# Question
Title: How to share files between a regular account and a work account?
How to share files between a regular account and a work account?

I've researched and I can't find anything. What I am missing?

# Answer
It might not always be possible to transfer data between multiple users/profiles. It depends on the **Device/Work Policy Controller** app, installed by you or your IT admin.

Android device can be managed in two ways: **fully managed** (which is setup at the time of first use or after factory reset on a company owned device) and **work profiles** (which can be added or removed anytime without affecting primary profile on a personal device / BYOD). Both requires a profile owner app (MDM/DPC/EMM) installed and registered as an administrator. Fully-managed devices may further have work profiles and it provides more isolation and control on device-wide policies than the latter. See a comparison of both modes under *Building DPC* (, , , ) and *Employing Managed Profiles* () in Android documentation.

**Multiple users** can also be added if enabled in ROM by OEM/ROM developer. Being more isolated than profiles, interacting with users requires `INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS` which is a permission with `signature|system` protection level. So third party apps cannot use it at all.

Irrespective of if the secondary user is a human user or personal profile owner or work profile owner, the primary intention is data isolation. As defined here:

> *"A work profile securely isolates work apps and data from personal apps and data."*

And as explained here, file sharing between device owner and work profile must only be through `intents` (fired with content URIs), **not file paths**. But a profile owner may completely disallow data sharing (and IPC/`intents`) between users/profiles. For instance see `DISALLOW_SHARE_INTO_MANAGED_PROFILE`, `DISALLOW_USB_FILE_TRANSFER`, `DISALLOW_MOUNT_PHYSICAL_MEDIA`, `addCrossProfileIntentFilter`.

Since Android 9 `adb` is also disallowed to access file belonging to secondary user/profile. For details see How to access multi-user storage in `adb shell` on Android 9+?

* However if the sharing is not disallowed, you'll see options to switch to other profiles (tabs in Share Sheet on Android 11+) when sharing files:
* Shelter - a Free and Open-Source app (I've no affiliation) that leverages the *"Work Profile"* feature to provide an isolated space for cloning apps - acts as a content (media) provider and provides *"File Shuttle"* option which lets you access Work Profile files from Personal Profile through *"Storage Access Framework"*:
* You can also run a small `http`/`ftp` server for file sharing on either side, or sync to cloud storage, if not restricted by policy.

So it entirely depends on the profile creator's policy if file sharing is allowed or not, usually not desirable in a corporate environment. However following method may work in all situations:

* The most widely used trick for file sharing among multiple users is `Android/obb` directory which is shared among users to save storage space. Sharing was managed using bind-mounts in early days but then handling was added to FUSE/`sdcardfs` internally. However sharing is deprecated in Android 10 introducing mount option `unshared_obb` in `sdcardfs`.

So up to Android 9 you can use `obb` directory for file sharing among users/profiles:

```
~# mkdir -p /storage/emulated/*/Android/obb; touch /sdcard/Android/obb/test_file
~# ls /storage/emulated/*/Android/obb/* /storage/emulated/obb/*
/storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/test_file  /storage/emulated/10/Android/obb/test_file /storage/emulated/obb/test_file

```
> 16 votes

# Answer
Found a very simple way, just using web browsers in both work and regular profiles.

Open a browser in each profile and browse to snapdrop.net URL, which should open a session with a random username that will appear on the other brother and vice versa. By clicking the username icon you can send a file which should show up in the browser from the other profile. Then you can accept and download the file.

This doesn't need any third party app or server setup and data only transit on the phone (snapdrop only being used as a synchronization server for websockets). During file transfer, clients directly talk to each others and do not send data outside.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Use Total commander for Android or other 3rd-party file managers where you are able to use "Share via.." and the app will save the files in a new destination.

E.g. the steps:

1. In the work profile via the internal "Files" app, select the file and use the "Share" option
2. In the Share dialog, switch to "Personal profile" sharing options
3. Select the file manager app
4. Select the personal profile folder in the file manager dialogue
5. Voila, the file is in your personal folder.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I just solved this for myself by -

1. using a file manager (Solid File Explorer) (no affiliation) to create an FTP Server on work profile,
2. accessing FTP server through file manager on personal profile, and simply
3. transferring files between both.

Quick fix!
> 1 votes

# Answer
I managed to transfer files via Total Commander's WiFi plugin. Both users should have TC + Wifi plugin installed. One of them is set up as a server and will present you with a QR code. Take a photo of the code with your phone.

The other user then scans this QR code from the phone and you can transfer files easily between the to users as long as the server is running.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I found a simple solution which doesn't limit you to one file at a time and allows sharing with anyone anywhere. Just upload your files from the Work profile to a free cloud service. That's it.

I found this thread while searching for a way to access Work files directly, using `adb`. It all seems so complicated to do.

I tried Etienne's suggestion using snapdrop.net between Work and Regular profiles. It is OK but is limited to a single file at a time.

I then tried FX File Explorer and Total Commander but couldn't reproduce the results given by sanchez0x or on GitHub.

I then read on another thread a suggestion to install Google Drive in the Work profile and then upload and access files anywhere, not just on your device. There would be no restrictions in the Work profile on uploads to a server. I decided to transfer them to OneDrive since I already have an account and I can just use a browser (Firefox), even while using a VPN, to upload an entire directory of files and access them anywhere in the world and share them as well. I tried it with a directory of 99 files. I was able to download them to my Mac and delete them and empty the trash on OneDrive to free up limited (5GB) free space. It won't cost you a penny, or lots of time trying to 'game' `adb`.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: multi-user, file-sharing, work-profiles
---


# Question
Title: My phone stuck on OS boot animation but I can use adb to connect to it, how to fix it without losing data?
I have a Samsung s10e g9700 flashed with Corvus OS gsi (seems based on phh's gsi), which worked basically fine for almost a month. But when I flashed a modified system.img based on Corvus OS gsi, the phone stuck on OS boot animation (endless loop). Then I flashed back to the origin Corvus OS gsi , but the phone still stuck on OS boot animation. I'm sure that I have only flashed system partition and the origin Corvus OS gsi can work. I don't know why my phone cannot boot. But I have found that adb can be used when my phone stuck on OS boot animation, so I have got some adb logcat: logcat1 logcat2 logcat3

I have not backup my userdata (there is no twrp for my device), and the data is FBE locked , so is there any ways to fix it without losing my data?

# Answer
I once had an issue with something like that in my SM-J510FN. I flashed Bliss OS and because I didn't liked the OS, I decided to return back to Corvus. I had the issue that it got stuck at boot animation. I use TWRP, so I booted to recovery and then I went to wipe and selected Davilk, System, Cache and then re-flashed Corvus and it booted as normal. Hope this helps!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, boot-loop, boot, logging, treble
---


# Question
Title: WhatsApp view once video - what is the file location in Android file system?
WhatsApp has this feature of sending videos in messages which can only be viewed once by the recipient. It auto destructs after its viewed.

**Where does WhatsApp store this video file temporarily?** Is it possible to copy this file from this location while the video is playing? Need to know the location both in case of rooted and non-rooted phones.

PS: The other question Where do Android apps store data? mentions general paths used by android specific apps. However, whatsapp storage location on android for some of their features are more obscure (Like - one time viewable videos). The locations mentioned in the previous answer do not contain the data for this use case.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I found it, it is supposed to be at

> `data/data/com.whatsapp/files/ViewOnce`

# Answer
> 0 votes
As **@brunoman4006** answered almost a year ago (sorry for my late response) it is also possible to retrieve the images without root installed on the device, although you would need to have your bootloader unlocked and a recovery capable of decription of your data (ex, TWRP compatible with your android version) you can go directly to the location of the images that was mentioned before and copy them werever you may want them, tho before retrieven the folder you can not let whatsapp task be terminated so you have to hard shutdown your phone (usually volume- and power button for a set amount of time) otherwise the opened files will be deleted. There may be a way to change the location itself but haven't go that far without rooting (banking and payment apps are a real pain to deal with when you have root nowadays)

Sorry for the long answer, but I really hope to shed some light into this matter

# Answer
> -1 votes
Whatsapp stores its normal videos in

`\Internal storage\Android\media\com.whatsapp\WhatsApp\Media\WhatsApp Video`

It has two subfolders `Private` and `Sent`. If Whatsapp is storing these videos while playing, I would expect them here.

However, if they are storing it, I would expect it to be encrypted. Otherwise, the feature would be useless.

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Hotspot connection lost to PC every few minutes
My only internet connection at present is via a hotspot on Moto G7 (running Android Version 10) connecting via GiffGaff (which runs on the O2 network). I keep the phone data on 3G as 4G seems slower when the network strength is low.

I have had a connectivity problem between my phone and my Asus laptop running Win 10 Home (build 19042.1348) for about the last year.

Sometimes the connection is fine running at 1-3 Mbps download but frequently it disconnects. I can often get a reconnection by disconnecting and reconnecting my connection to the phone hotspot on my laptop and/or by running Windows' network Troubleshooter. This disconnection happens every 3-10 minutes so having to reconnect 10 times an hour is not unusual.

I would be grateful for two things:
Firstly if there is an obvious solution I would love to hear it;
Secondly I am unfamiliar with this area and would be grateful for a recommendation of diagnostic tools.

I emphasise this is a problem of connectivity between the laptop and the phone via wifi. This is not a problem of the network to the phone.

Thanks for your time.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I had this same issue with my Redmi Note 4 (mido). In my case, the hotspot turned off automatically after 3-5 minutes of use. I was running a custom ROM (Lineage OS 17 - Android 11). This was easily fixed by flashing a new kernel (suggested by the developer of the RO himself). However, if you are not familiar with terms such as TWRP or fastboot, you should wait for the next software update or keep looking for some other ways people might have fixed this error.

Meanwhile, you could use USB Tethering to solve your issue. You can use the internet on your PC with 3 simple steps.

1. Connect your phone to your PC.
2. Open Settings on your phone.
3. Tap Network & internet \> Hotspot & Tethering, then tap the switch to turn USB tethering on.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I got the same problem and finally got it fixed! Please change the password encryption to WPA2/WPA3 Personal or WPA3. My Android access point had WPA2 Wi-Fi encryption enabled and my laptop was dropping the connection every 2 minutes. Now it works perfectly.

---
Tags: connection-issues, wifi-hotspot, windows, data-connection
---


# Question
Title: How do I back up the WhatsApp backup that is on Google Drive?
How do I back up the WhatsApp backup that is on Google Drive?

If I go to WhatsApp - Settings - Chats - Chat backup, it tells me the Google account that my backup is at and the size.

And if I go to https://drive.google.com/drive/backups, then I can see the backup there.

Google Drive doesn't even tell me the size of the backup! But it tells me the date or time of it which verifies with what the WhatsApp app shows.

How can I copy it off?

I tried Google Takeout picking just Google Drive. But that just gives a 9MB file. So it didn't include it.

# Answer
The user interface on google drive do not allow you to do this. And they will delete it after 5 month. So if you plan to not to use your whatsapp for a while you'd better to backup your local backup.

* `whatsapp data takeout` does not contain chat history
* `google data takeout` does not include any backup data
* `google drive` does not allow you to copy/download backup data
* you cannot import/restore chats from different account (when you changed your phone number)
* whatsapp will delete your backup immediately if you close your account or uninstall all instance of whatsapp
* google drive will delete your backup immediately if you close or unlink your google account.

But, there are FOSS tools for forensic analysis allow you to extract from google driver
> 1 votes

---
Tags: backup, whatsapp-messenger, google-drive
---


# Question
Title: Hotspot or USB tethering not functioning on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro on Android 11
My Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro on Android 11 was updated to the latest MIUI. When I activate the hotspot or USB tethering, when connecting from my PC or other phones, it does not let me surf or use the internet.

In my Windows 10, I enter the IP config command and everything comes out well configured, either by tethering or by hotspot, but I do not navigate in any way.

Help, please.

# Answer
Make sure Find My Device is not on. I had same issue connecting to my tablet from my Galaxy J2 Android.
> 0 votes

# Answer
When my Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, on MIUI 14, had the same behavior (hotspot allows other devices to connect to it but the internet doesn't work on those devices), I changed the sim card from sim2 to sim1 position in the drawer and now it works as expected.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: connection-issues, wifi-hotspot, usb-tethering, redmi
---


# Question
Title: Cannot change number format in Google Sheets, "Cell" tab is missing
I have Pixel 7 and Google Sheets (version 1.24.062.03.90). It seems like the option to format cells is gone. This is how it looks after I tap the Format icon "A≈".

It does not work like described here, because at point 4. there just is no "Cell".

> Format numbers, dates, and currencies
>
> To format numbers, dates, or currencies in a spreadsheet, follow these steps:
>
> 1. On your Android phone or tablet, open a spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app.
> 2. Tap a cell or range of cells.
> 3. Tap Format.
> 4. Tap Cell and then Number format.
> 5. Tap an option from the list. The format will be applied to your selected cells.

source: Format numbers, dates, and currencies

What I am trying to do? I want to customize the date format. I just don't get there...

# Answer
> 1 votes
For a more recent appearance with the **Format** drawer:

1. Scroll down until a row of cell formatting is visible, from left to right:
    * $ (currency)
    * % (percentage)
    * .0← (reduce decimal)
    * .00→ (increase decimal)
    * 123 (custom format)
2. Select **123**

---

For an older appearance with a drawer having **Text** and **Cell** tabs:

1. Select the **Cell** tab
2. Scroll to the bottom
3. Tap **Number format**

---
Tags: google-sheets
---


# Question
Title: Is the received SMS from Google with a code genuine?
I just received an SMS, the phone shows that the sender is "Google" it says:

> .Google (some Arabic) G-123131231 (some code basically).

Could this actually be Google? Why was it sent to me?

# Answer
Maybe someone is trying to login to your Google account, and Google is sending you the 2fa code. As long as you're not logging in yourself, ignore the message.

You may also want to change your password, just to be safe.

And it is recommended to check the list of logged-on devices.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: security, sms, google
---


# Question
Title: How can you distinguish between SMS and MMS if the message is short and contains no media?
I sent a short message to someone, and I thought I was sending an SMS, but when I asked them if they have read my SMS, they corrected me, and said "yes, I read your MMS". How did they know it's an MMS? What's the difference in this case? I know MMS allows for longer text, and images/videos, but my message was short and contained no media, so how did they know it was MMS and not SMS? What gave it away?

Note that the CRS was enabled. Is this what gave it away?

We both use Samsung phones, although mine is newer.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Depending on the apps, some messaging apps have a feature to display whether a message is an SMS, MMS, or RCS; whether it's on a different menu or directly beside the message. RCS feature is unrelated to knowing the message type.

**Google Messages**

1. Long tap the message
2. Select the **overflow menu** (3 vertical dots) on the top-right
3. Tap **View details**
4. **Message Details** will show the type: SMS, MMS, RCS

**Samsung Messages**

1. Long tap the message
2. Select **View details**
3. **Message details** will show the type: Text message (SMS), Multimedia message (MMS)

**Truecaller**

1. Long tap the message
2. Tap **More** on the bottom-right
3. Tap **Message details**
4. The type will be shown under the text: SMS, MMS

---

Also, *RCS messages may be shown as MMS instead on another messaging app.*

| Google Messages (sent with RCS) | Samsung Messages (RCS disabled) | Truecaller (no RCS support) |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |

---
Tags: sms, mms
---


# Question
Title: How can I configure uTorrent so that it doesn't stop seeding after the download of a torrent is completed?
By default on Android, μTorrent stops seeding after the download of a torrent is completed. How can I configure μTorrent so that it doesn't stop seeding after the download of a torrent is completed?

I don't want to have to manually unpause each torrent after the download is completed.

# Answer
It seems like it is currently not possible to configure uTorrent so that it doesn't stop seeding after the download of a torrent is completed. However, Reddit user -Krotik- pointed me to LibreTorrent, which does keep seeding after the download of a torrent is completed. Also, it has no ads and is opensource.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: torrents
---


# Question
Title: Does Android auto-switch between SIMs for data on dual-SIM phones when one of the SIMs has poor reception?
If you're using the internet on the phone, does Android auto-switch between SIMs on dual-SIM phones when one of the SIMs has poor reception?

https://honestmobile.co.uk/ seem to think some phones do and they advise turning it off so as not to interfere with their own app that selects from the providers they MVNO on top of.

It would be a handy alternative to Speedify VPN to bond separate mobiles, if the SIMs in those could be put in a dual SIM phone.

(By the way, I don't have an financial interest or otherwise in Honest Mobile, nor Speedify).

Thank you.

# Answer
> 3 votes
> If you're using the internet on the phone, does Android auto-switch between SIMs on dual-SIM phones when one of the SIMs has poor reception?

**No**. Android doesn't offer such provisions. Pixel 3a line is dual Sim and if Android has this provision, it would have been incorporated in these phones.

It is most likely referring to *Dual SIM Dual Active* devices where both the Sims *simultaneously* can be active be it voice or data. As an example you could be talking on SIM1 and yet receive a call on SIM2 which will be put on hold or you could attend that and put the first SIM call on hold (Pixel 3a have this).

(This is in contrast to *Dual SIM Dual Standby*, wherein if SIM1 is in use, SIM2 becomes inactive and vice - versa. Such phones are cheaper)

Edit: If you are referring to Smart Signal, the FAQ clearly says it *doesn't* choose the best signal (as your question implies) but merely switches between two networks

> Does Smart Signal automatically choose the network with the best signal?
>
> No, with Smart Signal you’ll automatically switch to EE or O2 if you lose signal on Honest Mobile. On some phones you can also manually select which network you want to be on.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Yes, its available now on Android 14, at least with my pixel 7 pro.

---
Tags: mobile-data, automation, data-connection, dual-sim
---


# Question
Title: What Is Using Up My Storage/Data on Android Phone?
First, I appreciate that there are lots of similar questions to this online, but they are often so specific that I haven't been able to solve this question myself (through online forums/questions/etc).

I have a phone with 8GBs of internal storage, as can be seen from the first picture below. ~3GBs of this is used up by `Android OS`; ~5GBs remains, of which I am using ~4.5GBs. (This leads to issues with not being able to update, etc, due to lack of space.)

All reasonable so far. However, as the next picture shows, of that 4.5GBs used (separate to the 3GBs for `Android OS`), `Apps` uses ~2.1GBs and Cached data only ~33MBs. Hopefully my question is clear now:

> where is the remaining 2.4GBs?

# Answer
You can examine storage usage from terminal with `du`

* in your "about phone" settings, tap "build number" 7x (seven) times to unhide the hidden developer settings, then enable USB-Debugging in developer settings
* on PC download platform\_tools and busybox binary for your phones cpu architecture (armv7l), rename file "`busybox`" and copy it to `platform_tools` folder (i realized `toybox` is buggy, `du` works best with `busybox`)
* open `cmd.exe` and navigate with `cd` command to folder where `adb.exe` is. connect the phone to PC with USB cable, then type the following commands (each line for its own)

```
 adb devices
 adb push busybox /data/local/tmp/
 adb shell
 chmod a+x /data/local/tmp/busybox
 /data/local/tmp/busybox du -acxhd1 /storage/emulated/0

```
* repeat the last command on different folder for your needs. the last digit in parameters controls the depth (see full list for usage)

`du` is a command line utility for disk usage

```
CUBOT_KING_KONG:/ $ du --help
BusyBox v1.29.2.YDS (2018-08-01 20:19:15 UTC) multi-call binary.

Usage: du [-aHLdclsxhmk] [FILE]...

Summarize disk space used for each FILE and/or directory

        -a      Show file sizes too
        -L      Follow all symlinks
        -H      Follow symlinks on command line
        -d N    Limit output to directories (and files with -a) of depth < N
        -c      Show grand total
        -l      Count sizes many times if hard linked
        -s      Display only a total for each argument
        -x      Skip directories on different filesystems
        -h      Sizes in human readable format (e.g., 1K 243M 2G)
        -m      Sizes in megabytes
        -k      Sizes in kilobytes (default)

```

if you don't know your phones cpu architecture you can check the SoC from terminal

```
adb shell
head /proc/cpuinfo

```

the busybox binary will remain at your phones temp folder until you delete it

```
adb shell
rm /data/local/tmp/busybox

```
> 3 votes

# Answer
It's not clear what Android means by "Apps", which is 2.10 GB. Total size of an app includes its `apk` file + extra native libraries (if any) + Dalvik cache + obb files + app's data + cache. Data and cache can be on internal (`/data`) as well as shared private storage (`/sdcard/Android`). I think the missing 2.4 GB could be apps data if not included in "Apps", or it could be your personal files in `/sdcard`.

For more details: How disk space is used on Android device?
> 1 votes

# Answer
The remaining 2.4 gb is related to the cache section even it appears that the size is so low.. You need to use the app cleaner of Android in the Play Store to get the full information of where the data comes.. For Android like that situation, we don't have full information like statistics of apps usage..
> 0 votes

# Answer
For the du command mentioned by alecxs, if you want a better interactive gui, you can use ncdu or gdu. They all have compiled arm static binaries.

https://dev.yorhel.nl/download/ncdu-2.3-linux-aarch64.tar.gz https://github.com/dundee/gdu/releases/download/v5.27.0/gdu\_android\_arm64.tgz

```
adb push .\gdu_android_arm64 /data/local/tmp/
adb shell
chmod a+x /data/local/tmp/gdu_android_arm64
/data/local/tmp/gdu_android_arm64 /storage/emulated/0

```
> 0 votes

---
Tags: internal-storage, storage, insufficient-memory
---


# Question
Title: Show size of biggest folders and files in system data
## 1. Summary

I don't find, how I can view, which folders and files are the biggest in my system data. So I can manually decide which files to delete and which not.

---

## 2. Expected behavior

Ideally to have behavior as in **SpaceSniffer** Windows program.

SpaceSniffer can show sizes of system Windows files.

I can't get similar behavior for Android.

---

## 3. Data

* ASK Benefit S401
* Android 5.1.1
* CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM
* Rooted

When I install CyanogenMod, system data size — ~700 MB; at the time — ~1,5 GB.

Several hundred megabytes — apps data, for which I would consider the possibility of removal.

---

## 4. Not helped

### 4.1. SpaceSniffer Android alterntaives

All doesn't show system data files and folders.

I don't find another **DiskUsage alternatives**, that can help me.

---

## 5. Do not offer

1. Yes, I understand that operations with system Android files may be risky. I understand that I do actions at my own risk.
2. Yes, I know about **SD card partitioning**, and I move all my apps to SD card use **Apps2SD**.
3. Yes, I can view system data files, use any file manager, that support root — I use **Amaze**, — but I don't find file manager, that:

* correct sort folders and files in system data
    * show files/folders size of all files in screen.

---

## 6. Related questions

My question is not duplicate for these questions; please look carefully.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Install Solid Explorer and grant it root access. This is the most feature filled file manager that I've tried. Visit the Root (/) partition, click three dots on top right and properties. There you can see a breakdown of the content, file types and top 20 files (it does take a while to index this).

Alternatively with a terminal emulator use the common Linux tool `du` and sort by size:

`du -ah(x) | sort -n -r | head -n (number_to_show)`

I tried to find a build of `ncdu` for Android which would be ideal but no luck. If you have Ubuntu/Arch/some other system with a package manager installed you could simply apt-get it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have tried five or six apk installed file management space app that can obtain root permissions. In addition to https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.google.android.diskusage/, other apps are **very, very slow to index**, may be associated with magisk or partitions? So I chose to su root permissions using adb shell.

Both ncdu and gdu (more feature-rich than ncdu) have compiled arm static binaries. Can be used directly in adb shell. The specific method of use can refer to https://android.stackexchange.com/a/256220/397711

---
Tags: internal-storage, storage
---


title: Linked contacts

text:
# Question
Title: Linked contacts
If one of my contacts changes their number, and I am unaware, and somebody else got that number as their new number, would it link the new person to that number in my contacts automatically

# Answer
> 0 votes
The answer is yes. The phone number is the unique key. There is no way for the phone to know otherwise.

It is different in an app like WhatsApp. Even though the link is by phone number, the number can be changed by the owner of that account.

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: Tracing a lost tablet in the house with WiFi on
I have a Samsung tablet with no SIM. The tablet works with our domestic internet connection. I live in a pretty cluttered house and periodically I misplace the tablet.

Does anyone know of a way of activating the tablet from another computer (on the same network) so as to make it buzz? This would be so helpful! Look forward to hearing from somebody.

# Answer
You can use Google Find My

If it's a Samsung, you can use SmartThings find
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have the same problem with my wife. I ended up installing a beacon in each room. I have written an app that tells a server where it was last seen.

In your case I would recommend a tile. Glue it to the tablet. With your phone, you can make the tile scream. It is a pretty piercing noise.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung, tablet, lost-phone
---


# Question
Title: How to use a small balance in Google Play store
I need to change the country of my Google account. However, since there is less than a Euro on my balance I cannot to do so unless I make my Google balance zero. I cannot split a payment between my credit card and the Google balance. I also cannot add a custom amount to my balance to buy a service. Does anybody have a solution?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I don't know how to get your balance directly to zero, but do you know that Amazon allows to buy Google vouchers at any value you want?

You can simply enter the amount of euro and cent so if you want to buy something you could load the missing amount and then buy it. Afterwards the balance would be zero.

---
Tags: google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: Does Android OS impose an SMS sending limit?
Is there an SMS sending limit? I have sent SMSs totaling \>30,000 characters within 24 hours and am no longer able to send any SMSs (though I can receive them). Is my SMSC blocking me, or is the Android OS limiting how many SMSs I can send? If the latter is the case, how do I reset or increasing the SMS sending limit using `adb` (`service call`?)?

# Answer
Yes, there is. From

> by default, Android will check to make sure you haven't sent more than 30 SMS messages to anyone within a span of 30 minutes.

> ## How to Change Android's SMS Limit
>
> 1. Set up ADB as outlined in this previous tutorial.
> 2. Enter an ADB shell by sending the following command in the command prompt or terminal window: `adb shell`
> 3. Then run the following command in the ADB shell to change the max SMS limit option: `settings put global sms_outgoing_check_max_count 5`
> 4. So in this example, I am actually reducing the number so Android warns me if I have sent more than 5 SMS messages within 30 minutes. Change "5" to whatever number you want.
> 5. Next, you can run the following command to also change the time frame: `settings put global sms_outgoing_check_interval_ms 9000000`
> 6. And with this command I am reducing the time frame for this check from 30 minutes, to 15 minutes (this value is in milliseconds). You can choose any integer value here for the time frame, just make sure it's something sensible.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: sms, sms-blocking
---


# Question
Title: "Laser" Android 7-inch tablet connects to the internet without WiFi access to router
I have a "Laser" 7-inch Android Go tablet, model # MID-789. I do not normally use it for internet work, but it is useful as a 2FA device, for which I usually wake up the WiFi and use my router for the connection.

Some weeks ago I lit it up and without thinking I touched the Okta icon and did my business. Shutting it down, I realised I had not used the WiFi at all. I tested this deliberately this morning, same result. The tablet will even look for updates regardless of the WiFi status. (There aren't any, it's that basic.)

I have searched through the Settings, very thoroughly indeed, but I cannot see anything that looks or even smells like connectivity. It did occur to me that maybe there's a 4/5G sitting in there, but definitely there is no SIM or similar device. So what gives? Do all tablets have this magical ability?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Welp. Problem resolved. The Okta app is the digital version of your bank's security key: the one you press the button and it gives you a sequence to type into your banking app. NO CONNECTIVITY NEEDED. This is a saga of poor design:

* 1. Okta's GUI is uninformative, although it doesn't actually SAY it doesn't need to be connected;
* 2. The Google Search Bar which auto-loads at start-up doesn't help as it continuously cycles through search suggestions, and this already had me wondering;
* 3. There is a backgound pervasive assumption that the user will always be connected so the need to remind the user is never asserted; and
* 4. I blindly assumed I needed to be connected.

The Laser tablet only cost me Au$70.00 in 2021, so I don't expect much from it. But given that Okta is a major player I did expect MUCH better GUIdance.

Thank you everyone for your words of wisdom.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Connectivity does not happen by magic. The most plausible answer is that your Wi-Fi was not as turned off as you thought.

To test this, power down your Wi-Fi hub, and then see if you have connectivity. If you do, check if you're mistakenly using a neighbour's Wi-Fi.

---
Tags: wi-fi, internet
---


# Question
Title: Is a standalone periodic email checker app feasible?
I bought my first smartphone in 2012. I had one motivation for doing so: my clients, instead of ringing me, were increasingly emailing me. I had to have a computer "to go" to respond in a timely manner.

But a flaw emerged as I got to grips with my first Samsung: although I had configured a bleep to be sounded every time an email arrived in my Gmail inbox, this, er, didn't always happen.

At that time, I think, I probably assumed that this was a small thing which was associated with the teething troubles of a spanking new technology, and would quickly be ironed out.

That did not happen. 12 years later and no improvement. It is simply unbelievable.

I have spent many, many hours viewing forums about the notification problem and struggling to try anything and everything, repeatedly. Often finding that supposedly available options etc. didn't in fact exist on my phone. The defect is still there.

I almost said "the Samsung notification problem". Indeed I almost also said "the Android notification problem". Recently I have even contemplated the unthinkable, i.e. going over to the **Other Side**. But when I googled things, I found that (reportedly) various models of iPhone in reality seem to suffer the same thing.

A few days ago it occurred to me: is there an app for Android which has one single function? Every 5 minutes, it looks at the Gmail inbox for a given account, and if an unread message is present it makes a bleep. How hard can that be?

I searched for such an app at PlayStore. I didn't find one. Which doesn't mean one doesn't exist. If someone knows of such a thing, please enlighten me.

Therefore my question is: **is it feasible to create such an app?** I have never tried to create an Android app, but there's always a first time.

Does anyone know whether emails arriving in a Gmail inbox are detectable by the phone pretty much immediately? My understanding to date has been that this giant intermittent defect happens despite the fact that a new email has already arrived in the phone. Maybe that's not always the case. But certainly there have been MANY MANY times over the past 12 years when I have glimpsed down at my phone to find, yes, an email has arrived in the Gmail app ... but my \****ing phone never bleeped me a notification. The app I imagine would at least put an end to that source of fury.

This is no joke for me. It hasn't been for years. With my line of work, my clients will tend to contact other people if they don't get a response within 30 minutes or an hour. I have lost 000s of £/€/$ over the past 12 years due to this unfathomably frustrating nonsense.

# Answer
I am using fairmail on my phone. Its very versatile and has many options for notification. It always beeps when an email arrives. And I get 100s of emails a day.

I am not associated with it. I have multiple accounts and it can handle them separately or all in, and still answer from the account it was received on.

I am sure there are other email clients that will also work.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung, notifications, gmail, push-notifications
---


# Question
Title: T-Mobile REVVL 4+ Android phone constantly bleeping. Took phone out of wallet case & noise stopped. Think magnets?
T-Mobile REVVL 4+ Android. Constantly bleeping start-up sound. Notifications turned off. Took the phone out of the wallet case & bleeping noise stopped.

Does anyone else have wallet magnets that cause their phone to make constant noise? Anything to do to the demagnetize problem so I can use the wallet for my phone?

# Answer
> 0 votes
As mentioned in the comment, its almost definitely detecting the credit/debit cards.

To stop it, turn off the NFC.

* Swipe the status bar down
* Scroll until you spot NFC.
* Press into turn it off.

If this solves it, then here are some solutions.

* Leave NFC off
* Put the phone in the other pocket
* Separate the phone from the cards with a metallic (slightly magnetic) film.
* The NFC detector is at the top of the phone, rotate the phone to increase the distance from the cards.

---
Tags: audio, t-mobile
---


# Question
Title: Any way to retrieve deleted phone contacts?
My wife has a cheap Android phone (Telstra branded, Blade A5 2020-T, Android version 9). For some unknown reason, for the last few weeks many names were duplicated in her Contacts list. So today she went through and deleted the duplicates. But when she went back to Contacts, both copies had been deleted! So she has lost a dozen or so contacts. Is there any way to get them back?

A couple of other points:

* A number of web pages say to enter Contacts, click the left hand side button, and find the Recycle bin. But on this phone, there is no Recycle bin there.
* System says that "Cloud backup" is on, but we can't find anything under her Google account. But maybe we are not looking in the right place.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Data recovery of deleted contacts depends upon how the data is stored in the device, if your contacts are stored inside the phone’s internal storage, they will be deleted permanently. If the contacts are stored inside the sim card and is deleted, contact your service provider to recover the data. If your contacts were synced with Google Account, it can be easily recovered from Google Contact App. Following are some DIY techniques.

**To recover contact from Google account:** Open Google Contact App \> Fix and Manage \> Select Bin Folder (Deleted Contacts will appear) \> Click three dots on top left corner \> Select or Select All \> Click Recover

**To recover contact from Undo Feature:** Open Google Contact App \> Settings \> Scroll down and tap on Undo changes \> Select the time frame \> Tap Confirm \> Ok

# Answer
> 0 votes
If your contacts were saved to Google Contacts, you could try to dump the data from chrome://sync-internals. If the contacts are still present server-side, you can also attempt to take a Google Takeout backup to get them.

---
Tags: contacts, data-recovery
---


# Question
Title: WhatsApp giving error message "unable to back up" (Google Drive)
My WhatsApp has been giving me trouble for a long time regarding backups. It started a couple of months ago when I pressed back up now and I received an error message saying "unable to back up". A little while later, my WhatsApp suddenly crashed and when I tried opening it, I received an additional error message saying

> Something went wrong with your chat history, don't worry you can restore your chat history from backup. If you don't restore now you won't be able to restore later.

>

After pressing "backup now", it responds with "unable to retrieve old backup from Google drive."

I tried looking up different solutions and I did everything including, resetting the cache, disconnecting and reconnecting my Google account, turning off my phone, and playing around with every possible setting. I have plenty of storage on my device and Google Drive account and a great internet connection, so I had no idea where the problem was. The only solution that helped was when I switched my WhatsApp number to a different number. After that, I was able to back up to Google Drive normally as it should be. Unfortunately, I had to reset my WhatsApp from new and start again which was really irritating, on the bright side I was able to do backups moving forward.

My WhatsApp has been working fine ever since yesterday when it gave me the same "unable to back up" error message I'm all too familiar with. Not surprisingly, the next day my WhatsApp crashed and the situation that happened a couple of months ago repeated itself.

Please help me understand what's wrong with my WhatsApp and if there are any solutions or fixes I can do. I've scoured the internet and I haven't found any solutions that have worked.

The problem now being when I press backup now I get an error message "unable to backup " in response. Any idea of what could be wrong/if some file is corrupt how to fix it?

# Answer
Ahh, one of the gut-wrenching WhatsApp problems. Try below after you have tried all other options.

* Change backup frequency to "never", under 'Back up to Google Drive".
* Force stop WhatsApp.
* Clear cache.
* Remove Photos and Videos permission for WhatsApp.
* Give said permission back to WhatsApp.
* Open WhatsApp and change the backup frequency to whichever you prefer under "Back up to Google Drive" (I set it to "daily").
* Tap "Back up".

I believe this would definitely work. It did for me and many of my friends.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Normally when WhatsApp makes a backup, it makes a local backup too. You can find the local backup on your phone's memory or sd card under the WhatsApp folder. You should probably backup the backup so it doesn't get overwritten by a new backup, then you can turn off Google Drive backup and see if you can do "Backup now". It should then only make a local backup.

If that doesn't work you should try putting the local backup back. I am not sure what the cause could be, I would assume either your phone isn't authenticating with Google Drive properly or your Drive is full. Try logging off from Google and logging back in. There may be an issue with the data of WhatsApp itself. Sometimes clearing the cache helps but I can't guarantee what'll work and what not.

It looks like it managed to create a backup 16 days ago, so if nothing works you should still have a proper copy of your messages from everything before that date. Reinstalling WhatsApp should then give you the option to recover from Google Drive, but you will lose 16 days of chat history unless if you use the local backup.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: backup, whatsapp-messenger, google-drive
---


# Question
Title: Forced account creation when using the Radio France Android app
Recently the Radio France Android app started to force users to create an account to subscribe to podcasts and to hear podcasts when offline. The user account is not technically necessary. Is there a way around this forced account creation?

# Answer
> -1 votes
To use the Radio France Android application without an account, follow the following steps:

1. Uninstall the existing application (in case it was installed before).
2. Download and install version 8.35.2 of the application from APKPure.
3. Launch the application and subscribe for at least one podcast.
4. Update the application to the current version from Google Play.

You can ignore the account creation request as long as at least one podcast is subscribed in your library.

**Installing applications from third-party sources involves risks, only do it if you know what your are doing!**

---
Tags: accounts
---


# Question
Title: HTML does not find local links and local images (Chrome on Android 10)
I am using a tablet (Lenovo M10 FHD Plus) which works under Android 10.

According to Local files revisited: Opening local HTML files (file:///path/to/file) in Chrome on Android 10.x, in order to use local URLs in HTML, I put my documents in the folder:

Files \> Internal Storage \> Android \> data \> com.android.chrome \> files \> Download

Inside my "index.html" file I use:

```
          ...href="a1.html"...

          ...src="smily.gif"...

```

The HTML files "index.html" and "a1.html" as well as the image "smily.gif" are located in my tablet inside the above-mentioned folder.

When I click on the file "index.html" and select Chrome, the file is correctly opened by Chrome... but the "smily.gif" image is not displayed (I get instead the alt="This is a smily" text). Furthermore, when I click there on the link (local URL) to open the document "a1.html" Chrome does NOT find it, and displays instead an empty page with the following error message:

> Your file couldn't be accessed
> It may have been moved, edited, or deleted.
> ERR\_FILE\_NOT\_FOUND

Needless to say, the above HTML samples work perfectly on my Windows 10 computer (including local links and images)!

My questions are:

1. Where should I put my files "index.html", "a1.html" and "smily.gif" (if the above-mentioned folder is wrong)?
2. If href="a1.html" and src="smily.gif" does not work in Android, how should I refer to local files in href= and src=?
3. Can the instruction: base href="\___" help us here, in case the answer to point (2) requires long file paths?

Thanks a lot for your kind help!

# Answer
> 0 votes
First, it is not true that all files are accessible on Windows-10 and browser. This is for security On Windows, you need something like IIS or Apache running. I expect its the same on Android.

---
Tags: chrome-for-android, android-10, html5
---


# Question
Title: Use built-in mic instead of earphone mic on call
I have very cheap earphones that have a terrible microphone. My phone's built-in microphone is better. How can I make it so that WhatsApp calls (or regular calls) use my phone's mic, instead of my earphones mic?

I tried looking around, and got pointed to apps such as soundabout, which do not exist anymore.

I'm using OnePlus 7 Pro, Android 12, Oxygen OS 12.1

# Answer
> 0 votes
According to an answer on Quora, you can use Lesser Audio Switch (play store) . Plug in earphones -\> Go to the settings of this app -\> enable switch microphone -\>tap the mic icon in front of speaker icon -\>select ‘internal microphone’.

---
Tags: microphone, oneplus, earphone
---


title: Any way to root vivo Y33s?

text:
# Question
Title: Any way to root vivo Y33s?
I want to root my vivo Y33s. Here's what I tried: Unlock the bootloader (all commands like `fastboot oem unlock` are not recognisable) with `fastboot boot` directly from .img file:

```
downloading 'boot.img'...
OKAY [  3.494s]
booting...
FAILED (remote: unknown command)

```

How else I can root with Magisk?

# Answer
> -1 votes
Well, rooting a phone means wiping all data, but I guess you already backed up all data. Anyways, according to Rootmeguide, first up you need to unlock the Bootloader on the phone. You might have did that, but I wrote it in case you didn't. After that, you need to patch an boot image file using Magisk. After that, rename majisk\_patched..img to boot.img. After copying the boot image file to a PC, you need to flash it.You need to open the "ADB" folder, and type "cmd" in the adress bar.The connect the phone, and type "fastboot devices" in the prompt, and hit enter. After that, type "adb reboot bootloader". That command will boot the phone into the fastboot mode. Then, depending on your partition system, you need to type another command. For an A/B partition system, you need to type "fastboot flash boot boot.img" For Non-A/B partition system, you need to type "fastboot flash boot\_a patched\_boot.img" and "fastboot flash boot\_b patched\_boot.img". Then, type "fastboot reboot", which reboots your phone, and then you have succesfully rooted your phone!

---
Tags: rooting, magisk, vivo
---


title: Driving mode media tray missing

text:
# Question
Title: Driving mode media tray missing
I have a Pixel 8 Pro with Android 14; for years I have used my Android phones for car navigation. Like many, I like to use my phone to listen to Pandora, Spotify, podcast players etc. While in Driving Mode, there is... or *was* a tray at the bottom of the screen I could click to view all of the available media providers (everything presented with giant buttons to reduce driving distraction), select the one I wanted to use, and select from the selected provider which music channel, podcast, etc. I wanted to listen to.

Recently this tray has simply disappeared and for the life of me I can't figure out what happened or how to get it back again. I've searched through system settings and driving mode settings and if there is anything related to this behavior I haven't been able to find it. I also tried clearing the cache of some apps and many system services, but this has not fixed the issue.

Wondering if anyone has an idea what is going on and how to restore this UI element to driving mode.

# Answer
The problem is with the Google app. According to a thread on the Android Auto community, you can get the media tray back by downgrading the Google app to version 14.39, and the problem will be fixed.Now, to downgrade an app, according to How To Geek, You can downgrade most Android apps by going to Settings \> Apps \> Manage Apps and choosing to “Uninstall Updates” for a particular app, but this will also log out and remove all your app data. To downgrade an app and keep your data, set up Android Debug Bridge and sideload an app using the APK file for the version you want. Finally, avoid unwanted updates in the Play Store by going to Settings \> Network Preferences \> Auto-Update Apps and selecing “Don’t Auto-Update Apps.”
> 0 votes

---
Tags: media-player, google-maps-navigation, driving-mode
---


title: Cloning a Xiaomi Note 10s

text:
# Question
Title: Cloning a Xiaomi Note 10s
I had been assaulted twice in the last 6 months, looked into the barrel of pistols and had a guy wielding a knife in front of me. Their goal was to take my phone off me. I had more money in my pocket than they would have gotten from selling the phone off. And I noticed without this phone I am completely screwed. All my banking and security stuff is all depending on this phone. If gone, I don't know if I could restart my online life. So I get myself into danger of real-world life, which is fine, but I need a real backup plan.

So I figured replication is the key. I would like to create an exact clone of this phone, with the exact same make and model (to make it easier). With computers, I can just clone the disk an everything works usually. But is there a way to do that with an android phone? I am not talking about a "backup" where then you need to "restore" some of the apps will appear but totally blank. I need a clone of a phone that hits the ground running!

There must be a way to do this, because it really is so important to living online life these days.

EDIT: I am thinking the most straight forward way I could see is if I would root the phone (or get a pair of phones that I can fully root), and then as root I dd the contents of the disk (as raw as it gets) and push it though `dd if=/dev/physical-disk | rsh ...` or so over to a computer, then on the other side I do `rsh ... |dd of=/dev/physical-disk`. I don't need rsh or ssh exactly as long as I have something that can push to the network (e.g. netcat). People say this can't work, but why if I can be root on the phone and it is a Linux system should I not be able to dd if and of to the raw disk?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It is not possible. It is not even possible to transfer everything to your new phone when changing phones. But your idea is good, I have thought about it too. The best you can do is

* Get another phone, preferably similar model and capability
* Install the same apps on it.
* You can copy contacts over if you you assign them to your google account. You can do this assigning via something like MyPhoneExplorer.
* Weekly, copy over message etc to the other phone. Again MyPhoneExplorer will do this by copying them to Windows first. You wont be able to copy everything, but have a go
* You may be able to copy over whatsapp content if you backup on your first phone, swap the sim and restore on the 2nd phone. You may be able to do thsi for other apps as well. Again, do it weekly.

Note, I am not associated with MyPhoneExplorer.

---
Tags: backup, restore
---


# Question
Title: Fastboot does not see device, but fastbootd does
My device: Tecno Camon 19 (cl6n) I need to unlock bootloader, adb see my phone correctly, fastbootd too. But when I do `adb reboot bootloader` neither the phone nor the PC can see each other. Phone says that after 60 seconds without action, the phone will reboot, and on the PC `fastboot devices` gives an empty line, if you try to use any fastboot command, the text "Waiting for any device" will appear. I installed usb drivers and vc reddists, so i dont know why its not working.

# Answer
The same problem is with my laptop (and mobile is Red Magic 7), I installed fastboot drivers, When I boot my device to bootloader using `adb reboot bootloader`, the phone is booting to bootloader, but it is just detected as Android. And when I try to update its driver to Bootloader Interface, Windows says the driver was installed successfully, but there is no change and the device does not get recognised, so `fastboot devices` yields nothing.

But if I do `adb reboot fastboot`, it boots the device to fastbootd mode, and this time the device is being detected as Android Phone: bootloader interface and is detected by platform tools (`fastboot devices`) also.

I still can't figure out why this is happening.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: adb, rooting, bootloader, tecno
---


# Question
Title: Where do I go to allow restricted settings?
In an app called App Cloner, I am trying to toggle ON "Install automatically." When I try to toggle, I get a message of being redirected to Android Accessibility, where I can enable or disable this service.

I go to **Android Accessibility**, but it is grayed out, set to OFF. I tap on it to see the message: Restricted setting. This setting can't be changed unless you **allow restricted settings** in More options for specific apps in Settings \> Apps.

I go to Apps in settings and I can't find an option of "More" under settings or in the app itself.

I do have other apps under Accessibility turned ON, but those apps were from Playstore.

S22+ Version 13

# Answer
I can't find any of these on my phone. So, I suspect what you need is

* Goto Settings
* Press on Apps
* Press on three vertical dot menu
* Press on **Special Access**
* Try the options here, I think my phone has different names to yours.
> 1 votes

# Answer
On AOSP-based ROMs (Android 14 / LineageOS 21 used) the restricted setting can be toggled for an app on:

* settings → apps → see all \[a number\] apps → \[select an app\] → \[the three-dot "hamburger" menu — see the screenshot\] → allow restricted settings
> 1 votes

---
Tags: settings, apk, accessibility
---


title: S10e bricked, cannot get into recovery

text:
# Question
Title: S10e bricked, cannot get into recovery
I tried to change the logo that shows at boot, but it seems that I messed up and now my S10e is stuck on bootloop. The logo does not show at all and it reboots every 3 seconds (you can tell by the startup vibration). I cannot get into recovery mode nor download mode no matter how I tried (since the boot logo is normaly shown before entering one of these mode). The phone was running LineageOS 20, with Lineage Recovery installed and was rooted with Magisk 27.

Is there anything I can do or it's the end ?

Thanks for your responses

# Answer
> 2 votes
In the end, when the phone ran out of battery, the bootloop stopped by itself. Then I was able to enter download mode by using Volume-, Bixby then pluging the cable (I was wrong, the logo is skipped when entering download mode) to flash the stock firmware with Odin, which repared the boot logo. Now the phone is working again.

---
Tags: recovery-mode, boot-loop, unbricking, samsung-galaxy-s-10
---


title: How do you extract an .ab file to .tar?

text:
# Question
Title: How do you extract an .ab file to .tar?
For 2 days, I've desperately been trying to recover a very important, accidentally deleted text conversation from Message+. Let me say, I know NOTHING about tech! After trying questionable softwares that could not assist without rooting (and I felt doubtful they be helpful even if I had rooted), it seemed like the best option was to try to find the deleted files by downloading ADB and doing a backup. After a lot of frustration, I was finally successful in creating a backup.ab file. The phone did require be to encrypt it. But the issue that has plagued me today is unpacking that to a .tar file. After tons more research, I have installed Android Backup Extractor and java. While I have found a couple people ask similar questions on the web, my error message appears to be different. I was praying for some help in translating it and figuring out what to do next. Here is what I typed along with the error message. BTW, my phone is a Galaxy S10+ running on Android Version 12. And the backup file has over 40,000 kb.

```
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin>java -jar abe.jar unpack backup.ab [password]

This backup is encrypted, please provide the password
Password:

Calculated MK checksum (use UTF-8: true): 37BDEBD1C840E3B9C82E9EE3D221758E8358AC92DF1C2FD274BBDC525066311D
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.RuntimeException: java.io.FileNotFoundException: [password] (Access is denied)
        at org.nick.abe.AndroidBackup.extractAsTar(AndroidBackup.java:233)
        at org.nick.abe.Main.main(Main.java:40)
Caused by: java.io.FileNotFoundException: [password] (Access is denied)
        at java.base/java.io.FileOutputStream.open0(Native Method)
        at java.base/java.io.FileOutputStream.open(FileOutputStream.java:289)
        at java.base/java.io.FileOutputStream.<init>(FileOutputStream.java:230)
        at java.base/java.io.FileOutputStream.<init>(FileOutputStream.java:118)
        at org.nick.abe.AndroidBackup.getOutputStream(AndroidBackup.java:314)
        at org.nick.abe.AndroidBackup.extractAsTar(AndroidBackup.java:199)
        ... 1 more

```

### Update 1

After fixing the missing tar file argument problem the error message changed:

```
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin>java -jar abe.jar unpack backup.ab backup.tar [belle]

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.RuntimeException: javax.crypto.BadPaddingException: Given final block not properly padded. Such issues can arise if a bad key is used during decryption.
        at org.nick.abe.AndroidBackup.extractAsTar(AndroidBackup.java:233)
        at org.nick.abe.Main.main(Main.java:40)
Caused by: javax.crypto.BadPaddingException: Given final block not properly padded. Such issues can arise if a bad key is used during decryption.
        at java.base/com.sun.crypto.provider.CipherCore.unpad(CipherCore.java:861)
        at java.base/com.sun.crypto.provider.CipherCore.fillOutputBuffer(CipherCore.java:941)
        at java.base/com.sun.crypto.provider.CipherCore.doFinal(CipherCore.java:734)
        at java.base/com.sun.crypto.provider.AESCipher.engineDoFinal(AESCipher.java:446)
        at java.base/javax.crypto.Cipher.doFinal(Cipher.java:2244)
        at org.nick.abe.AndroidBackup.extractAsTar(AndroidBackup.java:131)
        ... 1 more

```

Thank you so much for any help!

### Update 2

I also just tried using android tools processor instead.

```
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin>java -jar abp.jar unpack backup.ab backup.tar
Backup encrypted, enter password (will NOT be displayed):
Password:

```

No error message was produced, so I thought it might have worked. Yet no .tar file in sight!

# Answer
> 2 votes
You have a little error in your command, the output tar file-name is missing.

If you look at the unpack syntax in the abe README.md you find this:

```
abe unpack  <backup.ab> <backup.tar> [password]

```

As you have not provided a backup.tar file name abe uses the password you supplied and wants to write the output tar file untm that file. It seems that you password is of high quality with special characters the Windows file-system does not support or a similar effect that leads to the access denied error.

A second problem is that you execute everything in `C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21\bin`. Directories below `C:\Program Files` are usually only writable for users with Administrator permissions. Therefore I would strongly recommend not to place user data files like Android .ab backup file there.

---
Tags: adb, backup, restore
---


title: Do deleted files disappear over time?

text:
# Question
Title: Do deleted files disappear over time?
I know that deleted files in database are not actually deleted instead of that, files are marked as 0. But how can we sure that no data is written on them?

I have a 128GB Xiaomi phone. I deleted my notes in May by accident. Since then, I tried to keep my phone storage under 100GB, thinking that deleted files which are marked as 0 are still in there. Now I have bought a new 128GB phone to recover my deleted files. I think it is only way to recover them.

My phone does not have root so I will transfer my data to new rooted phone at installation with USB OTG cable. Then I'm going to use programs which are needed to root, to recover deleted files. I hope I will save them. I'm trying from May and I saved money to buy a phone. Is there still hope or its hopeless.

# Answer
If you have deleted the data and if you have not used your phone much after the data loss (adding more data or clicking new pictures or anything) you can be assured that data is not overwritten. If you're thinking of rooting Android phone, just a reminder, it should only be done in case of emergency as it nullifies your phone’s warranty and may not guarantee data recovery. Talking about purchasing new phone, you could have opted for genuine android data recovery software present online that could've recovered your files without rooting your old phone.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: rooting, data-recovery, data-transfer
---


# Question
Title: I accidentally deinstalled the Google app—now my phone doesn’t boot anymore
Memory on my phone was low, so I went to the apps and deinstalled some. Among these apps was “Google—A handy search for underway”, and since I also have Firefox, I decided that I don’t need the Google search, so I deinstalled it. And it worked, the app got deinstalled. But it was not only a search app, it was the whole home screen app, so my home screen didn’t show up anymore, and I could only switch the phone off.

I booted it again, and now it shows the “Android is starting”, subtitle “Apps are starting”. This takes about 30 minutes now.

I did not root my phone or do anything else, and still I could deinstall the Google app.

How can I get my phone working again?

# Answer
I ran into this issue on an old RCA Viking tablet. It seems that the Google App is used as some kind of launcher, as I could hear it actually "finish" booting (it's deceiving because there's also a Google Now launcher app, which I left alone). If you still have internet access connected, you can use a different device and reinstall the Google App from the Play Store as long as the bunk device is still listed there.

This should preserve your data, but your home screen will be reset.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The actual solution was quite easy:

1. Power down the phone by long pressing the Off button
2. Boot the phone into fastboot mode by pressing On and Volume-Down
3. Select “Factory Defaults”
4. See Android booting again, having preserved all of the installed apps; only the Home screen had been emptied—oh, sure, I had deinstalled the Home screen app. That’s how the whole story began.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-apps
---


# Question
Title: Does Google get a list of APK packages installed outside of Google Play?
I use Gmail on my Android 11 phone, not only for email but also for some other services of Google such as Maps). Due to privacy concerns, I've been thinking about installing some applications (such as Bitcoin wallets or encrypted messengers) that are offered by the Google Play Store directly from an APK package (I mean without any other store such as F-Droid, hoping that no information of the fact that such package is installed is sent to Google).

Is such information sent anyway? If it is, what other information is sent to Google about those applications (usage?)?

# Answer
Try installing an application through other means apart from the Play Store. If the app matches the version in the Play Store, the Play Store will recognize it as installed (you can then even update over the existing app using the Play Store). Even if you go to the store on a seperate device, it will recognize it as installed on the first device.

If you don't trust the Play Store, then you should try to remove it entirely.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, installation, apk, privacy
---


# Question
Title: Trouble resetting phone and removing Family Link
**Introduction:** Resetting an Android phone can be very tricky when Family Link is active, as I discovered when attempting to perform a factory data reset on my son's phone. Despite uninstalling the Family Link app, a persistent "Action Not Allowed" message prevented the reset, citing lingering parental controls.

**The Problem:** The device displayed an "Action Not Allowed" error when trying to execute a factory data reset, indicating that Family Link parental controls were still in effect. Clicking "Learn more" reiterated that an administrator had the power to monitor and manage apps.

**Initial Attempts:**

* **Reinstalling Family Link:** Attempting to regain control over the settings by reinstalling and configuring the Family Link app on a parent device.
* **Removing Supervision via Family Link:** Trying to remove the son's account from the Family Link supervision directly on the parent's device.
* **Checking for Additional Google Accounts:** Ensuring no other Google accounts on the device had administrative control linked to Family Link.

Despite these efforts, the reset was still blocked.

# Answer
**The Breakthrough:** A crucial step involved checking the "Device admin apps" setting on the phone, which indicated that Family Link parental controls were still active. The "Deactivate" option was greyed out, preventing the removal of administrative rights through the device settings.

**The Solution:** The resolution came when I removed the Google account associated with Family Link from the device. By navigating to "Settings" \> "Accounts and backup" \> "Accounts" and removing the account, the administrative control was lifted, allowing a factory data reset.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset, google-family-link
---


title: Android not fetching latest OS update

text:
# Question
Title: Android not fetching latest OS update
I have a Nokia G42 5G with Android 13.

A week ago, a notification popped up, asking me to download the latest update (and also that that update was a week behind). Since the size was 2.67 GB, I decided to close the notification at the time; I would install it later. A quick search afterwards revealed that it was an upgrade to Android 14.

When I went to download it later (from `Settings``System``System update`, then `Check for update`), it keeps showing “Your system is up to date”. This is how it has been since.

Now, I know that that is not the case because

* there was that notification,
* someone I know uses this very device (model) and they have already upgraded (means, it has been released in our location/market), and
* one could check from Nokia’s Website that that update has been released.

**My question is: how can I get that update?**

I have installed Google Play system updates and what not. I have also cleared the ‘System cache’ app (don’t know what this app does) from `Settings``Memory`. I have tried using both WiFi and 5G data while the device was charged to full.

**What else can I do?** May be allow unrestricted data access to some app? May be clear some cache to force fetch that update? I won’t flash a custom ROM but I am willing to reboot to safe mode or connect to a computer to clear some hidden cache or run some code.

Technically, it seems to be possible to postpone updates; the system will fetch them later. **Is it possible to reset that waiting period instead of waiting it out?** (If that has been the case; my device is my own, not managed.)

---

On a related note: I recently had a run-in while installing the 2024-02 Cumulative Update for Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5034765) update on Windows 11. It downloaded, started installing, computer restarted, it installed all the way to 100%, and then rolled back with a “Something didn't go as planned” message. This happened quite a few times. I tried all kinds of solutions from all around. At the end, it turned out that all I had to do was rename/remove the `C:\$WinREAgent` folder. And it worked in a snap!

So, I know that software work in mysterious ways!

# Answer
At least in NZ, the updates are rolled out to groups of users at a time, presumably to avoid a bandwidth crunch.

1. Repower your phone, if you haven't already.
2. Wait at least a few weeks and then contact your provider, if you still havent seen it.
> 0 votes

# Answer
If you have notification logs enabled, you might be able to select the original notification for the update again. The option to select previous notifications was only added in more recent versions of Android.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: updates, android-13, nokia, android-14
---


# Question
Title: /sdcard/WhatsApp vs /sdcard/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp
Every time I have to backup my phone I end up with the same question, which one should I keep? Is it a symlink? Can I delete one? Do I have duplicate files on my phone?

# Answer
> 6 votes
* `/sdcard/Whatsapp` is the old, pre-Android 11 location where WhatsApp stored its data in the past. It's not used anymore.
* `/sdcard/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/` is the new, post-Android 11 location where WhatsApp stores its data.

They are not symlinked, nor duplicates.

The location was changed because Android 11 enforces scoped storage. This means that apps cannot access arbitrary files on internal storage anymore, but only on their app-specific directory (`/sdcard/Android/.../[package.name]`) or public shared directory (`/sdcard/Pictures`, `/sdcard/Download`, etc.)

---

Related Q&A:

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Running VLC from the shell in Android and also passing in a subtitles file?
I know how to launch a video in VLC from the shell under Android as follows:

```
am start -n org.videolan.vlc/org.videolan.vlc.gui.video.VideoPlayerActivity -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d file:////storage/emulated/0/VideoToPlay.mp4

```

However, I also have a SubStation Alpha subtitles file which goes along with this video, which in this example could be called `subtitles.ssa`.

Is there any way using the "am start" command (or any other Android shell command, for that matter) where I can tell VLC to launch the `VideoToPlay.mp4` video also with the `subtitles.ssa` subtitles?

This is do-able in Linux by adding a `--sub-file /path/to/subtitles.ssa` argument to the shell command line which would launch a video via VLC, and I'm wondering if there's some way to do this in the shell in Android, as well.

Thank you in advance.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I thought of a way to get an Android script to accomplish this:

(1) create an empty "work" directory;

(2) copy the VideoToPlay.mp4 file into that work directory;

(3) copy the \*.ssa file into the same directory under the name "VideoToPlay.ssa";

(4) run the "am start" command I posted above, pointing to the VideoToPlay.mp4

This works because as long as there is an .ssa file in the same directory as the video and with the same base name as the video, VLC will apply the subtitles in that .ssa file to the specified video.

Here is my script to accomplish this:

```
#!/system/bin/sh

workdir=/sdcard/vidwork
amstart=( /system/bin/am start -n org.videolan.vlc/org.videolan.vlc.gui.video.VideoPlayerActivity -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d )
amstop=( /system/bin/am force-stop org.videolan.vlc )

# If VLC is running, kill it.
"${amstop[@]}" 1>/dev/null 2>&1

[[ $# -lt 1 ]] && {
  echo "
usage: ${0##*/} video-to-play [ subtitle-file ]
"
  exit 1
}

videopath="${1}"
shift

[[ -r "${videopath}" ]] ||  {
  echo "
Video doesn't exist: ${videopath}
"
  exit 1
}

videoname="${videopath##*/}"

case "${videoname}" in
*.mp4|*.mkv)
  ;;
*)
  echo "
Video must be mp4 or mkv
"
  exit 1
  ;;
esac

videobasename="$( echo "${videoname}" | /system/bin/sed -e 's/\.mp4$//i' -e 's/\.mkv$//i' )"

/system/bin/rm -rf "${workdir}" 1>/dev/null 2>&1
/system/bin/mkdir -p "${workdir}" 1>/dev/null 2>&1

[[ $# -gt 0 ]] && {
  subpath="${1}"
  shift
  [[ -r ${subpath} ]] || {
    echo "
Subtitle file doesn't exist: ${subpath}
"
    exit 1
  }
  /bin/cp "${subpath}" "${workdir}/${videobasename}.ssa"
}

/bin/cp "${videopath}" "${workdir}"

cmd=( "${amstart[@]}" "file:///${workdir}/${videoname}" )

{
  "${cmd[@]}"
} 1>/dev/null 2>&1

exit 0

```

**PS**: This script needs to run as root in order for the `/system/bin/am force-stop ...` command to function properly.

Therefore, assuming this script is stored as `/sdcard/runvid.sh`, it needs to be run on a rooted device as follows ...

```
/system/bin/su -c /sdcard/runvid.sh path-to-video-file [ path-to-subtitle-file ]

```

---
Tags: shell, vlc, subtitles
---


# Question
Title: When an android runs out of battery does it keep open the tabs that were being used?
It must be a stupid question but it’s important. Thank you!

# Answer
> 1 votes
I presume you mean web pages in the browser?

If the device closed down properly when it ran low on power, it should have made a record of which pages it had open, and the browser should reload them when the device has been charged and you re-launch the browser. However, there are significant caveats to that:

* The exact behaviour can depend on which browser you were using.
* Anything you set up on web pages, but didn't submit to the web server, is likely to have been lost.
* If you were logged into a web page, the server might have logged you out, or done other things, while you were inactive.
* If the device didn't close down properly when it ran out of power, it's hard to guess what would happen.

So the answer to the question you asked is "It depends." A lot more detail, starting with the device model, Android version and browser name, may let us be more specific.

---
Tags: battery
---


# Question
Title: Whatsapp: Scheduled sync to NAS storage of photos. How to include Group Media?
I have a regular sync on my phone to backup photos to my NAS storage over wifi. It runs automatically overnight and I never have to remember to do it.

I include in the sync: internal storage/Android/media/com.whatsapp/Whatsapp/Media/WhatsApp Images

But this folder does not contain all shared photos, only photos sent directly to me, and Group Media is missing.

What is the path for Group Media? It's clearly on my phone somewhere as I can view the images offline. Any guidance appreciated.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Other photos are encrypted. They are not available directly in the file system. All you can do is to rely on the automatic backup. You can only access the images that you sent or the ones sent to you directly.

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


title: Chats are no longer RCS after restore

text:
# Question
Title: Chats are no longer RCS after restore
I have Android 14 with root. I restored my text messages from a backup made with Swift Backup. Now no conversations are using RCS, even the ones that did before the restore. For example it's now showing the received and red check marks. RCS is already turned on in settings. I tried toggling it but it didn't help. I'm using the stock SMS app. How can I fix this?

# Answer
> -1 votes
Actually, this may be Google's doing:

> Google is cracking down on rooted Android devices, blocking multiple people from using the RCS message feature in Google Messages. Users with rooted phones — a process that unlocks privileged access to the Android operating system, like jailbreaking iPhones — have made several reports on the Google Messages support page, Reddit, and XDA’s web forum over the last few months, finding they’re suddenly unable to send or receive RCS messages.
>
> One example from Reddit user u/joefuf shows that RCS messages would simply vanish after hitting the send button. Several reports also mention that Google Messages gave no indication that RCS chat was no longer working, and was still showing as connected and working in Google Messages.

---
Tags: sms, data-recovery, google-messages, rich-communication-services
---


title: Family Link always allow phone

text:
# Question
Title: Family Link always allow phone
I've been looking into this and reading articles for the last hour or so, and haven't come up with anything. The simple version of what I'm trying to do, is when my kids are grounded or at school that I'd like to turn their smartphones into a dumb phone. They need to be able to call my wife or myself in case of emergency, call specific contacts if we're not available, but not chat with all their friends. If someone can point me in the right direction for where these controls are located I'd very much appreciate it.

The 'Phone' app is not listed in FamilyLink under the apps I'm able to 'always allow' and there's no way I can see for me to limit calls to specific numbers. I'm totally open to third-party apps if there's a paid solution to this out there.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I think it could be done by using Fixed Dialing Number although it would have to be changed several times, it won't know if the phone is locked or not..

This can be enabled in *Phone* application settings, depending on your mobile model.

---
Tags: calls, parental-control, google-family-link
---


title: how to bold text in whatsapp chat

text:
# Question
Title: how to bold text in whatsapp chat
Is there a way to apply bold formatting to text within WhatsApp chats on Android devices? I'm curious if such functionality is available for emphasizing text. If it's possible, it could enhance communication and expression within the app.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can bold your text by putting an asterisk before and after your text as described here:

> Bold
> To bold your message, place an asterisk on both sides of the text:
> \*text\*

For italic, you put an underscore before and after the text. It's basically using markdown.

Depending on the keyboard you use, you can alson select the text, then select Bold (you might have to select the 3-dot, then select Bold).

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Phone suddenly shut down and won't boot up
My phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 10, 2 years usage, the warranty just passed) suddenly shut down at 50% battery at normal usage when I clicked an app to open it and it will not boot up. I want to fix it myself due to privacy reasons, as I don't trust payed services and have experience in opening phones, but only to replace the screens.

I tried to turn it on on safe mode - unsuccesfully. I tried to charge it but it didn't even pop the animation of charging. Nontheless I left it for couple hours to charge and tried again - still not booting up. The USB connector is clean, dust-free and not loose. I tried different chargers. It is not detected by the computer when plugged in (checked in the Device Manager, Windows). I also called the phone from another phone to check if it's the screen's issue - I got "user out of service" message.

I tried to troubleshoot the connector and it was a surprise to me: I own a MakerHawk UM34C USB 3.0 tester and tried it on my working phone - readings were reasonable, approx. 13W of charging power. I tried it on bunch of other devices, with correct readings. I also tested a device with physical on/off switch and the device showed voltage of 5V when turned off (charger voltage) and voltage + amperage when turned on (with propper readings). **So when I plugged it in the phone and if the connector were bad then I should have the same reading as in the device with off switch. But what I got was device (tester) restarting constantly without even showing me the data, as if the connection was ok but the phone "intentionally" disconnected it repeatedly.** This means that the phone recognises the charger and disconnects it immediately. What does it imply? Is it the software issue?

I tried to open it like on the vid, using same tools but the glue seems to be too strong and it won't open so I can't check the battery itself without damaging the phone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhC37fp4o7Y

**How should I troubleshoot the issue?**

These threads provided no help:

Galaxy S4 Not booting up

POCO M3 Pro 5g not booting up after unexpected shutdown. It does not charge as well

In advance, thanks for help.

# Answer
Even i faced the same issue with my Redmi note 10 pro. My phone abruptly used to turn off randomly anytime even when the phone has more than 50% of charge. Most of the time it used to get turned on after long pressing the power button but once it didn't turned on. I tried everything but didn't work.

How I solved the issue: I open the phone disconnected all the cables and connected it back. After connecting it to charger, it turned ON!

You can try, if you have all the proper tools. I just needed a hair dryer, some cards and a screwdriver.

Hope this finds you helpful.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: charging, hardware, xiaomi, power-on
---


# Question
Title: Unable to restore backup of Whatsapp (switching phones only)
I'm following the tips, that are on a WhatsApp website, on what to do when upgrading phone.

I'm moving from Samsung S7 to Asus Zenfone 8. Asus provides app for that, but WhatsApp is notably missing the chats. The way it's now it contains only contacts.

Old phone app had no backup whatsoever, so created one on Google drive for gmail account, which is main account on both phones. It took 12 hrs, but it's done.

Unfortunately new phone app says there's no backup available on that account.

I verified it's the same account. Have both old and new phones, SIM is in new one.

What am I doing wrong?

**Update**

Investigated a bit and apparently Whatsapp DOESN'T create backup on Google Drive. Every way I look at it, Drive reports 0% of 15GB used. WhatsApp reports backup of 4,1 GB has been created and it's even incrementing it when I choose backup manually. What the heck?

# Answer
> 1 votes
That account was set up 7 years ago and on that phone (S7) 4 years ago. In a different country. With different phone number. It was working just fine until now, and only just now I realized that the phone numbers didn't match.

After changing phone numbers on the old phone WhatsApp, the new phone WhatsApp found the backup and successfully restored it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Check your Whatsapp backup setting and add an email for backup. You can set backup frequency to daily, weekly or monthly. And remember the email address. You can easily backup if you are switching mobile in this case.

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger, file-transfer, google-backup
---


# Question
Title: "App not installed as app isn't compatible with your phone" when installing APKs on Android 14
I have an APK of Unlimited Call Log 3.1.1, but I am unable to install it on Samsung Galaxy S24+ running Android 14. When I tried to install it, an error comes:

> App not installed as app isn't compatible with your phone.

Can anyone help to solve this issue or upgrade to new Android level?

# Answer
The app is very old and therefore most likely uses a `targetSDK` value that is no longer allowed on Android 14:

## Android 14 blocks Apps developed for Android 5 and before

Android 14 has introduced a new security restriction that disallows apps that have a `targetSDK` of 23 or lower (app that have been developed for Android prior to Android 6).

> Starting with Android 14, apps with a targetSdkVersion lower than 23 can't be installed. Requiring apps to meet these minimum target API level requirements improves security and privacy for users.

https://developer.android.com/about/versions/14/behavior-changes-all#minimum-target-api-level

That means if you want to continue to use the app you need an updated version with an increased `targetSDK` version. In addition this may require additional changes to the code of the app as restrictions may apply if the targetSDK is increased.

## Modifying targetSDK value

I don't know if the app you use would require code changes. If it is just the targetSDK, then you could try to decompile the app using apktool, set the targetSDK to 23, recompile it, zipalign and apksign it. The modified APK should be installable on Android 14, however if it still works I don't know. But you can try it yourself.
> 11 votes

# Answer
You may be able to sideload the apk with

```
adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block "apk-path"

```

This is from an Android developer page, I have not tried it. But it might give you a clearer error message.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: applications, updates, installation, apk, android-14
---


# Question
Title: How to resize container in Microsoft One Note Android app
I want to resize a text container on Microsoft One Note android app. How can I do it?

# Answer
> 3 votes
The text container resizing function exist in the app but its hidden. But I found a trick to use it.

1. Click the plus icon and add ink drawing to your note.
2. Draw a short line and click the X icon and close the drawing mode.
3. Click the text you want to resize. The container borders should be visible now.
4. At the top of the container hold left or right arrow icons and swipe to left or to right to resize.

If you want to hide borders, use eraser to delete the drawing. After that container borders should be invisible again

---
Tags: notes, microsoft-onenote
---


title: Asking for pin entry on Samsung Watch 6

text:
# Question
Title: Asking for pin entry on Samsung Watch 6
I have a Samsung Watch 6 connected to Samsung Note 20. For some days now, if I swipe the watch face, it shows a numeric keypad on the watch and asks for a pin. Bezel movement is ignored.

It is obviously some setting that I have played with. But searching for "lock", "unlock" and "pin" in the `Wear App -> Watch Settings` does not reveal anything useful.

From memory, the only recent changes I have made is to enable `Google Pay` and loaded a visa card. But I can not find any settings for wearables on `Google Pay`.

# Answer
It turned out to be Samsung Wallet. I had tried to get Samsung Wallet working on my new phone and kept getting errors `This card is not supported`. I didn't really want to use Google Pay, but I had to set it up instead.

`Samsung Wallet` was still enabled for NFC payment. Which is why it was securing the watch. I just had to disable payments.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-watch-6
---


# Question
Title: Responding to media button when media player is closed
According to what is clearly described here:
https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media-apps/mediabuttons
when I press the media button (PTT button in my unihertz Titan Pocket) after completely closing my media player (foobar2000 app permits this) the OS automatically resurrects my media player and asks it to play. This drives me nuts.

If I stop the music and enter a silent room, I always risk to start playback (possibly loudly) by just badly handling my phone. This is unacceptable to my standards of education.

I see some possible counteractions:

* ask the app developer to modify the code in order to set a null media button receiver at app exit
* reduce the media volume everytime I completely stop my media player
* write an app by myself that sets a null media button receiver

Really there is not a system settings option that could affect this awkward-by-design behaviour?

# Answer
I resolved the problem by installing AIMP that sets a null media button receiver when the application is properly closed (not only paused or put in background).
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, audio, media-button
---


# Question
Title: SD card "damaged" after every reboot / power off
When I turn off my phone, next time it says `SD card is damaged` and all data is gone, I can only reformat it. The phone is "gionee iq275" (also known as "Fly" in Russia), Android version is 2.3.4. What can be the source of problem? How can I get rid of it? I know, the phone is crap, but at the moment just throwing it away and buying another is not a solution.

# Answer
Not sure why that happened, but I got rid of the problem by making 2 things:

* Performed full format of the SD card, and
* Safely eject SD card before reboot of poweroff (not sure if it's necessary)

After that, I didn't see this problem again for now.

# Update

That crappy phone sometimes damages SD card content regardless of whether the techniques written above are used... it seems to be a device-specific problem. So, my advice (if anyone else reads this) - don't buy "no-name" Chinese phones! :D
> 0 votes

# Answer
Adding my answer, in case someone else is having similar problem, even after a decade of original answer to question.

One way of early prevention is, format SD card into exFAT. I never used my sd card as "internal" or RAM extension, so your usage could be different. exFAT SD cards no longer have issues, whenever my phone reboots(due to update or whatever reason).

I faced this issue in Nokia and Xiaomi devices, so I put blames on Android OS way of handling external SD cards(From Android 9.0 to 14.0).

In case of recovery, easeus recovery tool has SD card option, but not free/freemium.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: boot, reboot, external-sd
---


# Question
Title: Associating Android phone to Telegram web, where is Devices section in the Telegram app?
I am trying to associate the web version of Telegram, https://web.telegram.org/, with my phone. The instructions say to scan the QR code with three-lines menu in the Telegram app on the phone, and there Settings/Devices.

But under three-lines/Settings there is no item Devices.

Where do I find it? Any other way, such as eg. scanning the code from another app, not from within the Telegram app if I can't find Devices there?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Aha, found it: three-lines menu (top left) / Settings / Privacy and Security / Devices at the bottom of the top part of the list list. (5thitem from top.)

---
Tags: telegram
---


title: Does Termux have media folder?

text:
# Question
Title: Does Termux have media folder?
I am running a Java application using Termux. I need a media folder to store a folder named DSKEYS with pfx key file because the Java application needs that pfx file from `media/DSKEYS/`.

I could not find the `media` folder inside `usr`, so I created it myself and copied the `DSKEYS` folder with the pfx file into it. However, the pfx key cannot be found by the application.

Where is the media folder on Termux?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Recently I myself have come across this situation and can say with confidence that the question is perfectly valid. Termux is an Android terminal emulator and Linux environment application that works directly with no rooting or setup required. A minimal base system is installed automatically, additional packages are available using its package manager - **pkg** (https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Main\_Page).

You can install Java Runtime Environment with pkg:

```
pkg search openjdk

```

if you find a version of **openjdk** available, for example: **presently openjdk-17 is available**

install it using command:

```
pkg install openjdk-17

```

However, undoubtedly there are several important differences between Termux and a real Linux environment, one of which is certainly the directory structures. Termux does not follow Filesystem Hierarchy Standard unlike majority of Linux distributions. You cannot find directories like /bin, /etc, /usr, /tmp, **/media** and others at the usual locations. Thus, all programs must be patched and recompiled to meet requirements of the Termux environment otherwise they will not be able to find their configuration files or other data.

Luckily there is **an alternative way** to solve this problem in certain situations: if you need a classical Linux file system layout, you may try to use **termux-chroot** (command) from package '**proot**':

For more info please refer to https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Differences\_from\_Linux.

```
pkg install proot

```

after the installation, to obtain linux-like file system layout **run command right inside Termux**:

```
termux-chroot

```

After that you should be able to see standard linux paths like /tmp, /etc, /usr and others. If you still don't see **/media** folder, create it with commands:

```
cd /
mkdir media
cd media
mkdir DSKEYS

```

or:

```
cd /
mkdir -p media/DSKEYS

```

and place your **.pfx files** in here.

If everything is done right Java application should be able to see your files without problems.

---
Tags: linux, files, termux
---


# Question
Title: How to "shift-click" select many files at once in android (range select)
How can I select a range of files in Android?

I'm trying to use Amaze File Manager to create a compressed archive of ~200 files in a directory of ~2,000 files. All the files I want to select are in one continuous sequence.

In my linux file manager (eg thunar or nautilus) I would simple select the first file, hold the shift key, and select the last file. That's two clicks and one key press.

In my android file manager (Amaze), I have to tap 200 times.

Is there any open-source file manager in android that will let me select N continuous files with less than 5 taps?

# Answer
You can do this with MiXplorer Silver File Manager. Select the first file, then the last. Everything in between will be selected.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: file-management, open-source, optimization
---


# Question
Title: Install TWRP and Magisk Manager on Moto G5 Plus without rooting
I would like to install Google Play Services for AR (ARCore) on my Moto G5 Plus, running Oreo 8.1 - this device is not on the official Google supported list. I believe this is possible with TWRP and Magisk Manager. I have the Android SDK, and all necessary USB drivers installed. I can load .apk's using adb. However, I'd like to install TWRP without unlocking the bootloader or rooting the phone. First question: is this even possible? or do I need to root the phone?

I tried to follow the instructions to install TWRP withOUT rooting, but when I try to flash the latest version of the Potter image, twrp-3.3.1-0-potter.img, I get a 'Preflash validation failed' error:

```
\android\Sdk\platform-tools> .\fastboot.exe flash recovery twrp.img
(bootloader) is-logical:recovery: not found
Sending 'recovery' (16342 KB)                      OKAY [  0.710s]
Writing 'recovery'                                 (bootloader) Image recovery failed validation
(bootloader) Preflash validation failed
FAILED (remote: '')
fastboot: error: Command failed

```

According to this answer, Moto devices do not support downgrading the bootloader. However, I figured the recovery image (3.3.1-0) was the most updated, and suited for Oreo 8.1. Is there any way to check bootloader versions of the image and that on my phone?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

# Answer
> 3 votes
Answer: it is not possible without unlocking boot loader. Thank you to @alecxs !

Also for anyone interested, rooting has some side effects: cannot load the Netflix app due to safety net checks. Even with the magisk mod for hiding safety net flags. And ultimately, ARCore still doesn't work, even after I flagged the Pixel 2 "image", and installed Google play services for AR.

# Answer
> 0 votes
This topic is old, but still pertinent. The previous answer is correct and I'd like to assert it:
The locked bootloader won't allow you to install a custom recovery, and that is the reason for the messages:
`(bootloader) Image recovery failed validation`
and
`(bootloader) Preflash validation failed`

I also have a Moto G5-Plus, and I've done the tests: the custom recovery (TWRP) will only install if you unlock the bootloader. In addition, in my case, my phone was unlocked since 2015 and lately I started being denied access to my banking app due to security validations provided by Google APIs.

After some searching I've learned that in 2023 the "SafetyNet API" got deprecated in favor of the new "Play Integrity API" and in 2024 all apps that use that API must migrate to the new one. Also I've seen that Google is detecting and blocking Magisk patches very fast...

So the best solution to me was to return to stock ROM (OREO 8.1), and lock again the bootloader.
My G5Plus is now able to pass the two required tests of **device** and **basic** integrity:

* By just unlocking the bootloader it started failing the "MEETS\_DEVICE\_INTEGRITY"
* If the API detects a rooted device it will fail also the "MEETS\_BASIC\_INTEGRITY"

To learn about the new Integrity API: https://developer.android.com/google/play/integrity/overview

Here's a very useful app to check your device Integrity according to Google API: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gr.nikolasspyr.integritycheck&hl=en&gl=US

---
Tags: twrp, google-play-services, magisk, motorola-moto-g5
---