I've got an sms (supposedly from my operator ) saying: Dear client! We are installing applications on your sim card for free. Please enable automatic sms sending if necessary. After about 30 minutes, I've got another sms saying: Highway fees, mobile lottery, parking, infoSMS/MMS. Use the 'operator-name-here' menu on your phone if it supports it. To be clear, I want to opt out. Need none of these and don't like the idea that any applications are auto-installing, not even 'for free'. But I don't even understand what's going on. Can applications even be installed on the sim card? What kind of applications, what's the technical name for them? How do they work basically in technical terms? I see no <code> <operator-name-here> menu </code> in all applications nor in settings. What standard should my phone support to have this menu? The sms said that please enable automatic sms . Since I want to opt-out, I've searched all my settings to disable it, but in vain. What is automatic sms sending? How can I disable automatic sms on Android in general, and in 2.1 eclair, specifically? How do I list and view what applications are installed on my SIM? | No, apps cannot be installed on SIM. What you describe are rather SIM services. AFAIK you can use those with the "SIM Toolkit" app only (which is where you also should find your <code> <operator-name-here> </code> , and where you should be able to see what's installed there). As long as you did not actively subscribe to any of those services, they should simply stay dormant and never bother you. Last time I've checked for those must be 10 years ago, on my old Nokia. I never encountered them afterwards, though not (un)installing anything on/from SIM. Neither I ever heard about "automatic SMS". Even service SMS must be approved by the user before being executed. But as many of those services are rather a kind of "SMS mailing lists", could it be that should mean "please subscribe to one of them"? | How can applications be installed on SIM and how do I view and disable them? | android |
I want to edit BlueStacks '/system/usr/keylayout/qwerty.kl' to add few more key map to this file, but I cant able to edit this file due to permission issue. Any suggestions on how can I change file permission in BlueStacks. Any hacks for changing the file permission ! Res: https://getsatisfaction.com/bstk/topics/change_bluestacks_system_file_permission | You probably need to root it to gain access to the protected "/system" file system. XDA Developer's has a (probably) outdated thread how to do it here . After you suceeded, you can take the usual steps to mod it (remount /system read-write, copy your edited file over, etc.) | change file permission in BlueStacks player qwerty.kl | android |
My android phone was stolen. The SIM-cards PIN must be entered on start and I also had a PIN set for unlocking it. My question now is if the SIM card is changed, will all the settings be reset or could the "new owner" now just read my emails etc...? EDIT: As addition to my below comment: On another Android device it seems that the SIM-card PIN and the unlock PIN must be entered before the phone can be accessed so I guess I'm safe? | Accounts and data are not removed if you switch the SIM. For obvious reasons: Travelling abroad when you don't want to roam, or getting a new phone/data plan from a different carrier, etc. You could guess how mad people would get if their device got wiped by a SIM switch. You're not safe, unless you also have set up a screen lock (or full device encryption). All common smartphones act similar here (Windows Phone/iOS/Android): If the SIM is locked with a pin, it must be re-unlocked each boot if it's present If the device has a screen lock, it must be unlocked each boot and if you switch on the screen I.e, a SIM lock is only bound to your specific SIM and it only prevents misuse of your number and phone/data plan, not the device and its data stored within. As soon as the SIM is replaced or removed, one doesn't need the SIM-PIN to to access the phone. Only a screen lock PIN (or password, unlock gesture or full device encryption) will do. | Are settings and accounts (like email) removed when changing the SIM card? | android |
I have my Galaxy S4 connected with my PC and ran the "Building My First App" tutorial from http://developer.android.com/ . There were no problems, but I noticed many messages about the LightSensor in the LogCat view in Eclipse, like these: <code> 09-17 17:41:24.781: E/LightSensor(736): Light old sensor_state 0, new sensor_state : 128 en : 1 09-17 17:41:25.152: E/LightSensor(736): Light old sensor_state 128, new sensor_state : 0 en : 0 </code> I found several occurrences of the string "Light old sensor_state 0..." on the web. So others get this type of messages, too (where a phone was mentioned it seemed also to be a Galaxy S4). But the posts/questions/answers were always about something else. It looks as if everybody ignores this kind of messages as noise. I played around a bit and noticed this: As long as the phone is active those messages do not appear. But when I switch it off, the messages appear about every 10s. Does anybody know what they mean? | They're nothing to do with your app, and they're not really errors. As you might have guessed, they're just reporting changes in the light sensor state. (That's the sensor that controls the screen brightness.) Samsung ROMs are particularly known for having very 'noisy' log output, owing to Samsung being a little slapdash about software integration. In contrast, Nexus devices tend to have very clean logs, because Google engineers are aggressive about disabling logging when code is committed. You can filter the log messages in Eclipse (or when you use <code> adb logcat </code> on the command-line). | What does the error message "Light old sensor_state 0, new sensor_state : 128 en : 1" in logcat mean? | android |
The Transformer Pad TF700T worked almost fine with the previous Cyanogenmod10. Today I updated the pad with the CM-Update Manager. It downloaded the cm10.1.2 update package and then booted recovery. After the installation was completed I found the pad stuck at boot loop. The Cyanogenmod circle circuits but then stucks, waits for a few seconds and then the pad reboots and the same happens again. I Hope anyone can help me. Thanks in advance, mrstrauss EDIT: I did a format of the cache partition as well as the dalvik cache. The result is still the same. It boots until the circle stops to circle and then it reboots. | Installing the previous, working version solved the problem. After that an installation of the gapps zip-package may be required. | TF700 boot loop after update to CM10.1.2 | android |
I have Clockwork Mod Recovery installed on my phone and I'm trying to install a custom ROM on it. But when I go to 'install zip from external SD card' it gives the effect as if it's going into the SD card but nothing is displayed (none of the files, folders etc that's on the card). And when I try and go back it doesn't want to either... Some details: Samsung Galaxy Note II (GT N7100) Clockworkmod 6 Trying to install Paranoid Android 3.99 Thanks in advance for some advice! | Check the size and format of your SD Card. The current ClockworkMod recovery version (6.0.3.x) doesn't support exFAT partitions. If you have a newer card that is over 32GB, chances are it's formatted using exFAT file system, due to limitations of FAT32 on Windows. The solution is to either use a smaller card formatted as FAT32, or use a different recovery that supports exFAT, such as TWRP , for example. | Clock Work Mod Recovery isn't picking up External SD Card | android |
I want to know how to rearrange quick toggle in notification panel, I've tried following this thread but the problem is I can not find arrays.xml described in that tutorial. My phone have 10 quick toggle in 2 rows, 5 in each row, what I'm trying to achieve is all 10 toggle in 1 row and scrollable. Here is my SystemUI and framework-res . Please help, thanks. I'm on ICS. | Solved by using manual method, searching and do "trial and error" on each files. | How do I rearrange quick toggle? | android |
I have HTC One X running Android 4.1.1 and Sense4+. Lately my 3G service has gone pretty bad. I contacted my telecom operator but there customer service representatives aren't much help. My GPRS works flawlessly. Its only the 3G where I face issues. I would like to know if I can check whether there is a software or hardware problem with my phone with respect to 3G. | This will be my way of checking the 3G connectivity issues. Might work for you too. First try to reset the APN. Follow the steps here if you don't know how. Restart your phone. If it did not work, try forcing the phone to 3G. In your dialer, enter <code> *#*#3646#*#* </code> -> Phone Information -> Select WCDMA only in the drop down menu. This should make your phone work only in 3G. Try testing your speeds via Speedtest for bandwidth. If both steps did not solve your problem, try using a different SIM in which 3G is working. If this solves your problem, replace the SIM from Customer care. Even now your problem is not solved, try factory reset your phone. Warning: This will reset everything in your phone including pictures, take a backup of your phone before proceeding further. If none of the above solves your problem, take it to your HTC customer care to check them for hardware defect. | How to check if there is a 3G software / hardware issue with phone? | android |
The unlocked Google Nexus phones famously have the Portable Wi-Fi hotspot feature integrated right within the phone, and available for anyone's use, per my understanding, regardless of carrier support. What about the tablets? Would the 2013 Nexus 7 LTE tablet have a similar feature, similarly not being tied up to any carrier? | Disclaimer: I do not own a Nexus. So the answer does come from internet sources (XDA). As per this thread these are some of the responses from the owners which indicates that the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot settings is indeed present in the settings. The option for hotspot tether is there both before and after the system update. Nexus 7 FHD LTE with T-Mobile sim has Tethering & Hotspot available but not with newly activated AT&T data plan sim. The Tethering feature disappeared in setting. When I re-insert T-Mobile sim that comes with the tablet, the mobile hotspot is available again in the settings. So, it is safe to assume, only if your carrier allows tethering or you have a tethering plan the option will appear in the settings menu. | Does Google Nexus 7 LTE has the integrated Portable Wi-Fi hotspot? | android |
The reason I ask is because I have gotten various calls from seemingly random numbers saying that I had called them. When I check my call log, there is no outgoing call to their number. This has happened multiple times, but not very often, maybe once every two weeks. I am normally very careful with the apps that I download and have avg downloaded and scanning periodically. Could it be that someone else can use the same number to call? | An app with the appropriate permissions can not only initiate calls without you knowing, but also remove all evidence from your call logs: <code> CALL_PHONE </code> : Allows an application to initiate a phone call without going through the Dialer user interface for the user to confirm the call being placed. <code> WRITE_CALL_LOG </code> : Allows an application to write (but not read) the user's contacts data. (Source: Manifest Permissions). If your provider supports a full call listing on your bill: that's a place no app can touch, so there you would find evidence. Though it is technically possible somebody else could fake your number, that's rather unlikely. To do this, one would need some privileges a normal phone connector doesn't offer; so this person must either sit at a provider's site directly, or at some (usually bigger) company with the appropriate privileges granted. To help you isolating the possible culprit, there are several tools available. I'd suggest to take a look at something like Permission Explorer: Permission Explorer (Source: Google Play; click images to enlarge) As you can see, this app allows browsing by category, and nicely lists up all installed apps with a given permission. You can most likely skip system apps here, then see what's left and re-check playstore comments on suspicious apps. I also recommend checking on AppBrain, as they often point out malicious apps: Use their search page and see if the result for your app is "minimized", which already is one indicator. Also a good idea: try AppBrain Ad Detector, which does the same for apps on your device: AppBrain Ad Detector (Source: Google Play; click images to enlarge) Additional benefit of this app: it automatically alerts you when you install an app with suspicious permissions ("Live Detection Mode" triggers on app install). | Can an app call a phone without me knowing? | android |
I keep seeing Android devices in shops that state what version of Android is installed. Thence I conclude that not all Android devices can be updated to a current version of Android. How can I tell before I buy (or even after I buy) if a device can be updated to the newest release or not? Can Samsung's Android devices usually be updated? Update: Note that I am not refering to abandoned devices but to current devices available in stores now. | There's no guarantee that any device will ever see an Android OS update. A Nexus device will probably see two, maybe three, updates (if the past is any guide). Devices from big-name manufacturers will probably, eventually, see one Android upgrade. However, considering the resources needed to modify the Android source to fit with their customizations as well as to do all that testing, which will result in exactly no incremental income for them, it's in their interest to get you to buy a new phone. Lower-end/older devices from the big names or devices from OEMs you've never heard of will probably never get an OS upgrade. Fortunately, a lot of core functionality is being pulled out of the OS into the Google Play Services framework. That'll leave things like hardware APIs in the OS level, which probably wouldn't benefit from an OS upgrade anyway. (I mean, you can't install a bigger sensor for your camera, so OS support for bigger sensors won't help you.) | Android software updates: How can I tell if I can update a device? | android |
I have installed CynogenMod7 (Jordan) on my Motorola Defy using ClockworkMod Recovery. The phone boots up, first with a screen saying "Google" and then an animation of the Android mascot skateboarding into a cyan circle with "Cyanogen7(mod)" appearing at the bottom. The phone then goes into a loop of this animation - the mascot skateboards in, the circle and name appears - repeat. I have been unable to enter "fastboot" mode (by pressing power button along with volume up+down keys). I did do a back-up of my previous ROM onto my SDCard. What should I do to fix this? | Thank you for your answers everyone. Unfortunately I was unable to boot into Clockworkmod Recovery. Fortunately I found the following solution: Downloaded and installed RSD Lite (on Windows 8 Professional x64) Downloaded and installed the Motorola USB Drivers Downloaded a SBF image from here: http://sbf.droid-developers.org/umts_jordan/list.php Started RSD Lite Booted the Defy with Power and Volume Up buttons Plugged the Defy into my computer via a USB cable (my USB3.0 hub seemed to cause problems so I plugged it directly into a USB2.0 on my laptop) Inside RSD Lite I selected the SBF image file on my computer. Selected "Uncompress and Start Flashing" in RSD Waited for phone ROM to get flashed. Enjoy working phone Just as a note - if you run into any annoying Motoblur authentication issues you may have to do a factory reset on the phone. This will clear all your user data and can be done in the follow way: Boot the Defy with Power and Volume Down buttons The Android mascot with the triangle/exclamation mark should appear Press both the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons at the same time You should enter the standard "Recovery Mode" Use the Volume Up/Down buttons to navigate the menu items Select "wipe data/ factory reset" with the Power button Confirm | Motorola Defy stuck in animation loop with CynogenMod7 | android |
I have to temporarily unpublish my app from Play Store for legal reason until I sort them out. What happens with the users that have the app already installed? I understand they are not allowed to find it from the store or install it, but does it also mean the apk they have already installed will be uninstalled from their device? | No, the application is still available for users who installed the play and only store can not be reinstalled. By Play Store If you put back the google play, users can download and install it again. But never, under policies of google, an apk can / will be deleted from the device remotely by google / application owner But we had a case in the past, about a malicious app that was removed remotely without trace, all done and confirmed by Google itself | Removing App from Play Store (Unpublish) - What happens with the users that have the App already installed? | android |
In TextSecure, you can choose to backup your SMS to the SDCard. It says "Success" but there is no evidence where it does store it on the SDCard. I cannot find it. | Like Chahk said, the folder is <code> /sdcard/TextSecureExport </code> . I've had trouble accessing it (even after moving it) over the camera-centric USB interfaces. I ended up compressing the file to a Zip archive using ES File Explorer and then using Google Drive to browse and upload the file. This also makes it easy to pull back down to a different device or after wiping memory. | Where is the backup folder of TextSecure? | android |
I've got a Motorola Defy I want to install CyanogenMod on. I have been following these instructions: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_jordan?setlang=en I have got as far as running ClockworkMod but when I select "choose zip from sdcard" I get the following errors. <code> E:Can't mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 (or /dev/block/mmcblk0) (no such file or directory) Can't mount /sdcard </code> A bit of Googling suggests that I won't be able to access my SD Card using ClockworkMod on the Motorola Defy and need to use the internal SD instead. So what I'd like to do is put my ROM .zip files in the internal storage and have ClockworkMod access them there. There seems to be a reference to this on the CyanogenMod wiki instructions: "If you boot directly to recovery and have an internal sdcard, you may need to run adb shell mount /data or mount data through the recovery menu before transferring." But I don't understand what I need to do for this to happen. Any help would be much appreciated. | It means that the recovery does not mount the internal memory by default, and you need to do so manually. On your PC download and install Android SDK tools which gets you the ADB utility. Reboot your phone in Recovery mode and connect it to your PC via USB cable. Install the drivers if prompted (use drivers that ship with SDK tools under the <code> \sdk\extras\google\usb_driver\ </code> subfolder.) Now run Command Prompt, navigate to where you installed the tools (e.g. <code> cd C:\Android SDK\sdk\platform-tools\ </code> ) and issue the following command: <code> adb shell mount /data </code> You now should be able to use the "adb push" command in Windows Command Prompt to copy files from your PC to the phone using the following syntax: <code> adb push [path-to-file-on-your-pc] /data/ </code> After the copy completes, you should be able to find the copied file in the Recovery's file browser. | How can I use internal sd for ClockworkMod on a Motorola Defy? | android |
First of all, I am not sure if my question should be here as I couldn't find a place to shoot it. So please direct me to the right site, if I am barking at the wrong tree.. Question : In our normal PCs/laptops we have the ability to install 3rd party softwares to create a virtual CD/DVD drive and mount .iso files to it. For the sake of mobility, (as I am on the go 90% of the time) I want to buy a tablet. So I am wondering if I could do the same in either Asus or Samsung tablet 8.0? If above tablets can't perform this function, can someone point out why and which tablets would do it? | Underneath Android is Linux kernel. So if you install a custom rom with a custom kernel on any of tablets you can do that. The kernel should have loop device support + <code> CONFIG_ISO9660_FS </code> module or built-in. Then you will need root+busybox. Install some terminal emulator and type this commands: <code> su </code> <code> cd /sdcard </code> <code> mkdir mountpoint </code> <code> mount -t iso9660 image.iso mountpoint -o ro,loop </code> Also if your iso contaions UDF file system you will need kernel UDF support. | Is it possible to mount .iso files (virtual optical drive) on Android? | android |
Sometimes, when I wake my <code> Acer Iconia Tab A500 </code> up, I see blinking <code> searching for GPS </code> icon near the clock, which disappears quickly. I already noticed something like this on other devices. The questions is: what is it? | It's impossible to pin-point such app without closer information. But there are several helpers available to narrow down the list of candidates. Easiest way is if Your device is rooted and running Android < 4.1 (i.e. up to 4.0.x). In this case take a look at LBE Privacy Guard : Set GPS to "always ask" for all apps and see which one is touching it. LBE would then pop-up a dialog box and ask you to confirm/deny, optionally also to remember this decision. For all legitimate candidates, simply confirm and let it remember; for unwanted candidates reject and remember. If unsure, just don't let it remember. Along these lines, your candidate should reveal its presence. With Android 4.1+, don't even try to install that app (your device would be locked into a boot-loop). Instead, head to XDA, where they have localized versions of its companion (e.g in this thread ). It's quite bloated, but might help in your case. Your device is not rooted This makes it a little more tricky. No fancy popups helping you out here (to my knowledge). But you could use a permission scanner to narrow down the list of candidates. One possible candidate would be AppBrain Ad Detector – with the side-effect to also detect apps with dangerous ad modules in installed apps (SpyWare and the like): In the first example screenshot (just click the image for a larger variant) you can see "May share your location" listed in "concerns". Which means the app displayed uses location and network. To not have to open each app separately: the second screenshot shows you can list apps by permission. Alternative helpful candidates include Guardian Droid and Permission Explorer : With some luck, your investigation leaves you with only a few candiates (with great luck it's just one, and you've found the culprit). Now you can see if you can (temporarily) disable those, and whether the problem is gone this way. If so, enable them one-by-one until the problem re-appears – which is after you've re-enabled the app you're looking for. PostScriptum Above described steps can similarly be applied to other permissions as well :) | Suspicious GPS behaviour | android |
Can anyone suggest a suitable way to limit internet bandwidth? I am using 3G mobile data. I know how to limit the maximum data usage but I need to control the bandwidth so that my mobile data allotment doesn't get consumed too quickly. What I'd like is a way to control the following situations: Sometimes we don't need the whole body of an webpage, hence it is desired that we can stop loading the page further when we wish. But on a high speed connection you cannot stop loading the page before it gets fully loaded. Some websites with embedded do not have an option to stop loading the video, hence sometimes leave me no option but to close the tab to limit data-consumption. | It's not possible to limit the download bandwidth via code running on the device. It's up to the sender how fast to send data. All that such an app could do is to throw away packets once they arrive at the device, which is after they've been counted by your carrier. Those packets would then have to be resent, being counted again. The effect would be that websites &c. would take longer to load and use more data to do so. | How to limit bandwidth usage | android |
I have an app and I am wondering where it ranks for a certain GooglePlay search in different countries. Is there a way to determine that? Thank you! | No, you cannot see that. There is no such thing, all you can do is just track the activity of your app and see where it is most used. that is all. | How can I see what the search results in GooglePlay are in different countries for the same search term? | android |
I'm trying to connect to a DLink Router protected with WPA/WPA2. It's our home router and I can connect perfectly to it from laptops and desktops, Linux and Windows alike. But when I connect to it using my Android phone (XPeria Z), I am always notified to "Sign-in to WiFi Network" after I've entered the WPA/WPA2 password. Tapping into the notification loads a 404 page from my router. Then, from my browser, trying to load any website just keeps looping to this 404 page. Other apps that connect to the internet do report connection problems. Being that I'm not on a data plan and always connect via WiFi, I can't install any diagnostic tools unfortunately. FWIW, I've ensured that the connection to my router does not use WiFi Protected Set-up. I've also tried connecting to the router through an old Samsung Galaxy Y, with Android 2.x to same results. I wonder if this is a problem with my phones or with my router? | It's a problem with your router. After Android successfully connects to a Wi-Fi network, it tests to see if it can use this network to access the Internet. This is because it's commonplace for Wi-Fi networks to redirect all requests to some kind of login page, until you've logged in. The "Sign-in to Wi-Fi network" notification is nothing to do with authenticating to the network itself: it appears when Android detects that the network is redirecting requests. Given that you've said any page brings up this 404 error page from your router, that fits perfectly with the fact you're getting the notification. The fact that the router won't give you pages from the Internet is the root problem: it's nothing to do with WPA or anything like that. Does the 404 page tell you anything helpful? Perhaps the router is set up with a list of devices (by MAC address), and the new device isn't on the list so the router won't give it Internet access. | Android keeps asking "Sign-in to WiFi network" even if WPA/WPA2 is already authenticated | android |
I have a few different Android apps and for some reason, one is very heavily downloaded in India and Nigeria. And the others have at least 35% US downloads. Would anyone know whether the GooglePlay search is different in different countries? Or is it the same everywhere? Thanks! | Yes, it is different. Just like Google search Google play search uses different settings for every person, just like rat2000 said. | Does GooglePlay search show different results for different cities? | android |
I'm trying to run SyncMe only when computer is pingable. Since the app currently is not able to work this way, I'm using Tasker and its AutoShortcut plugin. SyncMe exposes an intent/shortcut which allows to run all sync jobs for a given computer. Tasker was then configured to run such shortcut under certain conditions and every two minutes. The problem is that the shortcut will only run "once", any subsequent calls to the shortcut will not run the sync. This happens not only from within Tasker but also when adding the shortcut to home screen. When tapping the icon for the first time, UI shows up and the sync runs correctly. But if I press home button and tap it again, it will only return focus to the UI without any action being taken. The only way I could figure out to make the shortcut run again was somehow "closing" the app, for example going to home screen with the back button or removing SyncMe from recent apps, none of which seems possible from within Tasker, I think it requires rooting. Note: this is a revised version of the question, after checking that the problem is reproducible outside Tasker, by launching the shortcut from home screen. I guess it has turned into a programming question, sorry. | Home screen shortcut We believe it's an Android bug. In fact, as I could confirm on a custom build, adding <code> FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP </code> fixed the problem for home screen shortcuts, despite its documentation indicating pretty the opposite , as below. We find those docs very poorly written, at least. According to the developer, this fix is going to work as long as main app activity stays on top (that is, editing a sync job then pressing home button for tapping icon again is not going to work). If set, the activity will not be launched if it is already running at the top of the history stack. Tasker and AutoShortcut For some reason, the above fix does not work in AutoShortcut. I don't know how different the intent sent by this plugin is from that of the home screen shortcuts. Either way, I have reported the problem to the developer. Regardless, I also just have set up a direct intent configuration in Tasker, instead of using AutoShortcut, as follows: Action: <code> com.bv.wifisync.run </code> Extra: <code> itemId:<id> </code> (see below) Package: <code> com.bv.wifisync </code> Class: <code> com.bv.wifisync.Hosts </code> Target: <code> Activity </code> You have to replace <code> <id> </code> with the actual number of the job you want to run. In my case, <code> 1 </code> points to my computer, meaning it will run all of its jobs. Knowing the actual number seems just like counting from top to bottom, but in case this fails, here's how I have found it (Android SDK and <code> grep </code> required on desktop): Enable debug mode on the phone. Connect phone to computer's USB. Run <code> adb logcat > temp.log </code> . Start SyncMe. Cancel the ADB command. Run <code> grep "Validated job" temp.log </code> , this should show you the ids. | Why does a SyncMe shortcut run only "once"? | android |
I'm running ubuntu 12.04 and have a rooted samsung galaxy s4. The s4 is still 2 software versions back since I need to unroot to update and just havent had the time or energy to do all of the work to get back to where I'm setup. I think it is 4.2.something. So when I plug my S4 into ubuntu via usb I get an error message "Unable to mount SAMSUNG_Android Error initializing camera:-60: could not lock the device" With my rooted kindle I run gMTP and that gets me access so I tried it with the S4 and it says nothing is available to connect. With my old evo I had no trouble. Even when it wasn't rooted I had access to the sd card just like any other drive being mounted. What's the deal with this s4? I do have usb debugging enabled. | Open a terminal in ubuntu(ctrl+alt+t) and type this commands: <code> sudo add-apt-repository ppa:langdalepl/gvfs-mtp sudo apt-get update </code> Then, launch Software Updater (previously known as Update Manager) and install the available updates. Afther you pdate everything restart pc. if you want to revert back before making any changes: <code> sudo ppa-purge ppa:langdalepl/gvfs-mtp </code> Next time, I think you should ask this is askubuntu.com since it is more of a linux specific problem then android. | How do I mount my Samsung galaxy s4 on ubuntu? | android |
As this warns, you should not enable swap on the wrong partition or you can destroy your phone: OK before we go any further! previous phones had a partition layout where mmcblck0 was the SDcard (external) our phone uses mmcblck1 for the external sd. This is important because if you use an app it may be preset to use mmcblck0 as swap partition.using this setting will cause you to use your sbl2 or sbl3 as swap partition.this will brick your phone and unbrick guide will be useles. So the swap partition might be <code> /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 </code> if I have 3 partitions (fat32, sdext, swap) on my SD card, or <code> /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 </code> if I have 2 partitions (fat43 and swap) or <code> /dev/block/mmcblk1p? </code> if you have a different phone, etc. and the wrong choice can brick your phone. How do you find out which partition is which? It should be the only partition on any drive of the phone with the <code> swap </code> filesystem. <code> fdisk -l </code> does this on Ubuntu , but outputs nothing in Android <code> blkid </code> does not show the swap partition <code> cat /proc/partitions </code> lists a lot of partitions, but doesn't indicate which is the swap <code> cat /proc/swaps </code> only lists swaps that are already being used cat /proc/mtd </code> only says <code> dev: size erasesize name </code> and nothing else <code> ls /dev/block/vold </code> lists some partitions as <code> 179:64 179:65 179:66 </code> , but doesn't indicate what they are? 4ext recovery will show it in the table of partitions ( <code> swap swap 129 MiB </code> ), but doesn't say the dev name ... Even if there's no command line tool to print it directly, surely there's a way to deduce it from some other information?? | I installed the Disk Info app and in the options, I enabled Expert mode and Unmounted partitions . It doesn't say "swap", but it shows clearly that it's the only other partition on the SD card and it's the right size, so <code> /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 </code> must be the one: Swapper 2 is configured to use <code> /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 </code> by default, so I'm glad I didn't go with the default. | How to find the pathname of the swap partition on SD card? | android |
I just purchased a Nexus 4 to replace an old Android phone. After learning my lesson last time, I've decided to start the phone without a SIM card and sync all my apps etcetera over Wi-Fi so it doesn't chew through massive amounts of cellular data. At this point, the phone is brand new, has never had a SIM card inserted, and I go into <code> Settings </code> > <code> Data Usage </code> . My phone is reporting ~751MB of data usage. I assumed there would be 0 MB data usage, given that I haven't even inserted a SIM. I don't believe the data usage count is syncing from my old phone, as I typically only use a few MB a month, which viewing the data usage on my old handset confirms. Is there an explanation for why a Nexus 4 that has never had a SIM card in it would report substantial data usage, or is this a bug? | The Data Usage screen can show both Mobile Data and Wi-Fi usage (but only shows one by default). You're almost certainly seeing your Wi-fi usage, 750MB doesn't sound unlikely for a new device that will have downloaded settings, apps, contacts, and probably OS updates. If you have a SIM card in your phone then the Data Usage app defaults to only showing Mobile Data usage, but there is a menu option to allow you to set it to show Wi-Fi data usage too. I assume that if the device has never had a SIM card inserted, then it will default to showing Wi-Fi usage, as that's the only data usage it's used. (screenshots from a Galaxy Nexus, so it should work the same way) | Android data usage shows significant usage even without SIM card | android |
According to two employees at the Sprint store, using an unofficial charger for the Galaxy S4 will negatively impact the overall life of the phone's battery ( edit: in other words, the battery will need to be replaced much sooner than if one always uses the official charger). I've never heard this before. Does anyone else know what they are talking about? What is special about the S4 charger? I saw someone online mention that a "special code" is transmitted over the USB connector, which the phone will use to judge if it is an official charger; again, new to me, but I'm not a hardware expert. Update: I still haven't figured out an answer to this. Regarding the "special code", the post I saw may have been referring to the IC chip, but I don't know. So if we look at the distinguishing characteristics of a Micro USB Charger, there's 1) whether it has the IC Chip; 2) whether it is 2 amp vs. 1 amp; anything else? | I shouldn't think so. Samsung is a signatory to the EU Common External Power Supply standard, which includes specs for a USB charger. As long as the charger you're using supplies something close enough to what the Samsung one supplies, you're good to go. You can even charge it from a Computer USB port, although it will be quite a bit slower (except some PCs which can supply a higher amperage via a micro-usb cable, making it almost as quick as a mains adaptor charger.) But in any case, you should be fine as long as the charger is of decent quality and isn't going to catch alight or something. I've been mixing and matching HTC, Samsung, and Blackberry chargers for years now. | Does using an unofficial charger negatively affect overall battery lifetime of a GS4? | android |
With recent news about Google shifting more and more of the Android experience out of core Android and into Google Play Services, I got curious. If I were to download Android's source code from the AOSP page today and compile it, what will I end up with? Besides the binary drivers for individual hardware devices and the various Google services, will I end up with a working version of Android? My motivation for asking this is to find out how much of the experience people associate with Android is actually part of the AOSP. | You don't need to compile the source code to get an idea of what AOSP looks like; if you download the Android emulator, it includes a default device image that is just AOSP plus a few developer tools, without any of the Google services. This sums up to: The linux kernel, dalvik VM, Java libraries, and Android framework Stock Launcher (including the various lock screens) Stock Keyboard Stock Browser (NOT Chrome) Calculator Calendar (syncs to Exchange) Camera Clock Download manager Email (syncs to IMAP and POP) Gallery (which also include a Media Player) Messaging Music (NOT Play Music) People Phone Search (local apps, people, and the web via Google, NOT Google Now) Settings Various app widgets Almost all of the essential Android framework are part of AOSP (e.g. Intent system, Permission system, Activity/Service system, Content Provider system, App Widget system, Daydream system, standard UI Elements, Notification Bar, Dalvik VM, JIT Compiler, Java standard libraries (Apache Harmony), OpenGL and Renderscript, Multimedia framework, Connectivity framework, GPS, Sensors, etc). The only significant part of the framework that aren't AOSP is Google Cloud Messaging, which handles Push service, and Play Store services, which provides application updates, in-app billing, and game services. Since these services are highly dependant on Google servers, they cannot really be a part of AOSP. All of the Android Development tools are also part of AOSP. Some important Google Apps that aren't part of AOSP includes Gmail, Google Maps, Youtube, Google Now, Google+, Chrome, Hangout, and Play Store. Here are some screenshots taken from Android 4.3 emulator: The launcher, with some stock widgets, enough said: All the apps in AOSP pretty much fits into one page, this has been the case since early Android: All the widgets: | What exactly is in AOSP? | android |
Does the Gmail app use more data than just using a web browser to check my emails? | The app definitely uses less data than a browser, because it only loads the email's contents, while the website loads a lot of stuff along with it. The app needs to download just the gmail content and some information about it ( sender, cc etc. ). If you're worried about data limits, then go for the app. It's both faster and uses less data. | Gmail app vs. browser, in terms of data consumption | android |
I am running an openvpn server with open key infrastructure at home that I connect to whenever I'm away. I am at the moment running this via the official openvpn client app, but found that there is a vpn setting in the system settings. Are there any advantages with one over the other, or could I just get rid of the extra app and go with the "native" option? I am using cyanogenmod 10.1.3-RC2-I9300 4.2.2 on a Samsung Galaxy S3 | I used to use PPTP, but switched to OpenVPN, which is now what I prefer. As far as security, OpenVPN is known to be pretty bulletproof. PPTP is the only one with real issues, though it's still fine for protecting against your average dope using Firesheep at Starbucks. Given the recent NSA revelations I personally wouldn't touch the ones by Cisco and/or Microsoft (PPTP, L2TP) with a 10 foot pole. The other ones supported by Android were designed in the open by committee (the IETF), which I know nothing about other than we now know the NSA tried to influence that kind of thing. But I think it's unlikely they seriously broke them if they tried so whether that bothers you depends on your level of paranoia about the NSA. As far as the UI goes, the built in VPN configuration UI is a little clunky, and OpenVPN's is a little more clunky. But when you want to connect to the VPN, you have to go through a few layers of settings to get to the built in stuff, whereas you can have the OpenVPN icon right on your homescreen. The built in VPN doesn't attempt to reconnect if you get disconnected. OpenVPN can be configured to retry a certain number of times. This was big for me. | OpenVPN vs built in vpn | android |
I have a Nexus 4 with stock Android and no modifications. I installed a flashlight app and for some reason it is first in my app drawer despite it starting with a "f" and not an "a". As a developer I find this intriguing. Does anybody know how this developer managed to put his app first in the drawer or is this some type of bug? | I can't say for sure, but there's probably a zero-width non-breaking space, or some other invisible or unprintable character, at the start of the label, causing it to sort ahead of normal characters. | App drawer on stock Android not alphabetized | android |
My Android phone has been abandoned by the manufacturer and carrier. It's stuck on 2.2, and doesn't seem likely to get any updates in the future, nor can I find updated ROMs for it. I'd be willing to purchase a new phone, but how can I ensure that it will be supported? Does Google, or any carrier, or any manufacturer, make any guarantees about providing timely updates for their phones? | No manufacturer makes any promises about future system updates for a device. They would shoot themselves in the foot if they would, because if the device fails to get a good market share the resources needed to keep an device up to date would be lost. I order to ensure that you get updates for your Android devices you have basically two options: Go with a Google device, that is the ones sold as Nexus . Those devices usually receive Android updates first and for a long time span (~2-3 years) Pick a device which has an established active mod community or is likely to get one. For example Samsung's Galaxy S was a massive success, it was one of the most sold Smartphones at a time. This is a massive incentive for modders to work on the device and deliver a good quality mod, like Cyanogenmod. If you go with 2., you could for example go to the Cyanogenmod site an research which devices they currently support. Also try to get a feeling how good the device is supported, how active the maintainer for the device is. | How can I ensure reliable updates for an Android phone/device? | android |
There are a few books on Google Play that are free. Can I obtain said books without providing a credit card number? | Looks like it depends on the book. From Google Play support: Downloading free music, TV shows, and certain free books and magazines is still considered a transaction, even when the price of the item is $0.00. If you don't have a credit card associated to your Google Wallet account or if you don't haven't set up a Google Wallet account, you'll be prompted to add a new payment method upon when downloading certain content from Google Play. | Can I "purchase" a free book from the Store without providing a credit card number? | android |
What is the name of the flat port (that you use for charging) that comes with Samsung Galaxy Tab 2? I bough a USB keyboard and I'm looking forward to buy an adapter for it. I'll attatch some images of the port I've found on the internet: | If you're looking to buy a cable that you can use to attach a USB keyboard to that connector, then everywhere I've seen calls it something like a " 30-pin Samsung socket ", and the cables are called something like " 30-pin to USB OTG adapter cable " or " USB OTG Adapter Cable for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 ", eg examples on Amazon.com , or on eBay.com . Samsung themselves either seem to avoid naming the port when they're selling their official adapters and cables that plug into it, or just call it a "30 Pin": " Galaxy Tab Adapters " or " Galaxy Tab™ Data Cable (Charging) USB to 30 Pin " | Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 port name | android |
I have to install Applications on dozens of android smartphones and I am currently writing a program to automate this process. I know I can't remotely enable USB Debugging, so my question is: Can I use ADB.exe to send a command to the smartphone that disables USB Debugging immediatly or puts the disable in a command queue to execute at next reboot? Thanks | If the device in question is root ed, you can write to the system settings directly from a shell command in <code> adb shell </code> . The name of the setting to write depends on which Android version you have. If your device isn't rooted, you can't change the USB debugging setting from <code> adb </code> or any non-system app. | Can I disable USB Debugging on Android smartpones from Windows via adb.exe? | android |
Recently I started to face a very weird bug. Whenever I try to tap on Create alarm button, or on existing alarm I am getting this "Unfortunately, Clock has stopped" This is a system app I don't know what to do now. What it could be? What I tried: Delete Data from App Manager Clear cache Restart the smartphone Some info: default (but upgraded) firmware - Android 4.1.2 Device Galaxy Note II GT-N7100 | So finally I was able to fix this weirdo. Since this answer doesnt really tell what was causing this. I will remark any further answers if they can tell what was the problem I will just describe what I did. Root your device Install Clean Master Give it the root access (it will ask itself) Remove all bloatware Run cleaning routines Hope that it helped you | "Unfortunately, Clock has stopped" when trying to create or edit alarm | android |