# Question
Title: Why are there 2 instances of each app on my phone?
I must have done something while I set up my Lenovo K6 (android 7.0) because I see 2 instances of each app one of which has a small blue icon on the bottom right. I also have 2 instances of Google Playstore and several system apps (see photo below).

I went to settings--\>accounts and I found that I had created 2 personal accounts with the same email, one of which had all these apps with the strange icons under it. I proceeded to delete that account but these strange instances of the apps seem to still be there.

What are these duplicate apps and how do I get rid of them?

# Answer
> 1 votes
This seems to be dual app feature of Lenovo and some Xiaomi phones

This enables dual SIM phones to run two instances of an app say WhatsApp and the second instance has an icon as described in the question

You need to go to settings and disable that - Settings → Feature → Dual App Profile (this may not be the exact path depending on OS version but search in settings for dual app)

---
Tags: applications, google-account, 7.0-nougat, lenovo
---


# Question
Title: Where does Google Now get its weather data?
What source/data provider does Google use for its weather data for Google Now (and other services)?

I've checked its forecasts against weather.gov, weather.com, accuweather.com, wunderground.com, and weatherstreet.com and can't find one that matches for the same location. The reason I ask is because there have been multiple times that it's forecast is horribly wrong. Case in point: currently its forecast is 13 degrees F lower than the closest one of the others above.

# Answer
Google displays Weather conditions using Weather Underground as per Google Web Search Features page.

> All weather conditions and forecasts are provided by Weather Underground, Inc.

So, Google Now also might be picking from the same source.
> 16 votes

# Answer
Though this question is almost 5 years old but I think an updated answer can help users looking for updated info. Nowadays Google gets its weather data from weather.com as mentioned in bottom left corner of Google weather search results when you look for temperature of any location (highlighted in red rectangle).

But as the OP says **a lot** of times Google's weather data is way off the actual current weather. For example as of this writing it shows current temperature in Shimla, India to be -4 C at 9 pm,  but according to official website of Indian weather department or IMD even whole day's minimum temperature was 1.4 C for 6 Jan 2018 and minimum temperature of whole day usually happens in early morning hours.  Similarly I have matched data for other cities and locations in India and current weather is not what actual current weather is. I think from wherever Google takes its weather data they just provide an average of previous years and not the actual current temperature. And various weather websites showing wildly different current temperatures for same location.
> 5 votes

# Answer
The Google search engine gets its weather from a combination of 'The Weather Channel', 'Weather Underground' and 'AccuWeather'.

The data on Google Now appears to be the same data...
> 1 votes

---
Tags: google-now, weather
---


# Question
Title: How to move app to sd card when it is not possible?
Tap Application Manager. Select an app you want to move to the microSD card. If you don't see a Move to SD Card button, the app cannot be moved.

How to move these types of apps to sd card?

# Answer
> 0 votes
on my Asus Zenfone 2, i formatted the micro sd with one partition adopted and second in fat32 and with Apps2SD or Link2SD i always got error "*second partition not found*".

I found that with the swiss-knife "**Titanium Backup ★ root**" it's very easy and it's working: just keep my finger on the app i'd like to move and select "move to adoptable" et tah-dah: my app is moved on the adopted partition on sd.

# Answer
> -1 votes
You can download Link2SD and use it to transfer files. However, it requires your phone to be rooted.

---
Tags: applications
---


title: Xiaomi Mi A1 won't show update to Oreo

text:
# Question
Title: Xiaomi Mi A1 won't show update to Oreo
My phone Mi A1 showed first the notification update for Oreo, it failed twice before showing the update for Security Patch of December after which the update of Oreo totally disappeared. Checking for the update manually the phone shows the message that I am on latest update. I tried the available online solutions of:

1. Reset Factory Defaults.
2. Clear data of Google Services Framework followed by a Disable then Enable.

None of them worked!

# Answer
I have the same device and this may help

* There were two December updates for Nougat. You need to have `7.12.19` which is a prerequisite. My son also purchased the device a week after mine and he got the second update just yesterday and no Oreo yet, so I *suspect* that the roll out in batches is linked to the purchase date
* Clearing Google services framework is not recommended but I went ahead and did it, since none of the users who did it reported any problems. Update didn't follow immediately but it came after about 7 hours (overnight)
* Some users have successfully got updated after spoofing their location to other countries, using a VPN (US and Germany). I did this too but didn't work

Of course the fastest would be to visit local service centre and get it done free of cost
> 1 votes

---
Tags: ota-update, xiaomi, 8.0-oreo, mi-a1
---


title: Whatsapp only partially restored

text:
# Question
Title: Whatsapp only partially restored
Phone got stolen and got a replacement today. Restored Whatsapp It had stuff going back 2 years, but it didn't have the last 7 weeks of chat, I checked the settings and it's supposed to backup everyday...Is there something I'm missing?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If the backup went all the way till %100 but you didn't get the past 7 weeks, this would mean that WhatsApp wasn't backing up for the last 7 weeks.

Being that the phone is now lost, there is no way to know why this is so. The fact that Google drive backup setting is set to do it every day, doesn't mean that this is the setting you had on your old phone. Because, WhatsApp backups do a full backup on your messages and media, but not your WhatsApp settings.

So it's very possible that on your old phone the setting was changed 7 weeks ago by mistake. Also possible that Google drive wasn't making backups for another reason. No real way to find the reason without checking on the old phone.

---
Tags: backup, whatsapp-messenger
---


title: Unbootable OnePlus 5T

text:
# Question
Title: Unbootable OnePlus 5T
So, I rooted my device and everything was fine. It was like that until I used Freedom. It messed up my Play Store. There was nothing that could repair it. I tried doing a factory reset but my twrp did not let me do it, it said it cannot mount something. So, I thought that if I lock my OEM it will do a data wipe. So, I locked it, not my phone, when I want to load the system, it's stuck on the loading screen and when I try to boot in recovery it says "Your device is corrupt. It can't be trusted and will not boot".

# Answer
Since you've installed TWRP, you cannot lock the bootloader. A locked bootloader will perform integrity check at boot time and if it finds anything tempered, it will refuse to boot:

The solution is simple: Unlock it again. You won't lose your data this time, so just proceed to connect your phone to a computer, boot into bootloader mode and run on the computer:

```
fastboot oem unlock

```

Exactly like when you did before rooting. This will make your phone boot up again.

Additionally, you may want to check for a newer version of TWRP and see if some bugs are fixed so you can do the data wipe.

For the problem of Freedom messing up Play Store, you can check out this answer.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: root-access, recovery-mode, twrp, bootloader, oneplus-5
---


# Question
Title: I deleted all the contents from my device and CWM does not allow me to install anything
I have ClockworkMod Recovery v5.8.3.4 installed on my Android device, I am afraid I deleted all the contents of my device and I cannot access Android.

When I enter the main menu, I see the "reboot system now", "install zip from sdcard", etc. options, but CWM cannot find any zip file with a custom ROM. If I select "reboot system now", I go back to the CWM main menu.

Can I update CWM? Can I install another ROM manager?

# Answer
Yes you can.

Download the things you want to flash on a computer, then connect your phone (booted into CWM) to it and use `adb push` to send the files to your phone. You can flash them with CWM.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: clockworkmod-recovery
---


# Question
Title: Can't mount disc image file, "The Disc Image File is Corrupted"
Recently, I tried rooting my phone, a Huawei Honor 6x. I had troubles when trying to flash the TWRP file, however.

I downloaded the disc image file directly from TWRP's website, here. What I was supposed to do next was use Command Prompt to flash this TWRP disc file. It produced the following error:

Intuitively, I then opened the disc file directly, and it gave the error, "Couldn't Mount File, The Disc Image File is Corrupted"

I think this may be the problem, but on the directions I received, it said that I should download the "platform tools from the Android SDK", and "From the SDK Manager, download only the platform-tools to get adb and fastboot binaries." Now, I have already downloaded adb and fastboot, and once I finished downloading, it opened a program called Android Studio, with no information about platform tools.

I read about a similar question here, but the answer was unclear to me. If anyone could explain his answer, or figure out my problem, that would be awesome.

# Answer
It's simple - you chose the **wrong** recovery -the one you linked to is for Huawei P9 lite

Your device doesn't have an official TWRP but has a unofficial TWRP linked here

**TWRP meant for one device model cannot be used for another. Period**

That's exactly what the other answer was saying.

Please take the trouble of reading the relevant forums in XDA to be aware of the device specific techniques.

Next, TWRP cannot be opened at C:/ of your computer

You need to set up (press on that to read the wiki. You don't need Android studio for this - it's meant for developers and occupies memory unnecessarily. Uninstall that and read the next paragraph carefully to install what is required for this purpose

To set up `adb` see instructions here Is there a minimal installation of ADB? and How to install adb

It is **strongly** recommended that you read and understand what you are doing with a rooted device (as you say you have rooted it). Consequences can be very very unpleasant and you could end up holding a paper weight instead of a phone
> 2 votes

---
Tags: recovery-mode, twrp, system-error
---


# Question
Title: Why am I getting random push notifications from Venmo?
I got a Samsung Galaxy S8 not too long ago, and I can't seem to stop push notifications about random Facebook friends making transactions.

First, I *am* logged in, so it's not the random-public-transactions feed. These are all people I am connected to on Facebook.

These are my settings:

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

As you can see, I've turned off all push notifications and social networks. Why am I still getting notifications?

# Answer
When the notification appears up top, swipe the menu down and hold your thumb on the notification for a second or so. There should be 3 options that appear, one being "block notifications."
> 1 votes

---
Tags: push-notifications, samsung-galaxy-s-8
---


title: How to make Note 8 screen dimmer?

text:
# Question
Title: How to make Note 8 screen dimmer?
The screen is still way to bright at it's dimmest setting at night. I don't want to use an app that places a filter with an opacity setting over the screen because it just makes the screen look crappy and just makes everything bright grey instead of actually lowering brightness very much.

Is it possible?

# Answer
I have an earlier Samsung phone which can use Llama, an automation tool which sets profiles that activate upon entry/exit to known areas, like Wifi seen/not seen. Your phone can most likely use it or a similar automation tool to do the same.

In Llama, I have set up a profile for nighttime (time range), plus my specific area, to lower volume and screen dim. Llama's settings allow screen dimming down to as little as 1% from its selector, with about a dozen settings to choose from.

Disclaimer: I am not the developer of Llama, just a satisifed user for many years.
> 1 votes

# Answer
So far the best thing that I've found to help is just setting the background to black (and not black onyx or any other "mostly" black background). Obviously this doesn't help in applications, but the main source of light that I didn't like was from the home screen so this helped a little.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-note-8
---


title: How to secure install untrusted app

text:
# Question
Title: How to secure install untrusted app
I need to use of Google Play Store app for my project. This app is prepared by unknown to me Chinese GPS devices' manufacturer and I want to use it to communicate with device.

App is published on Google Play Store but uses old type of privileges. With installation I would agree to share "Device & app history", "Contacts", "Location", "Phone", "Photos/Media/Files", "Camera", "Microphone", "Device ID & call information" and more.

I don't feel comfortable to share all that data with unknown to me manufacturer and with untrusted app (1 star in shop), but I need to use this app (because it connects to my physical device).

Is there secure way to install that app? Can I be sure that for example app won't copy all my contacts to some shady server? (I can't block network for app, because that would also block communication).

How can I mitigate some risks or limit app capabilities? Should I be aware of some other risks (like app accessing Android Pay)?

I have OnePlus 3 with Android Oreo (stock but in open beta).

# Answer
> 3 votes
Available approaches differ depending on multiple criteria:

* Are you using a custom ROM such as LineageOS? It might ship with tools for that. LineageOS e.g. includes *Privacy Guard,* which let's you restrict apps pretty well.
* Is your device rooted? Then you could use tools like *LBE* to achieve the same – which unfortunately is proprietary, so you cannot really say what goes on behind the scenes.
* Is your device rooted and has the Xposed Framework installed? Depending on your Android version, this might hold some power here. For example *XPrivacy* – which unfortunately is no longer maintained and not compatible with Android 7+

What's left if your answer is "No" to all above? What ships with "stock Android" doesn't really let you control much. For example, all permissions marked as "normal" can't be regulated – which e.g. includes network access. So to really limit an app here, you'd need to modify the `.apk` file before installing it. So called APK Rebuilder¹ can do that. Basically, they let you mark which permissions you do not want the app to have, and remove them from the Manifest declaration. That way the app doesn't get them granted. It might then crash when trying to access related functionality – or even might not work at all if you removed too much. So general advice is first remove as much as you think useful – and if things go wrong, make a second, less restrictive build. Continue until it works for you – or drop the app and find an alternative.

Another approach is using a "manager" that sandboxes things. One such is *Parallel Space* (see this answer for details²). But that approach always has another draw-back: such a manager app requires almost all permissions available, as it needs to manage them for the apps you want to restrict. Which requires a lot of trust – and such manager app better be open source (AFAIR the one I saw was not) so it can be checked by as many eyes as possible.

---

¹ disclosure: link goes to my Android site
² and thanks to Morrison Chang for helping my brain with the name!

---
Tags: google-play-store, security, privacy
---


# Question
Title: how do i factory reset my tablet that has no physical volume buttons
i have a TG-TEK tablet and i cant remeber my password and don't know how to factory reset my tablet because it has no physical volume buttons

# Answer
Try the following:

* Press the power button to get the option menu and dislay:

> Power off
>
> Reboot
* On that menu, hold down that power off option on your touch screen while also holding down the home button on the side of your tablet.
* This should bring up a screen to reboot into safe mode.
* Hit yes for safe mode and then hold down your power and home buttons till the logo appears.
* Release both buttons and hit the power button one time and then hold only the home button down till a menu option appears.
* Use the home button to move down to factory reset and press the power button to select. Once it says complete then use the power button to select reboot.

This works on tablets without physical buttons, but have menu button. Should work on yours too.

If the above doesn't work, there still the computer solutions where one can just flash the firmware.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: Why there is one driver binaries file per android version?
As you can see on the first screenshot, Sony (it's the same thing for Google with his Nexus and Pixel devices) provides one driver binaries tree file per android version for each device to compile AOSP (here the Xperia M2) :

Why there is not one driver file compatible with all android versions ?

Secondly, how xda developers make to compile android 8.0 for the nexus 4 while android oreo 8.0 driver binaries are not available for the nexus 4 ?

https://www.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-4-android-oreo-port

Thanks !

# Answer
> Why there is not one driver file compatible with all android versions ?

Because it's not possible to write one driver that's compatible with all Linux kernels. The driver has to interface with the kernel, and different kernel versions change this interface for many reasons - to enable new features, to improve efficiency, and to fix security problems. This is what makes them "different versions". Each new Android version standardises on a different version of the Linux kernel, so the drivers need some source code changes to work with the new version.

There's also a lot of testing that needs to be done with the new versions, to make sure the changes didn't break something.

> how xda developers make to compile android 8.0 for the nexus 4 while android oreo 8.0 driver binaries are not available for the nexus 4 ?

As the summary you've screenshotted clearly says, many features such as NFC just don't work with this port - likely because drivers are not available. Sometimes, even though a driver for the particular hardware in this phone might not be available for newer Android versions, there might be a newer version for desktop Linux, or a driver for a similar device, which is unsupported but can be made to mostly work with some fiddling.

Also, hobbyists might be more interested to try something even when it's not economically worthwhile for the manufacturer, and there's a lower bar for them. If Google or LG shipped a release where only half the features worked and even those had only been tested on one phone, you'd be pretty upset, but if some guy on XDA Developers does it, that's a success.

It really is a success: I don't want to detract from what Ziyan has done here. It's just that the quality bar is higher for an official port from the manufacturer, and they don't have free time to spend supporting old devices.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: builds, aosp
---


title: Incorrect caller ID details

text:
# Question
Title: Incorrect caller ID details
One of the contacts in my galaxy s3 shows a small "hd" next to her name for incoming phone calls. When this person, who also has a galaxy s3 (not linked or connected to my phone that I know of), calls or texts someone, the caller id on the receiver's phone looks like the call is coming from my phone, not hers. It's not clear whether this is happening with everyone she calls or just some people. This is so wierd I don't even know if the question makes sense. Can anyone help?

# Answer
HD is for sound quality and says that the contact person's phone supports HD sound, whereas the caller ID issue can be because of the error of contacts app or truecaller if it is installed.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The HD means that both parties, You and the one you are calling have HD voice enabled service. Just means you should have better voice quality while talking to that person.
> 0 votes

# Answer
This seems to be a known fault with Samsung devices. See the link below on the Android issue tracker (initial report dates back to January 2015). It seems to be a Samsung issue, not necessarily just your device, and not an Android issue.

Link
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3
---


# Question
Title: Why do My shortcut icons change to a robot?
I have a rooted Vodafone VF685, running Kitkat 4.4.2 with ADW Launcher. I'm having trouble with my shortcut icons. They keep changing at random to the green Android robot. The apps still launch when I tap the robot, but it's annoying.

Can anyone help please?

# Answer
Solved the problem. I opened ES Task Manager again, killed all apps and cleared the cache. Icons back to normal. I found the idea here: *lcons Broken*

Thank you Rahul for assisting.
> 1 votes

# Answer
For me this worked: deleting the shortcut and adding another back onto the homescreen. :)
> 3 votes

---
Tags: app-icons
---


# Question
Title: What will happen if I tap "Fix Now" in Device Maintenance?
In **Settings \> Device Maintenance**, Android says that I can tap `Fix Now` to improve my tablet's maintenance status. **What is Android actually going to do when I tap `Fix Now`?**

I don't want to press it until I know what it is going to do. I'm running Android 7.1.1 on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2017).

# Answer
> 0 votes
Details from app manual

> View the status of your device’s battery, storage, memory, and device security. You can also automatically optimize your device’s system resources

Further, it says *optimise* instead of *fix*

> Quick Optimization
>
> The quick optimization feature improves device performance through the following actions:
>
> • Identifying apps that use excessive battery power and clearing unneeded items from memory.
>
> • Deleting unnecessary files and closing apps running in the background.
>
> • Scanning for malware.

---
Tags: samsung, settings
---


title: Bluetooth headset profiles

text:
# Question
Title: Bluetooth headset profiles
I have a JBL E25BT bluetooth headset which supports the following profiles according to specs: HFP v1.6, HSP v1.1, A2DP v1.2, AVRCP v1.5

I've tried to connect with it with my Oneplus One (lineage os, bluetooth 4.1) and Mac Mini 2012 (bluetooth 4.0). The voice quality for calls is always low. So my guess is basic HFP/HSP is used. As I read HFP 1.6 should provide good quality for calls. Is there any chance to check/set the exact connection setting for bluetooth connection?

# Answer
> 0 votes
HFP/HSP have no good (in traditional meaning) quality at all. Only mono with 8 kHz sample rate (or mono with 16 kHz sample rate for Wide Band Speech mode). Wide Band Speech mode is optional for implementation by the both sides.

---
Tags: bluetooth, headphones, bluetooth-audio, bluetooth-pairing, headset
---


# Question
Title: want to see WhatsApp chat msg from old number
My old number is recycled and now I have my whatsapp back up with that old number in my google account. how to catch up with old msg with that one group that still exists and just one person.

Please help.. I am in such a dilemma as I asked the mobile provider company. But they already recycled my old number and now it is in use with some other person. Thank you

# Answer
In order to restore your messages from Google drive, you would need access to the same number that was used with WhatsApp during the backup.

From WhatsApp's FAQ

> In order to successfully restore a Google Drive backup, you need to use the same phone number and Google account used to create the back up.

You can always ask the people that you chatted with, to send you a copy of the conversation by email, with the feature that WhatsApp providers for that here

Depending on how desperate you are, you can call the number that you used to use with WhatsApp, and ask the person to help you restore the chats. The person would have to send you the verification number that he receives from WhatsApp, and after you successfully set up and restore your chats, you can change your number back to the new number that you have now. (Good luck with that)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


title: How to turn off shutter sound on LG G5?

text:
# Question
Title: How to turn off shutter sound on LG G5?
How to turn off shutter sound on LG G5 with latest official firmware (Android 7)? "Do not disturb" sound mode does not working for shutter sound.

# Answer
Phones with a Korean SIM, or sometimes Korean phones with any SIM, do not allow the user to turn off the shutter sound for legal reasons. I don't think there's any reasonable way around this.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: audio, camera, do-not-disturb, camera-sound
---


title: Unknown phone number issue

text:
# Question
Title: Unknown phone number issue
My Moto X with Android kit Kat does not recognize my own number from the Sim card. Is there a way to edit it manually? Any app that does that?

# Answer
> 0 votes
from moto support

> If the contacts are not backed up with Gmail, back them up.
>
> Clear cache/data on Dialer, Contacts and Contacts Storage (for the latter, make sure the contacts are backed up in Gmail)
>
> Log into Gmail on a PC \> Contacts \> More \> Merge Duplicates \> Restore
>
> Edit one of the contacts that keeps appearing as unknown. In the phone number, add spaces (ex: 07894561234 would become 0789 456 1234)
>
> Try another SIM from another network.
>
> Try with only one active SIM (the second SIM can be disabled in Settings \> Dual SIM settings)
>
> Select the Network Manually in Settings \> More \> Mobile Networks \> Network Operators

the last one helped me

# Answer
> -1 votes
the best way to solve this issue... its rlly just borrowing someone's phone and insert your sim card and edit phone number to solve this issue.

---
Tags: sim-card
---


title: Connect USB stick using fdroid

text:
# Question
Title: Connect USB stick using fdroid
I know there is stickmount on PlayStore to connect a USb stick to android, but is there an alternative on fdroid?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Not sure why you need it specifically from f-droid but you can get it from other stores like aptoide, chainfire (the author) is currently temporary retired from developing, so dont worry about missing a new update for now.

---
Tags: usb, f-droid
---


# Question
Title: Install GMS core Packages on brand-new Huawei
Like some people here before me, I have problems installing GMS core packages on my brand-new Huawei that I bought some weeks ago in China. (EMUI 5.1, Android 7.0, Model number TRT-AL00A, Build Number TRT-AL00AC00B210)

I read through some of the posts here and in other forums, but whenever I tried to install the downloads, I got an error message. (I need to admit, I am not a very tech-savvy person..)

So I guess the main problem is that my Huawei version is simply too new - is that correct? :O Has anyone encountered similar problems or discovered a solution?

Thanks for your consideration! All the best, Tobias

# Answer
You can use YalpStore instead of google play store: https://github.com/yeriomin/YalpStore https://github.com/yeriomin/YalpStore/releases https://f-droid.org/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore

Just install the yalpstore zip as you would install a google zip.

Please do not use androidapksfree.com . Apps from androidapksfree do not come directly via google and can therefore be maliciously modified, malware. Apps via yalpstore come directly and can't be modified.

Also distributing apps via other channels like androidapksfree can be considered a copyright infringement (= crime) - apps from yalpstore come directly from google and can only be considered "violation of google terms of service". This is far less than a crime.
> 1 votes

# Answer
GMS services have to be installed in /system. To be able to install anything in /system, you have to either unlock the bootloader of your smartphone ('clean' way) or root your smartphone ('dirty' way). After unlocking the bootloader, you need a recovery that can install the GMS zip package. I only know TWRP. So:
1. Is your bootloader unlocked? Search google to find out:
\- how to check if your bootloader is unlocked (on your device or similar devices)
\- how to unlock it (search on your manufacturers website)
2. Do you have a recovery that can install zip packages? TWRP would be such a recovery. Search google to find out:
\- how to boot into recovery on your device (to find out if a suitable one exists)
\- how to flash a suitable recovery with fastboot ("flash recovery fastboot")

Good luck!
> 0 votes

# Answer
Currently the GMS Core installer is not compatible for HUAWEI {EMUI 5.1, Android 7.0) so you'll face problems when downloading the GMS Installer.
So if you want to install Apps like Whatsapp, Facebook and Messenger, you need to download the APK before installing them. The link as below: https://www.androidapksfree.com/apk/whatsapp-apk-latest-version-download/ https://www.androidapksfree.com/apk/facebook-apk-latest-version-download/ https://www.androidapksfree.com/apk/facebook-messenger-apk-latest-version-download/
> 0 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, huawei
---


# Question
Title: Unable to change time in Android emulator: Alarm driver missing
I am running Android 4.4 (using custom a custom rooted system image) in the android emulator (from the command line). When trying to set the time via Settings \> Date & time ("Automatic date & time" and "Automatic time zone" are disabled) i can set the time (the dialog appears and works), but the system clock is not updated.

Logcat says:

```
D/        ( 1206): Setting time of day to sec=1515250620
W/        ( 1206): Unable to open alarm driver: No such file or directory

```

What could cause the alarm driver to be unavailable/missing and how can i fix this?

**Update**: I have verified that /dev/alarm is missing -- is there any way to add the missing driver without having to recompile android?

Thanks!

# Answer
> 0 votes
Yes, but some compiling is needed for the driver. Just not the whole custom image.

You need to set-up a cross compiler.

Go to your .config file and set the kernel driver you want to compile to

> =m

using the `menuconfig command`

By selecting 'm' for the kernel driver. This means \`\`module,'' meaning that the system will compile it, but not directly into the kernel, but as a loadable module."

Now you are ready to compile your specific driver using this make command.

```
make <ARCH= Path to arm-eabi- directory >  <path to the .c file of module>

```

Once compiled go grab the created .ko file. Copy it to

> /system/lib/modules/

within your custom rooted system image.

Lastly, from the terminal emulator use the insmod command to inject it in. So it would look like

```
su

mount -o rw,remount,rw /system

insmod /system/lib/modules/modulefile.ko

```

That should do it if you encounter any errors read them carefully incase the module is interdependent. Check the Dmesg logs for success or errors.

References:

https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/kernel/modular-kernels#loadable-kernel-modules

http://linuxdocs.org/HOWTOs/Kernel-HOWTO-4.html

---
Tags: android-emulator
---


# Question
Title: System update notification but system already up-to-date
I've had the Google Pixel XL for over a year now (it's awesome) and I just received a notification to upgrade my OS to 8.1.0. Problem is, I already have 8.1.0 installed. I updated it a couple weeks ago. What is going on here?

This is also not the first time this has happened. I haven't been keeping track of when it's occured, but the same thing happened with 8.0.0 as well as a couple other times. Each time I've just went forward and reinstalled the udpate that I already had.

From what I can tell, there is no way to dismiss the notification and ignore the redundant update. I know that I could disable the system update notifications altogether, but I would like to have them, only just the first one.

This is not a major huge deal, but I'd be curious to know if people have thoughts about this. Thank you.

# Answer
> Does Android put out security updates with the same version #?

Yes. Version number changes generally correspond with new features or new APIs. Occasionally it will also be incremented for major bugfixes, but this has been somewhat less common now that Google has tried to increase their release cadence (around Android 6.0-ish or so). Security updates will change the *build* number, but not the version number. See the list of factory images for your device for an example of this (note all the repeated version numbers, followed by build IDs).

If you go to Settings \> System \> About phone you can find the "Android version" (circled blue below) and the "Build number" (circled red) of your current system. You can also check the "Android security patch level" on this screen to determine which security update you've received. They generally occur during the first week or so of each month, and they are outlined in the monthly security bulletins. Most likely you're receiving a notification for the January security update.

Picture from https://wccftech.com/android-oreo-for-verizon-pixel/
> 3 votes

---
Tags: updates, operating-system, google-pixel
---


# Question
Title: Can cellulardata & WiFi be on while charging? Sporadic case of meager increase in charging while both were on
Last night cellular data & wifi were on. Previously IN THIS STATUS, my mobile charged 100%. Last night my mobile was in charging. To my surprise, I found charging had improved from 7% to 17% only. After this I turned off wifi & cellular data. NOW charging is improving slowly. Is this right solution? Any alternatives?

# Answer
> 2 votes
The WiFi + Mobile data should not eat up so much energy that the charging is slow, except if you have an ancient phone/charging device that has no quick charge technologies.

I would suggest:

1. make sure you are charging from a wall charger (i.e. not from PC USB port) and try to use a quick charger (QC 3.0 or similar)
2. make sure your cable is of good quality (official, or some other, try different cables if charging is still slow)
3. make sure your phones CPU is not on and running all the time because of some background app/process. That is the only thing that could drain it faster than it charges.

---
Tags: charging, connection-issues, internet
---


# Question
Title: A grey stripe has appeared right above the nav bar
This morning after some regular use a grey stripe suddenly appeared right above the nav bar. The stripe follows the nav bar, so if I collapse the nav bar the stripe is moved down to the lower edge of the screen. Se attached images:

It's semi transparent and a nuisance...

The device is a **Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus**

# Answer
I found out what the problem was.

As a side note I work as a designer for a company with a dedicated Android app. The current builds from the development team are pushed to my device where I can test the builds and provide input.

In the latest builds from today the team had integrated a third party lib which produced a on-screen server communications log. This log appeared as a grey stripe wherever I was in the device without me knowing, and only started printing logs when I started the beta app.

So, no problem with Samsung on this one, I guess this is a problem no one else ever will encounter. :)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: screen, samsung-galaxy-s-8, navigation-bar
---


# Question
Title: Cannot find SDK or point to it, both programs installed
Cannot make this work...Windows 7, have installed DE and Android SDK... I can go to this path using regedit HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\DroidExplorer\InstallPath

BUT I see no "sdkpath". I've tried pointing the DE to the Android SDK directory in hopes of finding SDK anything...NOTHING. What am I missing ?

# Answer
After you install the Android SDK, you have to run the `studio.exe` or `studio64.exe` before you install DroidExplorer. This might install a bunch of platform updates.

Check this post of Ryan's for a full explanation of what to do.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Right. I saw the other page where Ryan explained the procedure in detail. What some of us forget, even people like me who have installed SDK at various times in the past, but don't use it much, is that after downloading SDK, or Android Studio as it is called now, you have to actually run SDK Manager or Android Studio before the tools will actually be downloaded and the paths created for Droid Explorer to use.

I should know because I've gone through this before, but having been years since the last install, I had forgotten this detail, which is not really explained anywhere. I notice Ryan's tutorial on this site did show screenshots of SDK Manager, and said you have to actually run it and install some tools, and that's what triggered my memory.

It doesn't help that documentation talks about SDK and SDK Manager when these products are no longer available for download, and the Android Studio download site hides the SDK tools only download at the bottom of the page, and then incorrectly states that SDK Manager is included, which it no longer is.

So I lost a lot of time looking all over the internet for an old Android SDK download before I realized what Ryan was talking about. After actually running Android Studio and letting it download and install the components, Droid Explorer successfully ran and finished installation. It still doesn't automatically detect the path. I had to manually browse to the SDK folder. Note you have to select the SDK folder itself. Selecting Android alone is not sufficient.

# droidexplorer
> 0 votes

---
Tags: droid-explorer
---


title: DroidExplorer won't find Android SDK

text:
# Question
Title: DroidExplorer won't find Android SDK
I'm trying to install DroidExplorer, and before finishing the installation the program asks me for the "Android SDK path". I have created the folders and downloaded the the Android SDK from Android.com (only the SDK) but the installation program keeps asking me for that sdk path.

How can I resolve this?

# Answer
> 0 votes
You need to open the SDK manager and download the SDK.

Click the button that has install xx packages.

Leave it run it course and once completed add the path

# Answer
> 0 votes
Right. I saw the other page where Ryan explained the procedure in detail. What some of us forget, even people like me who have installed SDK at various times in the past, but don't use it much, is that after downloading SDK, or Android Studio as it is called now, you have to actually run SDK Manager or Android Studio before the tools will actually be downloaded and the paths created for Droid Explorer to use.

I should know because I've gone through this before, but having been years since the last install, I had forgotten this detail, which is not really explained anywhere. I notice Ryan's tutorial on this site did show screenshots of SDK Manager, and said you have to actually run it and install some tools, and that's what triggered my memory.

It doesn't help that documentation talks about SDK and SDK Manager when these products are no longer available for download, and the Android Studio download site hides the SDK tools only download at the bottom of the page, and then incorrectly states that SDK Manager is included, which it no longer is.

So I lost a lot of time looking all over the internet for an old Android SDK download before I realized what Ryan was talking about. After actually running Android Studio and letting it download and install the components, Droid Explorer successfully ran and finished installation. It still doesn't automatically detect the path. I had to manually browse to the SDK folder. Note you have to select the SDK folder itself. Selecting Android alone is not sufficient.

---
Tags: android-sdk, droid-explorer
---


# Question
Title: Is tethering/hotspot dangerous for your Android phone?
Is using your Android phone as a portable hotspot/tethering dangerous for your hardware part?

In our dormitory we do not have good internet connection and I'm forced to use my phone as an internet spot 24/7 (we basically can't even search a thing on Google)

How dangerous this can be? I am not talking from a *security* point of view, but rather from an *hardware* point of view (short-circuit, not being able to use Wi-Fi in the future etc)

I am aware that keeping my phone connected 24/7 to my laptop will drain battery's life

# Answer
> 2 votes
There isn't enough/real evidence suggesting that tethering is harmful to device hardware. AFAICT this is a feature-by-design that any android device (supporting tethering) should be able to handle without detrimental effects other hardware except perhaps that the battery may be degraded a little bit due to overheating.

(*Just like using your PC to play high graphics games 24/7 with a gaming PC, even though the PC seems to be "overworking", you'd agree with me that's what its designed for. Isn't it?*)

---
Tags: hardware, wifi-hotspot, tethering
---


# Question
Title: My phone is dead in my house how do I find it
I had it in my bedroom and then got up for food and it disappears in the morning I ask everyone but they have not seen it or touched it not that they now of.

# Answer
When the phone battery is dead, there is no app or Android system that's going to help you find it, unless prior to losing it you have installed an app that collects and saves the location of your phone. In that case, use the app instructions on how to check the last possible location of the phone.

You can also have a look at your Google maps timeline. unless you have disabled this feature, it collects all of your locations and travels. It could be useful in a case where you're not sure which house You've left your phone at, I'm not sure that it's going to be too helpful in telling which bed your phone is under.

Keep looking. Don't give up. Remember, it might be in the least expected of places.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Isolating pocket casts from scrobble for last.fm
When I play a podcasts on my android phone using pocket cast 4.2.3 I notice that the details are scrobbled to last.fm. It is happening because I have set my last.fm app to scrobble. I want to scrobble every music playing app I have but I do not really view pocket cast as a music app. How can I stop scrobbling from pocket cast?

In last.fm scrobble settings I see that there are various categories of apps to scrobble from

* Scrobble Android Player: Scrobble the built-in Android music player
* SLS support: Scrobble apps that use the simple Last.fm scrobbler API
* ScrobbleDroid support: Scrobble apps that use the ScrobbleDroid API

Where does Pocket Cast fit into those options?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Last.fm picks up the intents apps like Pocket Casts and Google Music send to bluetooth devices, and hacks that into their scrobble implementation. I guess they figured Google were never going to support them explicitly so that was their only way in. To stop Pocket Casts from scrobbling you'd un-tick the Google Music option in last.fm.

The fine people of Pocket Casts (read: us) are planning to put in a setting that turns off that bluetooth data, which would also turn off scrobbling. We looked into the last.fm API and there's nothing extra we can send to tell them to ignore us, which would be a better solution, since it would mean keeping the blue tooth meta data as well.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Farrel, the only way I've found to allow Google Music to scrobble to Last.fm but not Pocket Cast is to stream podcasts rather than downloading them — that seems to work. I realise that this is not always ideal.

Don't forget you can delete tracks from your last.fm profile/library but I'm not sure if that is persistent. Again, not ideal.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I guess I am pretty late to the party, but Pano Scrobbler no longer relies on the traditional music intents. It checks for media sessions only from specific players, which are enabled in settings.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Last.fm app only scrobbles if the device tells it to.
So i think in you Pocket Cast, if you go in to it's settings then i think you would find something about Scrobbling, and you should have there an option to disable it.

---
Tags: music-player, podcast
---


# Question
Title: Unlocking boot loader **doesn't** wipe data. How is it a security threat?
MiA1 is probably the only one of it's kind that **doesn't** wipe data when bootloader is unlocked (tested by me and widely known)

It is said to be a security threat. **I am not clear how**

Say my device is stolen and one wants to access data how does this feature make it easier given

* I use 6 digit PIN and fingerprint. One has to get past that before `adb` can be activated and used to transfer data to a PC.
* The device is encrypted (Oreo 8.0.0)
* Debugging turned off

(I am not talking of risks of unlocked boot loader. I understand that)

This is not a hypothetical question but something I need to understand, this being my daily use device.

I don't have information that calls for three letter agencies to use sophisticated tools , so that angle can be ruled out while answering (though useful to know).

I am looking for realistic threat assessment

# Answer
Using `twrp decrypt password` one can easily write a simple brute force script to guess your password. And as I can see it, there isn't any limit on how many times this command can be executed, so depending on the strength of your password, your device will be unlocked one day or the other.

Having debugging turned off doesn't make any difference in TWRP
> 1 votes

---
Tags: security, bootloader, mi-a1
---


# Question
Title: Unknownn, unnamed and blank icon app show up in app drawer?
I am using FDroid on a XPeria XZ.

Today I had problem updating Street Complete. Since, I have a unnamed, blank icon showing up in my app drawer. I can't seem to remove it even via settings.

I have tried to uninstall StreetComplete to check if that would fix the problem, no dice.

Is there any way to known how it appeared, and how to remove it?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Clearing the launcher cache and rebooting device was suggested and it fixed the problem

This was recommended to clear from the memory the remanants of aborted download which included the icon on launcher

---
Tags: applications, 8.0-oreo, f-droid
---


# Question
Title: Is there an Android equivalent of Linux command "xinput --list"?
I'd like to disable the physical keyboard and touchpad of my 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop when I use it as a tablet running on Android-x86, and so far I've managed to disable the keyboard by naming it in the file `/android-7.1-rc2/system/etc/excluded-input-devices.xml`, which is called `AT Translated Set 2 keyboard`.

But I couldn't properly name the touchpad :-( I guess I need Android equivalent of Linux command `xinput --list` (if something like this exists at all).

Any ideas/suggestions please?

# Answer
> 0 votes
1. Enter the command `su root` to gain root access.
2. Enter the command `getevent -p` to see a list of devices - which will match and even provide more detailed info than the linux command `xinput --list`

---
Tags: shell
---


# Question
Title: How can I determine if my device supports MHL?
I'm an Android novice. I want to determine if my Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2017) supports MHL. Two obvious ways of doing this are:

1. Consult the manual.
2. Connect the tablet to an HDMI display using an MHL adapter, and try it!

But, I don't see any mention of MHL in the manual, and I don't have an MHL adapter. Is there any way I can tell from within the Android OS if my device supports MHL?

# Answer
Perhaps you should try checking here first: MHL Devices

Another way is using a third party tool: Checker for MHL (HDMI)
> 2 votes

# Answer
your device do NOT support mhl. for almost a decade every time when i need any "obcure" info about any mobile device i just go to gsmarena web page, very dependable source of information.
> -1 votes

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Tags: mhl
---


# Question
Title: I'd like to run Termux as root: possible?
I'd like to have an SSH, HTTP and SMB server on standard ports on my phone.

There's a way to run Termux as root and have the servers run on privileged ports?

Running rooted Android 7.1 on an unlocked device.

# Answer
The default `su` from Termux is simple. When run it brings `/system/bin/sh` for you instead of Termux's shell (typically `bash`). To solve this issue, you can install the custom su wrapper for Termux by

```
apt install tsu
```

And then you can run `tsu` so that your `bash` and everything is now under root privilege.

Further information:
Use an editor (like `vim`) to see `/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/su` and you'll find that at line 10, it calls `exec su $@` directly while in `tsu`, it performs shell detection and at line 80, it runs

```
exec su --preserve-environment -c "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$PREFIX/lib $ROOT_SHELL"
```

to preserve the Termux enviroment.
> 18 votes

# Answer
I just solved the same problem for myself. tsu didn't work out for me. I found this project: https://github.com/st42/termux-sudo

Also I wanted to run sshd as root. It an out of the box with termux-sudo but it didn't want to use the authorized\_keys file at first, because the permissions to it and all it's parent directories where not restricted to root (and on my device the / directory cannot be restricted to root 700, because then the mediaplayer software doesn't work anymore for some reason).

So I had to add the option `StrictModes no` to the sshd config file: `/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/etc/ssh/sshd_config` and now it works! :)
> 6 votes

# Answer
Once you run su it takes you out of the termux subshell. You can try SELinux permissive, that's how I get around the permission denied thing.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: root-access, terminal, termux
---


# Question
Title: Updated phone, now fingerprint & WiFi don't work and I can't read or write from internal storage
OnePlus 5 128GB, running OOS 4.5.15, rooted with Magisk 15.1, tried updating to latest OTA (Oreo), ended up bricking the phone, unbricked it, restored Nougat + backups of /data and /sdcard, now everything works except WiFi (stays on "turning on..."), fingerprint sensor (only works as home button) and sdcard isn't readable (I can only list files, but when I try to read or write I get EACCES.

Tried flashing latest firmware+modem, didn't work.

Tried wiping system/data/storage and flashing Nougat again, in the "first setup" page it was able to list WiFi networks but couldn't connect (stayed on "saved, secure").

Now I reloaded all my backups so I have an almost working phone, but without internal storage I can't do much. I can't take pictures, can't download files, can't play games (obb is on internal storage).

It worked fine before the update so it can't be a hardware problem, and even, it would be surprising that both the WiFi antenna, the fingerprint sensor and the eMMC card stop working at the same time.

Also worth mentioning that I can write to internal storage without any problems from TWRP.

edit: oops, wrong site. I forgot there was an Android-specific board. My bad.

# Answer
After a few days, I figured out the solution for each problem:

* Wi-Fi: I needed to delete `/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf` (which had been restored from Nougat) and reboot
* Fingerprint: Delete `/data/system/users/0/fpdata` and `/data/system/users/0/settings_fingerprint.xml`
* Storage: Wipe storage from TWRP, reboot to OS to reformat it, and restore files from TWRP

For those who would be wondering how to update from OOS Nougat to Oreo, here is a guide.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: updates
---


# Question
Title: WhatsApp not working with mobile data S7 Edge
I use a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with Android 6.0.1 . My WhatsApp works perfectly over wifi, However when I switch to mobile data it stops working.

I have Googled and found some "solutions" that do not work and have things to do with APN manipulation. Other "solutions" found on Google only seem to have worked on older Android versions, but have no effect here. I want to know what's wrong and how to fix this problem

# Answer
> 0 votes
Please check if you have installed/ pre-installed any *firewall* app, which is preventing WhatsApp from using mobile data.

---
Tags: applications, whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: How can I avoid receiving Flipboard emails/notifications
I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 with Nougat.

I keep on receiving emails/notifications from Flipboard. They don't use my old registration email address but MY GOOGLE ACCOUNT ADDRESS.

I checked in settings but I didn't find nothing that I can do. Hence,the only way to avoid receiving emails is to delete the account? Or,are there other ways?

Update:

I DIDN'T CREATE A FLIPBOARD ACCOUNT WITH GOOGLE ACCOUNT EMAIL ADDRESS AND PASSWORD. Now I deleted this account but it's still working.Need I to wait?
Can,please,someone suggest to me if it's better to delete the old account too?and change,I know it's not so easy, email address and password of my Google account? The question,now,is who has made the "Google account"and where have they found my Google credentials?

Thank you

# Answer
To stop receiving emails from Flipboard, simply unsubscribe from their email list. You can usually find an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.

If you can't find the link, use this page to unsubscribe.

To stop receiving notifications from the app, go to your phone settings -\> application Manager -\> Flipboard -\> notifications, and switch "allow notifications" to "off"
> 1 votes

---
Tags: notifications, 7.0-nougat, samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


# Question
Title: Why does someone need to install Linux(Debian/fedora) distribution inside Android?
I need some ideas from you. Why does someone need to install Linux distribution (Debian/Fedora) inside an android phone using android apps like 'Linux Deploy'?

# Answer
> 1 votes
This article has some good explanations.

eg.

> We can think of many reasons why you'd want a proper Linux PC in your pocket. You can, for example, use it to power a LAMP server that can run web apps and serve web pages. If you're a network admin, you can install your favourite Linux tools and turn the smartphone into a portable network troubleshooting or pen-testing device.

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Tags: linux
---


# Question
Title: Is there any way to block websites without Root access
I am searching for a way to block websites without having root access. Is there any way to do it? Any help will be appreciated.

# Answer
> 10 votes
Summed-up solution from above comments:

You can use a filtering proxy like e.g. FilterProxy, which lets you define what URLs should be blocked. To prevent other users from simply disabling the proxy then, you could protect it using an app locker like e.g. App Lock.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I wanted to point out another possible solution, since I had some inconveniences with FilterProxy. I now use DNS 66, which, conveniently, can also block ads, etc.

I just had to create my own hosts file myhosts.txt somewhere on my phone with the following entries:

```
127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost

0.0.0.0 www.badwebsite1.com
0.0.0.0 www.badwebsite2.com

```

You can install DNS 66 via F-Droid. And of course you can use an app locker to protect it, as described in the post by Izzy.

---
Tags: browser
---


title: OTG support for Samsung A3

text:
# Question
Title: OTG support for Samsung A3
Nothing happens when I plug a USB stick to my Samsung A3 2015 (SM-A300FU) with an OTG cable (on-the-go).

**How to enable OTG support on this device?**

*PS: I previously had a 5.0.2 original, unrooted. I now have a rooted 6.0.1 Marshmallow (Build number MMB29M.A300FUXXU1CRA3, Kernel version 3.10.49-12877970, Fri Jan 12 20:48:03 KST 2018).*

# Answer
> 2 votes
Like thinker, I can confirm that USB OTG is available on Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015), at least if you have the version SM-A300FU, but I'm pretty sure that all versions can support it. However to get it working you need to get the custom ROM Lineage OS (quite stable on my device), and the installation it pretty hard (not just an apk to install...) and can be dangerous. Here are the instructions to install it.

**YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT INSTALLING A CUSTOM ROM CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR YOUR DEVICE, BRICK IT, AND MAKE IT GOOD TO PUT IN THE BIN IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG DURING THE FLASH. SO ALWAYS FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY, I CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE IF YOU BREF YOUR DEVICE, AND DON'T FORGET TO USER YOUR BRAIN.**

**ALSO MAKE SURE TO HAVE BACKUPS (DATA, OF EVERYTHING ON YOUR COMPUTER!!!**

# Step 1: Install Odin on your computer

First download ODIN from this source if you are on Windows, and compile heimdall if you are on Linux (the available version in the debian unstable repo is not up to date, so you need to compile it by yourself, but don't worry it's pretty simple and described in the Appendix B of the Readme file). If something goes wrong, make sure that your phone drivers are installed.

# Step 2: install latest TWRP custom recovery mode on your device to backup your current ROM

NOTE: If your device is already rooted (link to root it if you are on Lollipop Android 5.x), you should be able to first backup the RECOVERY using this thread. I didn't try, but it may be a good idea...

It is always a good idea to backup your current ROM to avoid problems latter. To do so, you need to flash a custom recovery (TWRP) on your device. I tried the image on this website, but no idea why I wasn't successful (basically it shut down after showing me the first TWRP boot screen). Instead, **I followed the instructions here**, and I downloaded the file "twrp\_3.0.2-1\_sm-a300\_otg\_fix2.tar" that works great (actually, you can even test USB-OTG here if you change the "storage" during backup !). If you are on Windows, use Odin like in the tuto, on linux use a command like

```
sudo /path/to/my/compiled/bin/heimdall flash --RECOVERY ~/download/twrp_3.0.2-1_sm-a300_otg_fix2/recovery.img

```

Then, once TWRP is installed, reboot on it (power + Home + Volume up), go to backup, select the storage you want, and I recommand you to backup all the partitions. It's always better to have more than less...

# Step 3: get the latest stock (Samsung) android ROM for your device & operator

This step is really needed if you want to avoid connectivity issues, like non working Wifi... I tried to install Lineage OS on my old 5.x android, and wifi was not working. But then I installed the lastest 6.x android version (that uploads the good baseband...), and now everything works great!

To do so:

* first check what is your device version in the "Parameters \> About phone \> Model". Mine is SM-A300FU, and it should work on all SM-A300F, SM-A300FU, SM-A300M, SM-A300H.
* Go on the website http://updato.com/, and type your "SM-A300\*" model (you can also go to sammobile, but it was too slow for me to download the image). Then, filter by region to match your country and your mobile operator, and also filter by version (Marshmallow). Then click on "update results". You should get several items. Try to pick one whose PDA field ends with "CPH3", I saw some comments that said that this one is the best one to solve connectivity issues (not sure it others would work). For example, if you are in France, with Bouygues, you should use this version.
* Then wait the end of the downloading, and drink 20 coffees (can be pretty long).
* Then flash the rom using this tutorial if you are on Windows (I never really used Odin, but I guess you can do it). If you are on linux, you first need to extract the `.zip`, rename the `.tar.md5` into `.tar`, extract the `.tar`, and then run something like

sudo /path/to/my/compiled/bin/heimdall flash --APNHLOS NON-HLOS.bin --ABOOT aboot.mbn --BOOT boot.img --HIDDEN hidden.img.ext4 --MODEM modem.bin --RPM rpm.mbn --SBL1 sbl1.mbn --SYSTEM system.img.ext4 --QSEE tz.mbn --CACHE cache.img.ext4 --QHEE hyp.mbn

All right, now if everything goes fine, you should reboot into the latest Android version. Wait a few mn that everything gets installed, and then go to the next step!

# Step 4: Re-Install TWRP

Because TWRP has been erased (and no, don't try to flash everything except the recovery rom before, because it will bootloop after), you need to re-flash it, like in step 2!

# Step 5: Install Lineage OS (yes !!!)

Follow this (xda-trustworthy) tutorial to install Lineage OS. Cross your finger, reboot, and enjoy !

PS: If you want to enable root on the Lineage OS, it's just a case to tick in the developer options!

# Question: Can I keep using the official ROM?

I don't know if it's possible to exchange the kernel of Lineage OS with the official ROM, and if it would work... If you feel aventurous, you can give it a try, but personally I thing that Lineage OS is really nice ^^

# Answer
> 1 votes
What seems after looking at the your device specifications and descriptions is that it doesn't come with USB OTG support out of the box.This is a problem with many of the OEM's nowadays. Some clear it out in their specifications, some don't and it gets back to the user who has to figure out himself. I would still suggest you to confirm whether your device possesses this feature, just download an application from the Play Store called - USB OTG Checker.This will let you know if your device has OTG support.

Since this thing is kernel dependent and, your device doesn't support this feature out of the box, then the most probable solution you can do is root your device and look for a custom ROM with a kernel that supports USB host or you can even just change the kernel in case you don't want to change the ROM.

# Answer
> 1 votes
My friend who owns a Galaxy A3 2015 told me that when he plugs a USB-stick in, nothing happens. So, the A3 2015 may have no OTG support.

---
Tags: 6.0-marshmallow, samsung, usb-on-the-go, samsung-galaxy-a5, samsung-galaxy-a3
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to get FireFox running on Samsung Galaxy GT-I5700?
Would really like to try and get firefox running on older android device.

Have a Samsung Galaxy GT-I5700 which has an ARM V6 800mhz cpu, 250mb internal memory, 4GB SD and is running CyangenMod9 ICS for Spica(GT-I5700). Am working on getting native apps2sd working properly to try and free up some of that tiny internal memory. Have not really researched or tried anything regarding installing firefox but a similar question was asked here and thought would post my own q in order prevent bumping somebody elses thread! PlayStore say firefox is not compatible with my device yet on mozillas website there are older samsung phones that are listed but my exact model is not.

# Answer
> 1 votes
From the Firefox for Android page : *Installation requires \[...\] 384MB of RAM.* Your device has only 256MB. You can always try to install the nightly version, although it may be unstable. Or you can search on google for a stable firefox apk.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I am not sure if your RAM is enough for a current version of Firefox but...

Instead of Play, look for APK in f-droid or just install F-droid opensource repository from f-droid you have many old versions of Firefox, and other FF flavors; such as Fennec or IceCatMobile

Installing F-droid, the app will show you if a version is compatible with your device.

Another good alternative to Firefox is the FF flavor Waterfox but RAM is a problem

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Tags: firefox-for-android
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title: F-droid: keep partial downloads

text:
# Question
Title: F-droid: keep partial downloads
I am trying to install OSMAnd~ which is 43 MB, but I am sitting on a crappy connection that cuts out after 10-20 MB. Can I somehow ask F-droid to keep the partially downloaded file and continue download?

# Answer
I know that f-droid at least has a long timeout before cancelling the download but as @Izzy commented above, just download the apk from:

OSMand page

OSMAnd APK Version 2.8.2 (282) - Added on 2017-11-17
> 0 votes

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Tags: downloading, f-droid
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# Question
Title: LineageOS : upgrade nightly to unofficial
I have a lineageos 14.1 nightly signed (downloaded from the official website) installed on my phone. I built a 14.1 from the sources following the official wiki (tagged unofficial build). Currently I have this message saying to wipe the `/data` :

> Can't install this package on top of incompatible data. Please try another package or run a factory reset

I don't understand why I should wipe my data, I thought that it was only when changing to a different ROM.

I want to know if there is a way to flash an unofficial without losing my data or why is that needed.

# Answer
I found out that the release key is different, so a simple key migration solve it. The steps are explained on the Wiki.
> 1 votes

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Tags: lineageos
---


# Question
Title: Set encryption password for booting on OnePlus 5?
How do you set a custom encryption password on the OnePlus 5 and make the system prompt for the password on boot?

The OnePlus One made this easy, but I can't figure out how to do it on the OnePlus 5.

(Otherwise what is the point of encryption if the device automatically decrypts itself?!?!)

# Answer
> 1 votes
I was trying to do this too, but it seems like this is by design as seen at oneplus forum.

Apparently nothing gets decrypted after boot until you enter your pin/pattern but it's still a bit disappointing if you want the phone to not even boot without authentication.

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Tags: encryption, oneplus-5
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# Question
Title: Is App Data got reset or does it have a limit?
Applications are the most important utility in Android. Classified into two types, system apps and user apps. System apps are the one that is preinstalled,and removing some system apps cause device instability. User apps are those installed from playstore or other sources. Everybody uses application along with internet or WiFi. And on usage, application consumes them and creates application data and cache. My question is that, whether there is any reset point or limit for creating app data. For example, I am currently using WhatsApp continuosly, and presently app data reached 350MB. Will it have any auto reset by itself at say 1GB. What will happen if app data reaches a greater value?

# Answer
> 0 votes
No. That would be awful. App data is *your* data, the data you create using the app. Deleting it when it reaches a certain size would be like Windows deleting all your documents if you have more than 100. You can choose to clear an app's data through the Settings at any time, but this will delete everything you created through the app (except if the app syncs your things to the cloud, such as Tumblr or Google Docs). Usually, it's better to manage an app's storage through the app itself, which should offer more control over what you delete.

"Cache" is just that: a cache, or temporary copy, of data that's safely stored elsewhere. It's up to the individual app to correctly classify things as "data" or "cache", but you can expect that clearing an app's cache doesn't actually *lose* any data: it just means some things that were stored in the cache might need to be downloaded again.

The only limit for how much data an app can have is how much storage your phone has. If you use it all up, you won't be able to install or update apps, or store more data.

---
Tags: applications, internal-storage, app-data
---


# Question
Title: Laptop cannot detect Kindle Fire HD 8.9 in Device Manager
I have an old 8.9" Kindle Fire HD (model 3HT7G) and it is stuck in a recovery boot loop. I have found a way to get it out of this loop, but I need to use my laptop. The problem is, when I plug in my device, it does not appear in Device Manager and there is no indication that the device has been detected by the computer. The only thing that happens is that the Kindle starts to boot up (as standard for when you plug it in). Is there any way I can fix it? Maybe drivers are the issue, but I installed the USB drivers and adb drivers and I have tried all the methods I have found online...

# Answer
Download and install the adb drivers from this link, then reboot your pc.

> > Next installing the USB drivers for the Kindle from Amazon.

(Windows user) Uninstall the existing USB driver

If you are a Windows user who previously connected a Fire tablet without first enabling ADB, you will need to remove the existing USB device driver and force re-installation of the driver.

1. Connect your Fire tablet to the USB port on your development computer.
2. On the development computer, from the Start menu, right-click Computer, and then click Control Panel.
3. On the control panel page, then click Device Manager.
4. In the Device Manager window, expand Portable Devices.
5. Right-click the Fire device and then click Properties.
6. In the Properties window, on the Driver tab, click Uninstall, and then Confirm.
7. Unplug your Fire tablet from your computer.

---

Install the USB driver for Windows.

Perform the following steps if your development computer runs Windows.

1. You can directly download the USB driver from the following URL:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/android-sdk-manager/redist/kindle\_fire\_usb\_driver.zip
2. Extract the zip folder into a new folder.
3. Open the new folder and run the executable file, which installs the driver.

---

Source:

https://developer.amazon.com/docs/fire-tablets/ft-set-up-your-kindle-fire-tablet-for-testing.html#windows-user-uninstall-the-existing-usb-driver

https://developer.amazon.com/docs/fire-tablets/ft-set-up-your-kindle-fire-tablet-for-testing.html#windows-user-install-the-usb-driver-for-windows
> 0 votes

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Tags: adb, amazon-kindle-fire
---


title: Google Docs crash

text:
# Question
Title: Google Docs crash
I have non rooted HTC One M8 (Android 6.0) When I try editing document in Google docs aplication, it crashes (more like minimization). That happen every time after I press any letter under document. I tried: 1) deleting cache 2) rebooting phone 3) changing keyboard (current is Swift)

Can someone help me? Many thanks!

# Answer
I've been having the exact same problem the past month or so, and in looking for solutions I just found the app CCleaner could cause it. Just removed the CCleaner app and Docs works perfectly! Same problem for you perhaps?
> 0 votes

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Tags: google, htc, htc-one, documents
---


title: How can an "official" ROM be verified?

text:
# Question
Title: How can an "official" ROM be verified?
I'd like to substitute the brand ROM on an huawei p10 with the official ROM one can find in the popular xda forum or alike.

I'm a bit paranoid in this regard so, in order to be reasonably sure no one tempered the "official" ROM, how can I verify it's actually the one that comes with unbranded Huawei phones since, as far as I know, Huawei doesn't provide the ROM itself nor the md5?

# Answer
Most of stock recoveries has an option for verification of system integrity.

It checks your ROM and reports deleted, modified and added files or any unauthorized change.

It is labeled as 'verify system integrity' or similar in my moto phone, it should be available in your ROM.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: huawei, stock-rom
---


# Question
Title: com.android.providers.settings does not exists
I am using Lineage OS 14.1-20171111\_14ß556-UNOFFICIAL-cedric on my Motorola G5 Android 7.1.2 and i am not able to locate the file/data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

i tried ES File Explorer(with root) , adb shell (with root) and also SQLite Editor from the Play Store does not seem to find that file.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Since Marshmallow, all the settings are scattered everywhere, you won't find settings.db

many settings are available under /data/system/users/0/ saved as XMLs. Try looking there.

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Tags: settings
---


# Question
Title: Turn on phone without Power and volume buttons
I own Panasonic Eluga Ray Max phone, How can I turn it on without power and volume button as both are broken. Device is already USB debugging enabled but adb cant see it while only charging. So my basic requirement is to boot the phone.

Now another question is when I connect phone to PC/wall charger, screen lights up, charging status is show and general "power by android" message stay on screen for few seconds. So my question is there must be some sort of kernel gets loads just to display those messages and charging status, so why adb cant see device. and is there any other tool available which can boot a boot with command line when phone is displaying those message or charging status.

# Answer
> 1 votes
> is there any other tool available which can boot a boot with command line when phone is displaying those message or charging status.

Nope. Not possible through software. A hardware hack is your only solution. Try to open the device and see if you can replace the button somehow.

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Tags: boot, power-on
---


# Question
Title: How do I keep android SDK and reuse it on other PCs without the internet
I am fresh-from-the-oven kind of new to android and I just downloaded the android studio which is a whooping 683mb, after downloading it, I noticed it didn't come with SDK and that it was going to download a whole other stuff that is sized around 1.5gb, It was the second "baddest" news since the 1993 Apple Newton announcement. Why this bothers me is because I format my PC every now and then because of some reason, meaning I'll always have to go through this daunting process quite frequently.

I then figured I had to download the portable version with the believe that when android studio downloads the SDK, it will be inside the folder where the portable version was extracted, then I'll copy the whole folder with the downloaded SDK and zip it and keep safely.

My question is this, will it work, is this the right thing to do, when I extract it to a new PC, does it re-download SDK and those other monstrously large stuff.

Thanks.

# Answer
I have separate partition for Android Studio and SDK and it works fine after Installling my OS again & again.

Process is simple

1. Download zip version of Android Studio.
2. Open Android Studio for the first time
3. Select Advance/Custom option.
4. Select your SDK location (For the first time AS will download SDK for you if you have not downloaded yet)
5. Done!!!

Now if you will copy your SDK and Studio to another PC then you can choose your SDK location during first run and it won't download again.
> 1 votes

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Tags: android-sdk
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# Question
Title: Galaxy S5 charging slowly despite 'AC' and 2A charger
I have replaced the battery in my Galaxy S5 with a genuine Samsung (or at least, a very, very good fake!). It's now becoming quite noticeable how slow it charges - when plugged into a Nexus 7 2A charger (I have lost the Samsung original), using a USB ammeter, I can see it drawing around 0.5-0.7A. The ammeter does not seem to interfere, as I also have a mains power meter that shows less than 5 watts being drawn from the wall without the ammeter. My understanding is that the data pins in a charger USB socket are bridged to indicate the phone can draw more current, and the phone recognises it's connected to 'AC' in the battery screen, but it doesn't seem to be pulling the maximum available from the charger. I've tried a combination of different USB cables and some other USB power supplies without much difference in charge rates. I do have a good collection of apps installed, but my understanding is that if an app was draining the battery almost as fast as it was charging, the phone would still pull more power from the mains.

Is there anything else I can check, or am I just going to have to lump it? The phone is running stock Android 6.0 with all current Samsung updates.

Possibly related, but I also have the Qi wireless charger kit with the S View cover. Although the pad also demands a 2A charger, I've only seen the pad draw 0.8A from the adapter, and I know some power is lost in the pad, so I'd be surprised if half that was reaching the phone. I know Qi is slower and less efficient than plugging in directly, but this does seem excessive.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Your understanding and measurements are logical and I can't say why your battery should charge slower compared to the earlier one

One thing you may try is to backup your device and flash latest stock ROM or custom ROM which has a kernel that permits higher rate of charging

If that's a lot of work, change the USB cable to a thicker one. See my answer here for details

(I am not affiliated with the product but a happy user. I keep buying those when on discount and gift to friends. All have uniformly attested to better charging rate)

Edit : It could be a faulty USB port too. You could try getting that replaced

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Tags: charging, samsung-galaxy-s-5
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to see whether you are within a ~10m radius of another phone without broadcasting location data?
I was looking at Bump\_(application), and I found it interesting that they use location data along with other metrics to figure out whether two phones are next to each other.

Is it not possible to do a similar thing using bluetooth or a similar technology that doesn't send your location data to a remote server? I'm assuming the two phones in question have the same app.

# Answer
> they use location data along with other metrics

The key point is that you have to touch the two phones together. This contact will be visible in the accelerometer and microphone readings from either phone. Something needs to look at the readings from all the phones in the vicinity and find two that recorded a bump at the same time. The easiest way to do that - especially ten years ago, when smartphones didn't have much computing power - was to send the bump times and phone locations to a server and let it compare them all.

The alternative way to achieve this would be each phone broadcasting bump events to all nearby phones directly. There's not a great way to achieve this. Bluetooth can't support many phones connecting to each other this way, and access to it is limited in iOS. Wi-Fi Direct (aka Wi-Fi P2P) can do this, but not at the same time you're using normal Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. However you do it, you'd have to be very careful to prevent someone spoofing the bump events to pretend to be the phone you wanted to send your file to.

So although it is possible to use Bluetooth to find out if two phones are in the same room, without sending anything to a remote server, it's not feasible to use that to make the "bump phones together to connect them" feature that was Bump's unique selling point.
> 1 votes

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Tags: bluetooth, geolocation, location-services, cell-broadcast
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable "app is running in the background" notifications?
I've a notification from *Android system* that I can only snooze, not remove permanently, about an app running in the background. It's specifically about Keepass2Android:

> Keepass2Android is running in the background

I know it's running in the background so I don't need to be reminded about it constantly. Most annoying is that it takes up unnecessary space.

Is there a way to disable this notification?

# Answer
> 9 votes
I am on Oreo 8.0.0 and couldn't find a setting for this so ended up using this Hide "running in the background" Notification

I have several apps running in background and disabled them all using this app, as it serves no useful purpose for me to know

Auto Notification is another app that has this feature amongst other Tasker oriented features if you are interested.

I preferred the first one since I don't use Tasker

**Edit:** These are Bye the way notifications

# Answer
> 5 votes
Long press/Hold the ***application name*** *is running in the background* and toggle the switch available, like seen in the below screenshot (option is currently enabled, turn it off to disable the *running in background notification*)

Or you can go to Settings \> Notifications (enable show system apps option found in menu) \> Android System \> Disable *Apps running in background* (options enabled in screenshot for viability)

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Tags: applications, notifications, 8.0-oreo, nokia-8
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# Question
Title: Android 8.1.0 slows down after last update 5th Jan
Do you know the reason of totaly slow down of Adnroid 8.1.0 (Nexus5X) after last update 5th Jan? It seems it was security update about CPU vulnerability. My phone become so slowly as never before.

# Answer
> It seems it was security update about CPU vulnerability.

That's putting it mildly. You may have heard in the news recently about the Meltdown and Spectre exploits, which demonstrate vulnerabilities in all Intel CPUs. Some variants of these attacks also work against Cortex-A ARM CPUs from about 2005 onward: the CPUs in almost all Android phones. Here's some discussion on the Infosec Stack Exchange site.

All OS vendors - desktop, server, and mobile - are shipping updates that *mitigate* against the vulnerabilities, but because the problem is in the CPU itself, and relates to the performance optimizations that the CPU performs, the mitigation slows down the CPU significantly. Some people have reported 50% slowdowns on some types of program, though 20-30% is closer to what most people are seeing.

I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the slowdown. It's the only way to avoid the security problem. Not patching the update would mean any app on your phone, scripts on any website you visit, and scripts from ads in apps or websites, can all read any memory of your phone - including your passwords, credit card numbers, and access tokens used by Android to control what apps can do. The attack is undetectable, so you wouldn't know it has happened to you.

All but the oldest Android phones and tablets will need this patch: it's not just for the Nexus 5X, and not even just for Nexus phones. If anyone else has a phone whose manufacturer has stopped updating, they need to install an up-to-date custom ROM, or get a new phone.
> 1 votes

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Tags: updates, 8.0-oreo
---


# Question
Title: Where can I find documentation for shell commands?
For using a shell commands through a terminal program, where can I find documentation or help or man pages for the commands *as implemented in Android*?

While it would be nice to have them on the device via *man*, PDF or web-based would be fine, too.

When I run "man" from terminal, I get an error and I haven't found a good source online.

# Answer
You may have a look at http://www.busybox.net/downloads/BusyBox.html for a description of busybox and the commands provided by it. And trust me, if you are going to do work in the console, you probably want to use busybox.
> 8 votes

# Answer
Most of the terminal commands in android are the limited version of standard Linux/Unix/POSIX terminal commands, provided by the `toolbox` program. Notably absent from `toolbox` is the `cp` (file copy) command, you must use `cat file1 > file2` instead. If you spend a lot of time in the shell, you may want to install `busybox`, which provides a richer set of standard POSIX commands.

There some bit about android shell here: http://benno.id.au/blog/2007/11/13/android-under-the-hood
> 4 votes

# Answer
Since I stumbled over the same problem as you did I started to compile a list of useful commands in the Android Shell including examples. A German version is on my blog.
> 3 votes

# Answer
The majority of "standard" Android shell commands are found in /system/bin/ and the majority of those are symlinked to Toolbox, a bsd licensed set of applets, similar to busybox, but without the GPL-2 licensing ""issues"". Toolbox helps Google's need to remove dependence on GPL code, and is targeted to small size and specific Android tasks. It was not meant for end-user use.

There is no builtin manuals in stock android, and toolbox applets lack any documentation, from the commands, from toolbox itself, and online. They are very limited copies of what most users would consider the standard POSIX type tools. More similar to the BSD-Utils, so BSD Util flags are more likely to work and behavior is more similar to BSD-Utils than it is Posix. Even then, Toolbox applets lack many of those flags.

The closest thing to documentation is the source code. Which, like most of Android, available online. Here is the Froyo version of the Toolbox source: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/froyo/toolbox
Just find the version you need.

Keep in mind, different manufacturers might change the code. Samsung's Toolbox is different from Motorola's. Heck, Samsung Galaxy S Toolbox differs from Samsung Sidekick 4g (Galaxy S based). Manufacturers might add applets for their own use, or change the default for specific purposes. the `restart` applet in toolbox will work on the phone it came on, but the busybox `restart` applet will not, unless specifically patched. `Time` and `Date` are also different. There are others as well. So Toolbox isn't something you can completely replace with Busybox or the full GNU-Utils or whatever.
> 3 votes

# Answer
# On older Android versions

On older Android versions, shell commands tend to be either:

* Rewritten specifically for Android, and shipped as part of Toolbox. I'm not sure whether or not Toolbox is really documented anywhere.
* Or copied from NetBSD. If so, then the command was recompiled for Android, and the command (but not its manual page) is shipped with Android.

Use `type` to tell you where a command is stored, and `ls -l` on the command to tell you whether it's a real binary or a symbolic link. If it's a symbolic link to Toolbox, then you'll know that the command is part of Toolbox.

A few commands, such as `kill`, are available both as a shell builtin (this is the version which will normally run) and in `/system/bin` (this version will normally never be run). `type` will tell you which version will run.

# On Marshmallow and up

Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" and up ship with Toybox, and most of the most commonly used shell commands (`cp`, `mv`, `ls`, et cetera) tend to be Toybox toys. Toybox toys normally include built-in help; official manual pages are not included.

Still, Toybox doesn't include everything, and so not everything is provided by Toybox. For example, even on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow", `fsck_msdos` (which should only be used to check SD cards of 32 GB or less) appears to be taken from either FreeBSD or NetBSD. `fsck_exfat` (which can check most SD cards 64 GB or larger) is taken from elsewhere. I'm not sure where.

# Your shell

On modern versions of Android, the shell is `mksh`, the MirBSD Korn shell. If `mksh` is running, then to find out your `mksh` version, enter:

```
echo $KSH_VERSION

```
> 3 votes

# Answer
I would suggest starting an Android Virtual Device (AVD), connecting to it with adb, and running the Android shell command in question:

```
pdurbin@macbook ~$ cd /Applications/eclipse/android-sdk-mac_x86/platform-tools
pdurbin@macbook platform-tools$ ./adb -s emulator-5554 shell
# /system/bin/pm
usage: pm [list|path|install|uninstall]
       pm list packages [-f]
       pm list permission-groups
       pm list permissions [-g] [-f] [-d] [-u] [GROUP]
       pm list instrumentation [-f] [TARGET-PACKAGE]
       pm list features
       pm path PACKAGE
       pm install [-l] [-r] [-t] [-i INSTALLER_PACKAGE_NAME] [-s] [-f] PATH
       pm uninstall [-k] PACKAGE
       pm enable PACKAGE_OR_COMPONENT
       pm disable PACKAGE_OR_COMPONENT
       pm setInstallLocation [0/auto] [1/internal] [2/external]
[snip]

```

If anyone knows the flag to give Android shell commands to just print the usage screen, please let me know. I tried --help, -help, -h, --usage, etc.

Try to run `ls /system/bin` and see also http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/adb.html#shellcommands
> 1 votes

# Answer
The set of shell commands used by Android seems to be `toolbox`. Information on it seems to be not centralized (which seems *obscure* to me), but one could search and find pieces of information around, e.g.

http://www.all-things-android.com/content/android-toolbox-command-reference

For "intensive" use of the command line, BusyBox is generally recommended as a replacement for `toolbox`.

Credits / Related:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3647014/how-can-i-get-information-from-the-shell-about-commands-available-in-android-she

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41498651/how-to-execute-the-help-linux-command-on-android

https://github.com/jackpal/Android-Terminal-Emulator/wiki/Android-Shell-Command-Reference
> 1 votes

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Tags: shell, terminal
---


# Question
Title: When am trying to change my number on Sumsung Galaxy A5 it's "unknown". And I can't also make a call with the current number
What do I have do to be able to change my number and also to make a call?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you also can't make a call, it sounds like a problem with the SIM card. You should contact your carrier and ask them for help. They might need to send you a new SIM card.

---
Tags: sms
---


# Question
Title: Installing any APP hardboots phone and bootloops
I have a Oneplus 1 running CM11 44s Kitkat 4.4.4

I did a clean flash of CM11 and now I am unable to install any app from playstore. As soon as an app finishes installing, the phone hardboots and enters bootloop or I get continuous error messages Trebuchet stops working, Play Store stopped working

I have to goto Safe Mode and unistall app to recover phone.

Apps which I have tried to install and have been unsuccessful Greenify Nova Launcher Facebook Gboard Microsoft SMS Organiser

Basically, I am unable to install anything at all! All these were running fine before, now dont understand whats wrong!

I cleaned whole phone, formatted all with fastboot and reinstalled CM11, but the problem remains.

Please help!!

# Answer
For me it is the FaceBook app that causes the bootloop. I have CM11 on a Nexus 7. I used the Play store to update a few apps last week and when I came back to it, it was looping. I did several factory resets and found it was the latest FB app. I get an instant bootloop on installing. I just decided not to use it :) Of course whatever the issue is (maybe some issue Android Studio is introducing that CM11 does not like) may affect other apps.
> 0 votes

# Answer
It's becouse appt2 someone posted about it in google's issue tracker here : https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/64434571#comment22 and they say they would release an update to appt2 to fix the problem it happens to all CyanogenMod/LineageOS Rom and they descriped the bug in detail too here is it :- CyanogenMod has this function getPkgName (https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android\_frameworks\_base/blob/cm-13.0/libs/androidfw/AssetManager.cpp). It creates a ResXMLTree on the stack and points it at a buffer from an asset without making a copy. Then it closes the asset before the ResXMLTree is destroyed.

For apps built by aapt, this is benign. However, aapt2 produces UTF-8 string pools, which cause the ResXMLTree's ResStringPool(mStrings)'s mCache to become non-null in ResStringPool::stringAt (https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android\_frameworks\_base/blob/cm-13.0/libs/androidfw/ResourceTypes.cpp). Then ResStringPool::uninit dereferences mHeader (which is now dangling), and a crash ensues.

This crash shows up in different ways. On one Cyanogen OS device, the launcher crashes when an app built with aapt2 has been installed, but only if the manifest is large (probably due to how deallocation happens for small vs large blobs). On another device, system\_server crashes at boot if an aapt2-built app is installed.

We're attempting to work around this with a custom build of aapt2 that always produces a UTF-16 string pool for the manifest. Results so far are promising.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, boot-loop, oneplus-one
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to isolate my Google account to just the Play Store?
I want to use the Google Play Store, so I need to login with my Google account. The moment you login, Android will store your Google account, so apps like Gmail can access it.

However, the Play Store is the one and only app I want to use my Google account with. I don't want Gmail or anything else to access or even know that I have a Google account.

Is there a way to isolate my Google account to just the Play Store? Is my only option to make a dummy Google account just for this device?

I'm running Android 7.0.

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you want to use the original Google Play Store there is no way to limit the Google Account to this service.

In case you loose the device, anyone who gets access to the device can install any Google app like GMail and then use it with the stored Google account you have set-up for the Google Play Store.

The only workaround is the one you already mentioned: Use a new Google account that is only used for Google Play Store.

Alternatively you could switch to a different app store or use a third party app that allows to download apps from Google Play Store (not sure if there is currently one that works).

---
Tags: google-play-store, google-account, accounts
---


# Question
Title: Installing ADB drivers for Micromax A89 Ninja - Windows 8
Micromax does not provide any drivers for its phone - Micromax A89 Ninja. We are trying to use the phone for development and are unable to install the device driver in Windows 8.

We tried the ADB drivers at - http://www.droidextra.org/2013/02/06/install-adb-drivers-for-any-android-device.html and got the error

> Windows found driver software for your device but encountered an error when trying to install it. Android ADB Interface - The system cannot find the file specified.

We even tried this link - https://laslow.net/2012/03/14/disable-driver-signature-enforcement-in-windows-8/

But that does not solve the problem. How do we install ADB driver for Micromax A89? Is there any other workaround to use the phone as a development device?

# Answer
Please try official one - works for most devices: https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/adb.html
> -1 votes

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Tags: adb, usb-drivers, micromax
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# Question
Title: How to download and emulate the official android x86 image from Android Studio?
Android studio downloads x86 images from google and emulate them so I can test my apps. I tried downloading and unzipping the thing it downloads but it doesn't look like an image that can be run with virt-manager.

Which images are downloaded by Android Studio and how can I emulate them in Ubuntu?

# Answer
> 1 votes
If I understand correctly what you want achieve, this has been documented pretty well on SE sister sites:

Firstly assuming you have successfully installed Android studio, it needs the following files to successfully run an AVD:

* sdk tools
* build tools
* platform tools
* system-images
* sources etc

(*You may download these separately as zipped files, but make sure to extract in the correct directory*)

In case you haven't got Android studio (or standalone sdk manager) up and running, you may need to get started by following these posts on sister sites:

1. Stackoverflow: How to install Android SDK on Ubuntu?
2. AskUbuntu: Complete Installation Guide for Android SDK / ADT Bundle on Ubuntu

* Unlike on Windows, you can simply access avd manager using command-line i.e open terminal ( CTRL + ALT + T) and type `android avd` to open the Android Virtual Device Manager.
    * Configure your virtual device to suit your needs, click start and from here you can launch your AVD

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Tags: linux, android-emulator, android-x86, emulators
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# Question
Title: Old WhatsApp version is obsolete on January 2018, but there's no update on the Play Store
WhatsApp shows a notice that the current version is old and obsolete, preventing the user from accessing the chats. It also tells the user to download the latest update.

Tapping the "download" button takes the user to the Play Store. However, there is no option to "update", only "uninstall" and "open".

How to force update the WhatsApp app?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Download the APK file directly from the official WhatsApp site and install it.

I have the same issue and this fixed it.

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Tags: updates, whatsapp-messenger
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# Question
Title: Get the original photos after using PhotoSphere?
Using the new PhotoSphere camera mode to take a 360°×180° panorama, you have a stiched together image. Is it possible to get access to the original photos that were used?

I really like the PhotoSphere UI and method of taking panoramas, it's very well done. However the panorama software isn't great (it *is* a phone after all), and I'd like to use something like Hugin to generate the panoramas myself. Is there anyway to get access to, or to save, the original images that went into creating the PhotoSphere?

# Answer
I do not believe there is a way to do this as stock, since the photos taken are stored temporarily and are deleted as soon as post-processing is complete. If you want to develop your own solution to this by creating a 'hook' for the opensource app "Focal" which has the same features as the stock camera. (Focal: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.xplod.focal&hl=en)
> 1 votes

# Answer
It is possible:

1. After shooting your photosphere, take a file manager and find the folder that corresponds to your photosphere shooting time. It will have the timestamp in the folder name in a location like this: `/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.google.android.GoogleCamera/cache/panorama_sessions/session_[yyyymmdd]_[hhmmss]`
2. Copy it to a safe place as this cache will be deleted after some hours / more photospheres. For example, copy it into the camera folder so you can download it with your other pictures to your computer: `/storage/emulated/0/`
3. Use Hugin or another photo stitching software on your computer to create a very high resolution photo sphere, as you intend to do.

Source: this answer
> 1 votes

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Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, camera, 4.3-jelly-bean, 4.4-kitkat
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