# Question
Title: Nexus 7 (2012) no longer connecting via USB Mac OS X
I plugged my original Nexus 7 into my Mac earlier today to build an application onto it for testing. It failed, and then I realized that the tablet did not appear to actually be connected to the computer.

**Symptoms:** Tablet charges, but no notification about being connected. Tablet does not appear in `./adb devices` (nor in `./fastboot devices` when device is in bootloader), and Android File Transfer will not find it.

**Tried:** Rebooted both tablet and computer, tried different USB cables and USB ports. Tried MTP, PTP, and neither. Tried USB Debugging on and off.

My Nexus 4 connects to the computer just fine. Both N4 and N7 are running Android 4.4.2

UPDATE: Tested my roommate's Nexus 7 (same model) on my computer, and it connected fine. Tested my Nexus 7 on his computer and saw the same lack of connection

EDIT: now fairly convinced that it's a faulty hardware USB port on the tablet. Wiggling the cable will cause the device to show "USB Debugging Enabled" and "Connected as Media Device" notifications, though the computer still doesn't recognize it

# Answer
> -1 votes
You can try another way: wireless connection via Wifi. Some apps such as Airdroid, Web PC Suite can help you transfer files by Wifi. Connect the two devices by scanning a QR code, then you can send files between the two devices easily.

---
Tags: usb, usb-connection-mode, 4.4-kitkat, usb-debugging, macos
---


# Question
Title: Need to force close the "Phone" (Dialer) app manually
I have `LG E612` (`Jelly bean 4.1.2`).

My problem is, my **`phone` (`dialer`) app** will not close automatically when I press "**Back**" from `dialer` to `Home screen`.

`Phone app` is still running in background, and I need to close it through a `task killer`.

Is this a normal behavior with all android phones? If not, is there any settings for this?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Thanks @RossC, for your comments.

Adding this as answer:

> Leave the memory management to the OS. It depends on the version (4.1.2 in your case), the OEM (LG) and the particular dialer app. As a rule, task killers degrade performance, and the app being in memory has no impact on your battery or performance. I'd say leave it be.

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean, phone-app, lg, lg-optimus-l5
---


title: Tablet radiation (RF vs EMF )

text:
# Question
Title: Tablet radiation (RF vs EMF )
I own a tablet without 3G/phone functionality but equipped with Wi-fi There is a lot of mixing up RF (radio frequency) with EMF (electric magnetic field) when looking for health issues arising from radiation.

So :

if there is no 3G functionality, am I safe from RF ?

if there is Wifi then there should be RF too. If Wif-fi is enabled but not connected to a network, does it emit RF ?

EMF is another one, but a property of all electrically powered. In what case is it more emitted by the tablet ie when wi-fi is on ?

Which one is dangerous to health , RF or EMF RF vs EMF ? I see that there are cases that reduce radiation but all are concerned with RF and not EMF. Is there a solution that works for reducing EMF emission?

# Answer
There's a lot of mixing up because the "aagh tinfoil hats" brigade are very mixed up themselves. There's no evidence that any radio emissions from mobile phones have any health effects whatsoever. You get a larger radio dose from your local TV transmitter than the phone in your pocket.

To answer your specific questions: yes, you're safe from RF if there's no 3G functionality, or if there is 3G functionality for that matter. If you turn on Wi-Fi, it emits radio waves (that's how it works!) regardless of whether it's connected to a network or scanning for networks.

As you say, EMF is just the "spill-off" from any electrical appliance or even cable. The EMF from tablets is almost too little to measure: it's several orders of magnitude less than from anything with an electric motor, such as a hairdryer or fan.

Neither RF nor EMF emissions from tablets or mobile phones are hazardous to health at all. A case to reduce the RF emissions is a bit pointless. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G protocols all feature methods for the transmitter to change its transmission strength as necessary. Blocking the transmission just makes it transmit with more power, running your battery down faster.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, tablet
---


# Question
Title: Can I access the Intenet via WiFi if my phone has no SIM card?
I want to use WhatsApp on Samsung GT S5830 in Japan, but I do not have a SIM card for my phone. Can I use the Internet on my mobile via WiFi?

# Answer
Yes you can if you still have contacts in your mobile and already registered on Whatsapp with a number.
> 1 votes

# Answer
**You can**: during the registration process, insert a phone number of your property.

Wait until whatsapp tells you to manually input the code you should have received via SMS at the number you had selected.

Once you have completed these steps, you will be able to use your whatsapp account from your phone using wifi connection.

If you couldn't verify your number, follow the official guide provided by WhatsApp.

If you're told that it can't connect to your wi-fi, click here to see the related article on the WhatsApp FAQ.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, internet, whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Get 850MHz 3G working on Samsung S5 Active
I have Samsung S5 Active. It seems that it never get the 3G signal, only 2G.

After some research I found that 850Mhz is disabled in my phone, I tried to enabled it with the code: \*#197328640# but no luck. This code seems to work only with S5 but not with S5 Active. I don't have even DEBUG SCREEN menu if I enter this code.

Any suggestion how can I enable 850 3G in my phone?

I also tried to connect to my phone from terminal:

```
$ adb shell
shell@android:/ $ am start -n com.android.settings/.BandMode

```

After entering these commands, I got to the menu in my phone:

```
Set GSM/UMTS Band:

```

but there were no options to chose. I believe somehting is blocking me from changing the band.

Please help, I can't use 3G until I fix it, it seems that mine other chinese phone works much better than Samsung S5 Active.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If the underlying baseband does not support 850 mhz it's not going to work. Also, if you have a very old SIM it probably isn't going to work.

I believe the software can also prevent you to change the preference.

Maybe upgrade your baseband (radio) after rooting your phone. Maybe a factory upgrade will also do the trick, but I'm not sure. See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2794087 to root and be able to flash roms.

Personally, I'd try for a refund or return, try to let the store fix this issue. 3G is on the carton after all?

---
Tags: 3g, samsung-galaxy-s-5
---


# Question
Title: Google Play UI language vs review language - what's happening here?
I'm Polish, in Poland, but use English for the interface. I posted a review on a Polish app (in Polish, of course)... and it's not visible to people with Polish UI language selected.
I've tried changing the language in Google Play to Polish, deleting the review, and writing it again. Still no change.
What must I do to make my comment visible in Polish?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Add &hl=pl to the end of the URL.

(So it becomes https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchtype.swiftkey&hl=pl )

This will force the Play store to change to Polish entirely, and display the Polish version of the site, not just the translation. (Works for all Google sites, and all languages) It will remain in Polish until you close the page or tab.

---
Tags: google-play-store, languages, app-ratings
---


# Question
Title: Ive lost my phone how do i install an app on that stolen phone from my pc or laptop
Im working in the DRC an sombody stole my Samsung Gallaxy S4 from my car I want to block the phone so he cant use it any more

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you have installed Android Device Manager or Avast (or similar) anti-theft agent apps, you can lock/erase your phone through internet.

If you are lucky enough that the user is using WiFi/3G using same (your) google account, you can even download these (or any other) apps remotely using Google Play.

If none of the above going to work, just report to your service provider, they'll block the phone.

---
Tags: backup, lost-phone, google
---


# Question
Title: Android won't sync contacts no matter what
My boss bought an iPhone and asked me to sync his contacts. I went to the iPhone and turned on the contact sync from his Google account and "all" the contacts got there, but when I looked, none of the contacts from his phone were there! Looking at his Android, none of his Gmail contacts were there either, and now I can't get this thing working! I need help!

He has an LG (I don't know which model it is) and Android 4.0.4

# Answer
First of all, remember that sync works both ways - if you delete contacts on the phone, it will delete them on google. If this happens, don't despair, as gmail has a nice "way-back" type of restore; you can restore back to any time. I used this for my wife's iphone when I set it up.

I mainly wanted to post this for the above CYA, as I think it's important. I don't remember exactly what settings I had to change to get it working, and she's not around now, so I can't look to see. But knowing about the restore should give you the ability to experiment more.

I may have set up the sync to their icloud, or whatever it's called, but I doubt that this really buys anything. I believe that once you get it in sync, so to speak, it will work correctly after that. I think you just need to restore the gmail contacts, and they will then sync to the phone. It may have tried to sync gmail to the phone before instead of the other way around previously.

Sorry I can't give the exact settings or procedure to use, but I hope it will help.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I managed to make the android sync by going to the contacts, exporting to internal memory and then importing back... then it started to push contacts to cloud... the iphone picked it up by itself...
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Gmail app doesn't send messages, gives strange logcat message
Recently, Gmail has stopped sending messages, storing drafts, or basically having anything to do with messages I create. Clicking the "send" button does nothing, and exiting the app doesn't auto-save the draft as expected. Instead, logcat shows the following error (every time I click the "send" button, for example):

```
W/MessageQueue(27786): Handler (com.android.internal.os.HandlerCaller$MyHandler) {4160e070} sending message to a Handler on a dead thread
W/MessageQueue(27786): java.lang.RuntimeException: Handler (com.android.internal.os.HandlerCaller$MyHandler) {4160e070} sending message to a Handler on a dead thread
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.MessageQueue.enqueueMessage(MessageQueue.java:320)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.Handler.enqueueMessage(Handler.java:626)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.Handler.sendMessageAtTime(Handler.java:595)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.Handler.sendMessageDelayed(Handler.java:566)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.Handler.sendMessage(Handler.java:503)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at com.android.internal.os.HandlerCaller.sendMessage(HandlerCaller.java:86)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.accessibilityservice.AccessibilityService$IAccessibilityServiceClientWrapper.onAccessibilityEvent(AccessibilityService.java:619)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.accessibilityservice.IAccessibilityServiceClient$Stub.onTransact(IAccessibilityServiceClient.java:70)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:404)
W/MessageQueue(27786):  at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)

```

Does anyone have a hint at what might be causing this? I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app, deleted the /data/data/com.google.android.gm directory, nothing works. I can receive and interact with email fine, it's only sending and saving drafts that doesn't work, afaics.

# Answer
Things like this sometimes happen when something gets stuck in cache. To solve that, the easiest approach is:

1. boot into recovery
2. select to "wipe cache"

Which works for both, stock recovery (aka "3E") and custom recoveries.

Of course, with a custom recovery you can also "wipe Dalvik" – doesn't hurt, just causes a longer first-boot after that. Side effect might even be improved performance, especially when you frequently install/update/uninstall apps, as this wipe forces the entire cache to be rebuilt cleanly. The important part however is the "normal cache", where it's more common that "things get stuck".
> 2 votes

---
Tags: gmail
---


# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy S3 update installs strange applications
Today I updated the software to latest version. It took around 148MB to update and when finished, I started getting 4 new apps:

* mytaxi
* kaufDA
* pizza.de
* BILD

Wondering why these apps were installed, because my friends' S3 didn't have this.

Please let me know, if this is not an original phone or why, as I understood this seems to be a German version. However, when I checked the IMEI, 7th and 8th digits are respectively 0 and 5, not 0 and 8 to be German.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes, those apps are stock apps in the German-localized ROMs for the Galaxy S3 (the i9300 version). Likely they were there in the original ROM but you uninstalled them and later forgot about it. It's fine to just uninstall them.

The seventh and eight digits of the IMEI don't have any meaning in current phones. Before 2004, they indicated the country where the phone was assembled, but the structure of the IMEI was changed then so those two digits don't have a special meaning of their own.

There's nothing here to suggest your phone is a fake.

---
Tags: applications, samsung-galaxy-s-3, updates, device-firmware
---


# Question
Title: Play Store crashes when menu or back button are tapped
Since the Play Store was updated to version 4.9.13 on my LG Optimus L5II (LG-E450f), it crashes every time the menu or back button are tapped.

Click image for larger version.

Everything else appears to work fine.

Clearing the cache, deleting app data and resetting to factory settings don't fix it. Uninstalling the updates of Play Store fixes it, but the after a couple of minutes it's automatically updated and the problem happens again.

My device isn't rooted. It's running Android version 4.1.2

What can I do to stop the Play Store crashing?

# Answer
Swipe from left edge to right don't fix the problem but make the menu accesible, and don't require to root the phone.

From http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55005591&postcount=2

> Swype from left edge to right or use XPosed module "x3 jelly bean play store fix" if you've rooted your device
> 0 votes

# Answer
If you root your phone then you can safely install Xposed and this module that should fix the problem.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I have the same problem on my phone, but luckily I found a way around it. Simply swipe in from the left hand side and it brings you the exact same menu you are after.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, lg-optimus-l5
---


# Question
Title: Can I format android phone's internal storage with adb?
I formatted my phones internal storage with ntfs and now it doesn't appeared in usb mode and also not in file manager. And phone's feature like gallery, camera, recording etc are not working. Is there any way to format internal storage again with fat32 file system? I think there should be a way in ADB to format it. I don't have much knowledge about it but think it is easiest way!!! Please someone help me....

# Answer
It is possible. I found some instructions here that partially apply: http://androidandme.com/2009/08/news/how-to-manually-partition-your-sd-card-for-android-apps2sd/

**DO TAKE CARE, IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND COMMANDS WELL, DONT TRY THIS OUT**.

The difference is that you just want one partition in fat32. `mkpartfs primary fat32 0 [last MB]` \# where last MB is visible using `parted /dev/block/mmcblkXXXXXXXX` . Also the article is about an sdcard.

I'd recommend checking carefully if you have the right block level device before issuing any partitioning commands!

When using the appropriate block level device, little can go wrong, as you currently have no access at all.

\[edit\] Personally, I'd try to install a new recovery using Fastboot, and then use that recovery to format your internal storage. A lot easier and safer IMO.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I just did it cant believe............... I find a command on a website where i just place my mmcblk number that I known via Paragon exFAT,NTFS&HFS+.apk app and run this command as a Super user " mkfs.vfat /dev/block/mmcblk0p33 " and now i got my internal storage back on my phone.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: adb, formatting
---


title: I want to move sd card

text:
# Question
Title: I want to move sd card
I want to move a micro SD card from an HTC Aquire into my Galaxy s2 so that I can access the pictures and the music , how do I do that ?

# Answer
If you go into storage options on your phone under external SD card there should be an option to unmount SD card for safe removal. Select this option and once it is unmounted open the back of the phone eject the SD card, open the back of the Galaxy S2, insert the SD card and you've successfully moved your SD card!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, htc-droid-incredible
---


# Question
Title: Cubot S208 Avoided Bad Internet Connection, How do I disable?
we're hoping somebody out there can help us with a new Cubot S208 smart phone we've just bought. We've been using it for a couple of weeks on various wi-fi networks and not experienced any problems until 2 days ago. We tried to connect to our home network which we'd connected to many times over the last 2 weeks but we got the Obtaining IP address message. This stays on the screen for ages, then the message says Avoided Bad Internet Connection. I tried out the phone on a neighbours wi-fi network (which has the same security type WPA-PSK with its own password), and this worked okay. We used it last night and it intermittently logged onto 1 or 2 different wi-fi networks in town, other networks we got the same error message as we're now getting at home Avoided Bad Internet Connection. So, here's what we've tried so far:

* Took the handset back to factory settings
* Tried connecting to our home wi-fi on its own (we switched off our wireless laptop in case it was causing the problem)
* We deleted our home wi-fi connection and re-entered it on the handset

And today we're still getting the same error message when trying to connect at home. Our wireless router BTW is a Belking54g (not sure if that's the problem?). Does anybody have any suggestions what we can do to rectify this problem as currently we're not able to use the handset at home for internet now. One other thing; we don't have a SIM card in the handset yet (in the process of buying one).

We've seen lots of other comments online where other devices are getting exact same problem, and we've also seen some software online that suggets it can cure it but would appreciate some honest advice.

Really hope somebody out there can help us. Thanks for listening :-)

# Answer
> 1 votes
I've just sorted this problem. This device had been working perfectly on our home wifi connection until 2 days ago so I had no reason to suspect our wifi router. However I thought i'd check and somehow the device's MAC address had 'disappeared' from the MAC address filtering allowed list. How does that happen? Anyway, I reentered the MAC address into the router and it connected straight away. I suspect this might reoccur and I have no idea how it deleted itself from the list, however, at least I know how to rectify it next time.

---
Tags: wi-fi
---


# Question
Title: How to make Hangouts stop sending me SMS messages?
I've tried out the SMS feature of Hangouts app, which allows you to handle SMS within itself instead of the default one.

I didn't like it for certain reasons, so I disabled it.

However, for some reason, almost each time anyone sends me something via Hangouts (from a PC for example), I get it in both Hangouts and via SMS (with phone number that looks like "1000274" ). That's right - I get 2 messages - one for hangouts and one is an SMS message shown on the normal messaging app.

Why does it happen? How can I stop it from happening?

I hope it's a bug and that it will get fixed soon... :(

NOTE: I have Android 4.3 on a Galaxy S3 I9300 device.

# Answer
OK, I think they've fixed it some weeks ago, as I didn't notice any new SMS message that comes after a real hangouts message.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Go to

* **Settings** -\> Under data usage tap **More**
* Tap **Default SMS app** and select your SMS app

Source with detailed instruction: http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310\_39-57613499-285/manage-default-sms-app-on-android-4.4-kitkat/
> 4 votes

# Answer
The functionality is different with Kitkat as you can choose your default SMS application in the Wireless & Network settings. Below is for 4.4 and for 4.3 and below. Open the application.

**For Android 4.4+ (Kitkat)** (As per the above):

Click on **Menu** then **Settings**.

Click on **SMS**.

Click on the setting "**SMS Enabled**" under the General heading and change your default SMS application.

---

**For 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and Below:**

Click on Menu then Settings.

Click on SMS.

Untick the setting "**Turn On SMS**"

<sub>(source: cbsistatic.com)</sub>
> 1 votes

# Answer
I've recently flash a custom ROM called "OmniRom" (AOSP, Kitkat based), and I think this problem is now gone.

Not sure why it occurred, and why I don't see it anymore.

Maybe it's because of a bug on 4.3.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, google-hangouts, chat
---


# Question
Title: Galaxy S3 is unable to transfer files over USB: "USB device not recognized"
I have Galaxy S3 with baseband version I9300XXLFB and I'm having problems when it is connected to the PC. I cannot transfer or retrieve any files or data over USB.

When I plug it in to my PC, it tells me `USB device not recognized` and the S3 does not appear anywhere for me to access it. I've tried different cables and PCs and they all seemed to exhibit the same issue. How can I get this working?

# Answer
> 5 votes
You may need to use Samsung **KIES** (software for PC), or get your PC to recognize the 'new' "MTP" USB mode.

further background:

Ice Cream Sandwich supports USB mass storage after all, Galaxy Nexus does not

Wikipedia \>\> Media Transfer Protocol

Samsung \>\> SUPPORT \>\> Kies 2.0

---

Also see: Can I disable MTP mode and just have a regular USB connection?

# Answer
> 3 votes
For anyone having trouble connecting to Windows using USB in MTP mode, make sure you install the Samsung USB Driver for Mobile Phones from Samsung's website. Here's a link for the Verizon model:

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SCH-I535RWBVZW

Navigate to the `Manuals & Downloads` tab, and then below the tabs, click `Software.` There you will see the USB driver listed.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I had a similar problem connecting my Galaxy S3. The drivers were not installing properly. There were messages saying the USB device as malfunctioning. Despite being able to charge the phone, it was not being recognised as a mass storage device nor offering me an option on the phone as to what I would like it to connect to the PC as, until I changed my USB cable.

I had read some posts that had suggested this. After trying all the phone and device manager settings from debugging to reinstalling and updating drivers, this is what worked: **trying a new USB cable**. The drivers installed themselves. Then, I was able to select Use as Media Device from the phone notificaton menu. I double clicked My Computer, and opened Phone to display media. I was also able to select USB tethering from phone settings to allow connection to the internet, which is what kicked this all off in the first place.

Hope this helps some others.

What I also discovered during this process was how to set the phone up as a wi-fi hotspot. I just followed a neat youtube video detailing this, and was able to connect my laptop to the internet while I sorted out the rest of my problem.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I had a similar problem, but with no error message. My computer just did not see my phone even though the computer recognized any other USB device i put in. Note: on a previous session my computer DID recognize my phone and I was able to b/u some files.

My final solution was fairly simple, while the phone was still on I removed the battery from the phone and left it out for 5 minutes. Then I reinstalled the battery and turned the phone on. After plugging the phone into my computer via the USB cord I had a connection phone to computer.

No, I do not have a technical explanation for this.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Have a look to the following Steps

**Step 1** \# Try cleanup and reinstall of drivers

**Step 2** \# You can to use Samsung KIES (software for PC), or get your PC to recognize the "MTP" USB mode.

**Step 3** \# Make sure you install the Samsung USB Driver for Mobile Phone

**Step 4** \# For file transfers, you can use Airdroid, which connects through wifi.

# Answer
> 0 votes
1. Install the latest driver
2. Ensure you are using the factory cable that came with the phone (some cables wont work with the S3, the computer will even lie to you and give you error saying the "USB device not recognized")

# Answer
> 0 votes
Just use KIES AIR (pre-installed on your S3). Works perfectly and is user friendly.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Before updating my Galaxy S III to Android 4.3, didn't have any problem with Windows 7. It's obvious that W7 should have recognized it even if Kies software were not installed. That was with main before updating to new android. But saddlery W7 was not able to find the Galaxy SIII in Media device (MTP) mode!

**Solution for me:**
Installing: Device(Install),USB Drive (Software) - Nov 9, 2012

# Answer
> 0 votes
you might need to clean the micro usb port. Try using a toothbrush or a safety pin to get the lint out. This worked for me

# Answer
> -1 votes
You need to use USB 2.0 ports only.

# Answer
> -1 votes
If you are using Android 4.3 open the dial pad and dial \*#0808# Android 4.2 \*#7284# this will solve your problem.

---
Tags: usb, samsung-galaxy-s-3
---


# Question
Title: Any text in desktop and menu is unreadable
My girlfriend owns an HTC Desire X running Android 4.1.1 with HTC Sense 4+.

The phone was working fine but suddenly yesterday any text in desktop and menu has become unreadable. Instead of letters (european character, spanish) text is now made of white squares. Something like having an issue with fonts. You can see a picture below.

My troubleshooting was:

* Asked her if she installed any update: she did not install any new app or software update.
* Restarted the phone but the issue was still present after reset
* As suggested in comments, verified that language is properly set

Today she installed 3 updates: Twitter, Chrome and Dropbox. Suddenly fonts in desktop and menu came back to normal and text is readable again.

Did any of you have similar issue? Any idea what could be the cause?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Had the same problem after rejecting installation of HTC sense keyboard (I chose 'later'). Nothing seemed to help, until after some random opening and closing of apps (specifically, I went to messages) the app-choser had the icons visible again. Went to settings on this menu, and simply exited settings and the problem was 'solved'. (not really solved of course, I don't know why it occured and it may happen again).

Btw: exactly that one: the HTC desire X!

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean, htc-sense
---


# Question
Title: How to recover deleted photo album saved on internal memory - Note 3
I have a Samsung Note 3 and I accidentally deleted an entire photo album from my phones gallery. I didn't enable my device to sync with Gmail. I didn't manually backup any of the data. The images were saved on my phone, not on the SD card. Is there any way for me to recover this deleted photo album? I Google'd and came across SDrescan but that won't work since the images were not initially saved on my SD card.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Considering you phone is always writing some kind of data to your internal storage, it's going to be a very difficult to recover them - at least not all anyway.

Unless something like PhotoRec can do it (as mentioned in the comments), I'd say they are gone for good.

An alternative, and probably a very expensive one, is to take it to someone who specialises in data recovery. Search for 'mobile phone data recovery' on Google and see what appears in your area. It may mean sending your phone away.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Yes, that is painful. Happened with me once.

You will have to root your phone in order to get the data back, but it usually only works if the root has been done before the incident. There are several softwares for different OS which enables us to do deep scan and fetch the data files from the phone which had been lost (You should be able to open the phone as a **Mass Storage** after that which makes it easier to scan for the software). One of the best software is **Recuva**. Read this for more information.

Android storage works like a computer storage - every deleted file is still stored in a temporary storage until it is overwritten, but it isn't visible to us. It can be accessed by rooting your device + using certain softwares, but rooting should be avoided as much as possible. So if you think that these pictures are worth that, then check it out. Otherwise take precautions in future.

You can Install this in your phone. This application works as Recycle Bin and stores every deleted file in it and can be restored easily.

---
Tags: backup, gallery, samsung-galaxy-note-3
---


title: Why can apps access the whole SD card?

text:
# Question
Title: Why can apps access the whole SD card?
Is there a technical reason for why apps that only need their own data are not limited to one folder? I do realise that some apps use other apps' data, but I'd be much more likely to install an app that only asked for permission to store files in one, specific folder.

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are different mechanisms to store data in an Android application that don't need the SD card access permission. You can create databases, store application parameters, create files on the internal storage. All these will not require any specific permissions and these data are accessible only by the application that created them.

On the other side, if an application needs the SD card permission it may be because it as a very large amount of data to store or that it wants to modify/add/remove files such as in a file manager. But for important application specific data, the SD card if not recommended because it could be removed at anytime (or mounted as a USB drive) and not available to the applications.

I think a lot of applications that ask SD access permission could use another type of data storage that would not require that. Moreover, files created on the SD by an app will not be removed upon un-installation of the app but all other types of internal data storage will be. So to me it would be a better development practice not to use the SD if not required, and as you mentioned it would not scare people away like apps that access the whole SD.

# Answer
> 6 votes
SD cards generally use the FAT file system, which does not allow for filesystem permissions. This means that the Android OS would have to manage a custom list of files, their permissions, a mapping of apps to files/folders, etc. in order to prevent apps from accessing the whole card. This would be a terrible mess. Not only complicated, but it would require a lot of storage space. And then one day you take out your SD card and remove some pictures, and the entire system breaks. You get the idea.

# Answer
> 0 votes
As Matthew Read has explained, with a normal SD card using the FAT file system, it's not possible to use the file permissions to control apps' access, the same way that Android controls their access to files on the internal filesystem. But now that Android phones use internal storage instead of SD cards, and they use MTP to offer access over USB instead of the mass storage device class, Android phones are free to use better filesystems for their large data storage.

KitKat added a new mechanism for apps to store large files. In the internal USB storage, each app gets a private data directory, just like in the smaller device memory. (On some devices, these might even be the very same filesystem.) Apps can access their private directory on this filesystem without needing any special permissions. It's also now possible for apps to only ask for the "read SD card" and "write SD card" permission on versions of Android prior to KitKat, if they only need the SD card in order to use a private directory like this.

The old shared directories like "Downloads", "Music", and "Notifications" are still present just like before, and still need those same permissions for access. Old apps that haven't been updated for KitKat will still use those directories, not the new, private directories.

---
Tags: applications, sd-card, permissions
---


# Question
Title: Generate different thumbnails for videos in Gallery
Device: Nexus 7
Android: 4.4.2
Gallery app: 1.1.40304

I have a series of videos with a similar first 30 seconds. The thumbnails for all of them look identical. Is there any way of making the Gallery app calculate a different thumbnail for these videos?

Alternatively, is there any way to display the filename along with the thumbnail? I have to go through to the details menu for each to see the filename.

# Answer
Not a nice solution, but if you have to access those videos regularly for a long time, you could find the thumbnail files and edit them so you could tell the videos apart.

Also you could find another application which displays the title as well, or an animated preview. VLC player and Mobo player function well for me.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: video
---


title: Hundreds of "phantom" contacts

text:
# Question
Title: Hundreds of "phantom" contacts
I got my Android 2.3.7 ZTE phone used on eBay, and it appeared to be completely reset. However, sometimes hundreds of contacts with names like "brwlvweaace" show up. They all have randomized emails, like "tcgege@hotmail.com". It almost seems like a list of generated emails for spamming. I can see them when choosing a contact to send a text to, and if I add the "All Contacts" folder to the home screen. The SIM card is new, and shows 0/250 contacts. The SD Card was new as well, and formatted on top of that. I don't have these contacts in any synced account. And I can't delete them, because they never show up in the main Contacts app.

How do I get rid of them? I only have about 15 real contacts, so it's a pain to send a text message to one of them when the list has hundreds of fake names.

Here's a picture:

# Answer
What I did:

1. Move my actual contacts to the SIM card
2. Wipe the data from the Contacts Storage app in the Application Manager
3. Load the contacts from the SIM.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Well, that's weird but I think there are two gmail account put over the device, try going to the settings\>Accounts and backup. Check if there are two gmail accounts configured, better to remove google account, once you remove the gmail account its again going to ask for the google account, but before configuring also head over to the application manager and clear the cache and the data stored by the contacts, and then restart your device an configure the gmail account which you were using previously again and see this time does the contacts appear again or not ? I don't think it would appear again anyway let me know how it goes for you !
> -1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, contacts
---


# Question
Title: How to close the on-screen list of process
My kids played with my Nexus 7 and since then, I have a list of what I think is process on the upper right corner of the screen.

The first line is three numbers, like 4.38 / 4.7 / 4.77 and a colored bar.

And then, a list of process(?) com.android.systemui system\_server mpdecision ... How can I close all that ?

# Answer
It sounds like your hunch is correct - it's basically a small process monitor. Go to Settings -\> Developer Options and uncheck the setting labelled "Show CPU Usage" to disable it.
> 2 votes

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Tags: nexus-7
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to extract Nexus 7 serial number through command line (e.g., ADB)?
I'm possibly into a rare situation. I have a Nexus 7 LTE 2013 that suddenly stopped showing anything on the screen. It looks like turned off all the time, even the LED light does not turn on. I tried charging it in various ways and it did not help.

I contacted Asus and they asked me for the serial number, which I don't have. They said I can find this on the box, which I don't have either.

Using ADB, while N7 is connected to my Macbook Air, I did `adb devices` and it shows up a device that is "offline". When issuing the command `adb get-serialno`, it says unknown. It looks like the device is not dead but probably the screen is.

Is there any tool that can get me the serial number through command line?

**Update:**

I had an alarm set on the device. Today the alarm was fired and I heard the alarm ring from the device. I could only turn off the alarm by holding the power button.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The "device offline" output means that the device is detected, but it refuses any operation because the user didn't allow that particular computer to connect (secure ADB). Your device is up and running, and displaying a confirmation window on its non-functioning screen. You could try to power the device on and blindly hit the OK button after unlocking the screen, then all ADB commands should work. Alternatively, if you have used ADB with another computer, try it with that.

Also, all devices offer some kind of ID even in this state, displayed by "adb devices"; this is the serial number most of the time. See if it's the right format.

Edit: "fastboot devices" should show the serial number too. Also, it should be easy to put the N7 into fastboot mode even without a screen.

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Tags: nexus-7, screen
---


# Question
Title: how can i repair samsung galaxy s duos 2 GT-S7582 no sim card/no service
i already tried installing stock firmware the new and the old firmware philippine GLOBE but still nothing happen still no sim card/no service .. when i try to call it says "not registered to the network" please anyone help me .. even just advice what to do ..

# Answer
I also faced that problem. After changing the motherboard it rectified. Since it was done during warranty period, I did it free of cost. Many peoples suffer this problem and it is clear that it is manufacturing defect.
> 1 votes

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Tags: custom-roms
---


# Question
Title: How to migrate applications to other user account without downloading the applications again?
I created a new user in Nexus 7 but it doesn't have any applications already installed in primary user. I don't want to move/share any app data like scores/progress. I want the apps/games to appear as newly installed in new user. The reason for this is to create a guest user so that I can safely give my tablet to friends/kids who just want to play games.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If your device is rooted, you might want to take a look at Multi-User App Share. This app permits the owner to "share" installed apps with other users (which shares the apps only, not their data), so they don't need to be installed again. According to the app description and comments, this even works for paid apps (at least partly -- this feature is not yet fully tested).

For the other part (without root), see the answer of Penguinolog.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you have root, I have created an app – AppShare – that will do exactly what you want, similar to the app suggested by Izzy but a bit more polished and user-friendly (at least I think so!).

Paid apps will most likely require you to add the Google account that you purchased the app with to the secondary (guest) account or else they will probably fail the licence check. This may vary from app to app though.
You will have no problems with free apps though, and you should even be able to disable system apps such as Gmail etc.

# Answer
> 2 votes
If application installed to you main profile, install on second profile will be with fake downloaded, but second profile requires market.

If second account hasn't market, you can manually backup apks to PC and install to second user, but it's illegal for payed apps and some apps will not work because of license issues.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Go into the new profile and enter play store...hit the top left 'play store 'icon go to my apps.... scroll to the one you want ..hit it and it gives the option to install.. hope this helps... took me ages to work it out.. :-)

---
Tags: applications, nexus-7, 4.2-jelly-bean, multi-user
---


# Question
Title: Any phones that support multiple concurrent bluetooth devices?
Just wondering if there are any phones that support multiple bluetooth concurrent connections, such as a set of bluetooth headphones and a smartwatch, or a bleutooth keyboard and a smartwatch?

I have a samsung s4 with AT&T and it doesn't seem that its possible to connect two bluetooth devices of any type at once. I'm sure what the coming wearable craze this will someday be possible, but I'm asking if there are any devices on the shelf today that support using multiple bluetooth devices at the same time.

Thanks in advance!

# Answer
Yes, most devices support up to 7 devices connected at once. I don't have a Galaxy S4 to test on, but it seems unlikely it would only support one. More likely, there's a particular problem with one of the devices involved.

You should post a new question about why Bluetooth isn't working properly for you, giving full details of the devices you're using, what steps you take, and what happens.
> 3 votes

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Tags: bluetooth
---


title: Synchronize/copy OSGB Map

text:
# Question
Title: Synchronize/copy OSGB Map
I've paid for & downloaded a map from Great Britain Ordnance Survey onto my Android phone. I want to copy it to my tablet. Can anybody tell me where (i.e. directory) the map is within the phone, or how to copy the map properly?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Have you purchased a map direct from us on our OS MapFinder app? If so, there's advice in the FAQs on syncing downloaded maps between devices that are using a linked Google Play account: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/mapfinder/mapfinder-android-faq.html

If you've purchased an Ordnance Survey map from one of our partners rather than direct from us, you'll need to check with them on how their apps and services work though.

---
Tags: sync, file-transfer
---


# Question
Title: Can I use a separate profile for corporate security requirements on KitKat?
I tried adding my corporate Exchange user to my KitKat tablet, so I can sync email and calendar. The security policy page that came up states the admins in my company will be allowed to block my device, remotely erase it, change my password, etc. - if I accept the policy. Proceeding without accepting the policy is impossible (obviously).

Since this is a private device that I intend to use personally as well, my question is: can I create a separate user on the device, create the Exchange account under that user, accept whatever policy is required - but not have it applied to the entire device, only to that specific user profile? Or is a policy applied to one user applicable to the entire device?

# Answer
No. You can only do what you describe on Samsung devices with their "KNOX" feature. This uses special security hardware to provide separate, isolated environments on your phone, so there's no way that information can leak from the "business" environment to the "personal" environment. It's present on their high-end phones since the Galaxy S3, and you can learn more on the official KNOX website.

A similar feature, but for all Android devices, is said to be coming in Android L, but it's not ready yet.

Normal user profiles on Android don't provide enough isolation for corporate security purposes. It's still possible for the profiles to share information, and for rogue apps with the right permissions to access data from all user profiles. If your device is stolen, it's still necessary to wipe the whole device to prevent an attacker getting access to the private data.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, exchange, multi-user
---


# Question
Title: Should I accept 2,5 year old Samsung Galaxy replacement battery?
I've just bought a "brand new" replacement battery for my Galaxy Nexus phone. When on-line store's package arrived, I was more than surprised (actually, shocked!) to find out, that battery's manufature date is... **2011-12-29** (*assuming, that it is manufacture date, what is behind these four Chinese symbols in bottom-left corner of Samsung Galaxy battery*)!

Should I even think about accepting this package and using battery with my phone? Or should I return it immediately to the shop?

I found this great Izzy's answer. If I get its meaning right, it seems, that my battery is in the "dangerous level" of deep-discharge for a long, long time. If not dead at all. And should not be used anymore.

Or maybe, I'm wrong, and Li-Ion batteries that are leaving manufacturer for the first time can be storred for over two and a half year without any noticeable influence on their condition of performance?

Or maybe, that four Chinese symbols does not mean battery's manufacture date? But, what else could they mean?

Even if battery condition is fine, do I have any chance, that it will last any longer that six months period, covered by warranty, if it spent over 2,5 year in manufacturer warehouse?

# Answer
Comparing confirmed Chinese translation of these four symbols (yes -- it **is** a manufacture date) with Izzy's answer, which states, that *Li+ batteries have a self-discharge rate of approximately 5–10% per month*, we end up with conclusion, that even with most optimistic scenario, Li-Ion batteries stored in store or warehouse without cyclic re-charge (which most likely never happened) **are completely dead after 20 months** at most.

Which is equivalent to less than two years. Which leads us to a conclusion, that 2,5 half year old Li-Ion batteries are completely useless and shouldn't be purchased nor used.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: battery, battery-life, samsung-galaxy-nexus
---


# Question
Title: WhatsApp showing "last online" on certain contacts, but no WhatsApp icon on Address Book app
I think my ex has deleted his WhatsApp account. I can still see his last online time in WhatsApp, but the WhatsApp icon does not appear next to his name in my Android address book.

Does this mean he has removed his WhatsApp and cancelled his account?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Possible reasons:

* He might have deleted his account permanently (probably changed his number).
* He might have blocked you in his account.

There is no need to remove Whatsapp to do above tasks.

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Determine ASUS Transformer Serial Number
I'm trying to determine the model of an ASUS Transformer tablet.

In Settings -\> About, I know its a TF-101 (I knew this one I bought it a few years ago). But that's all it provides under Android 4.0.3 (shown below).

However, I cannot determine if its an A20, B10, etc. According to How to identify hardware versions?, its encoded in the serial number, and its on a sticker attached to the tablet. Unfortunately, even with my glasses, I cannot seem to find it.

How does one determine the serial number for an ASUS TF-101 tablet?

---

# Answer
It should be under "Status", in the "About tablet" menu.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: asus-eee-pad-transformer
---


# Question
Title: Android KitKat Bug With Default Browser Actions
I'm having a problem with my nexus 5 and I'm getting mad: I installed *Dice player* as usual, after a factory reset, but *Dolphin browser* doesn't ask me which app should it use to play videos (from mobile youtube or other sites).

How can I reset the default app? I tried to look into settings-app-reset to default but nothing. It won't ask me to use another app, it just opens stock browser player. I tried other browsers too but no luck. Tried resetting app preferences but nothing.

I updated to 4.4.2 thinking the issue was solved but again, same problem. I did a full wipe, tried stock ROM and then Purity ROM, different kernels but no luck.

Am I the only one having this issue? Could you try to reproduce it for me?

Steps:

1. install a browser (dolphin browser or chrome in my case)
2. install dice player (or MX Player if it gets updated)
3. open youtube (or any site with video files) from browser and open a video. see if it asks to play it with dice player or it just opens stock browser player

# Answer
This could just be a shortcoming in Dolphin. It's up to the app to decide if it wants to open a new URL itself, or offer it to other apps. Last year, Firefox had a similar problem, that it wouldn't ever offer a *chooser* when you clicked on a link in Firefox. Even a link to a YouTube video would open the mobile interface in Firefox instead of offering to open the YouTube app.

From your description, it sounds like Dolphin has the same problem. (I don't have Dolphin to test this myself.) You should report it to the developers and ask them to offer video links to other apps. At least they should be able to confirm whether this is what's happening.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have a Nexus 5 with Kikat 4.4.2

Try this:

1. Setting\>Apps
2. Select the 'blank app'
3. Scroll down until you see a button 'Clear defaults'
4. Click 'Clear defaults'

That how I switch between Chrome and Chrome Beta browser. Hope this help
> 0 votes

# Answer
Touch&hold on the video until a menu opens and at the bottom you will see something like open with an app - And thats your prompt ... select your player and have fun ... :DD
> -1 votes

# Answer
Go to task manager and select the defaults tab then select clear defaults. Find the app you need to change then clear the defaults for that app. Next time it should ask you.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: browser, 4.4-kitkat, youtube, streaming
---


# Question
Title: How do I stop Play Store from randomly opening when I'm in other apps?
Play Store is randomly opening when I'm in another app. It is simply showing me an app it thinks I would like, even though I haven't initiated any action on Play Store. I'm running Jelly Bean on a Motorola Razr Maxx.

# Answer
Are you clicking on ads inside apps? Because they would pop-up Play Store immediately. Remove all those apps which pops-up ads very frequently. If no - try signing out of the Play Store and stop it forcibly using App Manager. Then start it and login again. Post what happened.
> 1 votes

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Tags: google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: How to fix an andriod tablet which is frozen on the startup menu
The tablet won't go past the allwinner startup menu. A restart was tried but it never worked. This is a Chinese android tablet. It is an *allwinner A20*. Operating system android 4.2.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You should be able to access the default recovery on your Android tablet and do a factory reset. To do so turn off the tablet and then while holding the Power button press Volume Down and hold for about 10 seconds. If this doesn't work try Volime Up or both. You should be now in the recovery and you can navigate with Volume Up/Down and confirm with Power button. If this doesn't work then your device may need a bit more attention.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have a mid android phablet. Had some issues too, but not that one. Here is a link, they have a lot of suggestions for android tablets (under forums heading, then android tablet): http://www.androidtablets.net/search/33094/?q=android+tablet+frozen&o=relevance

I did a query with "android frozen tablet" in the search. The search engine is somewhat off on the queries, so search using some of the words or fewer words, otherwise it might not bring up any hits, when there are suggestions/solutions. This query brought up some suggestions with the mid tablet. The second suggestion seems possible as many of my issues with the tablet were resolved with simple things, but not things you'd think would be the solution.....It said if frozen to let the battery run down all the way, and then plug it into the power adapter and the other person says there's started working then?! Good Luck!

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Tags: tablet
---


title: How do I remove Selfmite worm?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I remove Selfmite worm?
In June this year I experienced what I've found to be called the "Selfmite" worm on my Nexus 5 smartphone.

On 24.06 and 29.06 it sent the message "Dear \[contact name\], Look The Self-time, http://goo.gl/\[...\]" to 13 of my contacts, chosen in what seems to be a random order.

Once I realised this had happened, I looked the issue up on Google through the phrase used in the message and found that this worm should actually install itself as an app called "The self-timer" that you should be able to uninstall, but I could not find this after looking through all of the installed apps listed in the settings page.

At the time I had enabled the security option within Android that allows the installastion of apps from unknown sources and I realized my mistake then, though I do not know how the worm actually reached my phone since I had never clicked any dodgy links in messages or the internet.

After this I disabled the installation of apps outside of the Play Store, and installed the avast! Mobile Security app for whatever help it may be in the future.

It wasn't until this Saturday, on 23.08, that the messages were sent again to the same contacts. I had not touched any security settings, nor had I accessed any sketchy sites, and once more I have found no unusual app to have installed itself.

My question now is, does anyone know of a way to prevent another occurence of this without actually wiping my phone clean? Though I wouldn't know if this would even help as I don't understand how the worm exists in the phone in the first place.

Would activating Avast's firewall within their app be of use? Rather, I'm asking if going through the hassle of rooting the phone is worth the trouble.

Thank you in advance to anyone who has advice or opinions to offer.

# Answer
Wipe your phone, and reinstall the OS following the official instructions. Make sure to download the ROM images on a computer that isn't backdoored, and verify the checksums before you install.

That's the only way you'll be able to trust this device with private data again. Since you don't know how this malware was installed, you also don't know what *other* malware might already be on your phone.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, 4.4-kitkat, security, nexus-5
---


# Question
Title: How can I use external modem for voice calls on Android tablet?
My tablet doesn't support calling/messaging function by default and also it doesn't have an app for that by default.

Is it possible? In my case I use Micromax Infinity P275 tablet and Huawei E1732 modem. ICS is my OS. I can connect to the internet with that modem.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Root your phone, and download PPP Widget from Google Play.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, sms, tablet, calls, usb-modem
---


# Question
Title: Moto E is not switching on after changing runtime to ART
I changed the runtime option from Dalvik to ART. It asked for a restart.

When I did the restart, Moto E has been stuck in boot time.

When I hold the power button for sometime, it starts again.

It is stuck at a point where Motorola 'M' symbol comes and the footer says "powered by ANDROID".

Please help, I am not able to switch on my Moto E.

# Answer
You could try using to change the device back to Dalvik. **However**, you will need to have had **USB Debugging** enabled. If you can't do the below, a factory reset may be your only option.

> **Android Debug Bridge (ADB)** A prgram made by Google for Programmers and developers. Its based on command line and basically communicates with your Android to respond to certain commands.

Setting up ADB

Pre Requirements:-

PC Java Runtime environmentor Java Development kit
Your Device Drivers
An Android Device

USB Debugging MUST be turned ON in the device for ADB to see it.

If you are having trouble completing Pre-Requisites, there are several guides featuring them.

1. First Download Android SDK.
2. There may be any compressed zip file or exe file If zip file, then extract it to C:\android-sdk If exe file then double click on it and install it in C:\ Drive(or any other drive you want)
3. Now to get adb and other tools, you need to download 'Platform Tools' To download them, go to the android-sdk folder and double click on SDK Manager It will ask you which package to download? However, it is your choice which package to Download, but here, we will only talk about platform Tools. So, simply tick on Platform Tools and click on install. Once you have done it. Go to the platform-tools folder in the directory where you installed android-sdk. You will find several files there like adb, fastboot, aapt, etc
4. Now, you can backup the whole folder of android-sdk to any external storage that will make you not download package again if you want to. You can have it placed in any computer and run it as it does not require registry to work
5. Now, you are just one step away from using adb. Next step is SKIPPING SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE (If you however want to set environment variables. Click on Show Content)
You can easily append the sdk platform-tools and tools folder to your systems environmental path variable directly from command line(cmd) by simply issuing one command and performing a system reboot:

`SETX PATH "%PATH%;SDK_Install_Path\platform-tools;SDK_Install_Path\android-sdk-windows\tools" -m`
Just replace the "SDK\_Install\_Path" in the above with the proper path of your SDK installation. Example: C:\android-sdk-windows
6. Type cmd in the search bar. Copy cmd.exe from there. Go to the directory where you have installed android-sdk. Go to platform-tools folder. Paste cmd there, right click on it and in the settings, select Run as Administrator.

**To change back to Dalvik:**

```
adb shell 'echo libdvm.so >/data/property/persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib'

```
> 2 votes

---
Tags: boot, unbricking, art, motorola-moto-e
---


# Question
Title: Extract Android Image from Samsung Galaxy S4 device
I'm quite happy flashing stock versions of Samsung Android to my Samsung Galaxy S4.

What I'd like to do is install some apps on my phone and then extract the phone into an image that I can flash back to say another S4.

Is this possible? I have been using Odin to flash the device so far.

# Answer
Go to recovery and create backup or use titanium back up to back up apps. One more way is to recompile rom zip with placing needed apk in installation folder. You can find more details on xda forums
> 0 votes

---
Tags: rom-flashing, samsung-galaxy-s-4, odin
---


# Question
Title: does flashing a kernel ever wipe anything on the phone? + Doing it without CWM?
does flashing a kernel ever wipe anything on the phone?

and is it ever dependent on android version?
e.g. 4.22 or 4.3

I have CWM and i've seen the option to install from zip within CWM recovery.

but is there a command with adb or fastboot to do flash the kernel? what is it?

Or do you pretty much have to install it via CWM\>

# Answer
> 2 votes
No, flashing a kernel only wipes the old kernel. Generally, user-space drivers in the system image will be specific to a particular version of the kernel driver, and each kernel driver version will only work with certain kernel versions, so only flash a different kernel if you know that it was built to work with your user-space version, or vice-versa. Usually stock ROMs will only work with the kernel that came with the ROM, and third-party ROMs will say which kernels they work with.

On devices that support fastboot, you can use `fastboot flash boot boot.img` to flash the file `boot.img` to the boot partition. This is the one that stores the kernel.

# Answer
> 0 votes
it will replace your existing kernel. But before that make sure your ROM is compatible with new kernel or you will end up in boot loop.In certain kernel WiFi may not work. You may have to install WiFi modules separately.

---
Tags: adb, rom-flashing, fastboot, kernel
---


# Question
Title: Accidentally spill iced water on galaxy note 3 neo
I spill water on my galaxy note 3 neo. I then remove the original flip cover and wiped the water. It turns out that the water doesnt go through too far in the battery area.

My main concern that the water go through inside the home button.

What should I do after I wiped all the visible water?

# Answer
My best advice would be to remove all phone covers and leave in a well aired place to dry.

Also look at this it contains some useful advice
> 1 votes

# Answer
Use a vacuum cleaner to remove water. Then pack it in plastic bag and keep in rice for 3 days
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-note-3, water-damage
---


# Question
Title: Low internal storage, message memory full and sluggishness problems on Samsung Galaxy Y Duos Lite
I currently fixed that error by uninstalling all internal memory programs and re-installing them (In other words, formatting their data cache). I also found that you can solve this problem by using Link2SD Pro (which also moves the app's data files). I am leaving this thread open so that anyone can answer it with a better solution in the future.

I am using a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos Lite (GT-S6102) phone rooted and Link2SD. I am always getting the error that my internal memory is always full, and after many factory resets, I installed Link2SD. I linked all the apps that can be linked and after finding that linking takes some space in internal memory, I app2sd all the apps that would and the rest of the user apps except Play Store, which I converted to a user app and I have on my ext2 partition. I ran the inbuilt cleaner on Android Assistant.

Recently it is giving the error Message Memory Full. I have 9 mb free of 170 mb.This time it won't go at all no matter what I do. I need to receive my SMSs on my phone. It is also very sluggish.

I appreciate any help.

Thanking you in advance,

Sanoo

# Answer
I use a backup tool (SMSBackupRestore) to save old message on my sd card. Very nice because you can read the backup file to find your old messages.

I followed the same scheme as yours (I own a Samsung Galaxy Y Pro - GT-B5510). The only problem I still have now is the low ram. Apps are becoming more and more greedy and even the simplest apps need 20Mb RAM and that's too much with all the "Google Services" taking up to 50Mb. So now, I'm trying to find a way to overcome the lag caused by the low RAM.

From what I read on forums, the problem of low space comes from the apps mostly. But messages take space too (I had some problem too) and lag was coming from the messaging app that doesn't bear so many messages. So backup was the only solution for me.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, internal-storage, insufficient-memory, link2sd, samsung-galaxy-y-duos
---


title: bug with nexus 5 calendar

text:
# Question
Title: bug with nexus 5 calendar
For some reason the calendar in nexus 5 lg acts strange.. it keeps on taking me back to 1970.. and the date selector keeps on changing at a hysterical speed. any idea how to address this?

# Answer
> 0 votes
This doesnt seem normal. If your date/time-settings in the Android System-Settings-Menu are correct (maybe change it by hand to the current day & year to test it) there should be no issues like this.

If after this there is still this issue please go into your App-settings (Settings \> Apps) and search for google calendar. Here please delete data and cache and maybe also installed updates. Then make a device-restart and re-download the update and check again. This should solve issues if they are caused by the problem-app itself.

In case you have other Calendar apps installed, or other apps that interact with systems time-settings you should try to disable (Settings \> Apps \> AppThatHasProblem \> Disable) it to test if this was the error.

If all that doesnt help (also not the data & cache-cleaning etc) and you absolutley want to use this calendar (maybe try Sunrise, its really very good) i can only suggest a factory-reset, sorry.

---
Tags: calendar, nexus-5, google-calendar
---


# Question
Title: HTC explorer A310e - does it have magnetic sensor?
I want to use any compass app to my HTC explorer A310e model. But i am not sure whether it will work or not? Is it something related to hardware support to have magnetic sensor? And is there any way to activate it so that i can use that app in my phone?

# Answer
> 1 votes
GSMArena's listing for the HTC Explorer doesn't indicate a compass, and this post on an HTC Forum concurs. Without a compass in the device, compass apps obviously won't work.

---
Tags: htc-explorer, compass
---


# Question
Title: What options do I have to purchase a play store app for another account?
Recently my wife gave birth to our son and I purchased the tinycam pro app to use with my d-link DCS-932L as a baby monitor.

After some tests I was satisfied with the results and decided to buy the app for my wife's google account, so she can monitor our child with her own phone. It was a surprise when I found that google provides no simple way to achieve such a simple task.

My wife has no international credit card, and even if she did I would be reluctant to associate her google account with one, since she's very careless regarding account/password security

What options do I have to install the app on my wife's phone without adding credit card information to her account?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Another solution would be to buy some Google Play credit you enter the code you buy into your wife's play store, and you can use that balance to buy apps

# Answer
> 2 votes
A solution could be to add your Google Account to her phone, disable all syncing (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, etc.), and then install the app from the Play store from your account. I did this with my wife's phone so that I could use some apps that I had purchased but on her phone. Google Play currently has "no data move functionality available" source so transferring purchases is not an option.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If the device that already has the app installed is rooted, you can pull the `.apk` file. This can be achieved a few different ways:

* using a specialized app (such as AppMonster or Titanium Backup)
* via `adb pull` if the ADB daemon runs in root-mode (it usually doesn't, but that can be achieved using adbd Insecure) src
* Using a file explorer and granting it root access, and searching for the apk in your `/data/` partition

DISCLAIMER: As long as you pull these files "for backup" but keep them to yourself, there shouldn't be any legal risks. Any other use may constitute warez. Using this method to install the .apk file to another device is at your own will and risk.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If the app is available from Amazon's app store you can buy the app on Amazon from a PC and then install the App on the phone from Amazon's app store app.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Good question, there is no gift system in google play like Steam has. This app has a free version limited to 4 simultaneous cameras and 30 secs audio, try that one. If she really needs the full vesion, you can register your pay method, but each time you CHANGE one payment method to your google's account they discount 1,5 USD from you credit card so take that in count.

# Answer
> -1 votes
There are various ways through which you could buy a premium for other users you wish

* You can buy some credit through the Google Play Gift Card as John has suggested although its availability is limited (i.e. If Google Play gift cards are not supported in their area then it would be waste of buying the credit).
* Some applications also have the "pay for other's" feature like in whatsapp. Through this if both the users are using and you wish to make another user a premium then you can go in for this option. This option is normally available under the settings.

+ Good part - this feature is not geographically limited.
    + Bad part - both the users need to use this software.
* Download BlueStacks on any desktop or laptop. Login with the other person's account (your wife's Gmail account). Select the app from my apps and you can purchase it.

+ Good part - You don't at all require any android operating device. You can download it on any windows operating System.(correct me if I am wrong on this )
    + Bad part - Although Blue Stacks works perfectly for almost all the apps some applications may not work properly(depending on your machine's hardware limitations) and does not support any OS other then Windows
    + *Update*:-here when A has downloaded the blue stacks he will install the tiny cam app for which he has to purchase it. As A has signed in using his wife's account all the purchases will be made in the name of the account holder i.e. his wife not on A so on doing so automatically the purchase is made on the wife's email id. Later when his wife will open the play store the application will be automatically installed/updated as a premium.

---
Tags: google-play-store, google-account, in-app-purchase
---


# Question
Title: Installing Orbot as a remote SOCKS server for other computers?
I installed Orbot on my Android device and I want to make it a remote SOCKS server so that other computers can connect to it.

The TorFAQ – Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki suggests that for Tor on Windows, the user should edit Tor's directive file **torrc**. So I did the same thing with Orbot on my device. Here is the contents of my **torrc** file on Android:

```
SocksListenAddress 0.0.0.0
SocksPort 9050
SocksPolicy accept *
SafeSocks 1
Log notice stdout
ControlListenAddress 127.0.0.1
ControlPort 9051
CookieAuthentication 1
RelayBandwidthRate 20 KBytes
RelayBandwidthBurst 20 KBytes
AutomapHostsOnResolve 1
TransListenAddress 127.0.0.1
TransPort 9040
DNSListenAddress 127.0.0.1
DNSPort 5400
HardwareAccel 1
SafeLogging 1
TestSocks 1

```

I added the first and third lines to the original file. However it doesn't work. The SOCKS server refuses the connection all the time.

Can anybody help me please?

# Answer
This solves the problem:

SocksPort 0.0.0.0:9050
> -1 votes

---
Tags: privacy, proxy
---


title: What is this status bar icon?

text:
# Question
Title: What is this status bar icon?
Verizon Moto X - Stock - 4.4.4
Only pops up every once in a while...

# Answer
> 1 votes
In my phone (Moto G running 4.4.4) this symbol appears when the phone is set to use "High Accuracy Mode" (i.e. use the GPS rather than Wi-Fi/phone network for location) and some app requests the location.

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, verizon, motorola
---


title: mobile rooting problem

text:
# Question
Title: mobile rooting problem
I am using Samsung GT-S6312. I just rooted my mobile with frama root. I haven't installed any custom firmware, nor a custom recovery. I've got some problem. If I install some apps like Whatsapp, way2sms, it's notifying me that I don't have any space, however I still have 400Mb in my internal memory. I can install some other apps, including Facebook, Hike etc. I have tried to unroot my phone without success. So if I reset my mobile, does it unroot my mobile successfully?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Well, in order to unroot your device you need to flash the stock ROM again over to your device. For getting the stock ROM for your device try heading over to the sammobile/firmware section and get the appropriate stock ROM available for your Samsung GT-S6312, once you get the stock ROM use the ODIN which can be easily searched over the Google, download and use it to flash the stock ROM over your device. Once the flashing process completes your device will get unrooted.

---
Tags: root-access
---


# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy S3 doesn't show SMS notification
I need help with a problem in a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Android 4.3.

I can't receive SMS notification when a SMS is sent to my mobile phone.

Every time I have to open the application to check if there are unread messages.

Notification flag is active.

I deleted cache data and I restarted the phone pressing the button "Volume up + home + power" and I selected "wipe cache partition" in "Android system recovery", but the problem persists.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Problem solved. I deactivated Hangouts and now it works fine.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, sms, notifications, 4.3-jelly-bean
---


title: Safe way to backup whatsapp messages?

text:
# Question
Title: Safe way to backup whatsapp messages?
I recently had to reset my phone. I had the nightly msgstore.db.crypt7 file, which I fortunately decrypted (and can view in sqlite browser), but whatsapp refuses to restore from it. Maybe it is because the file is too big (10.2MB), or maybe there's a small corruption somewhere, I don't know.

When looking for backup apps, all I found were those that will take the msgstore.db and upload it. SMS backup+ will break it to individual messages, but then can't restore.

So is there a method/app that can upload the conversation in some corruption-safe way (so that if a small portion gets corrupted, the rest is still usable)? So that it is done automatically (nightly)?

# Answer
> -1 votes
According to the Whats App FAQ section:

> Your WhatsApp messages are automatically backed up and saved on your phone's memory daily. If you delete WhatsApp from your phone and don't want to lose any of your messages, be sure to **manually back up your chats before uninstalling**:
>
> 1. Go to WhatsApp \> Menu Button \> Settings \> Chat Settings.
> 2. Tap Backup Conversations.
>
> To export a copy of the history of an individual chat or group, you can use the Email Chat History feature:
>
> 1. Tap and hold on the conversation or group.
> 2. Select Email conversation.
> 3. Choose whether to Attach Media or not.
>
> An email will be composed with your chat history attached as a .txt document.
>
> If you choose to attach media, the most recent media sent will be added as attachments.

This should be enough to solve your problem.

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


# Question
Title: Need to "gift" an app purchased in google play by issuing a refund later. How many days can I wait to refund?
I know Google play still doesn't support gifting of apps but I need to provide one of my clients a free copy.

They already purchased it. I am going to refund them later, after they are done using the app. **How many days from purchase are valid for issuing a refund?** I can't find this answer online. I see some other purchases made \>30 days ago that are refundable, but I don't know if I can wait 60 days? 90 days? 120?

Can someone login to their Google Wallet and see how far back the refund button is available?

# Answer
The refund button on the Play store is only available for 2 hours (although Google's support pages say 15 minutes).

From your question it sounds like you may be the developer of the app, in which case you can manually refund the purchase regardless of when the app was purchased via your Google Wallet merchant account. I don't think this actually reverses the purchase (they can still install and use the app) but the cost of the purchase is refunded to the user.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, google-wallet
---


# Question
Title: How to force wpa_supplicant to connect to AP and skip scanning
I have been using wpa\_supplicant to connect to an AP on an Android device running ICS. I have defined a few APs within the network block in the `wpa_suplicant.conf` file. The problem is every time the device restarts, it does a fresh scanning which takes up a lot of time. What I would like to do is to force wpa\_supplicant to just try re-connecting to one of the APs present within the network block of config file and not undergo a full scan. Am I missing an option somewhere (either command line or in config file) to achieve this without making changes to wpa\_supplicant code?

# Answer
The network info contained in wpa\_supplicant.conf is not enough for associating(connecting) to a network. It only provides ssid and its crypto suite. In order to connecting to a network, the device needs more info to learn by scanning them. The scan is a MUST step for connecting.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, wi-fi, wpa-supplicant
---


# Question
Title: How to recover stock firmware on the Galaxy Note 3
How do I restore stock firmware. I have firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies and try again. I am using KIES 3 because I have a Samsung Note 3 N900A and it won't connect.

# Answer
* Restart your phone in ODIN mode by pressing Volume Down + Home + Power
* Register and download your stock firmware from sammobile.com
* Unzip the downloaded firmware
* Download ODIN from xda-developers
* Don't uninstall Kies as you'll need the driver
* Open ODIN and connect your phone to computer (Phone should be in ODIN mode)
* When your phone is detected it will be listed under comX
* Under PDA select the extracted firmware you downloaded (Select the file with .tar.md5)
* Only the checkbox for PDA, Auto reboot and F. Reset time should be checked
* Click start to start your flashing
* Your phone should reboot with stock firmware

Note: You'll lose all the offline content from your phone
> 1 votes

# Answer
1. Download a `n900-cwm-recovery-6.0.4.7-kk(0125).tar`
2. Open Odin
3. Add the file from step #1 and click start

WAIT TILL PASS##
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-kies, device-firmware, samsung-galaxy-note-3
---


# Question
Title: What could be the source of error for this kind of android wireless (wifi) disconnection?
Recently there was wifi connection problem for my LG G2 (Android 4.4.2). It has internet connection and was able to connect to AP but sometimes it faces connection drop, no wifi connected although the wifi trigger was still on. During the connection drop, the phone appears to linked to wifi, but i noticed there is no data connection when i monitored live using some wireless monitoring tool. The wifi auto disconnect even i have the strongest signal connection (router was just below my desk) and there was proper internet connection for my laptop which is connected to the same AP.

Thus i would like to be advised is this the source of error from the hardware itself, or from the stock LG G2 ROM (Software)?.

Thanks

Edit: It occurs in each router that i connects

# Answer
Try to change the channel of your wireless router. Maybe it was caused by the congestion of the working channel(Maybe channel 1).
> -1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, 4.4-kitkat, connection-issues, stock-android, lg-g2
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to change Android font in all apps?
Is it possible to change the Android font in all apps, including the keyboard? I have successfully changed the system font, but here and there I find odd fonts, such as in Flipboard and on my keyboard, Fleksy. I have a rooted Moto G running SlimKat.

# Answer
Not sure about keyboard font but maybe you can change the font in apps. Check out this link - Custom fonts in apps. And also this link - Custom fonts in apps 2.
Link 2 is from external site.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: root-access, fonts, motorola-moto-g
---


# Question
Title: Can anyone explain all these Developer Options?
Can anyone explain these developer options?

* Force GPU rendering
* Disable non-rectangular clip ops
* Force 4X MSAA
* Disable HW overlays

What are the possible effects that can be seen in my device by disabling/enabling them? \[*Note: I've found other options by Google-ing but not these.*\]

Do the developer settings affect battery life by using *lower animation speeds (all to 2x precisely)* or *higher animation speeds (0.5x precisely)* at the expense of user experience?

# Answer
Please keep in mind these are **Developer** options, and may be of no use, or have a negative impact on the performance of your device.

## **Force GPU rendering**

The GPU is the Graphics Processing Unit. It's very much like the CPU, but instead of crunching numbers and taking care of tasks for the operating system and hardware, the GPU renders graphical information and puts it on the screen for you.

The CPU can process graphical instructions just fine, but doing so takes time away from doing other computations, and can lead to lag while graphical instructions are processed

In Ice Cream Sandwich onwards, developers (or power users) are given the option to force apps to use GPU rendering, whether that bit is on or off in the app's manifest. This does not necessarily make the app faster, and may cause issues.

---

## **Disable non-rectangular clip ops**

This is too technical for me to explain in great detail. Basically a "canvas" is used for drawing. The source Code for Android contains this:

```
/**
     * Turn on to **debug non-rectangular clip operations**.
     *
     * Possible values:
     * "hide", to disable this debug mode
     * "highlight", highlight drawing commands tested against a non-rectangular clip
     * "stencil", renders the clip region on screen when set
     *
     * @hide
     */
    public static final String DEBUG_SHOW_NON_RECTANGULAR_CLIP_PROPERTY =
            "debug.hwui.show_non_rect_clip";

```

You could turn it off to create unusual (non rectangular) canvas areas. See here for more details on this

As per @IanNi-Lewis points out in his comment:

> It's probably worth pointing out that "non-rectangular clip regions" is a little misleading. It should be "clip regions that aren't screen-aligned rectangles." If you have a rectangular clip region that's rotated by some non-multiple of 90 degrees, then it goes down the same slow path as a clip region shaped like a donut or what have you. (The "slow path" uses the stencil buffer, and probably doesn't need to be as slow as it is; it's a good area for future optimization.)

---

## **Force 4X MSAA**

Force 4x MSAA does not require a rooted device. This option does the same as any Anti Aliasing filter in PC games - smooths out all the pixelization and provides better rendering, which means better looking graphics. Users should know that this function is only recommended for devices that have GPU capable of native MSAA support.

From Wikipedia:

> In signal processing and related disciplines, **aliasing** is an effect that causes different signals to become indistinguishable (or aliases of one another) when sampled. It also refers to the distortion or artifact that results when the signal reconstructed from samples is different from the original continuous signal.

---

## **Disable HW overlays**

Without a hardware overlay every application that is displaying things on the screen will share video memory and will have to constantly check for collision and clipping to render a proper image, this can cost a lot of processing power. With a hardware overlay each application gets its own portion of video memory, getting rid of the need to check for collision and clipping.

As @DanHulme put it: Windows in Android are always composited rather than rendered into shared video memory. Normally, `SurfaceFlinger` uses the GPU for composition, but it will use a hardware overlay when that's possible, which is faster and uses less battery. Disabling overlays means it will always use GPU rendering. It's only useful for debugging system integration or HW video decode: even app developers don't need to turn on this option
> 21 votes

---
Tags: graphics, developer-options
---


title: Why does phone has 2 different IPs

text:
# Question
Title: Why does phone has 2 different IPs
When I check my IP at whatismyip.com (for example) I cab see my IP is 109.253.X.X. When I type netcfg at the phone's terminal I can see the line

> **rmnet0 UP 10.229.X.X**

And indeed when I try out apps like "Droid IP Camera" it listens on 10.229.X.X (rmnet0 interface).

Is it a NAT configuration 3G uses? if so, how can I make apps like "Droid IP Camera" (this app is only given as an example) work over 3G?

Thank you.

# Answer
> 1 votes
> Is it a NAT configuration 3G uses?

Yes, I believe most - if not all - carriers use NAT.

> if so, how can I make apps like "Droid IP Camera" (this app is only given as an example) work over 3G?

You will probably need to ask your carrier to provide you with an external IP address.

---
Tags: networking
---


# Question
Title: Does having CWM mean bootloader is unlocked?
I flashed CWM using Rom Manager. Does this mean that my Galaxy S4 bootloader is unlocked?

I'm using Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGH-I337M) (Canadian Telus)

# Answer
Not *per se*. You can flash any recovery you like without unlocking the bootloader, but you need to unlock it to boot the recovery. If you flashed CWM **and you can boot it**, it shows that the bootloader is unlocked.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, bootloader, sim-unlocking
---


title: Download google offline map from PC?

text:
# Question
Title: Download google offline map from PC?
I have an android device that has no internet connection.

Is there a way to download a google map for a certain region from my PC, and then copy this map to my android device so that I can use it offline there?

Specifically, I want the full map of Cuba, with all zoom levels.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can not use Google Maps in offline mode according to its description. There are some tutorials in the Internet like these Google Maps Offline but are not recommended as it lasts only for 30 days in your device according to the tutorial. So looking at alternatives we have this app called Maps.Me which is totally as good as Google Maps. I have this app for myself. Try it.

---
Tags: google-maps
---


# Question
Title: How do I get text messages from broken Samsung Fame
dropped phone grrr. Screen cracked, it lights up but, I can't swipe the screen. I have linked to Kies, got my Contacts over, But, I can't seem to find Texts/sms. Any help greatly appreciated. Sue Samsung Galaxy Fame.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Have a look at this page. It tells you how to backup your SMS messages using Kies. This allows you to load your messages on to a new phone.

An extract:

> Step 3: Click on the Back up/Restore tab. Here you will see a list items that you can backup from your Samsung mobile device.
>
> Step 4: To backup SMS from your Samsung mobile device, click on the checkbox beside Message and click on Backup.
>
> Step 5: Wait until Kies finishes backup Samsung text messages. You can find the backup location at the bottom of the screen.
>
> Step 6: Click on Ok. That's all you have to do to take backup of your SMS from Samsung mobile device.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-fame
---


# Question
Title: Can't open menu in apps without a menu button or physical key
My device doesn't have a physical menu button, and the app that I'm using doesn't have one of the menu buttons that users can click (the three dots). How can I open the app's menu without a menu button or key?

# Answer
> 3 votes
On most devices with softkeys for home/back/task-switcher, long-pressing the task switch button (right-most button, see below) will simulate pressing the menu button.

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, menu, softkey
---


title: Delete member from a Viber group

text:
# Question
Title: Delete member from a Viber group
I have created a group for chat on Viber and one person joined the group.

How can I remove that person?

# Answer
Viber doesn't provide facility to delete or remove member from group even if your are group admin.

Only option is you leave and delete group and recreate the group without that member. Sorry
> 1 votes

# Answer
just tap and hold the name which u want to delete, a recycle icon will appear , then recycle it that it
> -2 votes

---
Tags: viber-messenger
---


title: SIM lock question

text:
# Question
Title: SIM lock question
I intend to buy a new sim-unlocked at&t LG G2. So I want to know is there a possibility that an update will ever relock it again? Am I free to root it and install custom roms without relock concerns?

And could someone please explain to me the whole "Baseband processor" thing? Doesn't an official system update always install a new baseband version (firmware ) automatically ? And can this relock the phone ?

# Answer
It depends. Is it factory SIM-unlocked, has it been unlocked through official channels, or has it been hack-unlocked?

If it's either of the first two, you should be fine through any software updates. If it's been hacked unlocked though, I'd be careful of updates until someone confirms it working.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Once a device is unlocked from its carrier no update will re-lock your device. It is permanently unlocked.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: updates, rooting, sim-unlocking, lg-g2, radio-firmware
---


# Question
Title: Difference between preferred network types
What's the difference between GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, EVDO, and LTE? How do they relate to the network icon labels? Which one is 3G? Which ones are E, H and H+?

# Answer
> 6 votes
After doing some research, I've reduced it down to this:

```
GSM and CDMA   = 2G
EDGE (E)       = 2.5G
WCDMA and EVDO = 3G
HSPA (H)       = 3.5G
HSPA+ (H+)     = 3.75G
LTE            = 4G

```

GSM and CDMA are competing technologies, as well as WCDMA and EVDO. Contrary to what you'd think, WCDMA is an evolution of GSM, while EVDO is an evolution of CDMA, which is why a carrier or device will support either GSM/WCDMA or CDMA/EVDO, but not CDMA/WCDMA or GSM/EVDO. EDGE is an enhancement of the GSM protocol, while HSPA/HSPA+ are enhancements of the WCDMA protocol.

> I am by no means an expert on this. I had a bit of trouble finding any single source that gave a short, high-level rundown on the topic, so I figured I might as well share my findings. If I've made any errors, feel free to comment or suggest an edit.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, mobile-network
---


# Question
Title: How to edit init.sh file and where is it?
I want to edit init.sh but I can't find it. where is the location of that file ? I want add this to that file:

> alsa\_amixer set PCM 100 unmute

# Answer
> 2 votes
I think you mean init.rc and don't.

But to answer your question, that file is in the root folder /init.rc to edit it you need root access and remount / rw and even with that you'll lose changes when you restart because it's overwritten every time by boot.img content, so you would need to extract boot.img content edit that file rebuild the image and flash it.

The right way to execute commands at start is to use init.d scripts.

In short if init.d script is supported init.rc calls a functions that search for user scripts in /system/etc/init.d/ and execute them. You can put a script there and see if it gets executed or search for how to enable init.d scripts.

Edit Looking for your command I found out maybe you are using android on x86. In that case looks like there is an init.sh in /system/etc/ folder.

To be able to edit files under /system you need to remount it rw using an app like ES File Explorer or running from terminal as root:

```
mount -o rw,remount /system

```

---
Tags: editing
---


# Question
Title: My Galaxy i5503 (Android 2.2) is dead, they say it needs new software?
My phone is not switching on. It's a Samsung Galaxy i5503/Galaxy 5. It started automatic switch offs even on a little pressure and now it's not getting on.

Someone checked it and said they need to reinstall the software (probably the operating system, which is Android 2.2).

My question is: **Can I do it manually? If yes, then how?** And, if I opt for getting it done from someone, **What data will be erased? I cannot afford to lose the data of my applications (like Colornote's notes).**

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have bad news: It almost impossible to get data from your internal storage if your mobile does not turn on. First we need to know more about the problem:

What do you mean under not turn on?

Does it light up or no signal at all? What if you plug it into the charger? Can you see any lights flash up? Can you get into recovery?

If none of the above happen, then I need to ask: Is your important data stored on your SD card? Most apps store their user data on SD Card so you can access them if you pull out your SD card and read from that.

If you re-install android, you WILL LOSE your internal data so if you have lots of important things on your phone (not your SD Card) you should not reinstall without backup

Colornote does not store your data internally but uploads to the cloud. See Their FAQ

---
Tags: updates, 2.2-froyo
---


# Question
Title: Google+ auto backup jams up my WiFi network
For months I tried to track down a ping issue (high ping; disconnect & reconnect my router; low ping for about 20 minutes; high ping again). Turns out, thanks to this answer, it was the Google+ auto backup feature (that, for some reason, seems to kick in several minutes *after* it gets a connection).

The Google+ auto backup feature is enabled on my phone. It is configured to upload in "standard size" (not "full size"). Also, it is set to only upload if charging and if on WiFi.

During backup, the ping time (from my laptop, but the same applies from the router's admin page) goes up to over 7000 ms, see:

If I disconnect my phone from WiFi, the ping time goes down to about 50 ms.

What can I do to avoid this from happening? I tried to search for some way to set *WiFi* bandwidth limits for a specific app, but I couldn't find any.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can always try to put a firewall between your phone and the router with these apps and block Google+, then when you don't use the internet (for example at night) enable it

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Tags: wi-fi, backup, google-backup, bandwidth
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# Question
Title: Connect Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 to Acer projector
I bought a Samsung Tab 4 8.0 16GB. I want display some videos and documents on the screen through an Acer projector. It has no wifi. How do I display my files?

Is there any possibility? Tab has no HDMI port. There is a VGA cable for the projector.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The Tab 4 uses MHL via the USB port for video-out. If you use an MHL HDMI adapter, it'll provide HDMI video out.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-tab, screen-sharing
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# Question
Title: Make "tap to add priority senders" disappear
I have recently updated the OS of my phone, and since then I have the following "Tap to add priority senders." on my SMS app which I don't like, it just uses screen space.

How can I remove it?

Android version: 4.4.2 Galaxy S5

Example Screenshot (click for larger variant)

# Answer
> 1 votes
To remove it, click on the three vertical dots on the top-right of your screen.

Then, go to Settings.

Scroll down to "Priority senders" and unmark the tick box.

Hope it helps.

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Tags: sms, system-apps
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title: Bootloader unlocked

text:
# Question
Title: Bootloader unlocked
Rooted samsung galaxy s4 using odin& CF Auto root. Then flashed CWM using rom manager. Now I can go to CWM recovery mode (using power+volume up+ home) . I can get NAndroid backup. Does this mean that I have unlocked my bootloader? After a lot of googling I think I should use ADB 'fast root in order to unlock bootloader. but since I'm already booting cwm in recovery mode others say I'm alreay unlocked!!! the method I used from http://autoroot.chainfire.eu/ isn't for unlocking its for rooting. please explain Thanks. actually now that I read the instruction in chainfire website don't understand why rooting worked for me he has a warning that using those auto root files on a locked bootloader will brick the phone!!!

# Answer
Not necessarily, just because you rooted your android device doesn't mean that you unlock the bootloader. You must understand that is very different root from unlock bootloader and they have different uses too.
**Root** your phone means that now you have the sudo permission(admin permission) and you are able to manage your android as you want. Remove stock apps, edit the system files (that is dangerous if you doesn't know what you're doing!) and lot of new possibilities.
**boot unlock** your phone means that you can install a custom recovery boot, like the most knows: ClockWorkMod (CWM) and TeamWin Recovery Project. And also be able to install a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, Paranoid, or other Android Open Source Project (AOSP) ROM.
As different devices have diferent methods to unlock the boot, it should search on google with your exact model and how to unlock it. But most devices uses fastboot as the unlock method (Sony, Nexus - Samsung not, I used odin too).

Yes, it can brick you phone if you don't make it right. The tool CF-Auto-Root explicit alerts:

> UNLOCK BOOTLOADERS If you have locked bootloaders, flashing one of these will probably brick your device - with the exception of Nexus devices, which will usually automatically "OEM unlock" and wipe your data !

How to check if your device is rooted:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.joeykrim.rootcheck

How to check if your device is boot unlocked:
Please check search on google for tutorials, because change for each brand and model. But note that it is more an advance feature than a simple root and easily could get you phone wicked if somethings went wrong.

This site might help you, it for Samsung galaxy s4:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2551401
> 0 votes

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Tags: rooting, root-access, samsung-galaxy-s-4, bootloader-lock
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# Question
Title: I am not able to open Google Account on New Galaxy Ace 3 Phone
I have tried to open a Google account but after many attempts have failed. When I tap the Gmail icon I get a window, prompting me to add an account, for either an "Existing" or "New" account. When I tap on either option the WiFi scanner starts up instead. I should get a window with a qwerty keyboard to enable me to register my details for an account; but I do not.

This phone is brand new so I am wondering is the phone faulty or am I doing something wrong. This is my first smart phone which I bought on Ebay but I have not yet registered the Sim card with my provider as I am still using my old phone. Would this make a difference? Thank you for your help in this matter.

# Answer
Obviously you need an internet connection to create or log into your account. As you don't have a mobile internet connection yet, the phone needs to connect to a Wi-Fi network first. That's why it's showing you the Wi-Fi settings right away.
> 1 votes

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Tags: samsung, hardware, google
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