# Question
Title: Android device not mounting (neither USB nor Blutooth)
I have an Android KitKat 4.4.2 Samsung Galaxy SIII Neo. All was working fine, and I could mount the device and copy files from the device to my Windows 7 PC. Now when I disconnect or insert the USB cable to my Android device I hear the ta-da, ra-ra sounds, and the hard drive LED on my Sony VAIO PC goes orange and then blinks orange for a while, but the Computer location in `explorer.exe` does not show my device as it used to (a folder used to connect also used to pop up). And when I try to connect via `fsquirt.exe` on the PC and click "Receive files" and on my Blutooth network device I click on the PC name, then the PC shows a number for the pairing, but such number never appears on my device.

So I can connect via neither blutooth, neither USB. Both are enabled at the top of the notification drawer.

What could be wrong here, and what should I do?

# Answer
I ended up having to transfer my files to a temporary directory on Google Drive and download it from Google Chrome to my Desktop and then make use of them from there. Anyways, a couple of days later my Windows 7 OS (Sony VAIO) completely crashed (gray screen). I forced the laptop off with the off switch and after returning to it after a walk and turining it on, it said, `No Operating System found`

So it is possible that the mounting was not working because the computer hard-drive was about to crash.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: usb, file-transfer, usb-drivers, mount, bluetooth-pairing
---


title: Error Sideloading Android L

text:
# Question
Title: Error Sideloading Android L
I am trying to update my Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi to Android 5.0 with `adb sideload`. I get this error:

```
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
E:footer is wrong
E:signature verification failed
Installation aborted.

```

I have the file (razor). It is a .tgz file, so I entered into the command prompt (I opened inside SDK platorm-tools) and ran `adb sideload beaverlog.tgz` and it gave me that error (beaverlog is what I named the file). The instructions also said to do it as a .zip file but I couldn't find a .zip file.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Since you have a .tgz file, I would assume you downloaded the factory image for your device. You cannot use `adb sideload` with those archives. They are not packaged for that. You note in your comment:

> The instructions also said to do it as a .zip

...and the instructions are correct. If you find that your environment is deviating from the stated instructions, then it is quite often an indication that you are not following the process the way it is intended. In this situation, luckily, the recovery system bails out without damaging your device, but in the future it would be a good idea to take some care when attempting to install images to your device.

The top of the factory images page you got the update from has *different instructions* for flashing the contents of the archive. You need to either follow **those** steps or obtain a copy of the update in a .zip format that is compatible with recovery-based installation.

If you intend to use the factory image, the proper steps are:

> **Caution: Flashing a new system image deletes all user data. Be certain to first backup any personal data such as photos.**
>
> 1. Download the appropriate system image for your device below, then unzip it to a safe directory.
> 2. Connect your device to your computer over USB.
> 3. Start the device in fastboot mode with one of the following methods:
>
> * Using the adb tool: With the device powered on, execute:
>
>     ```
>     adb reboot bootloader
>
>     ```
>     * Using a key combo: Turn the device off, then turn it on and immediately hold down the relevant key combination for your device. For example, to put a Nexus 5 ("hammerhead") into fastboot mode, press and hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power as the device begins booting up.
> 4. If necessary, unlock the device's bootloader by running:
>
> ```
> fastboot oem unlock
>
> ```
> 5. The target device will show you a confirmation screen. (This erases all data on the target device.)
> 6. Open a terminal and navigate to the unzipped system image directory.
> 7. Execute the `flash-all` script. This script installs the necessary bootloader, baseband firmware(s), and operating system.

If you are using Windows, you will need third-party software to extract the .tgz archive, because Windows does not support it natively. 7zip is a free (and popular) option.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I had similar issue, my device is hanged in booting, it was displaying "Google" logo and it didn't start.

When I tried to update with "adb sideload", I got following error:

```
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
E:footer is wrong
E:signature verification failed
Installation aborted.

```

Then, I tried using Nexus tool kit.

I believe, it works in unlocked and rooted mobiles only

Please try your luck by following below steps.

1. Install Nexus Root Toolkit ( I used v2.0.5)
2. Connect your device to PC using USB cable. Make sure your drivers are successfully recognized or just click on 'Full driver installation guide - Automatic + Manual)- don't worry about step 2.
3. Choose your device model and Android version ( I had Android 5.1.0 LMY470)
4. Reboot your device to Bootloader menu, Choose Recovery mode (I had Clockwork recovery mode) \> Install zip \> Choose `sideload`.
5. Now, click on `Flash Stock + Unroot` \> ok \> in 'Factory images', choose your required image ( I would recommend don't browse image from PC). In choice section, use "Automatically". In settings section, un-check all. And then click ok. It will download.
6. Once it completes, Nexus toolkit will try to boot to Bootloader menu. Now, you should do it manually by choosing `go back back` \> `advanced` \> `reboot bootloader`.

That's it, it will install new system.

Please note, first bootup will take much time.

---
Tags: adb, rom-flashing, signature-error
---


# Question
Title: Can I use my Android phone as a USB speaker?
I have a Lenovo S850 (non-rooted so far, although I've read some guides and may try it when I find the time). Is there a way to use it as a USB speaker for my PC at work, which doesn't have any speakers. I don't have a wireless network there so that is not an option.

I just want to convert my phone to a speaker with as little work as possible, i. e. plug in USB cable, turn on an app and possibly install something on my PC. Is that possible?

**Edit:** This could be relevant: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Android-5.0-Lollipop-supports-USB-DAC-audio-devices-we-go-ears-on\_id66399 Also there are lots of USB speakers out there. So with my limited knowledge I guess something like this could be done with only the help of an app.

# Answer
I'm not sure if a USB option is possible but someone please correct me if I'm wrong! This uses the headphone jack so it isn't USB but it is still a wired connection. The following **should** work but may be a bit flaky. Plug a headset jack adapter to split the microphone and audio input into the headphone jack of your phone. Then wire a standard audio cable into the microphone jack of your phone from the audio output of your computer. Last, download an application that routes the microphone input to the speaker and turn that on. When you now play audio on your computer, it should be sounded from your phone.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Even though I marked this as answered I feel I need to add that I've managed to do exactly what I wanted with SoundWire and the default internet sharing on my phone as follows:

1. Install and configure SoundWire on PC and phone.
2. Share phone's internet connection via USB.
3. Assuming you already had internet on your PC, you now have 2 network adapters. You need to make sure you are using your old adapter for internet access. As far as I could find to do this you need to change the metric of your default adapter to 1 so that it is the preferred adapter by Windows (Windows 7 in my case).
4. You can check the server IP by typing ipconfig in the command prompt.
5. Connect from the SoundWire app on your phone. You get a message that WiFi is disabled, but it still works fine.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: usb, audio, speaker
---


title: How to disable device encryption?

text:
# Question
Title: How to disable device encryption?
I am using **Samsung Galaxy A7**. Today I encrypted my device and secured it with a password lock. Now I need to permanently decrypt the device but I cant. When I go to settings and try encrypt option there is no option to deactivate it.

# Answer
> 4 votes
The only way to remove encryption on a previously encrypted Android device is to perform a full factory reset. This means wiping out everything, including contents of the /sdcard partition and losing all your media, so make sure to perform a back up first.

Keep in mind that some Android 5.1 devices enforce full device encryption by default. On these devices even factory reset will not remove encryption, as the device will re-encrypt itself upon first boot-up. The only way to override this is with a custom kernel.

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, encryption
---


# Question
Title: How to Delete Lollipop Update From" LG Nexus 5"
My LG Nexus 5 shows a Lollipop update prompt. I do not want this prompt to sit on top of the device.

How do I remove this Notification from the home screen?

# Answer
**Download this app** : 3C Toolbox (from Google Play)
Go to :

> Application Manager \> Apps Tab \> Google Play Services \> Manage Button \> Permissions Button \> Services Tab

then touch : uncheck `update.SystemUpdateService`

Reboot.

There may be another way availabe for doing this, example :

**Go to :**

> `Lollipop Settings > Apps`

and find this Program then, touch for `uncheck Show Notification` if availabe in Lollipop.

hope this help.
> 0 votes

# Answer
When you get the software update notification. Just Long press the notification you will get a small icon "App info". Press on it you will be directed to app settings. Uncheck the show notifications option. You won't get any further notifications about system update..
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, notifications, nexus-5, ota-update
---


# Question
Title: Got connection problems: How to reset wifi stack without factory reset?
I installed CM 5.1.1 and restored a ton of apps with Titanium Backup.

Now my Wifi is bugged: When I enter a known Wifi network the phone connects to the wifi but can't make a real connection (has a '!').
There might be a problem with tethering or priorities:

```
$ netcfg
rmnet_usb0 UP                              10.175.104.107/29  0x00000041
wlan0    UP                               192.168.2.126/24  0x00001043

```

I have to turn off mobile data to get a network connection.

Now I want to learn how to reset the wifi stack to get rid of the problem without starting from scrach. Where is the culprit?

*My setup is a Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE with Optimised CM12.1 by AnteresOne. Xposed and Xprivacy as well as AFWall+ are installed.*

# Answer
> 0 votes
Solution was in my case: **Deactivate AFwall+ 2.0alpha2**. The app caused connection problem.

*A solution that didn't help:* Updating your **modem/non-hlos** to the latest version for your country/carrier.

---
Tags: wi-fi, connection-issues
---


title: samsung s4 extremely hot

text:
# Question
Title: samsung s4 extremely hot
Hi I have a samsung galaxy s4 that is less than a month old

The s4 when idle is around 28°Celsius and around normal usage it's around 32°

The maximum the phone has ever got is 36° by using the street view on Google maps for 5 minutes

Normally when I keep the phone on while charging it gets quite hot so I keep it off it gets hot near the camera/earpiece not the battery

But today by accident I kept it on and after 10 minutes it got so hot that as soon as I held it for more than 2-3 seconds it felt like my hand would burn

The temp app read 39.2°c the hottest it's ever got

Now what I'm worried about is that could the phone getting so hot that it feels like it would burn your hand have done any damage to the phone already

After it cooled down I tested everything and it worked ok

Still worried things could be damaged inside

# Answer
Unless you know for sure it became hotter than what it is designed for, I doubt you phone is damaged. One thing you didn't mention is where this temperature reading comes from ? If it reads the CPU temperature, 40°c is not that hot at all, a typical CPU can usually raise close to 90°c and I'm pretty sure the same is true for a phone CPU.

From my experience, the issue I have encountered on some occasions is that it looks like an application is stuck while using all the CPU resources without the user being aware. When it happens, I'm not using the phone at all and it is just using the battery and getting warm until I notice the heat. Then I usually need to reboot for this issue to be resolved. It doesn't look like my phone was permanently affected by these issues.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, overheating
---


# Question
Title: How to install google play store on AOSPA 5.1 Falcon?
My moto G is rooted. I am just about to instal Paranoid Android from a zip file, but then I'll need google applications. I dont want to install a package with stuff that I dont need. I just simply want the google play store and do the installation of apps from there one by one. How do I do that?

# Answer
> 0 votes
You should be able to flash `gapps` which provides little except Google Play Services and the Play Store (Gmail, Chrome, Google+, etc. are not included). http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google\_Apps

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, motorola-moto-g
---


# Question
Title: Cell Broadcast Function Disappeared on Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.1
Cell Broadcast messages function which is usually here : **messages** -\> **setting** -\> **cb messages** seems to have disappeared on new Samsung phones.

I have Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.1.

Maybe this function is hidden in some other place?

# Answer
Lollipop 5.1. There's an app called "Emergency Alerts" Launch it. Click upper right pop up menu and select "settings" to customize.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, 5.1-lollipop
---


# Question
Title: Old phone to track my bike in case of theft
I have an old galaxy s3, I was thinking of storing it in my bike seat or a lockbox on my bike in case it gets stolen so i can track down my bike. Is there any way of doing this without a sim card(phone works without one) or a sim card without data, just minutes? I live in Canada and the cheapest simcard with a dataplan i can find is 711 speakout for$10 a month. Im looking to spend less than that, anyone have any ideas?

# Answer
> 0 votes
One possible solution would be to use avast! Anti-Theft which allows you to text `1234 LOCATE` to your phone in order to locate it, replacing 1234 with your avast! PIN number.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, sim-card, google-maps, geolocation
---


# Question
Title: "Your phone is too slow" Message that have been shown after every few minutes
An app has been shared from my friends phone. But when I try to open that app, I'm getting "Your phone is too slow" message. After uninstalled the app, I'm still facing the same problem.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try to stop an application that use so much memory in the background by doing :
1. Go to your phone Settings
2. Select "Apps"
3. Select the tab "Running"
4. Click on an app that you don't use it or have a high memory consumption 5. Click stop
Hope this works.
If this method doesn't work, you **might** need to factory reset your phone.
**That's my suggestion**

---
Tags: applications
---


title: How to manually sign into WiFi network?

text:
# Question
Title: How to manually sign into WiFi network?
I'm connecting to a WiFi network that I know show ask me for the username and password in the web browser when I go to access the internet. However it's not doing that when I go into my web browser. I'm sometimes presented with the sign in prompt right when I connect to the network, but not always.

How do I go to the sign in screen?

# Answer
This sounds like a hotspot, not a usual password-protected network. If, once you connect, it doesn't tell you to sign in but you know you must pass the registration for the further access to internet, open any internet page... and it will redirect you to the signing screen, if the network is really protected.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, 5.0-lollipop
---


title: SSHelper Server not reachable

text:
# Question
Title: SSHelper Server not reachable
SSHelper SSH server works very nice on my old Samsung S2. But it does not work on a newer device of my son.

I installed no firewall on the new device. Is there some restriction which does not allow running a server on the android device?

I can't reach the port `2222` and I can't get the device to answer ping requests.

For me SSHelper is the most simple way to transfer files between my linux desktop and the mobile phone.

# Answer
> 1 votes
sshelper works great on my Samsung S5.

In sshelper under the wrench icon you can increase the verbosity of the data logging mode, try increasing that and then pointing your browser to the listed 'ssh server address' and append the 'log server port number' (default :8080). This might give you a clue as to why your having issues.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I am sorry for the noise here. It was a very strange bug in my wifi router. Some devices were reachable, some not. After rebooting the wifi router I was able to connect to the SSHelper server on the android device again.

---
Tags: file-transfer, ssh, firewall
---


# Question
Title: Share Android cell phone network connection over USB OTG to Wifi Android tablet
How do I share my cell phone's network connection with a Wifi tablet? Specifically I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S6 and a Nexus 7.

I bought a USB OTG cable. Which end do I plug the USB into, and which end do I plug the micro USB into?

How do I share my cell phone connection with the Nexus 7? I didn't see a USB setting in either direction for sharing the connection.

Is rooting required?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I would leave a comment but I dont have enough reputation. I found this question and the first answer maybe shows a possible solution posted on xda. For this you need root.

> Download & install a Terminal Emulator on your Android Tablet. Run the Emulator & enter the following commands:
>
> dhcpcd usb1
>
> setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8
>
> The Android Phone from which net connection is to be sourced must be connected via USB Cable & on that phone enable USB Tether.
>
> Now you can access internet on your Android Tablet using your Android Phone as a USB Modem!

I always use Bluetooth to share internet between phone and tablet. A friend of mine has a Nexus 7 too and no problems with Bluetooth. Maybe you can look for a solution to this issues

---
Tags: nexus-7, usb-connection-mode, usb-on-the-go, usb-host-mode, samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


# Question
Title: how do i reset my htc desire 510 when factory/hard reset buttons wont work and i dont have my password?
I have tried holding volume down and power multiple times, i can't access the boot menu. I tried accessing it every way possible with no success. I cant get into the phone to reset because I don't remember the password. How can i reset the phone or get into it somehow?

# Answer
When your phone starts and you connect it to your PC you can restart your phone into bootloader using adb (USB-Debugging has to be enabled).

1. Connect device to PC and be sure that the drivers are installed
2. Download the Android-SDK (it includes adb) or find a stand alone on google
3. navigate to this folder and run `adb devices`
4. when your Device is shown your drivers are correctly installed, if not check this
5. Now run `adb reboot-bootloader` and you are done

If USB-Debugging is disabled you have to try it with the hardware buttons. Remember that you have to press (and hold) the volume-down-button first and then press (and hold) the power-button until the Android images appear. You can also try to remove the battery for a few minutes and try again, sometimes this helps
> 1 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset, htc-desire
---


# Question
Title: Hangouts Error on Android Phone: Cannot connect to the server
I'm getting a "cannot connect to the server" error when I try to use Hangouts on my phone. Every other Google app works. SMS works but not Hangouts messages. All my other devices work with Hangouts messages.

# Answer
It turns out that this issue is due to the restricted background data setting.

Navigate to Settings -\> Data Usage

Find the following apps and make sure "Restrict Background Data" is switched off:

* Hangouts app
* Google Services
* Google Play Store
> 0 votes

# Answer
Go to Settings \> Apps \> swipe right to "All" \> click the menu button of 3 vertical dots \> click on "Reset app preferences".
> -2 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, google-hangouts, att
---


title: Some app keeps turning on mobile data

text:
# Question
Title: Some app keeps turning on mobile data
There is some app that turns on mobile data. I turn it off but on sleep or power up it is back on. It is very annoying and potentially costly since I do not have a data plan. (this seems like an intentional way to rip off consumers... off should mean off)

# Answer
Hi I saw this post and sympathise with the originator. I was using Battery Defender App which worked quite well. However I kept finding mobile data turned on regardless of what I did. This was wasting money for nothing as I just use my wifi at home for internet access etc. I don't need or use this when I am out. I eventually fudged the issue by changing the APN. This worked ok except mobile data was still swithced on all the time doing nothing. In battery defender the app overrides the phone settings and reactivates mobile data. As far as I can tell there is no way of changing this in the app. Hope this helps someone
> 2 votes

# Answer
I found out how to disable mobile data for some apps.

Go to **Settings****Mobile data** (you'll see a list of apps that use Mobile data like Skype, Viber, Whatsapp, and so on) → tap one of them (e.g. Viber) → scroll down to **Disable mobile data** or similar → Tap it and agree to what is mentioned there.

Now you disabled Mobile data for Viber. You might be having lots of apps but the effort pays off! You may limit mobile data usage to `0` since it works too. :)
> 2 votes

# Answer
Apps need a special permission to turn on or off mobile data. There's no built-in way to search for apps that use a particular permission, but you can look at the list of apps in **Settings → Apps**. In the "downloaded" list, if you click on a suspect app, you can see what permissions it uses. The permission you're looking for is "change network connectivity". Any app with that permission might be connecting or disconnecting networks. If you found one in the "downloaded" list, and you don't think it should be allowed to do that, there's a button to uninstall it.

You can also see what permissions each app wants before you install it, in the Play Store's install screen.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I just found a good experimental app that claims to reduce application permissions (including internet)

Its called Permission Manager. Try it and comment on the results.

Also, check your *superuser app log* and look for the app that toggles your internet connection. *Android 2.2 and up* does not allow apps without *root* to toggle your internet connectivity automatically.

Also if you use the official Facebook app, use Greenify to stop it from constantly getting updates and possible turning on your mobile data.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I was having the same problem, and in my case it turned out to be Prey (https://preyproject.com/) which was causing this. It was unexpected behavior as it was working fine all this while before.
> 0 votes

# Answer
If you're rooted I'd just use Greenify and Notification Toggle. Both can be found in the play store and I know notification toggle works, I've used it since it first came out.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, mobile-network
---


# Question
Title: How do I turn off USB tethering or restart USB connection via computer/PC's terminal?
How do I turn off USB tethering or restart USB connection via computer/PC's terminal?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Fastest, foolproof way is just unplug it, that terminates the connection and the service. Otherwise the answer above is useful, or you could just issue adb reboot (assuming you have USB debugging on). Otherwise you'd need to find the PID in your PC operating system and stop that service.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Léo Lam in his answer explained the relevant commands that can be used using `adb shell`.

> Running the following command as root should enable USB tethering:
>
> ```
> service call connectivity 32 i32 1 on Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)
> service call connectivity 33 i32 1 on Jelly Bean (4.1 to 4.3)
> service call connectivity 34 i32 1 on KitKat (4.4)
> service call connectivity 30 i32 1 on Lollipop (5.0)
>
> ```

See further information in his answer.

Setup ADB in PC, enable USB debugging, launch Terminal/CMD in PC and enter:

```
adb shell su -c "<cmd>"

```

Replace "`<cmd>`" with the relevant aforesaid command to enable USB tethering. Change `1` to `0` to disable USB tethering.

E.g. For My Jelly Bean 4.2.1, the commands would be:

* Enable USB tethering

```
adb shell su -c "service call connectivity 33 i32 1"

```
* Disable USB tethering

```
adb shell su -c "service call connectivity 33 i32 0"

```

---
Tags: tethering, terminal, reverse-tether
---


# Question
Title: Forcing landscape orientation when phone is upside down
When lying on the bed with my head on the pillow, I basically can't use my (mi4) phone: if I hold it upright, it goes to regular portrait mode and it's not aligned with my eyes (my head is on the pillow). If held upside down, regular portrait too. If held horizontally (top & bottom of the phone facing the walls) it switches to landscape, still not aligned with my eyes. In fact, it is entirely incompatible with this body/head position.

How is that possible ? Using a phone in this position is incredibly common yet you just can't ! My Lumia 520 (Windows) understood that the phone upside down means the user is lying on his/her bed, head on pillow, thus switched to landscape, so I could watch YT videos and browse websites in landscape.

Anyway, is there an app or anything to, for example, force the phone to stay in landscape when phone is upside-down ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Depending on what version of android/ROM you ate running there should be an option to lock the orientation. It could be in the quick settings in the notification drawer, or settings \> display \> orientation.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I've written an app that can do this. It replaces Android's auto rotation with its own. Get it here. If you disable the *Allow upside-down screen* option, it should work the way you expect.

Keep in mind, though, that this app is really intended to let you use auto rotation while you're on your side, so you might find that it gets in the way if you don't want that functionality.

---
Tags: orientation
---


# Question
Title: Dropbox files won't open, 'Permanent Failure'
Opening files from the Dropbox app seems to always result in a 'Permanent Failure' message. I see that some of the progress bar fills before the error appears. In the past I used Dropbox to view many file types, including JPG, TXT and PDF.

I am googling the problem but I don't see anything specific in the results. I'm wondering if it is due to having too full of an SD card. I will test that shortly.

Device: HTC Incredible (Android 2.3.4), App version: 2.0.1

# Answer
I fixed this by removing data from the SD card. It was nearly full. Freeing up ~1GB of the card solved the problem. It's likely that the application uses some SD card space to open files.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I had the same problem (after the latest update to Dropbox 2.3.8, the other day), however I had 8gb memory left (and some 600mb internal).

I had to uninstall the whole app to make Dropbox work again. With the following steps:

1. Clear cache and remove data
2. Uninstall the app
3. Restart the phone
4. Reinstall the app
5. Files can be opened again...

I also tried to locate the "com.dropbox.android"-folder per the information at the following page (http://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus7/comments/19i7bs/dropbox\_permanent\_failure/), but that was after I had uninstalled the application and I couldn't find the folder (which seems logic).

I am running a HTC Desire Z with Android OS 2.3.3.

Hope this helps!
> 1 votes

# Answer
I resolved this issue by reinstalling the app, but now that I think about it, this might have been caused by the fact that I had changed my password (using the web interface) but never told by phone app the new password.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I had the same problem. It was solved after I unlinked my device from Dropbox (in Dropbox Settings) and then re-linked it.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I had the same message but discovered it was because I was connected to a secure wifi network which didn't like me accessing files from the dropbox app on my HTC one.

Solution:

Disconnected from the wifi and used my 3G on my phone.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I had the same problem and I just cleared the cache and it worked. You can do this in Settings → Apps → Clear cache
> -1 votes

---
Tags: files, dropbox
---


# Question
Title: How to get a confirmation when deleting images?
I just bought the LG G4 (Android Lollipop) and I'm pretty concerned that there's no confirmation "dialog" or something when we delete images in the Gallery.

Something like "Are you sure?". Because now when I press the trash button to delete image, I have like 2 seconds to press Cancel if I don't want my image to be permanently removed.

This can be problematic if I missclick on the screen or if I let someone use my phone...

My step-father used my phone quickly just to check-out, he took a picture then wanted to delete it.. Then I don't know what happened but my previous photos were removed. I think he deleted all the photos by tapping too fast?

Well, I searched everywhere and I didn't find anything to have more security at least.

# Answer
I have a G4, and you're right. The Gallery app doesn't have a confirmation message, just a floating dialog that has an Undo button which disappears after a while.

I'd recommend using another app instead. I use QuickPic. When you click the delete button, a popup with a delete icon appears. It serves as sort of a confirmation message. If you click the button, the picture is deleted. Otherwise, you can just cancel the operation by clicking the soft-key back button.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: gallery, 5.1-lollipop, delete, lg-g4
---


title: Arabic language for HTC 1 M8

text:
# Question
Title: Arabic language for HTC 1 M8
A Syrian guy bought HTC 1 M8, it still new, so I don't know what's the android version but it's the default one. He came to me for help.

He wants the whole system to be translated to Arabic, and that language isn't available. According to this video, if we just force stopped customization settings provider, it will allow us to select the Arabic language from settings.

Is It correct? Is it that simple? Don't I need to root it and stuff? What happens if he restarts the device?

# Answer
I rooted the phone and installed MoreLocale 2, and gave it root permission from SuperSu. If you want another method, you could try this.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: htc, languages, htc-one-m8
---


title: Leap Seconds on Android

text:
# Question
Title: Leap Seconds on Android
A leap second was recently added on June 30, 2015 23:59:60 UTC.

How are leap seconds implemented on Android (specifically Lollipop)?

# Answer
The leap second was not implemented in Lollipop or any other Android version. If you are really concerned with having 'atomic clock' accuracy, use ClockSync, which synchronizes your device's clock with an atomic clock.

If you have root access, this is done automatically. Without root, a countdown assists in you manually synchronizing your clock. That will get you the one second back if you don't have network-provided time.
> 2 votes

# Answer
In Date/Hour Settings page you have a checkbox to enable auto-checking time by the network.

I think it's your mobile operator that gives time. Then the mobile is always up-to-date (time speaking).

I don't think leap seconds are implemented in stock Android if we're not connected on any network.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 5.1-lollipop, clock, date-and-time
---


# Question
Title: How do I open a text file from a terminal window from within the Android GUI?
I'm trying to open a text file from within a terminal window emulator -- but not so it opens in the actual terminal but more like I've just clicked on it.

So my question is: What command can I use to open `/mnt/sdcard/textfile.txt` from a terminal window emulator from ROM Toolbox Lite within the Android GUI so that it will open with any one of my text editing applications? Will I need to run `su` before I can run what ever command? I'd prefer not to, but the device is rooted so I can run `su`.

I'm using Android version 4.0.4.

# Answer
Launching apps in Android isn't straightforward. You'll have to use `am start` combined with certain `<PARAMS>` to launch the app or a particular section of it.

From the comments, it seems that you may want to launch the text file using **ES Note Editor**. In that case, first identify the activity responsible for the edit window you see when the file is opened in the editor using GUI.

**Note:** Tested the solution on Android 4.2, 4.4 and 5.0.

## Instructions

1. Open the file manually in the editor using GUI, and make sure that it stays active on the screen.
2. Connect your phone into PC in debugging mode, setup ADB on PC, and enter into PC's terminal/cmd the commands:

```
adb shell
su
dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity

```

The output may look like:

```
mFocusedActivity: ActivityRecord{42839028 u0 com.estrongs.android.pop/.app.editor.PopNoteEditor}

```

The relevant info (activity) is `.app.editor.PopNoteEditor` and package name is `com.estrongs.android.pop`. You may use the command `dumpsys activity` to see some more useful stuff.

That's just for brief understanding. Keep the whole string (`com.estrongs.android.pop/.app.editor.PopNoteEditor`) ready to be used.
3. You may close the editor on Android. Open your favorite terminal app in Android and enter:

```
su
am start -n <PACKAGE_NAME/ACTIVITY> -d <FILEPATH> --activity-clear-task

```

* `-n` will allow to launch the app's mentioned component.
    * `<PACKAGE_NAME/ACTIVITY>` is the string we noted in step 2. For **ES Note Editor** it would be `com.estrongs.android.pop/.app.editor.PopNoteEditor`.
    * `-d` is to allow data to be passed to the app's activity.
    * `<FILEPATH>` is the location of the text file you want to open.
    * `--activity-clear-task` will make sure that the activity is not launched from "Recents" but from scratch.

(Enter `am start` to dive deeper into interesting stuff.)

In my case, the final query for file `aero.txt` under `/sdcard/airdroid/` looked like:

```
am start -n com.estrongs.android.pop/.app.editor.PopNoteEditor -d file:///sdcard/airdroid/aero.txt --activity-clear-task

```

The file opened successfully.
4. I use QuickEdit Text Editor as default text editor and the relevant query looked like:

```
am start -n com.rhmsoft.edit/.activity.MainActivity -d file:///sdcard/airdroid/nmon.txt --activity-clear-task

```

---

Have fun!
> 3 votes

# Answer
In addition to this answer you can use the following solution which is taken from rohitverma's answer here and noticed in Lucky's comment.

1. ```
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d <FILEPATH> -t text/plain --activity-clear-task

```

It will execute `com.android.internal.app.ResolverActivity` activity of `android` system with all candidates registered for "plain text" available for selection in a dialog.

For my file, the query was and dialog shown were:

```
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d file:///sdcard/airdroid/dd.sh -t text/plain --activity-clear-task

```

.

2. You may use `input keyevent <KEYCODE/KEYNAME>` command to select the app in the dialog. Input events list is available here by LionCoder.

Relevant keyevents are:

```
19 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_UP"
20 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN"
21 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT"
22 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT"

```

And the usage would be like:

```
input keyevent 20

```

or

```
input keyevent KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN

```

Use the combination of them to achieve the goal, and use `66 --> "KEYCODE_ENTER` to simulate "enter".

---

I would still go for this answer if needed. :)
> 2 votes

---
Tags: root-access, terminal, command-line, bash
---


# Question
Title: How do I get sound on sms and NOT on emails?
I just bought S4, came from Iphone 5. Nice phone, but I have a problem with the setup...

"Messages" seems to be both sms and email - so I cant get notifications on ONLY sms without also get notifications on emails.

I use Outlook & Gmail for emails, and the standard "Message" program for sms.

Can anyone help a new Samsund Galaxy S4 user please?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Usually apps that serve notifications provide their own ways of controlling them. You will need to open each app that you want to stop notifications from, open their settings, and look for notifications. There you will have many options including changing the ringtone, frequency, and even turning them off completely.

For example in Gmail app:

1. Tap on the top-left "three lines" icon, then scroll down and tap "Settings".
2. For each account you've added you'll need to tap it, and then modify the Notification settings.
3. To disable notifications altogether - uncheck the "Notifications" option.

The Outlook app should have similar controls for notifications.

For apps that don't provide any way to control notifications, you can completely suppress them via Android's 4.x built-in feature. On the home screen go to Settings -\> Apps -\> All apps, then find & tap the app you wish to silence, and uncheck the "Show notifications" option.

On Android 5.0 and above the per-app notification overrides got more options rather than just a simple on/off toggle. See this site for details. You can long-press on the offending notification and tap the "info" icon to get several options that include privacy features, along with the above mentioned toggle.

---
Tags: notifications
---


title: Are apps device dependent?

text:
# Question
Title: Are apps device dependent?
Are all Android apps device dependent ? Like for example if two different devices run the same version of Android can I interchange the app apk files ? Like the camera app ? **Can I take the camera app of device A and install it in device B ?**

Are the apps made by manufacturers or are they a part of the Android OS ? Like would it be possible for me to the get the Gallery apk of the Jellybean OS if I downloaded their SDK from Google ?

# Answer
> 5 votes
Not all apps are device dependent, but many are. One particular example is, indeed, the camera app, which is often dependent on OS revision, the actual hardware, and the framework the OEM is using (such as Touchwiz on a Samsung device). Many are reliant on the version of Android, although typically this only impacts using on an older version, up to a point.

As well, apps can be either developed separately or part of the system. Just depends on how the manufacturer wants to handle it. But they'll typically, these days, update them separately which then replaces the system app (really it just covers up the old version which remains), so the answer tends to be "a little of both." But if it's something made by the device manufacturer, they WILL lock it to their devices.

However your particular example, of the Gallery app from Jelly Bean, would probably at least partially function on a newer OS. That's based in AOSP, so not device-dependent. Only possible issue is whether it has any conflicts with newer apps on a newer OS.

# Answer
> 2 votes
## The answer is "it depends on the app".

Most of the things you as a user interact with on Android (including the home screen itself) are apps. Android comes with a set of apps created by Google that ensures a basic level of functionality (e.g. Clock, Home, Download manager, web browser, Dialer, Contacts manager, Calendar, SMS/messaging, etc.) These are generally non-removable by users. However, due to Android's open source nature, manufacturers and carriers are able to modify, or completely replace these apps with their own creations.

Apps supplied by the manufacturers are very device-dependent. Most depend on the particular framework that the manufacturer added to "stock" Android. For example, you cannot take Samsung's Camera app from a Galaxy S5 phone and have it work on an LG G3. Even if you manage to install it successfully, it will most likely not start up, or crash, because that app has dependencies on Samsung's TouchWiz framework and libraries that would not be present on LG's, Motorola's, or even stock Google's Nexus lines of devices.

3rd-party apps that you find on the Play Store are created to be compatible with as many devices as possible, because developers usually want as many people as possible to be able to buy and use their apps. You can generally "move" them between vastly different devices without issues, provided they are not restricted by by Android OS version running on the target device. Apps that make use of newer features that became available on certain Android versions will be incompatible with older OS versions. The Play Store app itself handles this, and will not even show you apps that are incompatible with your phone. You can still side-load such apps, but don't expect them to work well or be stable.

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Need help re-rooting my Sprint Note 3 running CM12.1 Nightly 5.1.1
I installed a Nightly build of CM12.1 earlier today, but a few minutes ago when I tried to install an app that requires root access it said I wasn't rooted. For some reason I figured this was a given because I just flashed a custom ROM, but I am no Android developer (yet) and have no idea why it's not rooted. The ROMs that I installed prior to this didn't have this issue. Or it was spelled out in the install for me and I don't remember re-rooting them after I installed them. Either way, I need help with a method of rooting my Sprint Note 3 now and believe I need to use a specific tool or app to do so, and do not want to have to remove CM12.1 5.1.1 to do it (if at all possible). I also didn't want to run the wrong tool and screw up my phone because it was the wrong version of Odin (or whatever app I need to re-root). I'm pretty sure I have to use something specific to 5.1.1 but again, I'm no developer or heavy ROM flasher. If someone is a pro with Cyanogen ROMs I could really use some expert advice here. Thanks in advance!

# Answer
> 1 votes
Enable developer options and in developer options menu you will find an option

> enable root access

If not download supersu zip file and flash it via recovery and you will get back root access.Flashing latest supersu willnot affect the data.So no need to worry about data loss at all.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I just got a live CM12.1 update that (I thought) completely fixed this issue, but it's still happening. The root works when I first flash it but for some reason it stops after a while and, **even with the root option enabled in the developer settings**. I read on a different forum that the SuperUser app is no longer needed for the latest versions of their ROM, and thought that it was what was screwing up my root, but I didn't install it after last flash and it's still not working.

Update: I *thought* that I resolved the issue but it's still happening. Is anyone else using on a Sprint Note 3 using CM12.1 5.1.1 nightly and experiencing the same issue? It's getting really frustrating. Whenever I try to do certain things, like try to run Root Checker or Greenify, CM12.1 soft reboots. I know it has something to do with the root-access but can't for the life of me fix the issue.

# Answer
> 0 votes
My friend..I had the same issue and I fixed it right away.. Here's the trick: download the supersu zip file(I have the beta), go to the developer settings and switch on Advance Reboot..Then go back to the home screen.. Press the power bottom..it should give you a pop-up window where you can choose to reboot into recovery: Choose It..then in recovery mode.. Install the supersu zip you were downloaded and then install it..Reboot your phone and check root checker. It should work.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, root-access, samsung-galaxy-note-3, 5.1-lollipop, sprint
---


title: Apps compatibility on Android x86

text:
# Question
Title: Apps compatibility on Android x86
I have a few questions about normal devices (non-x86) and x86 devices:

1. Why, sometimes, an app that isn't designed for x86 devices works, but sometimes it just crashes when starting them?
2. I've seen a lot of rooting apps (e.g. Xmodgames) that don't support x86. Why is that?

# Answer
The answer for questions 1 and 2 is that some apps on Android are compiled purely in Java/Dalvik bytecode, and others are compiled as native C/C++. Since Dalvik bytecode is not native, it has separate interpreters for different architectures. However, since C/C++ native apps and libraries are compiled for a specific architecture, they can be run only on the specific architecture.

Since most of the rooting apps use exploits of the Android system, they need to be compiled in C. This prevents them from being universally used, and require them to be recompiled for each architecture.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: applications, android-x86
---


# Question
Title: How can I enable auto-rotate for the home screen?
I have a "handset" with Android 2.3.4, and the "flip" feature works for every app and screen, except the desktop. That is, if I flip my phone any screen or app will flip too, yet the desktop remains fixed. There was an exception when I was playing a game and I pressed the home button: there the desktop was flipped, but it seems it was "forced" to flip by the game. How can I make it flip like any other app or screen?

# Answer
> 8 votes
If it doesn't work out of the box, which is the case with many Android phones, then you have a few different options:

# Answer
> 1 votes
*Old question, but this answer is relevant for other Android versions.*

---

I suffer from the similar problem in my Android 4.2.1 where all apps would follow auto-rotation except the home screen (default Launcher app). I found a solution mentioned here and here.

The device needs to be rooted and Xposed Framework installed. App Settings is the app that did the job in my device.

## Instructions

1. Install, activate and launch **App Settings**.
2. Locate and select your default launcher app → slide to **ON**.
3. Change **Orientation** to `Normal rotation` if you want orientation to be synced with auto-rotation, or choose other ones based on your needs.
4. Tap "save" icon next to **ON** to save settings.
5. Go back to Launcher, and as per your settings you will notice the orientation in it.

Default Launcher in landscape mode with auto-rotation

App drawer in landscape mode with auto-rotation

---

We're good to go!

---
Tags: home-screen, auto-rotation, sony-xperia-neo-v
---


# Question
Title: Modify settings parameters through database
I have been able to successfully modify and update the settings in the Android phone using ADB commands such as these..

Enable GPRS data:

```
adb shell sqlite3 -batch /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db "update system SET value='1' where name='gprs_connection_setting'";

```

Enable GPS :

```
adb shell sqlite3 -batch /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db "update secure SET value='gps' where name='location_providers_allowed'";

```

While these were successful, I couldn't find the database or xml where the option for enabling disable data while roaming can be modified. I have been trying with many databases one after another with no luck. Can anyone help me in pointing the database or xml which gets modified (from the settings are taken) for the data roaming setting:

Screenshot of Roaming Option

# Answer
> 1 votes
**Note:** This answer is tested on Android 4.2.1.

---

To enable data roaming for default SIM, enter:

```
adb shell settings put global data_roaming 1

```

Changes would take effect immediately. Note that for a dual SIM phone, change the key to `data_roaming_2` if roaming has to be toggled for SIM2.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Use this command:

```
adb shell sqlite3 -batch /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db "update system SET value='1' where name='data_roaming'";

```

---
Tags: settings, sqlite
---


title: Samsung S4 Screen Problem

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung S4 Screen Problem
I dropped my phone face down not to hard on the floor, the battery came out and when I put the battery back in, the screen was showing then turned into certain blocks of the screen showing then only to the top part of the screen showing. I have tried restarting, putting battery out then in. Any suggestions?

# Answer
> 0 votes
My guess is that the underlying hardware that makes the screen run is damaged. In a touchscreen, or all monitors in general, a complex series of wires sends electrical impulses to the individual led diodes (a set of Red, Green, Blue is called a pixel). If one of the main wires became damaged or loosened, it will seriously mess up the screen's viewing output.

Judging by the color difference in your photo, the only part receiving signals from the graphics unit is above a defined line (is that a crack? If so, that is most likely where a breaking event could have occurred).

Since it fell down hard enough to eject the battery, the internal components most likely suffered some damage. If you have a service provider, they might be able to look at your phone in more detail and tell you exactly where the issue is and how (if possible) to fix it.

Best of luck!

---
Tags: samsung, broken-screen
---


title: samsung phone gets hot

text:
# Question
Title: samsung phone gets hot
I have a Samsung s4 which easily gets hot even when doing light things and being on power saver mode, low brightness etc I've also tried factory reset

I'm on stock android 4.4

I've installed a temp app and initially the temperature is 26 Celsius and about 29 when browsing internet and about 35 when playing a game it gets hot on top of phone near earpiece

is this normal?

# Answer
May be this can work for you. Reformat your micro SD card. Some users have reported that media server can cause the phone to overheat. Save a copy of your files in your microSD card to your computer then reformat if.

Go to Menu Select Settings Tap More Select Storage Touch Format SD card Review the message and touch Format SD card Tap Delete all Remove then reinsert the microSD card afterwards.

If the problem continues, this means that you have a phone defect causing it.For more details you can refer Samsung India site.
> 0 votes

# Answer
If it get really warm (greater than 35C) try Clean Master (like reachrk suggested) and Battery Doctor.

Clean Master will clear the RAM, which when loaded will cause the CPU to overheat dramatically trying to process all the data. Battery Doctor will close all background apps, limiting power consumption and thus reducing heat generation.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, samsung
---


title: Toggle "Unknown Sources" with Tasker

text:
# Question
Title: Toggle "Unknown Sources" with Tasker
Is it possible to toggle the **Unknown Source** setting with Tasker? I couldn't find such a setting. I also tried the **Secure Settings** Plugin there is also no action for this.

What I want to achieve is to set this setting ***on*** when I start the Amazon AppStore and switch it ***off*** when I close it again.

Samsung Galaxy Note, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

# Answer
This can't be done in a totally automated fashion, as indicated by the accepted answer to this StackOverflow question. Basically, it's against the Android security model to allow `Unknown Sources` to be changed programmatically.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I think AutoShortcut can do the trick:

> AutoShortcut is a plugin for Tasker or Locale that allows you to run any of your installed apps' shortcuts.
> 0 votes

# Answer
The device seems rooted because Secure Settings is mentioned. I have v1.3.6 installed and it does allow toggling "Unknown sources".

All you have to do in Tasker is:

1. Create App context profile and choose **Amazon Appstore** or your favorite app.
2. To enable **Unknown sources** when **Appstore** is launched:

* Create a task with action as **Plugin → Secure Settings**:

    + Under **Configuration**, go to **System+ Actions →Unknown Sources → On**, and save it.
    * Alternatively, if **Secure Settings** still doesn't have such option then create an action as **Code → Run Shell**, and type:

    + **Command**: `settings put global install_non_market_apps 1`
        + Check **Use Root**

    Explanation:

    + `settings` would update `settings.db` database file (part of `com.android.providers.settings`).
        + `global` is the table which holds the key (`install_non_market_apps`) responsible for toggling **Unknown Sources**.
3. To disable **Unknown sources** when **Appstore** is closed:

More or less, once the **Appstore** is closed you'll come back to home screen (default Launcher). In that case:

1. Create App context profile and choose your default launcher.
    2. Create a task with action as **Plugin → Secure Settings**:

    * Under **Configuration**, go to **System+ Actions →Unknown Sources → Off**, and save it.

    Or, alternatively, create an action as **Code → Run Shell**, and type:

    * **Command**: `settings put global install_non_market_apps 0`
        * Check **Use Root**

---

Your objective is now completed! Launch your **Appstore** and **Unknown sources** would get enabled. Come back to Launcher and **Unknown sources** would get disabled.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: settings, tasker, unknown-sources
---


# Question
Title: How to customize the quick settings drop-down menu in android 4.2?
As of title, is there any way to customize the quick settings grid available in Android 4.2 ? This feature has potential, but in most cases it does not take advantage of the screen size.

# Answer
Currently I can only find customization options through mods or other updates to the ROM. For example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1999125

It would really be great if stock Android 4.2 would provide functionality to add tiles, re-order tiles or change the function of long/short taps on tiles. This issue has some of those feature enhancement requests: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=40285
> 9 votes

# Answer
This can be done in Android 4.1.2 especially in Samsung Galaxy Note 2. `Settings-> Display-> Notification Panel`. Then drag and adjust required combinations.
> 1 votes

# Answer
If there's still anyone interested in getting the answer, the best I know is by using Notification Toggle by j4velin. It can be customized to display toggles(Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) or to launch apps.
> 1 votes

# Answer
My stock Android 4.2 and 4.4 devices doesn't allow Quick Settings customization. To customize it, I had to settle with Gravitybox \[JB\] which needs Xposed Framework and root access.

My initial stock Quick Settings were more or less similar to the one you posted. After my favorite tweaks it looks like (see an app's icon too):

The usage is simple. You install, activate, launch this app → **Statusbar tweaks → QuickSettings management** and do the tweaks as per your needs.

And don't worry regarding it's description related to Mediatek devices only. It works on Qualcomm ones as well.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: settings, 4.2-jelly-bean, customization, quick-settings
---


# Question
Title: Add work email address to Gmail on an Android device
I want to install my work email address on gmail on an Android device. The device is a Samsung 10" with Lollipop 5.1.1. Gmail version is 5.3.9xxxxxx. Following this:
Gmail 5.0 With Exchange Support And Material Design Has Landed | Android Police
it shows 3 options, the last being "Exchange". My device has only the first 2 options. Why

# Answer
> 2 votes
The `Exchange` option is only available for users with the `Exchange Services` package installed. Unfortunately, this package doesn't come installed on all Android phones (as far as I know, only the Nexus devices come with it preinstalled) and isn't available on the Play Store. However, I did find a link where the apk file can be downloaded from. After installation, the `Exchange` option should appear when attempting to add an account (reboot possibly required).

---

Disclaimer: I myself have a Nexus device and already had the package installed. I have not attempted to use the link included in this answer and cannot vouch for its safety.

---
Tags: email, gmail, exchange
---


title: Facebook Messenger always crashing

text:
# Question
Title: Facebook Messenger always crashing
I have a Dell Venue 8 tablet with Android 4.4.2. Today the Facebook Messenger application started to crash whenever I try to open it.

The crash doesn't happen in my phone (a Moto G running Android 4.4.4 and the same version of the FB messenger). From what I understand, libhoudini.so is the ARM emulation layer (this tablet is a x86 device).

No other apps (not even the main Facebook app) seem to present the problem.

I tried cleaning its cache/data and uninstalling/reinstalling it but didn't work. What else besides resetting the device can I try?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Well (almost 1 year later), apparently this doesn't happen anymore. I installed Messenger back a while ago and haven't had any crashes.

---
Tags: crashes, facebook-messenger
---


title: Browser keeps refreshing tabs

text:
# Question
Title: Browser keeps refreshing tabs
I have a LG V480 (1GB RAM; LG Lollipop 5.0.2), when switching from one tab to another tab which was loaded before, it will reload it.

Example: 3 tabs with 3 websites, everytime i switch tab it will reload the tab i switch to. Video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjEGnTxsj3c

Its very annoying, if i had written this question on the tablet and for some reason i clicked in another tab, when returning to the question, i had to write all over again! Its not multitasked, its time/bandwidth wasting. Also tried to set to default the tablet, but the issue remains.

Tried with Chrome (preferred one), Firefox, Opera, some others browsers, and all behaves like this, some better, other worse.

How can i solve this issue?

# Answer
Definitely those tabs are just getting killed. Remember that in Chrome, page renderers run in separate processes for security. Once a renderer process has been put into background, the system is free to kill it. According to https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=98332, the issue with over-aggressive process killing should be resolved in the 5.1 update. Hopefully, LG will release this update for V480 soon.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, browser
---


# Question
Title: How to recalibrate the OS for an external battery?
I recently bought an external non-standard 7000 mAh battery for my Samsung Galaxy S3 but the phone doesn't seem to recognize it. Is it possible that the phone needs to be reconfigured or recalibrated so as to recognize the difference in the battery capacity?

# Answer
That is most definitely an INTERNAL batery, and I am also curious as to what you mean by "doesn't seem to recognize it". I'm not sure how you could install that externally as you imply. Did you follow the manufacturer directions EXACTLY? Did you charge it completely before powering yor device on? I am most curious becouse I plan to purchase the s5 version of the same battery. I'll try to keep you posted as to my results.

This is the most complete calibration method that I could find. I hope this helps.

How to format a new Li-Ion battery.

1. Plug in the charger but leave the phone off. charge your phone until the the charge is 'full' not just 100%. Then at least on the first charge leave it another 30 minutes to an hour to make sure it is full/full.
2. Unplug, and pull out the battery. You need to press and hold the power button for 1 minute to discharge any current left in your phone. This current is needed to store data in your phone’s RAM. If there is any corrupt data in the RAM it will stay there even if the phone is off as long as current is still available. In reality, even if you press and hold the power button for a mere 30 seconds the current will be discharged. It is however best to do it for a longer period of time just to make sure.
3. Put the battery back in and boot in recovery mode using the following method.
4. While phone is off Hold down the Home and Volume Up keys.
5. Press and hold the Power button while still holding the other keys.
6. As soon as you see the Samsung logo, release all keys/buttons (May need to continue holding volume up and home).
7. When blue screen appears use the Volume Down key to scroll down to Wipe Cache Partition. (Wipe dalvik as well if possible)
8. Press the Power button to select it.
9. Press the Volume down button to highlight "Yes" and press the Power Button to select it.
10. Wait for a few minutes for the phone to clear the data.
11. Then press the Power button to select reboot system now. Wait for your phone to reboot.
12. Connect the phone to the charger with the phone powered on, and allow the phone to charge until it shows "full".
13. Disconnect the phone from the charger, and power it off.
14. Pull out the battery. You need to press and hold the power button for 1 minute to discharge any current left in your phone. This current is needed to store data in your phone’s RAM. If there is any corrupt data in the RAM it will stay there even if the phone is off as long as current is still available. In reality, even if you press and hold the power button for a mere 30 seconds the current will be discharged. It is however best to do it for a longer period of time just to make sure.
15. Reconnect the phone to the charger with the phone powered off, and allow the phone to charge until the battery indicator shows "full".
16. Disconnect the phone, power it on, and use it.
17. Use the phone till it shuts off by itself due to exhausted battery. (1st time ONLY, turn on and drain battery until phone shuts down \[repeat until you are unable to turn the phone on- this step is very important because we need to drain the battery completely\]) -Charge till "full" before turning back on.
18. Repeat step 17 - 6× for ZeroLemon, or high capacity battery (3× for standard battery). (This step takes DAYS.)

* You should only use this sequence one time.

Note: The easiest way to calibrate your battery is to allow it to fully discharged (until it turns itself off), then plug in the charger but leave the phone off. Charge it until "full" while the phone is off. When it hits "battery full", unplug it and turn it on.

* Recommend is do not continually drain battery below 10%, battery calibrates itself via onchip. Generally, using the phone for a week will recalibrate it. Previous steps are only recommended for a new battery.
* Personal suggestion is do NOT repeat step 17 any more than the manufacturer recomends. Completely discharging, or keeping a Li-Ion battery at "full" charge WILL place undo stress on the "chemical" battery and reduce longevity.
* Also it does seem to make sense to get the most accurate possible reads for 100% AND 0%, especially with a new high capacity battery.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: battery, charging
---


# Question
Title: How to disable captive portal detection? How to remove exclamation mark on Wi-Fi or signal icon in Lollipop?
When connected to the Internet, the system checks if it's in a walled garden, which is simply trying to connect to Google. If it fails, in Android 5, there'll be an exclamation mark on the WiFi icon or signal icon.

In some situations, this is annoying. Say, in China, Google is blocked, the exclamation mark will always be there, which is meaningless.

How can I disable this check, and make the system assume, connected WiFi/mobile data is connected Internet?

# Answer
It's simple. In the terminal (requires root), or in `adb shell` (does not require root), issue the command

```
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

```

and reboot. It should be disabled. The existing state can also be verified via the command

```
settings get global captive_portal_detection_enabled

```

A response of "null" indicates the global key value has not been set and Android will fall back to default of being on and performing the detection. If the detection is disabled the response of "0" will be received.

More info: Android : How to remove “captive portal” detection on android 4.2.2 and 4.3

It also works in 5.
> 34 votes

# Answer
In the Android M Developer Preview for Shamu (Nexus 6), and possibly other builds of this OS, the `captive_portal_server global` is used by the OS regardless of the state of `captive_portal_detection_enabled` in order to determine health of a WiFi network.

For WiFi networks, it will not only draw an exclamation mark on the strength icon, it will blacklist that SSID from auto-reconnecting if it does not successfully `curl` the URL specified in the the `captive_portal_server global` via that SSID. Manual reconnection is allowed but will only remain connected if you have `captive_portal_detection_enabled` and choose "Use This Network As-Is" manually, each time you connect to that WiFi SSID. This override is temporary.

For mobile provider networks, the `captive_portal_server` is only used to draw an exclamation mark on the strength icon but will remain connected, and traffic will flow if the connection is functional.

On your rooted device, the solution is to re-enable `captive_portal_detection_enabled` if you have disabled it, connect to that WiFi network, select "Use This Network As-Is" from the drop down menu in the captive portal pop-up, disable your mobile network data to focus on determining a website that can be retrieved via your Wifi network by logging in to your captive portal and then use a browser to find one that works. After that, you can disable `captive_portal_detection_enabled` to prevent the annoying pop-up.

To reenable your `captive_portal_detection`, if you previously disabled it, issue the command:

```
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 1

```

Disable your Mobile Network (under Settings - Data Usage - Mobile Data - Off), to force the phone to use the WiFi network for all traffic, temporarily. This will not be required once you have all of your settings where they need to be.

Android M seems to require a website that loads successfully and does not actively return a 204 (no content).

A couple of options include but are not limited to

```
androidcheck.kiritostudio.com
captive.apple.com
www.textise.net
the network router
localhost
127.0.0.1 (if you have an onboard simple HTTP server)
and the list goes on...

```

After finding one that works for your WiFi Network (often requires more imagination and attempts behind corporate web gateway proxies that do not like HTTPS traffic prior to authentication), you can save the server.

Save the server by running this in your root enabled terminal app, replacing the example URL with the one you are hoping will work:

```
settings put global captive_portal_server androidcheck.kiritostudio.com

```

Restart your device. Try it out. Once you are happy with the behavior of the Exclamation Marks on the icons, the final step is to disable the captive portal pop-up, which is one of the most unfortunate inventions of this decade.

Issue command:

```
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

```

If you find yourself in a different country or WiFi situation where issues arise, unfortunately you will need to repeat the above from the beginning, reenabling `captive_portal_detection_enabled`, restarting, finding the right server and then disabling the portal detection afterwards.
> 14 votes

# Answer
You can setup your captive portal server address to it.

```
settings put global captive_portal_server g.cn

```

Then, restart your phone.

PS: Before that, you can validate the server is available.

http://g.cn/generate\_204
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, 5.0-lollipop, networking, mobile-network, captive-portal
---


# Question
Title: Can't change security settings due to VPN setup
This appears to be a duplicate of this post, but the solution there didn't work for me. Clearing the credential storage wasn't even an option -- it's greyed out.

Starting at the beginning -- I started to set up a VPN on my phone (Note 3, Android 5.0) but cancelled the operation halfway through, yet the OS still enforced the security settings (a PIN). I have tried a few things trying to disable the PIN lock, but the only option I have is to upgrade the security to a "password" which is even more unacceptable.

So far, I've tried finishing the VPN setup (it worked) then removing it, also force stop/disable of the VPN app, and quite a few other things that I can't recall at this moment.

I think part of the issue is that a certificate was installed when I started the process, but I have no idea which certificate it was. The System cert list is populated with tons of entries, but the User cert list is completely empty. Is there a way to determine which certificate was installed so I can remove/disable that one? I'm concerned with choosing the wrong one, as who knows what it might break on the phone.

# Answer
Try this Its an apk that can disable the screen lock. It worked for me on KitKat when I had the same problem. Install it, select launcher and don't mind the icon.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: security, certificates
---


title: How to force-cancel a running download?

text:
# Question
Title: How to force-cancel a running download?
I have started a download using Icon Downloader for NT that doesn't look like it will ever finish. In my notification area, it has survived two reboots and the uninstallation of the app. How can I get rid of it?

# Answer
> 18 votes
Usually if you long press on the downloading item in download manager there's an option to delete it, thus stopping the download.

If this doesn't work you can clear the Download Manager's data.

```
Settings -> Apps -> All Tab -> Download Manager

```

Here press force stop, than clear data. Now reboot.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but I just had the same problem of needing to stop a download and solved the problem by activating Aeroplane Mode.

A less invasive solution and more easily reached in the UI - for anyone else ending up here from Google (like I did :-))

# Answer
> 3 votes
Long press the notification and select "App Info". This will take you to the application which is responsible for the download, which you can then force stop.

# Answer
> 2 votes
In Android 4.4 (KitKat) / Galaxy S5, go to Settings \> Under Applications section \> Application Manager \> All. Look for Download manager. Force stop, Clear data, and Clear cache.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The simple way to cancel a download in Android Lollipop is to disconnect from any internet connection, ie turn off WiFi or mobile data. Another method would be to enable airplane mode; either methods would cause the files to timeout. Then you could delete the partially downloaded file..

Rudy

---
Tags: downloading
---


title: Windows wont recognise android device

text:
# Question
Title: Windows wont recognise android device
I wanted to start afresh completely wipe my Moto x (xt1052) and install "liquidsmooth" rom.

everyone was going well, i went into recovery, wiped the device, and as i tried to push the zip over i was met with the error message "device not found"

I went over to device manager and for some reason windows is recognizing my phone as xt1060 and not xt1052. i believe this is why its probably not being recognised in adb.

I have no idea to fix, my phone is being recognised as another phone so it cant even install right driver...

# Answer
> 0 votes
install drivers for your phone look for drivers at

* your phone manufacturer's website or
* look at your chipset manufacturer's website.

if Driver didn't install properly turn off Driver signature enforcement on windows from boot options

Link for how to disabled Driver signature enforcement

and install drivers reboot your PC plug in your phone

hope that helped cheers !!!

---
Tags: usb, windows, usb-drivers
---


title: Sd and internal the same?

text:
# Question
Title: Sd and internal the same?
Ok so I have a Tesla TTL7 tablet with android version 4.4 and the thing is my current apps take like 1.37 GB and I have 5 GB of space remaining but I still cannot download apps. And as I mentioned in the title it says that my internal and sd memory are the same thing(sd adds space to internal).

# Answer
Storage on SD-card and internal storage are quite different.

> You can save files directly on the device's internal storage. By default, files saved to the internal storage are private to your application and other applications cannot access them (nor can the user). When the user uninstalls your application, these files are removed.
>
> Every Android-compatible device supports a shared "external storage" that you can use to save files. This can be a removable storage media (such as an SD card) or an internal (non-removable) storage. Files saved to the external storage are world-readable and can be modified by the user when they enable USB mass storage to transfer files on a computer.
>
> Caution: External storage can become unavailable if the user mounts the external storage on a computer or removes the media, and there's no security enforced upon files you save to the external storage. All applications can read and write files placed on the external storage and the user can remove them.

This explanaton is given on the Android-Developer-Site
> 0 votes

---
Tags: tablet
---


# Question
Title: What does it mean if I can't find a kernel date?
I want to root my ZTE Grand X Max and it asks if the kernel date is before or after a specific date but when I go and look is has no date by the kernel version (3.4.0). What does that mean? Or do I need to look somewhere else?

# Answer
On Android the Kernel Version is displayed within "Settings | Device". In the details you should also find the date of the build.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: rooting, kernel
---


# Question
Title: How can I change pointer locations setting in developer options from adb shell?
I need to be able to select and deselect "pointer locations" from the developer options menu using adb. `adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.DevelopmentSettings`, but once I'm there I can't figure out how to select and de-select pointer locations.

I tried just using shell keyevent 'xx' to move the focus, but it seems problematic and unreliable. Is there a simple set of commands that will allow me to just jump to the selection?

# Answer
To enable **Pointer locations**, the command is:

```
adb shell settings put system pointer_location 1

```

Change `1` to `0` to disable it.

Enter `adb shell settings` to understand its usage and what the aforesaid command is doing.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: adb, shell
---


# Question
Title: Can my Whatsapp calls and messages be tracked and recorded by my mobile network carrier?
First of all sorry if this is the wrong section cuz I don't know where to post this question :/

I have been using Whatsapp for a while now and I'm wondering if it ever possible for my mobile network carrier to know who am I contacting on Whatsapp and record my call and text?

# Answer
Nothing is utterly IMpossible, but it's certainly improbable. They'd have to carefully monitor every bit of your network traffic, and as WhatsApp encrypts all of their traffic, your carrier would then have to break that encryption which is no small task.

The alternative is for your carrier to have installed some sort of monitoring software on your phone pre-purchase to track all your actions before they even reach WhatsApp. If they're a large provider, we'd all know if they were doing this by now, as the class action suits would be flying. People take their security very seriously and regularly tear apart what's going on inside their phones to ensure they're not being spied on.

So for all practical purposes, no, your carrier doesn't know who you're contacting or what you're doing in WhatsApp. The most they likely know is THAT you're using WhatsApp. No need to worry.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger, carriers
---


title: How can I manage "desktop" icons

text:
# Question
Title: How can I manage "desktop" icons
I want to remove all the icons on the desktop, (and also in the bottom bar) and place new ones via ADB. My script already removes all the apps, but icons/shortcuts remanin there!

Is there any command to do this? Or maybe a xml file or something that I can edit?

Note: I have root access.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The default launcher in my stock Android 4.2.1 and CM12 contains those home screen shortcuts in a table named `favorites` inside `launcher.db`. If that's your case then all you have to do is flush the content from that table, restart the launcher and the stuff would be gone for good.

A general query would be:

```
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/<YOURLAUNCHER>/databases/<.DB_FILE> "DELETE from <TABLE>"'

```

<sub>(Download sqlite3 if it's not present in the system.)</sub>

For my stock launcher in Android 4.2.1, the query would be:

```
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.launcher/databases/launcher.db "DELETE from favorites"'

```

However, you first have to analyze which `.db` file, and which table in particular, actually holds the relevant stuff.

* For that you can use SQLite Editor or aSQLite Manager to locate the relevant database and table. Or, you may `adb pull` all the launcher's database files and open them in an sqlite program on PC like DB Browser for SQLite to find the correct table.
* For a command-line way, you can use this command to list all the tables in a supplied database:

```
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/<YOURLAUNCHER>/databases/<A_DB_FILE>  ".tables"'

```

In order to create shortcuts you first need to know their structure in the table. Use `.schema` then `SELECT * <PARAMS>` to see the content. You can take help (in making a query) from this resource.

However, I would recommend choosing GUI over CLI to see the information about shortcuts. Also, **always take backup before tweaking such stuff**.

Once you're done flushing the table's content, do:

```
adb shell su -c 'am force-stop <PKG_NAME>'

```

E.g.:

```
 adb shell su -c 'am force-stop com.android.launcher'

```

or

```
adb shell su -c 'am force-stop com/cyanogendmod.trebuchet'

```

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try this:

```
adb shell pm clear com.android.launcher

```

(i think it's the unique name of the launcher in 4.4.2, change it if I'm wrong)

---
Tags: adb, launcher, shell, scripts, app-icons
---


# Question
Title: Android 4.4.2 external SD card mount paths and Titanium Backup
I am about to wipe the stock ROM from my LG G3 and put in Resurrection Remix to get 5.1.1. My current stock ROM runs 4.4.2 of Android. In prep I downloaded the GApps and ROM zip files to "/storage/external\_SD". I see them in there just fine.

I also told my Titanium Backup program to backup everything in the system for good measure. It seems to only backup to "/storage/emulated/legacy/TitaniumBackup". That is fine except I want to be completely sure this is going to the external SD card before I go wiping anything.

From what I have read it seems like "/storage/emulated/legacy" may be going to the external SD card. However that is a bit unclear.

Are there simply two partitions on the external SD card? Are both of those paths on the SD card? Is there an easy way to tell?

# Answer
On most phones, `/storage/emulated/legacy`, `/storage/sdcard0`, `/sdcard` points to the internal memory rather than the external SD card (but if you want to be completely sure, open up a Terminal Emulator and type the `mount` command with no arguments).

Titanium Backup does allow changing the backup path though.

1. Open the app → press the Menu button and select **Preferences ...**.
2. Scroll down to find the **Backup folder location** option and select it.
3. In the popup, tap on **Storage provider** and select **Filesystem storage - Ext. SD card** -- this will display the contents of your external SD card
4. Select a folder to choose as your backup location, or choose **Use the current folder** to make **Titanium Backup** save backups onto the root directory of your card.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, backup, external-sd, titanium-backup
---


# Question
Title: Uninstall programs that are not visible in Application manager
I have an Asus Nexus 7 that is full of games that take up all 29 GB of memory. The kids installed these games, and they are not visible in the Application Manager. Perhaps they were installed in a different way. I found an OBB directory that contains a lot of gigantic files with the extension `obb` and names that are related to games, but I'm not sure whether I can delete them without damaging the system. Where I should start to find and remove games?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can use alternative application managers available from the Play store, or even Titanium Backup if you are rooted.

secondly if you are rooted,

1. Download any root explorer,
2. Navigate to /system/app/ or sometimes /system/priv-app/ and manually uninstall by deleting the packages (you may need to delete files from android folder manually eg. obb files)
3. Reboot and you are done (optional)

If none of the above works,

1. Do a backup of apps and data using a backup manager (Recommended: Helium for non root users, Titanium Backup for root users)
2. factory reset the phone, and delete '.androidsecure' and 'Android' folder from external memory if exists.

Voila! you are done!

---
Tags: applications, 5.0-lollipop, file-system
---


# Question
Title: How do I check if I have Cyanogenmod on my phone?
Is it possible to check using shell whether or not Cyanogenmod is installed on a device?

In other words, something like `uname -a` (which tells the system Linux version and architecture).

Can the version be determined as well?

# Answer
I tried to do `uname -a` on my CM10.1 (Samsung Galaxy S2) on the built-in Terminal app.

It returns:

> Linux localhost 3.0.31-CM-g17c7b6e #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Feb 19 01:11:17 PST 2013 armv71 GNU/Linux

Kernel version: `3.0.31-CM-g17c7b6e`
SMP: `Symmetric Multi-Processor support`
PREEMPT: `kernel preemption is enabled`
Kernel date: `Tue Feb 19 01:11:17 PST 2013`
Processor: `armv71`
> 5 votes

# Answer
Another way is to simply go to *Settings→About phone*, where you should see (depending on your CyanogenMod version) an item "CyanogenMod updates", and (with all CM versions) "CyanogenMod-Version":
> 7 votes

# Answer
In my CM12, I can do:

```
adb shell getprop | grep -i cyanogenmod

```

and the result it shows is:

```
[ro.build.host]: [cyanogenmod]
[ro.cmlegal.url]: [https://www.cyanogenmod.org/docs/privacy]
[ro.error.receiver.system.apps]: [org.cyanogenmod.bugreport]
[ro.rommanager.developerid]: [cyanogenmod]

```

If you don't see `cyanogenmod` anywhere then either `build.prop` is deliberately tweaked to not display CM anywhere, or the device isn't running Cyanogenmod at all.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, linux, shell
---


# Question
Title: "Duplicate provider authority" error message when downloading apps
I am trying to download an app on my tablet (running KitKat 4.4) but it keeps coming up with this error saying "duplicate provider authority".

# Answer
> 0 votes
A provider authority appears to be similar to a package name, in that it must be unique<sup> </sup>. Probably, the developer made a mistake when compiling the app, and if you contact them they'll release a fixed version.

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat
---


# Question
Title: How can I use the stock Android settings app on an LG G2?
I've upgraded my LG G2 (AT&T D800) to Lollipop 5.0.2 and have been wanting to try out some new settings/features of the settings app. In particular I've been wishing I had the search feature to find a setting. But alas, LG has some custom settings app that seems to be missing some settings or just has things organized differently so it's hard to follow instructions for changing Lollipop settings.

Does the regular stock Android (AOSP) settings app exist on my phone? Or can I install it somehow?

# Answer
Short answer: You can, but you shouldn't. Install a custom ROM instead.

Long answer: Some features in your stock ROM may be dependant on that ROM's Settings app, because it might contain some preferences that affect them. Your Settings app may be missing some Lollipop settings simply because the ROM doesn't support them. You can try to install the AOSP Settings app, but there's no guarantee it will fully work because of those two issues. A solution to that would be to flash an AOSP (or AOSP-like) ROM, such as CyanogenMod, probably the most popular one out there.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, settings, lg, lg-g2
---


# Question
Title: How do I get SuperSU to update binaries after a reboot after using Ping Pong?
Screen shot of popup after reboot after checking if phone has root. So the "Grant" & "Deny" button at this point are unclickable! Why?Okay so I used the latest Ping Pong root.apk from XDA to root my S6 which worked fine but yet after doing the reboot after rooting with Ping Pong and opening SuperSU it never asked me to update binaries like it's supposed to. Is that why the Root checker app says my phone is not rooted? And how can I fix it? What is causing this? Other people with my model have successfully rooted.

Model of S6 SM-G920W8 OS: 5.0.2

# Answer
The problem is in a different place than you think. Looking at your status bar, you seem to have a screen tint/filter app. For whatever reason, apps like that seem to interfere with system dialogue boxes, such as the SuperSU one from your example, or the package installer. Disable the app temporarily whenever you have to deal with one of those.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


# Question
Title: Is my S6 camera broken? (Two more days to return)
So the rear camera is 16MP with 8x zoom. Everybody has said the camera is awesome except that my S3 photos look better. Here is an 8x zoom photo from the rear camera from my S6: Photo of cupboard from few feet feet away with Auto everything in a regular lighted room with 8x zoom in 16MP

How is this impressive? It's grainy. Is it broken?

# Answer
The zoom on the S6 like most phones is digital zoom. It works the same way as enlarging a photo in your photo editor. Since no extra information is being added, your image quality will suffer at anything over 1x zoom level. This is normal. The image that people are talking about is the one at 1x zoom which is essentially no zoom.

Also image quality can be a subjective thing. Some people like over saturated colors, some don't. Some like high contrast and some don't and the list goes on.

It is unlikely that there is something wrong with your camera. To confirm, go to a store which has a phone on display and take the same pictures with both the cameras and compare.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


title: Region Lock Workaround

text:
# Question
Title: Region Lock Workaround
I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 3 Neo and Galaxy Grand 2 here in Saudi Arabia. I intend to give the latter two as gifts (the Galaxy S5 is mine) to family in the Philippines. I read online that some Samsung devices are region-locked to prevent gray market transactions. Is there any way that I can unlock these devices so that my family and I can use them?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It seems you can get around the region lock by using the phone to make calls for at least 5 minutes using a SIM card obtained in the region where the phone was purchased.

GSM Arena has a post on this.

The article also notes that the region lock is for countries in the Europe region.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-5, samsung-galaxy-note-3, localization
---


title: Android App 30 day expiry

text:
# Question
Title: Android App 30 day expiry
I downloaded an app that had a 30 day trial about 5 months ago and never used it, so uninstalled it. I have downloaded it again and it wont register as it 'sees' it has being installed on the device before...... any thoughts on where the App is getting its information?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Since you have already downloaded the app once it will keep track of your 'Device ID' or even the 'google account' that you used to download the app.

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: How to install a pre-installed device specific app on another device?
I don't know how to explain, so let me give an example,

Suppose I have a samsung device and a HTC device, And I extract the apk file of music application from my HTC device, and install it on my samsung device it does not work.

So is there any way to make application from another manufacturer to work on some other device?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You cant just normally install device specific APKs to some other device (especially from different vendor).

This is because it needs to be **ported**. Device specific apps use styles and layout and classes which are defined in that particular device's framework (in your case HTC). So to use that app in Samsung you will have to pull out all those classes and layouts from HTC into Samsung and merge with code. And this is a very difficult task.

However, if you still want to try your luck, system default APKs dont install like normal APKs. We just push them to `/system/app` and st permissions to `755` or `rw-r-r` and restart phone. This method works regardless of device (but again, I really dont think music app will work even this way. It needs to be ported as told in above paragraph).

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: What causes my Android phone to heat on low signal
I have noticed that 3 of my Android phones heat on low signal (Nexus4, Xperia U, and HTC One) 40~50C. My friend has an iPhone and it doesn't seem to heat as much (30C).

So, why does this happen? Why does low signal drain my battery, and why does it heat too much?

Could it be solved by software? or is it a hardware problem?

# Answer
# Why?

When the phone signals are weak, the android OS *constantly* scan the area thoroughly. This requires more battery power. That's the reason your phone gets *so hot* when you are in areas with poor reception.

# Could it be solved?

That is the reason it is advised to turn flight mode on when you are is low-signal areas to preserve your battery life.

# Is it a hardware problem?

Yes. and that problem is common to all the android devices. So nothing to worry.

# Why not iPhone?

For the comparison with iPhone, the specs of android device of each manufacturer varies from one another whereas it doesn't in apple deceives (Not everybody get to produce a device which can run iOS, thanks to the Apple Inc. patents.) As the android specs vary from device to device, it is highly likely that the battery performance will differ from device to device as well.
> 8 votes

# Answer
Essentially, a lower signal strength will lead you device to use more power that in turn drains your battery faster and causes the device to heat.

The farther away you are from the closest cell tower, more your device needs to put out a higher power level in order to reach the tower. Transmitting at a higher power level requires more energy from the battery.

An elevated power level causes your device to heat in result of the extra effort being conducted.

*If you are in a really weak signal area, try turning off Mobile Data. You can still receive calls and SMS (but not MMS).*
> 4 votes

# Answer
I am also agree with the point mentioned by @Sid When there is no signal or low signal then system continuously scan the network that require more power from battery and it leads to battery heat-up.

That's why it is suggested that keep Airplane Mode off when it is not necessary.
> -1 votes

# Answer
There can be multiple reasons for the phone to heat up. Battery: If the battery is not working fine then the phone may get heated Charging port: If the heat is at the charging port then there may be chances that the charger is at fault. Too much of downloads: If you are used to continuously download something or the other then there are chances of the phone been heated due to excess load on processor No rest even at the time of charging: love to stay connected and not letting the phone charged then you are harming the life of the battery. Loads of apps and widgets that run round the clock- more pressure on phone: uninstall unnecessary load from the phone to avoid excess use of battery and processor Low air flow: keeping the phone in pocket where the airflow is less can also be the reson for phone heat up Phone exposed to moisture: long calls and continuous contact between hand and ear creates sweat on the screen and over exposure to moisture can also be the reason for hardware fault and thus heating up
> -1 votes

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Tags: network-signal, overheating
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# Question
Title: Internet is not working on Moto G2 Sim B
I have 2 SIMs from BSNL and TataDoCoMo. Tata Sim is inserted in Sim A where Internet works very well in home and roaming. Couple of days back I purchased BSNL Sim and inserted it in Sim B but Internet did not work. After all the self troubleshooting & help from BSNL helpline, nothing worked but when I swapped the sims, Internet worked without any hiccups on BSNL sim but stopped working on Tata SIM. Please help....................

# Answer
> 0 votes
This is because Only Sim A has the 3G support , Sim B is not 3G supporting for Moto G2. However you can use 2G in your Sim B

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Tags: internet, motorola-moto-g2, dual-sim
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# Question
Title: How to retrieve data from vault android app
I am using vault android app for hiding my secret data. Unfortunately i have moved every things in Internal memory to External SD card. Now I am able to see my secret documents,photos and videos while opening the vault application. I am able to locate the folder SystemAndroid but i don't know what to do for retrieve my data.please help

# Answer
> -1 votes
go to Systemandroid then MXGKJHzyoi== like folder then .image contains photos and .video contains videos. Hexedit any file from .image folder and find data starting from FFD8 AND FFD9 IS end . and save as jpeg. you can see all images.

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Tags: security
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# Question
Title: Open YouTube's saved offline video (.exo file)
My question is specific to YouTube app's new offline functionality.

I have saved some video from YouTube app on my Android phone. I restored my phone OS due to some problem. But I have files that were downloaded by YouTube app stored on SD Card. Now YouTube is not showing that videos in offline list.

Is there any way by which I can open those files in through YouTube app?

Append

I am just wondering whether youtube uses some config files to store list of downloaded videos. If so can we modify such config files and add those videos to the offline list.

# Answer
> 6 votes
No, currently there is NO way to recover those previously downloaded videos.

**Reason**?

Offline feature rather counts as cache so it's not considered as "your data".

And since you restored phone (assuming it to be "factory-reset"), what it basically does is to wipe the content specially `from the /cache (holding the application cache) and /data (user data and user-installed apps, dalvik cache) partitions.`

**Caution:** You will loose all Downloaded Offline YouTube videos, when you "**Uninstall Updates**" of YouTube App.

I asked similar question HERE when I too found that my offline videos from YouTube Gone Missing!

# Answer
> 8 votes
No there is no way to open the .exo file since it is encrypted and the video file is split into chunks of .exo files. Even if you have one offline video stored in your phone you can find more than one .exo file under `Internal Storage/Android/data/com.youtube.com` directory. They are nothing but the encrypted exo files that can only be opened through the Youtube App. From the xda-developers forum post,

> 1- Google is using EXO file format to save videos. This is apparently a file format used for system files and while we managed to copy these EXO files onto a computer, it can be apparently played only through the YouTube Android app.
>
> 2- When you request a download for an offline video in the YouTube app, the video is downloaded in chunks. For example, a 3-minute file we downloaded was saved in five parts. It is possible that only the YouTube app for Android can make sense of these chunks and join them together.
>
> 3- We also feel there is real-time encryption going on here. When the video is downloaded, not only it is broken into parts but is also converted to EXO format, compressed and encrypted in real time. This has several benefits, the one obvious benefit is that people can't copy-paste the video and share it indiscriminately. The compression, meanwhile, saves space on the disk. For example, the 3-minute long video that we downloaded actually consumed around 40MB data. But when stored on the phone, the video took only around 25mb space.
>
> 4- When a user plays the video, it is decrypted in real time. It is possible that only YouTube's app can do this decryption.
>
> 5- If you share the offline video using Bluetooth, instead of the actual file, a web link to the video is sent to the recipient.

However you may want to look into this Exoplayer Library on Github and see if that helps.

> ExoPlayer is an application level media player for Android. It provides an alternative to Android’s MediaPlayer API for playing audio and video both locally and over the Internet.

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Tags: youtube
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