texts: Change Android Bootloader Splash Screen Image

texts:
How can I change the bootloader splash image that shows up as soon as the system is powered on? Note that I am not talking about the logo which is shown after the kernel has loaded (IE: after 'init'). Those are easy to change and there are plenty of guides available online simply by Googling around. What I am trying to edit the bootloader which I think is part of the hidden raw partition (which is usually setup by 'uboot.img' as far as I understand).

Notes:

PX30 architecture.
Android 9 (pie).
Device is rooted.
No 'ADB' available.

Edit:
Okay, I managed to figure it out. I dumped all the files from '/dev/block' by using 'dd' (IE: dd if=/dev/block/file_name of=/storage/your_device/file_name). This was done using a terminal app running under the Android system itself.

For me, my file was 'mmcblk2p9' (so I'd replace file_name with that).

Once copied, I used a hex editor to look for the Bitmap header (in this case, it was "BM6" because they are not writing any colour space information). Once I found that one of these files contained a Bitmap, what I did next was to look for the original system image that the OEM would have flashed to the device so I could find the filesize I needed to extract the data from my bootloader file 'mmcblk2p9'. Note that you may find the BM6 header string in a few files, but generally it is in the smallest file since it's part of the initial bootloader. For example, one of the files I dumped was 2 GB but it was also in a file which was 32 MB. As a rule of thumb, the smallest file that had it was the one I was going to attempt to patch.

So, I loaded up 'RK3xxx_firmware_tools_5.78.35.00' and opened the bootloader file I dumped ('mmcblk2p9'). If it opens and looks like a typical 'uboot.img' file then this also confirms that we have found the correct file. So, in this case, the OEM splash logo inside which I found was 385078 (0x5E036) bytes and had the dimensions 800x480.

Next, I opened the splash logo in a hex editor and was able to match it within my bootloader file (IE: they had the same header information). To confirm, I extracted all 385078 bytes from within my bootloader file and saved it as a Bitmap. It opened fine on my computers default image viewer. Anyway, once I managed to do that, I stripped out theirs and found the offset to inject my new image at was 0x014E7200.

Now, the image I made was created using Gimp because it supports the option to not write any colour space information. Remember, the file headers and filesize must match exactly so re-creating the required BM6 Bitmap is critical.

Finally, I injected the patched file back over the original (by using the same 'dd' command above but in reverse) and restarted the system. My new logo was now showing perfectly every time.


texts: find: multiple "-exec" for list of files not working?

texts:
I am trying to figure this out on an Android phone running Oreo / 8.0, with toybox 0.7.3-android.

I am trying to get a list of files inside a folder and their respective mtime. I am running this command:

find . -type f -exec stat -c %n {} \; -exec stat -c %Y {} \; -exec stat -c %y {} \;

or

find . -type f -exec stat -c %n "{}" \; -exec stat -c %Y "{}" \; -exec stat -c %y "{}" \;

In both cases I am only getting the result from the first invocation of "stat". Am I overseeing something or is this the way toybox works on Android?

The output file should look like this:

./file1.txt
1553516120
201903251315.20
./file2.txt
1549678694
201902090318.14
./file3.txt
1553541066
201903252011.06
./file4.txt
1553515882
201903251311.22
./file5.txt
1585138731
202003251318.51

EDIT: This is apparently a bug in toybox. I reported it and the working fix is currently awaiting to be merged into the source code of toybox.


texts: Unable to write to internal storage through MTP

texts:
When I connected my XT1033 (Moto G) to my computer in MTP mode, I was unable to access the contents of the internal storage in write mode. I was unable to create any folders, delete files, rename etc.

As part of trouble shooting, I attempted to connect XT1022 (Moto E) to the same port in MTP mode, I was able to access the internal storage and its SD card normally.

Puzzled with this behaviour, I connected my XT1033 again but this time in PTP mode and I was able to access DCIM folder normally.

I tried the same with another Samsung Galaxy Duos phone and it too worked properly.

When I attempted to create a folder in Computer\XT1033\Internal storage\Download in my XT1033 (in PTP mode) I get the following error:

  The new folder could not be created in this location. The device has
  either stopped responding or has been disconnected

I am able to connect to the device thorough ADB and tested the following:

shell@falcon_umtsds:/ $ cd sdcard
cd sdcard
shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard $ ls -la
ls -la
....
....
drwxrwx--- root     sdcard_r          2014-12-28 18:50 Download
....
....

I was even able to create folders through ADB console and even push files:

127|shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard $ ls test
ls test
test: No such file or directory
1|shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard $ mkdir test
mkdir test
shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard $ ls test
ls test
shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard $ cd test
cd test
shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard/test $ ls
ls
shell@falcon_umtsds:/sdcard/test $ exit
exit

Any idea what could be wrong or what should I suspect next?

Environment:
XT1033 (Moto G) rooted, running stock 4.4.4
Computer running Windows 7 x64.

Update:  If USB debugging is switched off, I am able to read and write normally in phone's internal storage. If it is switched on, the internal storage becomes read-only.


texts: Why phones with Android One don't get update to Q right now (2019)?

texts:
Android one phones are near stock version of Android.

Starting Android 8 (or 9) project treble aims to deliver new version of Android without work from the OEM.

Yet phones with Android one and treble don't get update right away, see for example the Nokia roadmap to Android Q:

For example, Nokia 2.2, Nokia 3.2 and Nokia 4.2 all have Android one and start with Android 9 (so they are treble ready) and have to wait until Q1 2020. Why can't they get the GSI directly from Google servers to get update as fast as it's released by Google?


texts: My SD card was removed unexpectedly and won't work anywhere no

texts:
I bought a 32gb SD card for my Galaxy Mini long ago. It's never been removed from the phone. But yesterday my phone removed my SD card. I don't know why it happened. I tried to remove the SD and put it back, turn off/on phone, but nothing worked. Tried to put it in to another phone. Nothing. Then tried to put it into a laptop and it says "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error".

Please help, it has really important files inside.


texts: Create Ad-hoc wifi on Android (Samsung galaxy note 3)

texts: I am creating a website using flask (python) to hold pre-downloaded episodes of anime and cartoons to take into school and host between me and my cartoon club. I want to run it on my Samsung galaxy note 3. Python is not a problem but I need to create a private, ad-hoc (I don't want all my data used up) network to run the site on and let my friends connect (also android phones, mostly). My phone is rooted, but theirs aren't. I can run a private hotspot but I don't need the whole internet, (nor the exorbitant costs). Any ways to do this?


texts: How to insert bookmarks inside Google docs for Android without using desktop browser?

texts:
I need the functionality of inserting bookmarks within the Google drive or Google Docs Android app. I can do that from within the desktop browser.  Is this feature already there, and I am just not seeing it?

This is not the same thing as adding a shortcut to the Android devices home screen as indicated by: Can I make a Google Doc shared with me more accessible on my Android device?

Google is a large company. When it creates apps for Android, it needs to be on parody with the desktop browser unless there are specific technical reasons why that's not possible, and sometimes it is not possible, but not in this particular situation for sure.


texts: Touch screen is not working properly after replacing LCD display and Touch screen

texts:
I recently replaced LCD display and Touch screen of micromax canvas A116. but unfortunately my touch screen is not working properly. so my question is that is it because of
some hardware issue or should i require to hard reset my phone or should i do something else? Thanks in advance.


texts: Using OpenVPN Connect in power saving mode

texts:
On a Galaxy S6 with Android 6.0.1 I use OpenVPN Connect.

It works properly when the device is not in power saving mode. However when I turn the power saving on, the OpenVPN connection immediately becomes flaky. The client connects to the server, but after a few seconds it loses connection and tries to reconnect.

I have explicitly turned off OpenVPN Connect in "App power saving".

Is there anything I can do except for turning power saving mode off?


texts:
The battery percentage on my tablet has reached 30%, which is still reporting as about 11 hours left before it goes flat. However, my Dropbox app has stopped uploading files reporting:

  Camera Upload (x left): Low battery, charge to resume

I'm not anywhere near anything I can use to start it but I want it to continue uploading screenshots I take in the mean time.

How can I force Dropbox to upload even if the charge is low?


texts:
I have bought a new Alcatel Pop 4S which I'm quite happy with, but one thing is really annoying. No matter if I'm using build in speaker or headphones, outgoing sounds are really loud for me. I have found that "minimum" loudness is 6% so I wonder if there is some shell command to set up loudness to e.g. 2%. I know that there is app called "Fine Volume Control V2", but I don't want to pay just for this one function if there is some another solution.

Thanks for your help


texts: How can I have fewer, larger icons on the home screen?

texts:
I am helping an older relative transfer data to a replacement phone.  Both the old and new phones are Samsung Galaxy J3 Eclipses.  Here's a screenshot I took of the original phone home screen.  Note the top row appears to be a width of 4 grid slots, and the next two rows have 3 apps each:

This is desirable for both the large icons and to avoid information overload.  It's obviously possible, but looking through the settings I only see 4x4, 4x5 and 5x5 settings for the grid layout.  How can I replicate the previous layout?


texts: Using alsa mixer (root) to boost sound in an intelligent way

texts:
I'm looking for a way to boost the headphone output of my Moto X (2013). I have rooted it and installed Alsa Mixer so I should be able to run shell scripts and modify it.

The thing is.. I can't find any good guides for this.

What I'm trying to do:
- Boost the volume using a compressor (like radio stations tend to do)
- Maybe apply a limiter after that just to be sure I don't blow up my headphones.

Can somebody help me plz?


texts: unknown notification icon on HTC One M9 Android 7

texts:
i´ve just installed Android 7 and this icon on the top left appeared, i want to know what it is, also i dont have any apps whith that icon..

my phone is a HTC one M9


texts:
I recently started playing 'Pokémon Go', but for the AR/VR to work a gyroscope is required.
Is it possible to simulate/fake a gyroscope using the sensors already in the phone?

I have a Vodafone smart 6 Ultra running Android 5.0.2
Sensors:

Accelerometer
Magnetometer
Gravity Sensor
Linear Acceleration
Rotation Sensor
Proximity Sensor
Light Sensor

I have tried searching for a solution, but google only brings up others looking for an attachment which acts as the gyroscope.
I also tried searching for the specific issue within the game, but that had nothing either.


texts: Android phone don’t boot to logo and even recovery, after flashing firmware through twrp

texts: Please help me my moto g2 2014 xt1079. I installed lineage 14.1 using twrp but sim was not working so i flashed a cm14.1 firmware in twrp after that i clicked reboot but phone goes off and didn’t reboot. I pressed side buttons to go into recovery and that thing are not working too. Now i tried to connect it with computer the windows says the usb is not recognised.  Please help me somebody. Please please please


texts: After new firmware, can't install ROM (mount error)

texts:
I installed RUU 4.2.2 in an attempt to upgrade HBOOT to 2.16 on a HTC One S. The boot menu shows 2.16 so I guess it worked but now I have no OS.

I am trying to install a ROM (Lineage 14) but I get error messages like this

mount: failed to mount /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/
umount of /system failed: no such volume
Patching system image unconditionally...
E1001: Failed to update system image.
E:unknown command[log]
E:Erorr executing updater binary in zip '/sdcard/linea
Error flashing zip '/sdcard/lineage.zip'
Updating partition details...

If I adb shell then ls /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1 I get

by-num      mmcblk0p13  mmcblk0p19  mmcblk0p24  mmcblk0p3   mmcblk0p35  mmcblk0p8
mmcblk0     mmcblk0p14  mmcblk0p2   mmcblk0p25  mmcblk0p30  mmcblk0p36  mmcblk0p9
mmcblk0p1   mmcblk0p15  mmcblk0p20  mmcblk0p26  mmcblk0p31  mmcblk0p4
mmcblk0p10  mmcblk0p16  mmcblk0p21  mmcblk0p27  mmcblk0p32  mmcblk0p5
mmcblk0p11  mmcblk0p17  mmcblk0p22  mmcblk0p28  mmcblk0p33  mmcblk0p6
mmcblk0p12  mmcblk0p18  mmcblk0p23  mmcblk0p29  mmcblk0p34  mmcblk0p7

In TWRP 2.6.1.0 I can wipe cache and Dalvik cache, Format Data and Factory Reset. If I adb shell and run mount I get

rootfs on / type rootfs (rw)
tmpfs on /dev type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,relatime,mode=755)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,relatime,mode=600)
proc on /proc type proc (rw,relatime)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,relatime)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p34 on /cache type ext4 (rw,relatime,data=ordered)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p35 on /data type ext4 (rw,relatime,data=ordered)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p35 on /sdcard type ext4 (rw,relatime,data=ordered)

I can mount cache, data, and system from the TWRP menu, but not USB-OTG.  If I go to Advanced Wipe, I see

E:Unable to mount '/usb-otg'

How do I fix these errors so I can install my OS?


texts:
I flashed my Samsung Galaxy S with 4.1.1 through Odin. But I didn't like it, so I wanted to restore it to Android 2.3 -- and and while restoring it, my computer suddenly restarted and my mobile phone turned off.

Now the problem is that when I try to open my mobile it doesn't respond.the screen gives me nothing. When I try to start it in download or recovery mode it does the same.

I tried to connect it to my PC but nothing happened. When I charge it, it gives me nothing.

I replaced the battery and it did the same.I connected the jig(301k), nothing.

Is there anything I can do to revive my phone?


texts: Why Whatsapp images and videos are not showing in my gallery?

texts:
I have bought Moto G 2nd generation. I have Whatsapp installed in my mobile and it working very well. As you all know all Whatsapp images and videos will get displayed in gallery.

I decided to hide these images and videos. I have searched over net and found some useful links. Based on that, I have placed a .nomedia folder under whatsapp/media folder. After this, when I checked gallery, all images and videos from Whatsapp are gone. Eureka... Then I reverted the changes that I have made. That is I deleted the .nomedia file from media directory. But unfortunately, I couldn't find my Whatsapp images and videos in gallery.

So I cleared cache of Whatsapp via settings. Then I restarted my device. Still I didn't find my Whatsapp data in gallery. Now after getting some new images and videos through Whatsapp, I checked again. Now I can see those videos and images. But still the old images and videos are "hiding away" from gallery. Why?

I have checked Whatsapp folder. I can still see old images and videos in whatsapp/media folder and the new videos and images are added to the corresponding folders along with other images and folders.

How can I show all of my images and videos in gallery?


texts: Stop Facebook and Instagram from running in background

texts:
In developer settings I can stop both Facebook and Instagram but those pesky apps just bounce right back within seconds.  One reason I moved from Apple to Android was to be able to control my device and I find this frustrating.  Is my only option to delete these apps and just run them from a mobile web browser?

I don't want to be told that these apps need to be running all the time and I can just ignore it.  They can run when I start them until I close them.  This is for data, privacy and battery usage concerns whether real or perceived I want this control of my device.

Also I do not want to root my phone and keep the OS stock.  Running 7.1.1 on a Nexus 5x


texts: Why were some of my contacts automatically merged without notice?

texts:
I found several questions here where people want to merge several of their contacts into one.
I'm having exactly the opposite problem:

On both my Android devices (Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 7), two of my contacts were automatically merged, without noticing or asking me first.

I noticed this when I didn't find my mother anymore in my contacts. After some searching, I found that my father's entry now had two cell phone numbers (his own and my mother's) and two dates of birth (again, his own and my mother's).

Now I understand how it's possible that they were recognized as "similar" (both share the same last name, street adress, non-cell phone number and e-mail adress), but it's beyond me why on earth it would just merge them automatically, without any notice?

Please note that they are still two separate contacts in the GMail web interface.
They are just merged in the contact apps of both my Android devices.

I had another Android phone until a few days ago (HTC Wildfire with Android 2.2), but I don't know if they were already merged there too or if this is a new bug in Android 4.2.

Finally, I compared my complete contact list on my phone with the one in GMail, on order to find out if more contacts were merged.
But my parents were the only ones, even though I have a few more married couples with the same names and adresses in there.

Any idea why this happens and how I can separate them into two different contacts again?


texts:
Apparently there's this really fun flappy bird game built into Marshmallow that's even better than the one in Lollipop. I've got a Nexus 5 and really want to play it ASAP. How do I go about doing this?

I'm looking for both a Multirom-compatible zip and the conventional way which involves wiping your device.

How can I upgrade my Nexus 5 to the latest and greatest version of Android?


texts: Heimdall Error Protocol initialisation failed! on Ubuntu

texts:
I want to install CyanogenMod on my Samsung Galaxy S5. I'd downloaded the version and did the excact steps from the wiki. But when I try to flash with Heimdall I get this error:

Ubuntu-Laptop:~/Downloads/cm-12.1-20151007-SNAPSHOT-YOG4PAO333-klte$ sudo heimdall flash --RECOVERY boot.img --no-reboot
Heimdall v1.4.1

Copyright (c) 2010-2014 Benjamin Dobell, Glass Echidna
http://www.glassechidna.com.au/

This software is provided free of charge. Copying and redistribution is
encouraged.

If you appreciate this software and you would like to support future
development please consider donating:
http://www.glassechidna.com.au/donate/

Initialising connection...
Detecting device...
Claiming interface...
Setting up interface...

Initialising protocol...
ERROR: Protocol initialisation failed!

Releasing device interface...

I didn't find anything with Google. Please help.

Thanks.


texts:
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post...

Yesterday, i opened Google drive to check and spreadsheet and everything looked fine. Today i see that this night Google drive has used about 600MB of mobile data on the background. It's been 2 weeks since i connected to a WiFi network and around 1 month since i opened Drive. Obviously, i have now disabled background data usage for that app on Android settings but I'm afraid that this can happen again with another app.

What has been using that much mobile data (maybe sync or updates?) and how can i avoid this happening in the future?
Is it safe to disable background data usage on every app (except messaging apps)?

Thanks and sorry for my bad English.


texts: Change Device Name on Family Link Device

texts:
I'm wondering how to change a device name for a device/account supervised by Family Link.
I've changed the actual device name in the devices settings but the device name that shows up in Google / GooglePlay / FamilyLink is controlled by Google Play. To change THAT name you need to do it on the settings page of Google Play. This only works on the Google Play website. If I try to access the supervised account via a browser it says this account must access play through the app only. I assume this is because store restriction can really only be handled through the controlled app?. Either way the device list is not available in the play app and thus there is no where to rename the device.
Any advice? Is there anyway I could access the web version of the settings page through the play app?


texts: Set a custom alarm / browser entire storage on Motorola Moto G5 / Android 7.0

texts:
I've been using Moto E3 and G4 before and had absolutely no problems in using custom / own alarm tones on these devices / Android versions (on both Android 6, 7.0 and 7.1 in case of G4).

Now, I have purchased Moto G5 and whenever I go to Clock > Alarm > [alarm] > Ringtone > Your sounds > Add new some kind of weird file browsers opens that allows me to pick alarm ringtones from only: "Audio" and "Downloads" folders giving me "Recent" and "OneDrive" options in addition.

How can I select alarm ringtone from (system default?) "Alarms" folder? Or how can I force Clock app to use different file browser (i.e. system "Files Manager" or custom "Solid File Explorer"), which allows me to select a file from any folder?

Am I limited only to above mentioned folders and must copy my alarm ringtone to i.e. "Download" folder in order to use a custom alarm ringtone on Moto G5?


texts: My HTC sense won't turn on at all and it was fully charged.

texts: I just called someone less than 5 minutes ago, sat my phone down, and now it will not turn on. I charged it, took the back off, put it back on, and nothing worked.


texts: Installing Google play services without flashing

texts:
Can installing Play Services rather than flashing GApps ? I know that play services drains battery. Flashing GApps makes it as a system app and byusing greenify(as root) reduces the battery usage made by play services by force stopping it. But it restarts again.
So my question is , Is it possible to install it rather than flashing it? Cause installing it makes a non system app and greenify can do a much better work on it.


texts: Android Wi-Fi hotspot DNS resolver: locally point domain name to custom address without root

texts:
So, I know dnsmasq is used as DNS/DHCP server in Android when running as a Wi-Fi hotspot, that dnsmasq can be used to point users to a specific address when resolving addresses, and that there is a way to set a custom system-wide DNS server, either by setting it in the phone, or by using the Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 app.

Is it possible to give custom DNS records to clients in an Android Wi-Fi hotspot, locally, without rooting the phone? Say, by modifying the "address" configuration parameter in dnsmasq somehow, by running a local DNS server in an unprivileged port, and using that as the system DNS, or by using a custom VPN config (which, from what I've read, is the way the 1.1.1.1 app works)?


texts: Does Downgrading from Android Marshmallow to Lollipop wipes data?

texts:
After an OTA upgrade to Marshmallow, Android Locksceen is no longer accepting my 4 digit PIN, I have been using this PIN for the past 7 months without any problems. So, I know for sure that I haven't forgotten the PIN. Nobody else has accessed my device & changed the pin.

I had 2 other backups of my Data, one on a SD Card in my Canon EEOS 700D DSLR(I am a Professional Photographer) & second one on My Laptop, both of them were stolen from the hotel I was staying at. My phones Internal Storage is now the only other place that has my work. I don't care about recovering music, videos, contacts, messages. I am only interested in recovering my clients pictures (Wedding Photographs). I just can't afford to lose this, please do not suggest Factory Reset. If it wasn't that important to me, I would have done Factory Reset.

Device Information

Samsung Galaxy SM-J700F

Android 6.0.1/MMB29K/J700FXXU2BPG3

Security Patch Level - 2016-07-01

No Root

No USB Debugging

No Custom Recovery

Boot Loader Locked

No Full Disk Encryption, Only Lockscreen

Samsung Find My Mobile Not Registered (Even if it was, it wouldn't work without WiFi or Mobile Data turned on)

Can't turn on WiFi or Mobile Data from Lock Screen, so Google Android Device Manager also not working.

Can only access Emergancy Dialer & Camera from Lockscreen

Since the problem appeared right after the OTA upgrade to Marshmallow, would downgrading back to the previous version using ODIN Flash Tool fix the problem? Now, with a locked bootloader, you can't flash anything other than official Firmware signed by Samsung, so, if I download Official Samsung ROM Android 5.1.1 Version from www.sammobile.com , and flashed it using Samsung ODIN Flash tool, would it wipe all the data in internal storage? or would it stay intact? Help Please!


texts: How to fix a consistently freezing app download?

texts:
On my new Motorola X, I am downloading an app (Amazon's Kindle app) from the Google Play store and it is consistently getting to 91% downloading and then freezing there.

I can cancel the download and try it again, but it always stops at 91%.

Is there a way to reset the download so it truly starts from scratch? Or is there something else I should try?


texts: "com.android.phone has stopped" after dirty flashing CM13

texts:
After dirty flashing my OnePlus One (bacon) from CM12.1 to CM13, I am constantly getting force close dialogs popup

Unfortunately the process com.android.phone has stopped

Logcat is filled with stacktraces like this:

Shutting down VM
FATAL EXCEPTION: main
Process: com.android.phone, PID: 13148
java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to get provider com.android.providers.telephony.TelephonyProvider: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Couldn't read row 0, col -1 from CursorWindow.  Make sure the Cursor is initialized correctly before accessing data from it.
    at android.app.ActivityThread.installProvider(ActivityThread.java:5205)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.installContentProviders(ActivityThread.java:4797)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.handleBindApplication(ActivityThread.java:4737)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.-wrap1(ActivityThread.java)
    at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1424)
    at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
    at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:148)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5466)
    at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:726)
    at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:616)
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Couldn't read row 0, col -1 from CursorWindow.  Make sure the Cursor is initialized correctly before accessing data from it.
    at android.database.CursorWindow.nativeGetString(Native Method)
    at android.database.CursorWindow.getString(CursorWindow.java:438)
    at android.database.AbstractWindowedCursor.getString(AbstractWindowedCursor.java:51)
    at com.android.providers.telephony.TelephonyProvider$DatabaseHelper.getStringValueFromCursor(TelephonyProvider.java:993)
    at com.android.providers.telephony.TelephonyProvider$DatabaseHelper.copyPreservedApnsToNewTable(TelephonyProvider.java:905)
    at com.android.providers.telephony.TelephonyProvider$DatabaseHelper.onUpgrade(TelephonyProvider.java:641)
    at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper.getDatabaseLocked(SQLiteOpenHelper.java:256)
    at android.database.sqlite.SQLiteOpenHelper.getReadableDatabase(SQLiteOpenHelper.java:187)
    at com.android.providers.telephony.TelephonyProvider.onCreate(TelephonyProvider.java:1457)
    at android.content.ContentProvider.attachInfo(ContentProvider.java:1748)
    at android.content.ContentProvider.attachInfo(ContentProvider.java:1723)
    at android.app.ActivityThread.installProvider(ActivityThread.java:5202)
    ... 10 more

Once I somehow get rid of the persistent UI popup, it seems like com.android.phone is crashing at least 10 times per second, flooding logcat, and making it almost impossible to use the phone.

Is there any hope for a fix, or is a hard reset the only option?


texts: My question is simple. I have screen burn in on my Galaxy S7 Edge. Will replacing the screen get rid of the issue or do I need to fix something else, too?


texts:
My Android connection to my computer is ridiculously slow. Just previous to this, I used Banshee to transfer some songs to my Android, and it took nearly two hours two transfer 23 songs. (The problem is not limited to Banshee, but any file transfer.)

I thought this might be a problem on the Ubuntu side of things, but I'm starting to think that the problem is either limited to, or more pronounced with, my Android device.

While I was doing variouos tests to try and diagnose the problem, by adding and removing various USB devices on my system and then testing file transfers, I saw speeds of up to 2MB/second, which I could live with.

However, no matter what I did, and regardless of what speed I have been able to achieve, after some amount of time, the problem returns. The speed becomes something more like 50KB/s or less.

Two hours to transfer 23 songs is practically unusuable.

Assuming for a moment that maybe my Ubuntu machine is not the problem, how can I determine if my Android phone is doing something to hold up the USB transfer speed?

Samsung Galaxy S2, Model number GT-I9100, Android version 4.0.4, Kernel version 3.0.34-Siyah-v3.3.2, Cyanogen 9-20120624.


texts: Samsung Galaxy 2 (Jelly Bean 4.1.2) In the stock "Phone" app, on the "Keypad" tab, how can you enter a "space" character?

texts:
I was wondering if there is a way to enter a "space" character on the keypad in the keypad tab in the Phone app.

For example, I have 3 different "Mike" contacts:

Mike Smith
Mike Jones
Mike Rothe

In the keypad, when I type "6453" (mike), it then shows the first contact "Mike Smith", and gives me the option to press the "3" button next to "Mike Smith" to see my other contacts with "Mike" as the first name.

I would like to be able to press "6453" and then a "space" character, and then "5" ( J ), so it narrows it down to "Mike Jones", instead of making me go through the "Mike"'s to find "Mike Jones"

I can't figure out how to punch in a "space" though. Is it possible?

If not, I would be willing to download a better "Phone" app than the 4.1.2 stock phone app, if that would help.


texts: Do I need CFs auto root If I can install TWRP recovery?

texts:
I am about to try and root my Samsung galaxy note 4 and install TWRP recovery. I want to avoid any conflicting issues so I would like to know If I need to use CFs auto root first and then install TWRP recovery, or if I can just install TWRP recovery and root with that. Also is v3.10.0 the latest Odin version?

Also, will rooting and installing a custom recovery affect any phone features?


texts: I just updated the software of my S4 Active, and now my mobile data doesn't work

texts: I've tried turning my data and wifi on and off, played with airplane mode, restarted my phone a few times, and left the battery out for nearly 15 minutes, but my mobile data still isn't working after this software update. Any tips on how to get it running again? I'm not good with tech, and I'm thinking about just going into a tech guy before work tomorrow and having them look at it, but I'd rather save the trouble if I can.


texts: How does the application Xprivacy give fake private data to applications?

texts: I was wondering how the Xprivacy app worked exactly. Does it do something with native Android code? With Java? Does it put itself between the data and any application that requests them, or only if the application has a restriction active for the relevant permission in Xprivacy?


texts: My wife can cast videos from her phone to our Chromecast, but I can't. What gives?

texts: She has a Samsung Galaxy Note 8, while I have a Google Pixel 3. I can cast if the app in question (e.g. YouTube or Hulu) supports casting with a built-in cast button, but if I used the system screen mirroring cast feature from the pull-down menu (say, for an app that doesn't support casting internally, such as Spectrum), I can't cast videos - the part of the screen where the video is appears black on the TV. This sounds like some sort of DRM issue, but why would it only affect my phone and not hers? Is there any way to cast videos from my phone?


texts: Is there a way to stream all audio from PC to Android via USB?

texts:
My headphones socket on my laptop is busted, and I'm wondering if I can stream all the audio (every sound the PC makes) from my laptop to my Android, so I can use the headphones connected to the phone.

It has to be by USB/Firewire, as my laptop doesn't have Bluetooth...


texts: When will my device get the Android 4.0 update (Ice Cream Sandwich)?

texts:
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) was officially announced on October 19, 2011.

(You can review the high level SDK changes in Android 4.0 or the official changelog at the official Android Developer's site.)

Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.

When will each device get Android 4.0, either officially or unofficially, if ever?

See also:

When will my tablet get the Android 3.x update (Honeycomb)?
When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)?


texts:
I know these two commands to change density and resolution via Terminal:

wm density <dpi>
wm size <resolution>

But how do I change the scale of system-wide font via Terminal?


texts: Gboard ruined my typing experience, how can I change it back?

texts:
My phone just got the new Gboard, and to be honest, I haven't noticed much of an improvement. Maybe I don't use its many celebrated features as much as I should.

However, I have one big problem with it the way it is. I use my phone to mainly type two languages: Norwegian and English. Before the update, I would switch between them by the touch of a button (the globe icon next to the space bar), and for those rare occations I needed something else, I could momentarily enable them in the settings. I used the English layout for writing English, and the Norwegian language to write Norwegian. This way, the moment I begin to write, the swipe function knows which dictionary to test for what I'm trying to type, and everything works nicely.

However, with the new Gboard, it can do both languages at once. Apparently, the internet is happy that you don't have to manually switch, but I am more annoyed at the fact that when I begin swiping, the keyboard doesn't know which dictionary to use, so I can swipe all I want without any words coming out. I have to manually type a few words first before it gets the idea, and from there it works nicely. It also makes it much more difficult to mix both languages into a single small text.

How can I get back to manually switching between languages? Is there a setting I've missed, or do I have to roll back to an earlier version?

I'm on an LG Nexus 4, running Android 5.1.1, and Gboard version 6.0.69


texts: Reinstall original OS without rooting (Oneplus One, CM11S)

texts:
I've a Oneplus One running the original OS that came with it (CM11S). Accidentally replied 'Yes' to  a google security prompt which identified the Settings app as harmful, and it was deleted.

As far as I can determine the only way of retrieving it is to reflash the ROM with the original OS, which I've downloaded a copy of. I've backed up most of the stuff on the phone, but if possible I'd still rather not go through the entire process of rooting it/unlocking the bootloader, etc. I haven't done it before and I'd rather not go through the hassle of wiping the phone and restoring everything afterwards.

If I understand the process properly, the point of unlocking the bootloader is to allow custom ROMs to be flashed onto the phone. I'm wondering if I can bypass this step if I'm only interested in re-flashing the original ROM. (Although I've a feeling that might still end up being seen as a security risk so not possible)

Or if there's any other way of getting the Settings app back, I'd appreciate suggestions


texts: Can't get back into android phone after factory reset

texts:
I returned my phone to factory reset after I had certain issues witht he device. The factory reset was successful, however I am now prompted to the configuration menu of the phone, as expected. The only thing is, that when I select my language and wifi network, it sends me to a page saying: "This phone was factory reset and needs to be resynced with your google account". I enter my username and password. The phone then retruns me to the wifi selection where I have to redo the entire login sequence, only to return to the wifi again. I can't get into my phone anymore, is there anyone who knows what is going on.

I have a Nexus 6 running android 5.1.1
I have already tried turning it on and off again.


texts: Is there a protocol for android which allows direct file modifications from computer?

texts: Both the MTP and PTP protocols for file transfer do not allow editing or viewing files on  the phone from computer directly. In other words, you have first copy the file from the phone on the computer and then view/edit it. Are there any alternate protocol that support viewing/editing files directly?


texts: How to keep my music and alarm files separate

texts:
I have two folders of mp3 files, one for music and one for my alarm clock. I have them both on my sd card.

Right now I'm trying to use (or find) 3rd party apps that will do what i want.

Even outside the default music folder,  the music player and the alarm app both seem to pick up both folders.

I'd like to find a way to ignore the folders in each app. I tried adding a .nomedia folder but that hides it from both apps.

If there's a specific app that can ignore .nomedia files or only look at specified folders, that would probably work.

Seems most alarm apps name you select each song (let me know of any that can just watch folders), but it's still annoying sorting through picking out which is alarm and which isn't.


texts:
So last week, I decided to flash a custom ROM to my 2 year old Desire HD. I used the all in one, one-step, "rooting" tool called AAHK (It doesn't just root the phone, it does a whole lot like S-OFF, Goldcard, etc).

My DHD is now running Jellytime R30. Everything is good.

Now, I would like to try other ROMS. I did a backup of my current system via Clockworkmod in Recovery.

Question: Is this a full "image" snapshot? I mean, will I be able to restore the entire system  including the ROM when I restore this backup? Or do I have to flash the ROM in the snapshot before I restore the backup?

PS: I'm new to this custom ROM thing but I've done my fair amount of research. :)


texts: Sony Xperia Z3 (Compact) Battery life after update to Lollipop

texts:
If you already updated your Sony Xperia Z3 (Compact) to Lollipop, what is your experience (and what we can expect) with the battery life in Stamina mode while the phone is idle?

Xperia can have couple of days of light use when on Stamina mode and Hangouts/LocationHistory off in KitKat.

Is it comparable, does it get noticeable better or worse after upgrade to Lollipop?

Screenshot (click for larger variant)


texts: What is the difference between USB Mass Storage and USB Debug mode?

texts:
I am familiar with USB Mass Storage mode .
How exactly is USB Debug mode different from it  ?


texts:
After I got my mighty Fly-Ying FG8 I didn't care for mobile data, mostly due to the measly 5MB data plan with extortionate overage charges. I miss the occasional emails on the road, Waze navigation and A-GPS so I thought to put these 5MB to good use.

The problem is that in the Settings => Mobile networkד I have only "data roaming", "Access Point Names" and "Network Operators" on both SIMs. I couldn't make the device use its EDGE capability. Does anyone know how to turn it on?


texts: HTC Desire C screen just flashes when I press unlock! Help!

texts: So I turned my brightness all the way down on my HTC Desire C and it just locked itself. Now when I press the lock button it shows me the lock screen for about a second then locks itself!? HELP!!


texts: I've asked this question before, but got no suitable replies, so here I go again. How does the Android AccountManager which is used to store your Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc... usernames and passwords implement security. For instance, off my phone is rooted, can't a third party app read the account passwords of wherever it stood them. I figure that the account manager must store these passwords somewhere on the device our logging in would not work, especially if the device was offline. Thank you for your explanations.


texts: Can't delete any files in my download folder

texts:
asus sl101 slider running cyanogenmod 10

This problem actually started around when I upgraded to cm9.1 and I think I got an error that my android profile had changed or something. from that day forward I have been unable to delete anything in my downloads folder.

The following did not work

rm /sdcard/download/filename
removing with rootbrowser
adb shell> rm /sdcard/download/filename
remounting the sdcard

I get the error that the folder is read only and when I try to change permissions it wont let me.

I was able to

mv /sdcard/download /sdcard/download.back
mkdir /sdcard/download

but still cannot delete from the old download folder.

Eek!


texts:
In my Android ZTE, I'm trying to upload things. Let's say, I'm uploading a resume, I will get a message saying it can't be delivered due to low memory.

I have deleted things like games and pictures that I thought consumed my memory, but still, I get that message.

How do I increase my phone's free flash memory?


texts: Is it safe to use a Galaxy Note that is fully charged and at the same time it is plugged in to the wall socket? I'm worried that the battery might be charging and discharging at the same time and it will tremendously produce severe stress in the battery. Thus it will shorten the lifespan of the battery.


texts: fast boot oem unlock does nothing. No output

texts:
I tried unlocking the bootloader of my Yuphoria with the following command

fastboot -i 0x2a96 oem unlock

But this is the output that I'm getting.

  ...
  OKAY [  0.001s] finished. total time: 0.001s

It does not show any kind of warning that the data on the phone will be erased. ADB and fastboot is detecting the device. Here is the output for fastboot -i 0x2A96 oem device-info

  ...
  (bootloader)  Device tampered: true
  (bootloader)   Device unlocked:true
  (bootloader)  Charger screen enabled: true
  (bootloader)  Display panel:
   OKAY [  0.005s] finished. total time: 0.005s

I tried flashing the recovery.img after that but it does not work. What am I doing wrong? I work on Linux (Ubuntu 15.04)

Edit:
Here is the link to the CM page where I got the instruction from. I followed all the steps mentioned on the page.


texts: How to switch user profile based on password / lockscreen pattern

texts:
Currently, I have a family use tablet running on 4.2 Jellybean

Model is Ainol Novo7 Flame, a cheap Nexus7 alternative. Nexus7 is quite expensive in my country on its release so I bought this one instead.

The problem is that the tablet is shared. I already set-up multi-user profiles for each of us.

Family mode
My mode
My sister's mode

The default user set is family but I want it to automatically switch user-profiles based on the entered password or pattern lock.

example: password 1358 triggers My mode while entering 2467 triggers My sister's mode profile

I would also like to have an option to lock certain apps automatically when in family mode but unlocked in My mode

Is there a way to do this? or is there an app that can closely do some of it?


texts:
I have an HTC Desire S, which I have had no issues with until now.  It is now not recognising any Wi-Fi networks. When I switch on Wi-Fi it scans, then gives me a green tick telling me it has it but it does not actually bring up any network. I have tried this in various locations so I know it is not an issue with my home router. I have also installed a Wi-Fi management app, and when that did not work I did a full factory reset.

Any help would be gratefully received as I am pulling my hair out now.


texts: How to lower OOM value of an app permanently?

texts:
I am not challenging Android's memory management technique (like killers do). I just want to give an app higher priority even when it's not in foreground or visible (with notification).

AutoKiller Memory Optimizer is able to do it on rooted device, but the change lasts for few seconds if I multi-task.

I want to do this permanently: perhaps running a background daemon to do change continuously should work. How to do this?


texts: How do I find out which number an SMS is from, out of all the numbers associated with the sender?

texts:
In the messaging application it says who is the sender of each message, but it doesn't say the phone number the message was from. From each thread I can get to the corresponding contact, but some contacts have several numbers and I don't know how to tell which number the message was from.

I can get the message details, but again only the name of the contact is listed, and not the number.

I am running ICS on a Galaxy S2 device.


texts: Can baking EMMC chip revive a dead motherboard?

texts:
I think my phones EMMC chip is dead.
At my days i baked some dead graphic cards and get somewhat good results.

Can same thing work with EMMC chip on a phone?

If you never heard of it here a link.

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-repair-your-Graphics-Card-by-baking-it/

My original problem here if you are curious.Asus zenfone 6 E:failed to mount/ cache


texts: Stop Android from "reminding" me about updates?

texts:
With the new Android update now avalible, Android has been notifying me each day about updating to the latest version. Each time I press "remind" me later and the notification goes away temporarily. Is there a way to completely remove this reminder?

I am running Android 4.4.4


texts: "Android.process.media has stopped unexpectedly" error when I boot my Galaxy Nexus

texts:
Every time I boot my phone it gives the error message android.process.media has stopped unexpectedly. Why?

I am using 4.0.2 on my Galaxy Nexus.


texts: Cannot tether to Windows phone - SSID shows an asterisk

texts:
I have a Neuropad 2 running Android 4 ICS, and it is generally OK when using WiFi.

I want to tether it to my HP phone running Windows 6, which means I have to use the WMWiFiRouter app. Unfortunately, this app only offers WEP encryption, which doesn't bother me from a security standpoint.

The tablet picks up the SSID, and registers it when given the password, but will not connect to it. Instead, in the WiFi settings, it says "saved, secured with WEP", and when given the command to connect, does nothing.

What I find odd is that in the pad's WiFi settings, my own routers are simply identified with their SSIDs, but the one for the phone has an asterisk in parentheses immediately before it i.e. (*)HP_Phone - saved, secured with WEP

I do not know what this indicates, or why it is refusing to connect.
Any enlightenment would be appreciated.


texts: What about Android App Bundles' language support?

texts:
You can find out everything you need to know about Android App Bundles here. As this is a new way to deliver apk's I am very interested in how it works.

When taking a look at the explanatory video provided on the linked site you will understand that the App Bundle will only send the appropriate language resource files on download from Google Play.

Now, what happens when I change the system language after installation? Will the application not translate even if in the original App Bundle there was my language packaged?


texts:
I like my LG G6 default ringtones and I want to copy them elsewhere but I have been unable to find the files on the phone.
I can't see any \system folder.
Can somebody help me?


texts: Sony Xperia Z3 - Lollipop - Signal bar disappeared, no SIM would work

texts:
I'm experiencing problems with my 2 yo Sony Xperia Z3. Today i've changed the SIM card from polish T-Mobile to Orange (I've been using Orange for alot of time, even this particular SIM, and 1 month ago have unlocked the network to use T-mobile) and now it seems like none of the cards would work.

After turning the mobile on there's no SIM pin typebox and the network stays at NO SIGNAL (grey bars with an X on them)

What I've tried:
- rebooting (changes nothing at all),
- different SIM card (still this same happens),
- turning plane mode on (would make the signal bar disappear totally after trying to turn it off)

Any clues?


texts: What is Firebase App Indexing Under Google Services Settings

texts:
Where do all these data go?

Is this a privacy issue?

Here it is. It's very intrusive !


texts: How can I create delay before my Android phone decides that wired handset is disconnected?

texts:
I've got Sony Z1 Compact with non-rooted Android 5.1.1.

It has an issue with some of my wired headsets: any slight movement of the phone with headset connected causes the phone to stop playback despite the fact that headset remains connected. (the playback can be started again with use of headset button)

I think the reason is a slightly loose jack port on my device because my other devices don't have this problem with the same headsets.

So it seems that the only software solution (without manual toggling headset-mode) would be to create some reasonable delay at which device decides that the headset was indeed disconnected and I'm looking for the way to achieve this behavior.


texts:
A number of friends are using WhatsApp for communication. So I'm thinking about installing it. However when I read the question about its permissions I'm asking myself if there is a possibility to lock down the permissions.

I'd like to do have a solution where some permissions are always allowed, some are always blocked and some are blocked, but can be enabled on a temporary basis (like a popup menu which asks). Is this somehow possible? Do some custome ROMs have such a feature? If yes, which?


texts: ZIP+4 ZIP codes in Contacts for Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S)

texts:
I have a Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) running Android 2.1-update1.  I have ZIP Codes for many of my contacts in the ZIP+4 format (e.g. 99999-1234). However, the field for ZIP codes does not allow any character except numbers.  Without being able to add a dash it makes it difficult to read (e.g 999991234).

I would have thought that it would auto-format the number they way it does for phone numbers.  Is there anyway to have the default Contacts program accept ZIP+4 ZIP code format?  Are there any alternative Contacts programs that provide the correct formatting for ZIP+4?  Is the Contacts program standard across manufacturers (e.g. part of the OS)?


texts: Is it safe to disable Network Location process?

texts:
I only use GPS in case of navigation and not the others methods(determine location using wireless networks); so is it safe that I disable 'Network Location' process? this process spawn three other processes named:

com.google.process.gapps
com.google.process.location
com.google.android.gms.persistent


texts: Why is my Samsung Galaxy S constantly dropping its wifi connection?

texts:
When I attach my Galaxy S to my home wifi network it will stay connected for about 1-2 minutes. After this the wifi icon will be enabled, however no connection seems to actually be there.

I've tried a few wifi re-enablers on the marketplace but they haven't been successful.


texts: Security: how to prevent USB mounting of mobile device

texts:
I am running Android KitKat 4.4.2 on a Samsung Galaxy SIII Neo. As a security measure I would like to prevent my phone being automatically mounted whenever I attach a USB cable from my mobile device to a PC. This way if someone steals my device they will not be able to read or copy files stored on my mobile device. However I am not sure how to turn this feature on or off.

I have read this post but I actually have USB debugging enabled under Settings | General | Developer Options. But the answer found there does not seem to apply to my device.


texts: command line text editor for android lollipop terminal emulator

texts: Is there any text editor for lollipop which i can use from terminal emulator??The editor must be like gedit or notepad like (means i can create any kind of file like .txt .c .cpp .html etc)I have used mobipad which resembles notepad but I want something for command shell.


texts: What part of Android is responsible for reporting how much battery an app uses?

texts:
In Android Marshmallow (and maybe earlier versions), you can go to App Info and see how much battery an app has used. If you click into it, it shows much how much CPU it's used as well as keep awake and network usage. The last line on the view shows "Computed power usage".

What part of the OS calculates this power usage? If "Computed power usage" is coming up as 0-1mAh regardless of usage, where would a developer go to fix it?


texts: How can I access a shared Drive directory?

texts: I have a shared link to a Google Drive directory,  and I would like to browse it without having to open my browser, accesing the link, click a document and select to open it in Drive app. It is possible for the Drive app to do this and how?


texts:
I am using an automation app that should start automatically on device (re)start. But it's not happening. I've checked all permissions and everything is granted. My device is Vodafone smart e9. The same app is working perfectly in Optus phone.
I checked the logs of my Vodafone smart e9 using
adb logcat -e com.demo.example

and found the following line:
06-11 11:48:38.622   816   832 I ActivityManager: validNewProc app: com.demo.example in a low used freqency mode, so do not need fork new process

I searched everywhere but couldn't find any helpful information.


texts: How to permanently remove a particular Chrome notification from Android mobile phone?

texts:
I visited a website yesterday. Today, a notification popups every time my mobile phone is rebooted, showing me that website (it is grouped under "Social digest"). However, when I click on that notification, it only takes me to Chrome but not to that website.

How to permanently remove this notification?


texts: Installing web browser in Android Wear Emulator

texts: How can we install a web browser like Chrome / others in an emulator of Android Wear?


texts: When one selects the option to share a file on Android 5.1, there is list of apps populated by the OS.  Is the order of the list populated by Android based on most used apps? I have noticed this keeps changing time and time again. Can anyone help out as to what is the default criteria of order of this list populated by android. Thanks.


texts: HTC ONE X: The process "com.android.phone" has stopped?

texts:
I have just brought a Second had HTC ONE X from an auction site,

When booting up the phone it works fine, with no sim card.

However I have a 2degrees (New Zealand) Micro SIM which is a snapper sim I.E. it has a java applet on the sim to work with NFC as a payment method, when I insert the SIM I get a few seconds later.

  The process com.android.phone has stopped.

I have no cell reception, and, in the settings for "Mobile Network" It has:

  Disconnected because service is unavailable

The process then proceeds to crash again every ~30 seconds. Often displaying the quick notification

  Preparing Sim Card...

The Sim toolkit usually displays:

  SIM Toolkit is not ready or is unsupported.

But the one time I did manage to get into it, it did say it was 2degrees.

I have a custom ROM installed, when I brought the phone it came with a custom ROM, thinking that was going to be the issue I have reflashed it with a different rom, with the same symptoms.

I attempted to log what was going on using logcat, but it got 5K+ entries in a few seconds with the majority seemingly important, so this is viewable here: https://gist.github.com/3977367

Below is my device.txt from logcat

build.board=unknown
build.brand=htc_europe
build.cpu_abi=armeabi-v7a
build.device=endeavoru
build.display=IMM76D
build.fingerprint=htc_europe/endeavoru/endeavoru:4.0.4/IMM76D/89015.2:user/release-keys
build.host=ABM041
build.id=IMM76D
build.manufacturer=HTC
build.model=HTC One X
build.product=endeavoru
build.tags=release-keys
build.time=1344347715000
build.type=user
build.user=root
version.codename=REL
version.incremental=89015.2
version.release=4.0.4
version.sdk_int=15


texts:
my phone is a samsung galaxy s4 I9505

after a little use e.g. browsing, scrolling through the phone,  the top part of the phone gets pretty warm which is where the cpu is

the top part of the phone also gets quite warm when charging but the battery remains cold

in all instances the top part of the phone gets very warm

I have seen the display s4 s in a shop and they don't even get a little warm

is this a hardware problem, should I get a replacement


texts: How to change default username in Google Play?

texts: I'm stuck to this problem. I used to have a google account which is now deleted and not existent anymore. I have a new Google account. The problem is that in my Android device when I have to go to Google Play, the default username is the old one. How can I change it?


texts: How do I unlock my Nexus 5 without touching the screen to back up my pictures and videos before re-setting?

texts: My touch screen won't work at all and if I have to replace the screen,is it going to reset my phone. OR I just might buy a new phone, but to get my pictures and videos, I need to get my phone unlocked.


texts: How do I switch off loading of pictures in Chrome for Android?

texts:
In the Android browser one could switch off loading of images to save bandwith, battery and time when the images were not needed.

There seems to be no obvious way to do this under Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Chrome now that it has replaced the old browser.

Does anybody know a way?


texts: A problem with finding apps in the market on the Phone

texts: I want to install the app Where. But when I did the same search in the Android Market app on my phone, I couldn't find this app. Since my phone does not have service, I cannot install this app through the Android Market website. Does anybody know why this app does not show up on the phone? How can I install this app in this case? I couldn't find its apk file either. Thank you.


texts: Not able to flash/factory reset Galaxy Nexus.; restores to one particular backup every reboot

texts:
My Galaxy Nexus will not factory reset. I tried to flash many images. I deleted the gallery contacts, but it restores to a restore point on each reboot.

Currently, it is having "yakju-jzo54k". I am getting an OTA update. After downloading and updating, it is going to recovery mode with red caution sign. Then, it reboots after sometime. Again, a restore point is restored (with my old pics and contacts).

I tried Wug's Nexus toolkit, flashing it with a rooted boot.img, and deleting many files. Still, the old backup was still restored.

It's became a big headache now. So, any help is appreciated.


texts: Google Keyboard crashing caused by latin input

texts:
PAC ROM 4.4.4 SGS3 & N7

Google Keyboard keeps crashing with this stack trace:

java.lang.RuntimeException: Error receiving broadcast Intent
{ act=android.intent.action.PACKAGE_ADDEDdat=package:com.snapchat.android flg=0x4000010 (has extras)}
in com.android.inputmethod.latin.DictionaryPacklns1allBroadcastReceiver@43223ccO
at android.app.LoadedApk$ReceiverDispatcher$Args.run(LoadedApk.java:776)
at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:733)
at android.os.Handler.dispatehMessage(Handler.java:95)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5158)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
at com.android.internal.os.Zygotelnit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(Zygotelnit.java:732)
at com.android.internal.os.Zygotelnit.main(Zygotelnit.java:566)
at de.robv.android.xposed.XposedBridge.main(XposedBridge.java:132)
at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
at com.android.inputmethod.latin.DictionaryPacklnstallBroadcastReceiver.onReceive(DictionaryPacklnstallBroadcastReceiver.java:91)
at android.app.LoadedApk$ReceiverDispatcher$Args.run(LoadedApk.java:766)
... 10 more

This stack trace seems, that it crashes after all updates / app installs.


texts: How do I make sure my notes and highlights from Google Play Books are saved when I factory reset my Android phone?

texts: I need to unlock my Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, Android ver. 4.2.2, and I'm not sure if the notes I took on my books using the Play Books app will still be there after the reset. I need all those notes for school and it would take forever to copy them all down.


texts: Does using an OpenVPN in conjunction with XprivacyLua %100 prevent an app from knowing anything about the Wi-Fi I'm connected to?

texts: Let's say I don't want an app to know the network I'm connected to, would using an OpenVPN app and restricting everything for the app on XprivacyLua be as good as using a different Wi-Fi connection than the one I don't want it to know about?


texts: SignIn to Youtube (Android App) with Gmail but without adding Account

texts:
I want to Sign-In to YouTube Mobile App on Android phone with Gmail Account but without adding the Account to Phones Account list , cause if I add the Account to phone then the account also shows up in the Gmail App which I don't want. I have a separate Gmail Account for Email and Sync and I have a separate account for YouTube which I don't want to be listed anywhere in phone except in YouTube App.

Is there a way to to Sign-In to YouTube App using Gmail account but not adding the whole account to Phone.


texts: I am unable to record digital audio (e.g. from a computer or another phone) with my Android device. I have plugged in a TRRS audio and mic splitter and plugged that into my phone, and used a male-to-male cable to connect my source device to the mic input. It can be seen that the built-in mic is not recording, but all it records is static, no matter the gain level. How can I get this to work?


texts: New Galaxy S5 , Youtube is draining battery by 10 - 15%?

texts: I recently got my S5 and when I look in the battery settings I see that youtube is draining a lot of my battery. I couldnt greenify it and I don't know what to do. Sometimes it goes up to 22%


texts: Access files of Android device without the login code

texts:
Long story short. The father of a friend of mine died and he asked me if I could have a look at the father's phone to see if there might be any images or other stuff he might find relevant. The problem however, is that it is locked and no-one in his family knows the code.
I thought of a few ways to tackle this, but most of them require USB debugging to be enabled (which it is not), so stuff like ADB or so is impossible (or is it?).
Then I thought of the program Autopsy, which we used in school to scan an entire device. However, back then, the image of the device was handed to us. I understand I could use the program dd to copy an raw image, however, is it possible to do so on a locked Android device which is not rooted?
Any other suggestions to how I can solve this? Thanks!


texts: I have a S7 edge. When I plug it into my pc it reads 2 separate volumes under phone, 32gb for S7 and 128 for sd. I'm able to freely transfer data between the phone's internal storage and the sd card and the computer. Then I went ahead and turned on the adoptable storage on my device. I then plugged my phone back into the computer but now it only reads 32gb of internal(phone) storage only, not the additional 128gb=160gb. I unplugged my phone from the computer and went into the device storage. It showed that I had 138gb(22gb was already being used by the device). Then the phone asked me if I was ready to migrate data from the internal storage to the sd. I wasn't sure what to do so. I didn't want to migrate data then not be able to access them through my pc or laptop so I canceled then reformatted the sd card as a external storage. I want to turn on adoptable storage but need to know why when I first attempted to do so my pc only saw 32gb instead of 160gb(32gb+128)? Was I suppose to migrate data in order for it to read 160gb? Is it normal for my pc to only see 32gb on the device but will still be able to access ALL of my data through my pc or will it only see the 32gb and whatever the phone decides to store on the sd will only be visible on the phone. One final question...if I'm only able to transfer files from the actual 32gb on the phone will I be able to transfer the other files,data stored on the sd through NFC or Bluetooth?


texts: Is it possible to add a feature from app to another through .xml editing?

texts:
So I had just discovered this keyboard app called the Multiling O Keyboard which is very useful, but one thing I hate about it is that, it doesn't have the permanent notification feature which the Hacker's Keyboard has.
So is it possible to add the Hacker's Keyboard's permanent notification feature to Multiling O Keyboard?
This feature will help me open the soft keyboard even without textfield to write into like the Hacker's Keyboard.
PS. I'm not good in coding, I just want a decent keyboard for myself.


texts: Is there another way for apps to stop being killed in the background?

texts:
I have a android 10 and I have tried whitelisting the app and it didn't work, I tried RUN_ANY_IN_BACKGROUND that didn't work, and tried WAKE_LOCK allow that didn't work. Is there another way. Also, tried don'tkillmyapps that didn't work either.
FYI: I know the commands that I talked about looks incomplete I just typed it like that to make it shorter so you can get the gist of it.


texts: How does Cloud message services reach devices behind NAT / firewall?

texts:
Getting push notifications with devices with a local IP works fine. I just wonder how is that it works.
Is it just uPnP? The device starts communication with the cloud messaging service and then IGD kicks in? So the mapping remains
Does the push notification client keeps a constant connection to the cloud server? I would like to think that is not the case.

I am interested specifically in how the push notification knows how to reach the device given it is behind a NAT or firewall. Is there a scenario where Google push notifications would not be able to reach a device?


texts: Android Email application dropping profile

texts:
I use my Android with Microsoft Exchange for synchronizing my work email. Every few weeks or so, when I click on 'Email' it asks me to setup my email profile again.

It also stops me from sending photos via Email, etc.

Any idea whats causing this to happen? Usually I end up deleting the profile and recreating, but that sucks.


texts: adb appops command error trying to disable vibration for a specific app in Android 10

texts:
Referring to this excellent Q&A:
How to determine which app is causing vibration?
I opened an adb shell and ran:
for pkg in $(pm list packages | sed 's/package://')
do
    echo "$pkg $(appops get $pkg VIBRATE)" | grep 'time=+[0-9]*s'
done

which resulted in:
tesmath.calcy VIBRATE: allow; time=+11s553ms ago; duration=-18585d23h50m2s991ms

I then ran:
appops set tesmath.calcy VIBRATE ignore

but it resulted in the error:
appops set tesmath.calcy VIBRATE: inaccessible or not found

How can the app initiate vibrations but yet this adb command doesn't successfully disable them in my Android 10 device?


texts: Hibernate apps, but have them wake up periodically for a short time

texts:
Many of us Android users have probably already heard of Greenify – an app that can automatically hibernate apps as soon as you turn off the screen. That even works while keeping their GCM functionality working – so whenever a cloud message for them comes in, they get awake again.

Unfortunately, that wakeup only works with GCM. Now I want to hibernate a non-GCM app, but have it awaken in intervalls (eg. de-hibernate it all 30 min for 1 min, then auto-hibernate it again).

Is this possible – and if so, how?

My device is rooted, the XPosed framework is installed, and tasker available as well – so solutions involving one or more of those criteria are perfectly welcome as well.


texts: Restore phone and keep whatsapp number after changing sim

texts:
I am going to restore my phone and I want to keep my whatsapp number.
The thing  is, after restoring I am going to use a new number.
Restoring my phone means I will have to reinstall whatsapp, then I will be asked to verify phone number. My old SIM is not working anymore.
What should I do to keep my old whatsapp number?

I am using samsung galaxy nexus android version 4.2.1


texts: Playstore stuck on downloading apps, cannot install anything

texts:
I can't install apps. All my phone does is to show the installation progress-bar, but nothing else: it never does download.

I've already rebooted my phone and took my SD card and my battery out. And it still it doesn't work.

I have 4g/LTE data, the device is an Alcatel one touch pop asrto. How can I fix this issue?


texts: How Do I Activate 4G LTE Only On Samsung Galaxy A5(2016)

texts:
I use Samsung Galaxy A5(2016) and have just upgraded the firmware to Android 6.0 (Mashmallow). The phone supports 4G but the option to set it there is LTE/3G/2G (auto connect) on Network mode.

How do I get the phone to use 4G only?

P.S.
I have tried *#0011# and have entered Q0000 as answered here but it is not working.


texts: Is there a way to easily record a phone conversation in-progress?

texts:
I do not own an Android device. I was thinking about getting one, and an important feature for me is the ability to record a phone conversation which is in progress - meaning, while I am in the middle of a conversation, I could touch a button which will save a two-sided audio recording of that conversation from the moment onward.

I am aware that recording a conversation I am participating in without notifying the other members is illegal in some places - I have already checked this and have verified that it is completely legal in my country.

Is there is such a functionality in Android, through core features or available applications?

EDIT:

I prefer a solution which does not notify the other side of the recording, though it's not a must.
I need a solution which works in any country.


texts: Is there a way to export/share "favourite" gallery images?

texts:
I have selected a few hundred images as "favourite" in the stock Galaxy S3 Photo Gallery app. I can view these photos by tapping on the "Albums" drop down and choosing "Favourites". Once in this view I can open individual images or start a slideshow. There is no multi-select option like in "albums" view which allows for bulk sharing of images.

Does anybody know a novel way to export/share all favourite images?

I have tried other gallery apps in the hope they shared the "favourite" database but each has their own. AirDroid also does not have a "show favourites" option.

Or does anybody know if the list of favourite images can be exported from some sqlite database and I can script out the file names for copying?

Thanks!


texts: What does the "Save password to Google?" do?

texts:
I'm on Android 10 and and after installing the Uber App, I get the "Save password to Google?" prompt. But since I'm a not a huge fan of the Google megapoly, I'm reluctant to say yes, when I have no idea where my password will end up.
What does the "Save password to Google?" actually do? (and where is it saved?)


texts: I am using Yu Yureka Mobile. I want to connect my mobile to system in office through reverse tethering. My Yureka Mobile was running on Cyanogen Mod 12.1 with Kernel version 3.10.49-cyanogenmod-gbca6118. Can anyone help me how to perform reverse tethering on my device?


texts: How can I retrieve data from an Epic 4G without a working screen?

texts:
My epic 4g served me well for 10 months before the screen died out on me. I bought a new one and would like to transfer data from my old phone to my new phone, however, it seems impossible when the old phone has no screen to work with.

Any suggestions on how to retrieve this data and get it on a computer?


texts: MotoG5s encryption switch "on" but doesn't ask for pin on restart

texts:
I've had encryption turned on on my MotoG5s since I bought it last year. It used to ask for a pin every time it was turned on and at every restart.

Since updating to 7.x.x (currently on 7.1.1) it's never asked for this pin but the switch in settings says encryption is on.

Do people think my phone is encrypted? How can I check?


texts:
I am interested in using CyanogenMod 14.1 on my Nexus 6, but since it is not available even in the form of an official Nightly release just yet, I have to acquire it elsewhere. As always, there are third party developers who have compiled their own builds of it, but since they are not directly from the source, I do not trust them, and would rather build it myself. I started researching how to build CyanogenMod for the Nexus 6 on the CyanogenMod Wiki and I managed to get everything done until I ran into the proprietary blobs. According to the Wiki, I need to be already running a version of CyanogenMod containing containing the blobs that I need. How exactly can I do this, given that there is no official release of CyanogenMod 14.1, nor is there even an Android 7.0.1 release for me to use instead? Is it possible for me to use the Nexus 6 stock blobs from Android 7.0.0 build NBD90Z? If not, how can I go about making the blobs "work" with CM 14.1? Even after I get the blobs, I am not sure what I am supposed to do with them.

Edit: Apparently I have other problems as well. The Wiki states that I should cd into ~/android/system/device/moto/shamu, but that folder does not exist in my repository. Why is that?


texts: Changed date is not persisted after rebooting

texts:
Assume today is August 26.

I want to change the date to April 6, so I change the date in settings.

But the date is not changed after rebooting.

Can you let me know that reason?


texts: How can I copy Whatsapp data on Blustacks to my new PC

texts: I have bought a new laptop because I'm travelling to another province(state) and I will be there for 6 months and I can't leave with my PC. I want to know how can I copy the contacts and messages from Whatsapp on my Blustacks from my PC.


texts: What are android folders myrecord/acrosspromote?

texts:
Moto G, android 4.4.4
What are the folder and its subfolder:  myrecord/acrosspromote/? which app creates them?
in the subfolder I have some weird files like cachedAcrossPromotespec.txt, in its text this file makes references to "u.best.sex".
Must be publicity for a free app.


texts: Factory Reset Android Developer Phone without password

texts:
I used to have an Android developer phone (an ancient HTC Innovation) that I recently gave to a friend. Now we're trying to unlock it so he can use it. We put in the unlock password too many times, so now the phone is asking us for my Google password, even if we turn the phone on and off again. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't have Internet access and I changed my Google account password since the last time I used the phone, so I have no idea what password to put in to unlock it.

How can we unlock or factory reset the phone so my friend can use it?


texts: I just found this App (Battery Repair) on the Google Play Store, my question is how can it make my battery last longer. What optimazions are they doing? Has anyone tested this tool, does it work?


texts:
How can I use a dark theme for all webpages on Chrome for Android?

I don't mean having a dark theme for only the Google chrome UI (which can be done via Settings, Theme, Dark Mode) but also the webpages themselves, so this can be done with https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/morpheon-dark/mafbdhjdkjnoafhfelkjpchpaepjknad?hl=en on Google Chrome for desktop.

Example of website with no dark theme:


texts: How can I regenerate .thumbnails folder in DCIM

texts:
I accidentally deleted the contents of .thumbnails folder in DCIM in sdcard. After deleting it I am unable to access MediaStore.Images.Thumbnails._ID however MediaStore.Images.Media.DATA is having all the images. How do I regenerate thumbnails in the .thumbnails folder to get the details of MediaStore.Images.Thumbnails._ID?

I initially had the idea that the gallery app in Android generates thumbnails in the .thumbnails folder so what I did was clear the cache of gallery app. Unmounted the sdcard and mounted it again in the hope that .thumbnail folder will have all the thumbnails when I relaunch the app

I am using HTC One V(Android version 4.0)


texts: How do i make a new photo album on my HTC Hero S

texts: I have Astro File Manager, but i still cant figure out how to create a new album in my Gallery.  If there is any way, can someone please help me out?


texts: Is it better to charge your battery above 50% or let it go down, technically speaking?

texts:
Following up on this question:
Is it better, when the battery is at 40% to let it drop (use the phone until it's 30% for example) or to let it charge to 70%?
As far as I understand 50% is the "ideal" situation, but is it better to be "overcharged" or "undercharged" (for maximum life of the battery)?


texts: World Of Tanks Blitz is not on Google Play Store

texts: I am very new to Android ecosystem.  I can't seem to locate this game title on Play Store.  Should it be on Google Play Store?


texts:
I am using an Android phone with Root access. I have an app called App Quarantine ROOT/FREEZE, which can freeze or quarantine unwanted apps in Android. I mistakenly use this app to quarantine the Launcher.

As soon as I quarantine the Launcher, the Android desktop becomes black. When I try to reboot, it stuck at the boot up screen with logo.

How to recover an Android phone if the Launcher has been mistakenly quarantined? How to recover the Launcher?


texts: Are there any risks to rooting a device?

texts:
I see lots of tutorials telling me how to root my phone (Motorola Droid), but none of them mention any potential "side effects."

Aside from a few relatively minor issues that seem to require rooting to fix, I'm basically happy with the phone and therefore a little leery of messing with a device that cost me a lot of money and is only a few months old.

Assuming that I'm just talking about rooting, and none of the typical post-root actions (like installing a custom ROM), am I taking any risks by choosing to root?

Does it have the potential to brick the device?
Will it void my warranty?
Will I stop getting updates?
Will the cops show up at my front door the next day? (Yes, I'm being facetious.)
Anything else I should be aware of?

(See also: Are there any risks to flashing a ROM?)


texts: Invalid sim card/no sim card inserted error

texts:
So I will do my best to explain what's been happening and what I have attempted to fix the issue.  First off, I have a g3 us990 under US Cellular running octos marshmallow (custom ROM) along with TWRP and have been for well over a year.

Last week I noticed I had no signal in my phone and a message on the lock screen saying invalid card.  I have been able to temporarily fix it anywhere from 30 mins to a day where it then would stop and show the message again and texting/calling would stop working.  I have tried restarting it(random if it would fix it or not), reinserting the sim card(found sometimes the no sim card is inserted error would show up), factory resetting(same as restarting), restoring from a back up(still nothing), and I have even went out and got a new sim card and activated it to see if that was it.

My next plan of action is to restore back to stock using the LG flash tool.  But I feel that won't work either.  Another idea of mine was purchasing a new sim card reader off eBay and doing some soldering, but I want that to be a last resort.

So at this point I am thinking it is the sim card reader in some way, but I would figure that if it was the sim card reader, it wouldn't work at all.  I'm hoping someone that has had experience with this before knows a fix or any other ideas on what to do because I am just about out of them.


texts: Looking for TTS APP to Use Phone Interactively

texts:
I am speech impaired and trying to find an APP that I can use on my phone using TTS and can have active conversation without having to go through a 3rd party.  There are plenty of APPs for the TTS but I have not been able to find one that I can incorporate into actually speaking (me texting) to a live person.

Currently I am using "TALK" APP from Google Play Store just to use phone and TTS and communicate with someone I am face-to-face with but would like to do same thing via phone. If anyone knows of such an APP or a way I can accomplish with multiple APPs, any help would be appreciated.


texts: Chrome getfileattachment download failed due to missing sd card

texts:
I am running Android 7.0 on a Huawei P8 lite 2017 (brand new)
Every time I try to download a file from Google Chrome I get the error message:
"getfileattachment download failed due to missing sd card".

What I know right now:
1) The SD card works (Pictures from the camera are saved there)
2) I tried the workarounds consisting in force stopping chrome, denying and reenabling permission, and clearing cache as shown on several youtube videos such as this and this
3) Gmail can download attachments (it stores them on the internal memory, though).
4) When I first inserted my SD card, I received a warning that the card is old and this might result in suboptimal performances.

Can someone help me?


texts: Samsung GS4 SCH-I545 broken after attempting twrp custom recovery

texts:
I recently rooted my phone but was unable to find a custom recovery.  I just found this post which I followed.  If you don't want to click on the link it basically says to put a .img recovery file on your phone and run android terminal to install with this code:

su

dd if=/sdcard/twrp.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21

After doing this the phone shows this message: secure fail: kernel  along with a larger message start up fail and it tells me to use verizon software repair assistant.  That doesn't work.

What can I do?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Installing TWRP on locked Sony Z3 Compact D5803

texts:
I was googling that for ages and couldn't find any decent solution.

I have locked Sony Z3 Compact [D5803] and I need to install TWRP and backup the current OS.

I CAN use flashtool to install custom files that had been downloaded from xperiFirm but it seems like impossible mission to root it afterwards :)

I was also trying this article here :

https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/recovery-root-mm-575-lb-t3418714

...without any success.


texts:
My old Moto G 1st generation fell and broke, and I've just bought a new Moto E (2nd generation). It looks like the Motorola Migration app copied all my data. Almost my apps are being reinstalled (I've tried to delete some unused ones before migrating, but are being installed anyway).

The only thing missing is my Home Screen, with my icons organization and widgets. Is there an easy way to do it? Or I must reorganize everything by hand?


texts: Is there a list of android system status bar icons?

texts:
I'm not sure what some of the status bar icons mean on my Android Nexus 5 device (I'm referring to the icons in top right of screen, adjacent to the time). I've googled frequently but I keep getting back a list of icons to use in app development.

I'm looking for a list of the system status bar icons and an explanation of the meaning of that icon. I'm interested specifically in the vanilla Android Lollipop OS on Nexus.


texts:
Hi I have got Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.

I have downloaded Samsung's high quality British English TTS engine and set it as "Preferred TTS engine" From Settings -> MyDevice -> Accessibility -> Text-to-speech options -> Samsung text-to-speech engine -> Languages

However when I use Google's Navigation app, it still uses Google's TTS engine.

Furthermore I actually disabled google's TTS engine so it is not present at TTS options, the problem still persists!

The only thing that I have discovered is if I change preferred language from English UK to English US, then TTS engine changes in Google's Navigation App from Google's English UK to English US!

I thought the problem is at Samsung's TTS Engine. So I downloaded Ivona TTS Engine and tried same languages and experiencing same problems with that too.

Is there a solution for this stubborn Google's Navigation app's voice?


texts:
Recently, muy phone has had several instances of instant battery level drop; not as in quick drain, but rather, immediate drop. I've been able to document these two occurrences :

Between the first and second occurrence, I uninstalled apps that were using data on the background (such as games and whatnot), I monitored the battery usage per application, disabled unused applications, and used motorola's app battery optimization. And while doing all that did in fact improved my overall battery life, that didn't prevent it from "spontaneously" dropping to near 0%.

Also, I  noticed  that in both cases, there was a slight increment in battery level, before dying (It was charging but I had to unplug it to attend a call).

Finally, there was no significant phone or battery heating that I could perceive.

Another sympton, although I'm unsure this is related in any way, is that my phone turned off, as if battery completely depleted, while having battery level at 15:

I've tried wiping my cache partition, and hasn't occurred since; however, I think that this might be purely coincidental.

My phone information:

I have not been able to find this question repeated here on SE.

Any further needed information I can provide, please ask.

Regards.


texts: How to update/upgrade any phone to Android 4.4

texts:
Variations on this question appear to be a common unanswered question; often they have a comment or two that I don't understand. I'm hoping someone can answer with some general background information, the concepts.

E.g. I see reference to "rooting". Do I need to root a phone before I can upgrade it? I've had previous Android phones that got auto-updated (either by the carrier or manufacturer: I just find a message that says: "a new update has been downloaded, click here to install"), and I didn't need to root them.

E.g. Can any smartphone be upgraded to Android 4.4? If not why not? And why might a manufacturer not want users to update their phones? Are some manufacturers more open to having phones updated, and some not? Does anyone keep a list of "upgrade-hostile" manufacturers?

E.g. does the phone being sim-locked (to a specific carrier) matter?

I'm not going to say what my phone is because that will distract from the more general answers I'm after.


texts: Contacts app: What does the small colored green or orange circle above the account icons mean?

texts:
On my Samsung Galaxy SIII when I view my contacts list in the Contacts application each contact entry has a list of small icons on the lower-right hand side corresponding to accounts where that contact is listed such as Skype, Google, WhatsApp, etc... as
shown on the following screenshot (contact pictures and names have been scribbled
out for privacy reasons, click to enlarge):

Above the list of account icons, for some contacts either a green circle with a white circumference or an orange circle with two white clock hands and a white circumference appears in the upper-right hand corner of the contact entry in the list. Obviously green means available, and orange means away, but I am unable to figure out which of the three applications Google, Skype, WhatsApp, other, or whichever this dot corresponds to. First I thought that if the green dot was above the skype icon, then the contact was available on skype, but the last time I checked one of my contacts was associated with only one account,
namely skype, but when I logged into skype the contact was offline.
Can someone please help me figure out what the green or orange dots in the upper-right hand corner of contact entries in the Contact application mean?
Thanks.


texts: HP Slate 21 Won't Boot and Recovery Doesn't Work

texts:
My stock HP Slate no longer boots.  It stops at the HP logo / Powered by Android splash screen.  I've tried all of the solutions typically available to this device like resetting with the power turned off button combination.  I've tried all the options (start, Recovery Mode and Restart BootLoader) but they all freeze on the same splash screen.

I now have a really nice brick.  Any suggestions / recommendations on what I can do to restore or recover this device?


texts: What it takes to update nightly CM12.1 in TWRP?

texts:
I want to install the latest cm12.1 nightly update, but I am worried about doing something wrong.

The .zip file is already downloaded. My recovery mode is TWRP and I would like to know if I need to wipe, clear, or do something like that in TWRP options.

Thanks!


texts: Android browser: how to revoke ssl permission on a single site after giving it?

texts:
I'm building a website under ssl certificate. It just works on desktops but android browser argues that the ssl authority is not trustworthy. So to see the staging site I told it to just consider it trustworthy. Now it doesn't complain anymore.

But now I have to find a way to make the browser not complain for the ssl authority with any user, but I have no way to test the changes I'm doing, because now the browser considers the site ok. I want to set it back to original settings and get it complain again :) I cannot find a way, it seems I have no access to ssl/websites exeptions.


texts: How do I enable multilingual suggestions in GBoard

texts:
I switched to a different phone recently and had to install all the apps anew.

I am bilingual and I used GBoard (Google Keyboard) on both, and on the old one I had it configured in such a way that it would automatically treat both languages I speak as one, so as I typed it would suggest words from both languages, even in the same sentence.

I can't figure out how to get that feature back on the new phone. It only ever suggests English words. How can I make it suggest words in both languages?

In GBoard settings -> Languages I have both languages installed and on both I have Multilingual typing enabled. Still it seems to make no difference


texts: use Android as real Gamepad (Not keyboard mapping)

texts:
I've tested quite a few apps that let you use your Android as a real gamepad, but all of them just map you Android to your keyboard.
I wanted it to be recognized as a really controller, to be able to play multiplayer games locally with friends because i don't have any controller. Is there any way to do this? I don't have controllers for everyone nor do i have the money to by 4 controllers, i'm trying to find an alternative.


texts:
I know there is "No Lock Screen", which is a great musthave app that I have been using for months on all the devices I own. My friends/relatives love it too.

My only problem with it it's that I cannot switch to "Swipe" instead of no password. Since I have an LG, I unlock the screen with double tap. But accisental input also happened with my other Android phone.

So it would be cool if I could just rotate between swipe - pin/pass - no lock screens.

Ps: the app "No Lock Screen" works by using Device Administrator privileges. I have checked the 4.4 API and it is only possible to set no pass, or pass.
However I have root and Xposed on all my phones.


texts: Internet Usage on Samsung Galaxy Ace 5830.

texts: My provider gives my 3GB of data and I don't know how to find out how much I have used or have left.  Where can I find this information


texts: How to block/disable Snapchat's in-app web browser?

texts:
In snapchat, if you type into a chat a website URL you can then access snapchat's browser. For personal reasons, I've taken the time to remove my phones browser via rooting so that I can't access the web. However, I really enjoy snapchat and don't want to have the temptation of using the internet at any point via snapchat.

I can't find any settings to block it. The only way I can think of blocking websites is via the hosts file, but it only works for individual sites; I want to have no access whatsoever via the snapchat browser.

Any suggestions on how to do this?


texts: Transfer Boom Beach account to another Android device

texts:
I had Boom Beach on my phone and I have leveled up a lot. Now I wanted to download it and continue to play it on my tablet. I thought I had signed into my Google Play account on my Boom Beach on my phone, but I hadn't. When I went to sign in on my tablet, it saved the new game on my tablet instead of transferring the game info I had on my phone.

How to sign out of Boom Beach on my tablet so I can sign into it on my phone?


texts: Is a Bluetooth laser Rangefinder seen as a keyboard?

texts:
I could not find the information online. There are many laser Rangefinder that comes with Bluetooth and an application. But I wonder if those device are/could be seen like a regular keyboard. I mean getting a distance will send it to the smartphone as if the user had typed it (what most barcode scanner does).

Is it the most common behavior ? Does only some of them do that? Or not any?

I'm working on a webapp and getting dimensions from real world directly into the app would be nice.

Please answer only if you have seen one working. Thx.


texts: How can I set notifications for gmail on the new version of the gmail app (2.3.5.2)

texts:
I recently installed CM7.1 (stable version for SGS).  This has a new version of the gmail app (2.3.5.2).  Unlike previous versions, this has no control for notifications.  I like my mail to arrive silently, with nothing more than an icon in the notification bar.  Now, however, I have no visible option to turn off the notification for gmail.

Is there any way to disable notifications for the gmail app?


texts: Can I use USB gamepad without any setup?

texts:
I connected USB gamepad to my tablet.

I noticed that software like Tincore KeyMapper requires root access to connect to this gamepad.
This type of software recognizes all buttons, but asks me to map these buttons to screen areas.

Can I use a gamepad without mapping buttons to screen?
Do games support this mode?
Do I need to download some piece of software that will ask root access for these games?


texts: Trying to root Galaxy SIII Mini (Canadian) SM-G730W8 for additional language support

texts:
I bought an S3 Mini in Canada, but have noticed that I do not have a language option for Portuguese.  I have done some research, and found that it is likely that the Portuguese language is included on the ROM, but is not accessible with my carriers version of Android.  I can modify some language xml and config files in order to enable access as per this link http://www.pcwired.com/2013/07/how-to-add-international-languages-into-settings-on-android-samsung-galaxy-s4

However, the problem is that I need root access to do this, and there isn't a confirmed root for the Canadian version of the phone as there is with AT&T and Verizon versions of the S3 Mini.

Can anyone give me some advice on how to enable Portuguese language on this phone either through a rooting method that will work, or through another approach?

Am I out of luck until there is a root?  I am disappointed that the carrier would hide this language as an option when it is, as I understand, already baked into the ROM.


texts: Getting "OK Google" to play music from non-downloaded songs in Google Play Music Library?

texts:
I have many songs uploaded to my Music library on Google Play Music, but don't download more than a few of them to my Google Pixel.

When I say "Ok Google, play _____", my phone will instead try to play a related station from the app, before stopping and saying that option is for subscribers only, of which I am not. Is there a way to get the Pixel to directly stream it from my Music Library where I've uploaded my owned music via voice command, and not the music station in the app?


texts: How do I stop my phone from disconnecting from discord calls?

texts:
My phone is a LG K40+ and sometimes when I'm on a call with my boyfriend it'll disconnect from the call. The quality is fine so I don't think it's an internet issue. I'm not very technically literate so please be super specific with instructions if you can help, I'm kinda stupid.
Edit: I'm connected via Wifi


texts: Can Facebook Messenger read screen contents?

texts: The Facebook Messenger offers this nice little feature called 'chat heads'. For that, it requests the permission to overlay everything. However, i read somewhere about the fact, that it can also see what is displayed on the screen. Can you tell me if that is true?


texts:
I have a Cubot X20 pro phone which runs Android 9 Pie.
Previously no probs connecting to Nissan car and my wife’s Peugeot (and Panasonic house phone )by Bluetooth. Now unable to connect to new Nissan (but still connected to wife’s Peugeot). Wife’s has iPhone and no connection issues.
When trying to pair, on the Cubot I get a message “unable to pair due to incorrect passkey “ and get a random passkey but no way to enter it.
I have cleared the Bluetooth cache and data and restarted the phone numerous times but am getting nowhere. Help would be appreciated.