# Question
Title: Where's the stock keyboard's predictive dictionary located?
As a native Spanish speaker, a lot of words in my language have accents on them and writing SMS with this shortens its length to half, due to unicode conversion.

My idea is to edit the predictive dictionary and remove all the special characters, in order to avoid getting them while writing.

So, my question is, where's the dictionary located? I'm currently using the LG Optimus Me stock keyboard. I did a little research inside the system folders and found a couple of xt9 folders but no traces of the Spanish (or other languages) dictionary.

# Answer
EDIT: it's not the answer you want, but provides useful info nonetheless, here's the userdict file:

`/data/data/com.android.providers.userdictionary/databases/user_dict.db`

**You need root** to access it **and sqlite3** to view the data inside (here's mine):

```
localhost # cd /data/data/com.android.providers.userdictionary/databases/
localhost # sqlite3 user_dict.db .dump
PRAGMA foreign_keys=OFF;
BEGIN TRANSACTION;
CREATE TABLE android_metadata (locale TEXT);
INSERT INTO "android_metadata" VALUES('de_DE');
CREATE TABLE words (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,word TEXT,frequency INTEGER,locale TEXT,appid INTEGER);
INSERT INTO "words" VALUES(2,'ok',128,'de',0);
INSERT INTO "words" VALUES(3,'LG',128,'de',0);
INSERT INTO "words" VALUES(4,'no',128,'de',0);
COMMIT;

```
> 10 votes

# Answer
Most Android versions allow you to add words to the native dictionary.

Most are found at: `Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> User Dictionary`

Android 2.3.7 (Cyanogenmod 7.1): `Menu -> Settings -> Language and keyboard settings -> User Dictionary` press `Menu` then `Add`

Android 4.0 (ICS): `Settings -> Language & Keyboard -> Touch Input (settings button) -> Personal Dictionary -> Edit personal dictionary`

You could then add the words without the accent marks and special characters, and it would stop auto-correcting them.

If you do still wish to locate the language packs **and are using Cyanogenmod**, this site indicates that the languages are stored in `.apk` files in the `/system/app/` directory, for example `LatinIME.apk` would be the latin dictionary. Additionally the source for this dictionary would be in `./packages/inputmethods/LatinIME` as described on the site provided. (It also goes over adding your own dictionaries, which means you could edit the one you use, and re-install it).
> 4 votes

# Answer
I've been looking into modifying the default keyboard and dictionaries and so far I've dug up the source for the default dictionaries:

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/inputmethods/LatinIME/+/master/dictionaries/
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have some files that I think are dictionaries in `/system/usr/xt9`. They have language codes in their file names and are copyright by Tegic, according to the header.

These files are in the LDB format which appears to be a database format. I wasn't able to find any utility that can view or edit them.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, dictionary
---


# Question
Title: How do I change the password of my main Google account on a Droid X?
I changed my Google Account password (on my computer). I now need to change it on my Droid X. I cannot figure out how to do this.

I Googled, and everyone says go to Settings \> Accounts. I did this, but there is nowhere to change the password there. It only specifies four services that are syncing. "Contacts" is throwing an error now, but, still, there is nowhere to change the password.

# Answer
Go to `Settings -> Accounts and sync -> username@gmail.com`, press the Menu button, and click "Sync now"; it will prompt you to enter the credentials.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Usually the phone should have detected the password change and a notification should appear in the notification bar to ask for a new password. Are your phone connected to the internet? If the phone doesn't detect the password change, try rebooting the phone.

If the phone still aren't asking for password, try removing your account and readding again, go to Settings \> Account \> Remove Account:
> 2 votes

# Answer
I found the solution (on my Samsung Galaxy Ace phone): I accessed Gmail app on my phone, which prompted me to retype my password (because I had previously changed it on a PC) then, bang ... Market app started.
> 0 votes

# Answer
This just happened to me. Had all the same symptoms as the original questioner. But I think I figured it out. A Warning triangle came up on the Droid (where you see if you have missed calls, texts, etc. Said Action Required for GMail. Opened it up. The message wasn't really clear, but it only gave me two options - Retry and Cancel. Cancel didn't work (did nothing). *Retry gave me the screen to enter the password. Hope this is timely and it helps.*
> 0 votes

---
Tags: motorola-droid-x, password, google-account
---


# Question
Title: How to watch lectures in Adobe Connect app when I can't find Flash 11.2 for Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 5.0.1?
I want to watch prerecorded Adobe connect lectures on my Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 5.0.1.

The problem: when I try to play them through a browser (I have tried Chrome, Firefox, Dolphin, and the default browser on android) and through the Adobe Connect app I downloaded from the Play Store, I'm told every time that:

> Adobe Connect requires Flash Player 11.2 or above.
>
> Adobe Connect requires the Flash Player plugin, version 11.2 or above. Please download and install the Flash Player to continue.

I have successfully gotten Flash 11.1 on my phone, thanks to a tutorial I found through Google search using the Dolphin browser. Obviously, that is not 11.2. I did search Google on how to get 11.2 on Android but I could not find anything useful. From Adobe's official site it's not compatible with my device.

Specifically, I want to watch lectures like COP1000 Lectures Fall 2013 (but for the upcoming semester - same concept)

I have even tried adding a link from that page to the Adobe connect app but with no luck.

If there is anyone who can help me in any way get access to these lectures on my phone that would be amazing. Even if it means finding a way to convert the lectures to an mp4 or other video format. (I tried searching that on Google too)

# Answer
> 1 votes
Puffin Browser. I'm able to watch the Adobe connect lectures for school (as mentioned in the post). Puffin seems pretty fast and impressive with flash.

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, samsung-galaxy-s-4, adobe-flash
---


# Question
Title: Data connection keeps turning on in Alcatel One Touch?
I have an Alcatel One Touch. The data connection is turning on by itself in the past couple of months.

I went to see Bell today, and the guy said it could be an app that's turning it on?

How do I check this? I really do not want to delete my apps or loose all my important texts messages. Is there an app that I can check which is turning on my data connection?

# Answer
> 0 votes
**Introductory:** Have you tried going into **Settings** \>\> **Mobile Data** and de-selecting **Mobile Data**? Normally, when you install apps from Google Play, the **App Permissions** will tell you what apps have network access. Having said that, it could be any number of applications turning on your Data.

**Second Possible Solution:** You may also want to try disabling automatic connection by pursuing the following action. go to **Settings** \>\> **More Connections** \> **Mobile Networks** \> **Network Mode**. Make sure that none of the modes have **automatic connection** enabled.

**Answering Your Questions:** As far as I'm concerned, you can download Permissions Explorer to see what apps are capable of accessing your Data.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.

---
Tags: data-connection
---


# Question
Title: Why does stat report no space on / (root) but space available on /system?
On my rooted Android 4.4.2 Samsung Galaxy S4 phone with armv7l chipset, if I start a shell, I can use the `stat` command, but some devices report strange. In particular, the `/` device shows zero size, zero blocks, wheer as `/system` reports valid numbers:

```
root@jfltevzw:/ # stat /
stat /
  File: /
  Size: 0           Blocks: 0          IO Block: 4096   directory
Device: 1h/1d   Inode: 1           Links: 31
Access: (0755/drwxr-xr-x)  Uid: (    0/ UNKNOWN)   Gid: (    0/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 1970-01-01 00:00:00.000000000
Modify: 2015-04-25 00:48:54.000000000
Change: 2015-04-25 00:48:54.000000000

root@jfltevzw:/ # stat /system
stat /system
  File: /system
  Size: 4096        Blocks: 8          IO Block: 4096   directory
Device: b310h/45840d    Inode: 2           Links: 25
Access: (0755/drwxr-xr-x)  Uid: (    0/ UNKNOWN)   Gid: (    0/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 1970-01-01 00:00:00.000000000
Modify: 2015-01-10 01:52:27.000000000
Change: 2015-01-10 01:52:27.000000000

```

Looking at my mounts, I see these two entries:

```
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /system ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
rootfs / rootfs rw,relatime 0 0

```

Why does my root partition show via `stat` as having no space available and is there a way to reliably determine how much space is available from a shell command or via a C entry point such as `statvfs()` that is also reporting zero space available to my application.

# Answer
`stat` reports 0 space/blocks on / because / = ramdisk which lives in ram, ram is not a block device. Your actual ramdrive lives in storage with your kernel an dt.img on a specified emmc partition labeled boot .

The combined ramdisk, kernel binary, and dt.img (device tree binary) are known collectively as your boot.img

The boot image also contains some actual directories \[real\] that function as placeholders, they are usually /data /dev /proc /system

Also your ramdisk contains the necessary \*.rc and \*.sh configuration and shell scripts necessary for booting you device and establishing/bringing up your operating system. The ramdisk also contains your device's selinux policy configuration, sepolicy and context files, lastly your ramdisk contains the /sbin directory, which is where the adb daemon lives and usually charger, healthd, and ueventd binaries and any manufacturer specific binaries related to services, usually security. The ramdisk/ramdrive is temporary and is dumped out of memory when you powerdown or reboot, and reloaded to it's designated place in memory when your device boots up again.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Think about it as Windows. On the same 1TB hard drive. You may can C:\ and D:\ at the same time at the same drive. You cant just look for the free space of all.

On android there are partitions on mmc

/cache /data /system etc.

each has its own information look for each.

I will attach some screenshots from my 16GB N7000 and its partitions. Maybe this pics will lead you somewhere.

<sub>(Click image to enlarge)</sub>
> -1 votes

---
Tags: root-access, samsung-galaxy-s-4, shell, mount
---


title: Upgrade android 4.2.2 to 4.4?

text:
# Question
Title: Upgrade android 4.2.2 to 4.4?
I have spice Mi 506 which runs on Android 4.2.2. Can I upgrade my phone to Android KitKat 4.4. If so how do I upgrade?

# Answer
There is no official update from Android 4.2.2 to Android 4.4 for the Spice Mi 506. However, you can use a custom ROM. Instructions for this can be found on Update Spice MI 506 to Android 4.4 using custom ROM

Use at your own risk, your Phone can be bricked afterwards and maybe you loose your warranty.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: updates
---


# Question
Title: Does smart lock check all active verification methods or only one of them?
I've recently started using smart lock. I've enabled two features: a trusted place and a trusted face. I cannot understand if in this case both of these mechanisms should pass to unlock the device or passing any one of them is enough. For example, is my face (theoretically) enough to unlock my device when I am not in a trusted place? I haven't been able to do so, but maybe I'm just doing something wrong.

# Answer
Smart Lock will unlock your device if **any** of the trusted places/faces/devices/etc. are found. Configuring multiple verification methods does not mean that you have to match all of them. You should be able to unlock your device with just your face without being in your trusted place. You can also unlock it by being in your trusted place and not showing it your face.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: security, smart-lock
---


# Question
Title: Very high battery drain by Android OS, Android System, and Screen in Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running Lollipop
I've got a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900) running Android 5.0.

The battery life is terrible. Most of the battery is taken by Android OS, Android System, and Screen. The moment I switch the screen on, the phone doesn't even last an hour.

What should I do to fix this drain?

<sub>(Click image to enlarge)</sub>

# Answer
This can be caused by numerous things. Do you have any background sync going on? e.g. Google sync, few email account and so on?

* Don't sync every 5 min, try to increase the sync interval to 30 min e.g.

Do you have a bad signal reception most of the times?

* It can help to change to 2G network if thats the case.

Some other tips: Try apps like "Greenify". It works even when you are not rooted and can terminate background processes when you don't need them. The last thing you can do is to perform a factory reset and see if that changes anything. But you'll loose all of your data. An other option would be to try a second battery and see if that one performs better.

I hope one of these advices can help you a little bit.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, battery-life, samsung-galaxy-note-3
---


# Question
Title: Android corrupting photos 1 minute after capture
Sorry this is a question but I'm exhausted all other avenues.

I am running Android 4.3 on a Samsung S4 GT-I9505 happily for the past 17 months. I have not changed anything for a long time, it's been rooted since I got it. Nothing new installed or removed lately either.

Starting last Saturday, after I capture an image it's there and visible in the Gallery and any other app that wants to use it, for instance email or uploading to facebook. After a minute passes the file slowly gets corrupted and then is unusable by any app and shows as a "broken image" icon in the gallery.

This is infuriating that it's taking time to corrupt and not instant.

Anyone any idea where to even begin looking at the cause? I'm a software engineer of many platforms including Android so don't cradle the answer.

Thanks!

# Answer
> 0 votes
The SD card was dying. It stopped writing completely shortly afterwards a new card was the only solution.

---
Tags: photos, images
---


# Question
Title: In Google Chrome, how do I drag things around on a touchscreen Android device?
Clicking and dragging something from a webpage is easy from a PC. For example, the bar in the screenshot below can be dragged by holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse simultaneously:

My attempts for doing the same in chrome in android:

* I tried to move it by dragging but the page moves when I do it.
* When I hold over it for some time, a nearby text gets selected and I'm presented with the options to copy, cut , paste etc the selected text.
* Tried to attempt both ways from the stock android browser to see if was a problem in chrome, but failed again.

So, How do I do it in chrome in android?

I'm using chrome 44.0.2403.128 with android 4.4.2

# Answer
You can do it with just a mouse (or pen) on pages where it is supported. I tested it with a plain USB mouse on my Moto G running Android 4.4.4.

I resized area for post with bottom right striped triangle on "dotaz nebo sdělení" field with mouse. See this tested page.

Or you can pair an ordinary Bluetooth mouse with your device. Probably any modern Android device includes Bluetooth mouse support.
> 2 votes

# Answer
On your slider's position, Double tap and hold on second tap. Then move your finger, you'll notice that you're replicating the left click drag from your pc on a touchscreen.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, chrome-for-android
---


# Question
Title: Process List of Charging Powered Off Device
Is there any way to access or log the process list when the phone is off, but plugged into my computer charging? I'd like to see what system processes are running when the phone is connected to a power source but is not yet turned on.

My device is rooted, but more importantly my bootloader is unlocked.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Just figured it out, pretty easy actually. If the bootloader is unlocked and the device is powered off and plugged into your computer, you can just use ADB.

Typing `>adb devices` will result in

You can then run `adb shell "ps"` and it'll output the process list while in charge mode, like seen below:

---
Tags: adb, root-access, bootloader
---


# Question
Title: Can there be problems if I leave my old android phone alwys plugged to electricity?
I have an old Android phone. I want to use it as small router and media center.

I don't want to be pluging it all the time to charge, plus the battery is close to dead.

Is it ok to leave it always plugged to electricity?

I am not worried with the battery life or even the device. I am mostly afraid of overheat, short circuit, or anything else that may create a risk other than the phone (fire, electrical circuit break, etc).

# Answer
> 1 votes
Almost all concerns with phones remaining plugged in indefinitely stem from the health of the battery. Mentioning that the device is old and has a worn battery (and odn't want to deal with charging it constantly) means we can ignore those potential challenges. Refer to the question that user "dr01" linked if you want more info on that.

As for damaging/overheating your phone - that depends on your device and what your usecase for it is. Using it as a mini media centre and router will make sure it's at least warm all the time - but shouldn't cause any damage to it if the device doesn't have a history of being hot under normal use.

---
Tags: wi-fi, wifi-hotspot
---


# Question
Title: Upgrading galaxy s2 GT-I9100T 4.0.3 to 4.4
I'm pretty desperate trying for a day now rescuing my phone. I am new in this whole updating android firmware stuff and I did the following:

1. root my phone, enabled USB debugging
2. downloaden ODIN, installed the kernel thingy ('CF-Root-SGS2\_DX\_SIN\_LP9-v5.4-CWM5.tar' to be exact)
3. downloaded spiritROM-4.4.4-20140710-i9100.zip, moved it to internal sd card
4. did the dalvic cache wipe and cache partition wipe &! data/factory reset.
5. tried installing the ROM, incountered the status 7 problem (error in... installation aborted)
6. tried couple of methods fixing it, including opening the rom, changing the google/android script by erasing the first line in the code and do a bunch of stuff with notepad++ from a guide I saw. the problem is - after copying the new ROM to EXTERNAL sd card (because i have no access to internal, due to recovery) it came up with the status 6 problem. in general it seems that using external SD causing problem
7. tried the ADB push method - problem is (D:) my phone is not recognized in windows no matter how much samsung Drivers/kies/usb drivers i install. it is still shown on my comp as unrecognized usb connection, so the adb push not even working because it cannot 'see' my phone.

I have reached a point of desperation. Is there any way fixing this issue, upgrading to 4.4 or even restoring it back to 4.0.3?? (i've seen somewhere that there is an issue with the 9100T models, and I assume that's what causing all problems)

thank you in advance, kind human beings of the android community. (and sorry if my english is kind of shallow as in not good)

# Answer
**Status 6** often refers to a problem within the updater script. Be sure to save it in unix format. I mostly use notepad++ to edit those files. notepad++ \> edit \> EOL conversion \> UNIX format

Also make sure there is an empty line on the end of the script. So if the script has 112 lines, the 113 should be empty.

**Status 7** means that the rom is incompatible with your device as it checks the device model. Thats why you have to delete the first line in your updater script. Be sure to delete the whole line (with the semicolon).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, rooting, updates, root-access, recovery-mode
---


# Question
Title: What does rooting, bootloader, twrp and recovery mean?
I have just bought an android phone and I want to get the latest OS. However, I must root and unlock bootloader and recovery.

I understand that to root something you gain administrative privileges. However, I've seen some drawbacks of doing this.

Can one of you explain what all of this does to my phone and point me in the right direction?

I am new to this, so it would be much appreciated if you guys could help me on this.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Ahh, since you have no knowledge regarding rooting and all I'll just explain in the simplest form. Imagine that you have bought a laptop from HP which Congress preloaded with a windows installation and some pre-stuff, I assume that a normal person would't be bothered by it and the extra useless stuff they install on your laptop. They prevent you from uninstalling them, blocks access to C directory and pretty much other things that some medium user would need. So what he does is install a new os, any os I mean windows 10 or 8 or linux. And so he removes all the bloats and gets acces to many things.

Now getting to the point, that to install a new os, or rom, in android's case, you first need to unlock it's bootloader. Now the bootloader does what it says and manages your boot preferences, just like the bootloader and bootmanager in laptops. As it doesn't need to be done in a computer or laptop, it is neccesary to unlock it to install a custom recovery for your phone.

Twrp is a custom recovery like cwm, and benefits of having a custom recovery are many, just like your windows recovery menu which let you reset your laptop or factory default it which just refreshes the window as it was just installed. So a recovery in a phone is just like the PC one, but having a custom recovery is necessary, as it provides a lot more features.

Now as got my meaning of bootloader and recovery, and if you still don't get something, you can just ask.

And now comes rooting as unlocking bootloader and installing a custom recovery doesn't need rooting your phone. Rooting your phone allows you to get admin privileges, just like in windows, and now you can even tamper with the internal files. You can root your phone with the android you got installed with your phone and don't need to install a custom recovery and all.

As I previously said that these things needn't be done for a laptop, but a phone needs it to be done in order to install a custom rom, or rather saying an unofficial update, or an official update which isn't available by some reasons. So that's why you need to do these things.

And by the way, could you tell us which phone are you trying to update, as then we can check and tell you if you can update without going through all this hassle.

# Answer
> 7 votes
## Bootloader

The low level implementation of a system which can be used to flash software onto your phone's partitions. Often used to flash root privileges or Stock Roms.

## Recovery

The recovery is another system used to manage/wipe/reformat your partitions. TWRP refers to a custom Recovery which allows you to install custom roms in a zip format. The recovery follows the directions which are contained in the rom zip file.

## Rooting

Rooting describes the process of getting administrative privileges on your android phone. You need those priviliges to mount your system partition as read and write so you can modify the files and settings. Most of the time you will have to boot your phone into the bootloader and then flash a root file (like the one from ChainFire) from your computer but there are also apps which can enable the root access by a simple click for certain devices.

If you have further questions to a specific device then you can head to the xda forum for your device and **read**. It's the most important thing to do before attempting to mess with your phone's software.

---
Tags: rooting, recovery-mode, bootloader, twrp
---


# Question
Title: Cannot turn on Wifi. MAC address unavailable
I have an Android 4.0.4 tablet, Navon Platinum Explorer.

When I try to turn on wifi, the toggle button goes "off" after a few seconds automatically. It doesnt even show the list of available networks.

In Wifi-Advanced, there is MAC Address - Unavailable.

The Wifi worked before doing a factory reset. I also tried turning the table off and on, but it did not help.

What can I do to make the wifi work again? I do not want to root the tablet.

# Answer
I have no idea why,

but rebooting second time and trying to turn off/on the wifi icon on the homescreen several times did finally work.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I too had the same issue after I flashed a new kernel to my HTC Vivid. My Wi-Fi always showed "Turning on" but never did, and my MAC address showed "Unavailable".

Turns out the problem was as simple as a faulty file in the Android system.

1. Try finding and replacing the file named `bcmdhb.ko` located in `/system/lib/modules`. (You'll need root access and a root file explorer)
2. Download the appropriate file for your phone, boot your phone into recovery/fastboot and plug it into your computer.
3. Now using CMD and enter the command:

```
adb push /users/<USER_NAME>/Desktop/bcmdhd.ko /system/lib/modules

```

(replace `<USERNAME>` with your username in computer)

To save time, I moved all my ADB files to the same folder as my `bcmdhb.ko` and any other phone related file `boot.img`'s, and more.
4. Hold `Shift` and right click a random spot inside the folder and select the option "Open Command Window Here". That starts your CMD operation right from the location you need, rather than ever having to `cd` to that location.

Note that doing the shortcut I mentioned does not mean you only type `adb push bcmdhd.ko`. You still need to tell CMD what location to push the file too. So you still have to type `adb push bcmdhd.ko /system/lib/modules`.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The app Blade Wifi Fix fixes this issue on a lot of phones.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, mac-address
---


# Question
Title: Why are some old images downloaded from the web always sorted under "Today" in Gallery?
When I open the gallery and sort by Time, there is always a section "Today", and it has several images I downloaded from the web...... months ago.

That's literally it. Why are old images showing under "Today"? There are other images I got from the web that are actually correctly sorted in older sections. But under "Today" I got around 20 web images that have been sitting there for months.

One thing I noticed is that this doesn't happen with photos taken with the phone. Such photos are always correctly sorted. So it's something with web images.

Android 5.0, Galaxy S5.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You may want to look into some **EXIF** editors to edit the metadata of those images (specifically the time). I can't name any great editors in particular, but there are plenty of apps and programs available as I looked through. If I find any good ones, I'll be sure to tell you the names of them. Best of luck!

# Answer
> 0 votes
Ok first, if the photos already have a wrong timestamp, there's nothing your phone is doing wrong. You just need to readjust the time stamps. Do this easily by using any photo editor on your phone or pc and open them and save them with a different name or as is. It will change the time to your specific machine, phone or pc time, do it with every photo and then delete the previous one and add these to your gallery and let it sync again. It will correct itself after that.

---
Tags: gallery, images
---


title: booting Android lenovo A6000+

text:
# Question
Title: booting Android lenovo A6000+
I am using lenovo A6000+ phone.

I have rooted it earlier with kingroot app, and recently there was system update, so I downloaded update and tried to install it but at the time of rebooting there were options for system recovery, first I choose to "install update from adb sideload" but that gave me an error. so I again restarted my phone and clean the cache, then again rebooted and chose adb sideload but there is nothing happening.

So I again rebooted and chose factory reset. But even after doing factory reset to my phone, it is still giving me options for system recovery.

How can I start my phone, can I install that update externally and start the phone and how?

# Answer
> 0 votes
the update fails because you have modified the system partition with your root. I don't know what you can do to revert these changes, but you can simply install cyanogenmod on your phone

---
Tags: boot-loop, ota-update
---


title: How to install kitkat in oppo?

text:
# Question
Title: How to install kitkat in oppo?
I bought a smartphone in China, is an OPPO r5, the smartphone has the following settings:

* 4 GB RAM
* Android version: 4.4.2
* Kernel version: eight core MT6592
* Compilation number: MTK 6592
* Personal compilation version: A3SE\_AX\_CHT\_MTZ\_4G\_V1.1\_20141105114604

But when I tap in the android version appears JellyBean Logo (weird because 4.4 is kitkat), when i restore the phone, apears with applications extra and uses 3GB of RAM (without applications starting, and due to this the phone is very slow). The question is if i can install a 'pure version' of kitkat or jellybean version (also a mod) so the smartphone will be faster? Note: Ir has been checked with antutu and cpuz, is an oppo adn it has an octacore and 4GB ofrece RAM

# Answer
> 3 votes
There are a few things which don't sound quite right.

1. **4GB** RAM - The Oppo R5 has **2GB** RAM build in.
2. "eight core MT6592" - R5 uses an Snapdragon SOC. MT6592 is an **Mediatek SOC**.
3. The **Android version**. It doesn't matter which version is shown in the system information. It's a simple edit in /system/**build.prop**. Everyone can write whatever they want.

With these things in mind I think you have bought a fake R5. So can you change to Cyanogenmod? **No.** By installing the cyanogenmod for the official R5 you might **brick your device** as the kernel is not fitting your hardware.

Link to the official product page of the R5

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, 4.2-jelly-bean, installation, insufficient-memory
---


# Question
Title: Why am I not getting CM12s OTA for the OnePlus One?
I am not getting CM12s OTA for the OnePlus One. Although I hit system update a bunch of times.

Thanks for your help.

# Answer
> 0 votes
For some reason OTA updates for CM12 from 11 have not been working. So manually go into the recovery and install. After you have CM12 you will get OTA updates.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, 5.1-lollipop, oneplus-one
---


# Question
Title: Where is data of Google Play Services located in device? Can I safely delete it?
Just noticed that data in internal storage for Google Play Services app grew above 100Mib, so this app is officially a space hog now.

So my questions are:

1. What is the exact location for Google Play Services data? (for backing up)
2. Can I safely delete Google Play Services data and let the app recreate it?
3. What might I lose if I delete Google Play Services data unsafely?

# Answer
> What is exact location for Google Play Services data?

Package name of Google Play Services is `com.google.android.gms`.

Default data directory of apps is under `/data/data`, and for Play Services, it is `/data/data/com.google.android.gms`.

Note that you can't simply copy-paste it into anywhere. To peek into data directory of an app you would need root access. Fortunately, for non-root devices, Play Services allows its backup using .

After installing ADB, enter this command in a shell:

```
adb backup -apk com.google.android.gms

```

This will save the backup in the file `backup.ab` located in the current directory.

To restore that backup, enter this command from the same *current* directory:

```
adb restore backup.ab

```

> Can I safely delete Google Play Services data and let app recreate it?

By safely, if you mean clearing data from **Settings → Apps→ Downloaded → Google Play Services**, then you're good to go.

In Android 4.4.2 and 5.0.2, you don't get the straight option named **Clear Data**. Instead you get **Manage space**. Follow the screenshots:

<sub>(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)</sub>

However, in Android 4.2.1, there was no **Manage Space** but **Clear Data**. Perhaps, the former option is Android version specific and not app specific.

Doing `adb shell pm clear com.google.android.gms` is also safe, at least, my Play Store, and Gmail (both ridiculously dependent on Play Services) worked fine after executing both steps independently.

The data recreated too.

> What I might lose if I delete Google Play Services data unsafely?

I don't know what unsafely would mean here other than purging the app directory of Play Services without uninstalling it, so I can't comment on it.

Anyhow, the front-end of Play Services is named **Google Settings**, the core of Google Apps, whose icon you would see in your app drawer. Simply open it, and the entries you would see are possibly responsible for the data collection of Play Services. And as I said above, the dependent apps worked fine without a hitch, so this app's data isn't something I would worry about. Your case may vary, so dig deeper into this app's GUI.
> 13 votes

---
Tags: google-play-services, app-data
---


# Question
Title: i have a lot of space on my phone but my apps say it still needs a memory card?
why is it that when I run an app it says I need an sd card? even though I have 6 gb available on my phone still??

# Answer
Need more details before proper answer can be made for your device Alix

The name of your Android device and anything else related to the issues you're device is having will make answers more on point. That being stated the following are things I've noted that can cause issues with installing apps and the *fixes* I've used.

---

I've had issues with both internal and SD memory reporting full when trying to install apps when a file browser reports enough space when the `LOST.DIR` directory gets full of rescued data bits. This folder can usually have it's contence deleted without causing issues and will free up space that the system keeps in *limbo*.

Alternitively the apps you maybe trying to install may require that an exteral SD card be present for saving the larger files seperate from your internal storage.

Yet another alternitive is that the app's developer has coded the path to external storage in such a way that your device doesn't reconize the file path. Rare but it does happen when a device has odd directory paths or links not set properly.

And the other thing that maybe causing confusion is that Androids setup internal partitions to split memory for system apps and user apps. And the market app as well as google's many sub-system apps will eat nearly 100MBs of space on thier own within this partition.

---

Things I've done to fix similar issues :

~ Downgrade google's apps back to stock; found in each apps' setting screen from your app setings screen

~ Whipe caches and stored data from apps; there are cache cleaners on the market as well as options within custom recoveries to preform cache whipes. Custom recovery requires root/Super User permissions.

~ Root the device and modify memory partitions such that more is avalable for user apps and processes.

~ Root the device and remove *bloot ware* ie stock Mail app and GMail app and any other apps that wouldn't let me remove'em otherwise.

~ Lastly I've also had to compleatly wipe all data (deletes everything) from the device in order to free up odd sectors that seem to have gotten stuck between 1&0 :-( ...

---
> 1 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, sd-card
---


title: How to install apk from sd

text:
# Question
Title: How to install apk from sd
Hi all I need to install Asphalt 8 Airborne, that occupy 1.56gb of space. But I get an error while I'm downloading it from the playstore. So, I was trying to download it from the pc. But if I put the file on a microSD, will it install the file on the sd or on the internal memory?

# Answer
Even if you have it on your sd card, the stock android doesn't allow you to move the whole application to the card. Of you have a custom rom, then it can be installed to the sd card, or of you have space in your internal memory, then first install it to it and then use move to sd card in app manager, to move it's app data files to it.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: android-pc
---


# Question
Title: how can I change my mobile stock from KitKat to lollipop mobile name HSL yuva y302
please help me to install the stock lollipop in my HSL phone because I have a problem in connection of 3G in my phone of KitKat phone .

# Answer
There is no lollipop rom available as far as I can tell. But I don't think they will ever release an update to Android 5.0 Lollipop because your phone runs on a mediatek processor which is known for low development activity. And a simple update to lollipop won't help you with your signal reception. You would have to flash a new modem which suits your country. So you can't do anything at this moment.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop
---


title: Bluestacks Home Screen

text:
# Question
Title: Bluestacks Home Screen
I had installed BlueStacks and the home screen was like an Android tablet in landscape mode. Due to some problem COC game was not working, I uninstalled and reinstalled BlueStacks. Now the home screen is showing app categories and apps to download. How can I get back to the previous homescreen which was like a tablet? Installing lauchers turns the screen in to portrait mode. pls help

# Answer
Install Apex Launcher from Play Store. After you install Apex launcher open it and set it as the default laucher by pressing Home button and selecting Use default option. Some games require your device to be played in portrait mode and it will switch back to landscape once you exit the game, so I guess you Bluestacks is corrupted. So if using the default setting of Apex din't switch to the landscape mode try the following.

If it still is in Portrait mode then, select the "Tablet UI mode" under

```
Apex Settings > Home Screen Settings > Tablet UI mode

```

This way your homescreen will be displayed in landscape mode overtaking the default portrait mode. Even if the above settings don't work for you I recommend you to completely uninstall the Bluestacks which means you need to remove the data of you Bluestacks app when prompted while uninstalling the Bluestacks Player. This would redownload the app data while installing the Bluestacks again and you would have a fresh installation of Bluestack working fine.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Install *Nova Launcher* from the *Play Store* and then in settings of the nova app you can change the orientation.

However to uninstall a launcher go to the settings of bluestacks (somewhere at the statusbar) and uninstall the custom launcher.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: bluestacks
---


# Question
Title: I don't want lollipop for moto E(1st gen)
In my mobile there very less space my phone is hanged and it makes to irration to me. I decided to back for kik Kate Plz solve my problem

# Answer
If I understand you correctly you want to downgrad to Android 4.4.4 from Lollipop. There is a guide over at XDA developers which does exactly what you want. Just follow the steps as described there: Downgrade Moto E Android 5.0.2 to Stock 4.4.4

Credits for this instructions go to meakshay\_mishra @ xda

1. Download Stock 4.4.4
2. Download mfastboot.
3. Download ADB. ( Download Links are in video description)

Now flash Stock 4.4.4 using adb. commands :

> mfastboot flash partition gpt.bin
>
> mfastboot flash motoboot motoboot.img
>
> mfastboot flash logo logo.bin
>
> mfastboot flash boot boot.img
>
> mfastboot flash recovery recovery.img
>
> mfastboot.exe flash system system.img\_sparsechunk.0
>
> mfastboot.exe flash system system.img\_sparsechunk.1
>
> mfastboot.exe flash system system.img\_sparsechunk.2
>
> mfastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
>
> mfastboot erase modemst1
>
> mfastboot erase modemst2
>
> mfastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
>
> mfastboot erase cache
>
> mfastboot erase userdata
>
> mfastboot reboot
> 2 votes

---
Tags: motorola-moto-e
---


# Question
Title: PTP for photo transfer not working on my S6 edge
I have a Mac (iMac, newest model with newest software) and it is impossible to access photos from camera roll of my S6 edge (128 GB) in USB PTP mode. In Apple Photo app it shows the device but it always says "no photos". I talked with Samsung support and they said that the only way to transfer photos is to make a full backup with Smart Switch (MTP mode). This transfers 30-40 GB of my photo data only for few new photos in a new backup folder on my Mac. So at the moment I transfer photos via Email or Dropbox - both are extremely slow and unpractical because of internet. I also tried another Mac and other cables. I tried a S4 as well which worked fine (just plug in cable and it automatically shows all photos). There is also an integrated file browser in Smart Switch which works but this is also not useful for photos. I also asked this question in a German Android forum and was not getting good solutions (e.g. "Airdroid" software) so far. Since MTP works for me I guess this is a software and not a hardware problem? Any idea how to solve this?

Thanks!

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can use Android File Transfer to browse your device in MTP mode. All pictures are normally saved in Phone/Camera/DCIM/ or SDCARD/Camera/DCIM/, by date. You can drag and drop the files to your mac. It essentially works like a Finder window. This way only the files you choose are transferred and at MTP speeds instead of PTP.

As for PTP not working, I'm assuming you have PTP selected, and screen unlocked when you try to open iPhoto?

---
Tags: photos, 5.1-lollipop, samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


# Question
Title: How to get rid of the voicemail notification?
So I've had this voicemail notification for a few months now and it has started to really bug me. I have actually turned the voicemail system on with my provider so I could check the voicemail and get rid of the notification on my phone but every time I try to call the voicemail number it just says that I have no new voicemails but the notification still stays there!! How do I get rid of it?!

# Answer
> 0 votes
Leave yourself a voicemail. Wait until you get the notification. Then call to listen and delete it. It should go away on its own after a few minutes. If not reboot. If it's still there, call your cellular provider and ask that they clear the Message Waiting Indicator on your account.

---
Tags: voicemail
---


# Question
Title: Reviving my Bricked Tablet via adb and Samsung's Download Mode
Okay, here's the story:

I have a **Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4"**. The OS doesn't matter, because it's gone. I had lollipop 5.0.2, decided to root it. OK, rooted it fine. Then decided to get CyanogenMod on it. Welp, when I was wiping it, I accidentally deleted the CM install zip with the rest. I was using TWRP to install the thing, but then I couldn't access it. So, I got Odin and tried to install that and the Clockwork mod. No help, and now Odin throws the "nand write start" error, which, from what I can tell from Google, mean my partitions are screwed up. (**Edit**: I re-flashed TWRP, and there was no error, but there is this error when getting ClockworkMod. Probably a messed up tar.)

**Long story short**, all I can do is use the Samsung Download mode, I have Odin, and I may have messed up my partitions.

I **do** have an adb backup, which means if I can get adb to recognize me device, I can roll it back.

adb seems like the best way to go, which is why I titled the post as it is.

# Answer
Ok here's what you need to do:

1) First follow this guide to erase evrything on your tab http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2610757 for this you would need latest odin, find it online or use the version given in thread. You also need a pit file and stock rom for your device. a) Pit file: Use the SM-T700 pit file from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-s/general/extracted-sm-t800-pit-download-t3071209/post59859123#post59859123 b) Stock rom: Use the stock rom according to your android version and country region. Download from here http://www.mrcrab.net/stockrom/sm-t700.html

2) Then flash a new recovery, apparently twrp as it seems to work correctly on your device.

3) Then root your tab using this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-s/development/root-cf-autoroot-t700-t2805366

Post your results after this or following this guide. And also use the first guide I linked for removing all partitions and not the other one. I hope this helps. :)
> 0 votes

# Answer
Assuming you have the wifi-variant of the tablet.

Download the stock firmware from here. This file can be flashed via Odin when you're in Download-Mode. From there on you can restart your process of flashing TWRP and then the new ROM.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: adb, unbricking
---


# Question
Title: Can't get past the PIN-screen of my newly bought used S4
I recently bought a used Samsung Galaxy S4. The problem is that the previous owner did not factory reset is and even after putting in the memory and SIM-card from my old phone, I can’t get past the pin-code screen. I have tried factory resetting it myself, but it isn’t working. What do I do?

# Answer
> 2 votes
So you have resetted the device? Or was the resetting to factory defaults not working?

Boot into the recovery ( **volume UP + power button** \- press both until the screen turns on and release the power button then) and then perform a **factory reset from there**. This should delete all user data and your phone should restart to the initial startup configuration.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try to go to the emergency call menu and dial ∗ # ∗ #SERVICE# ∗# ∗ there should be a list item where you can reset the phone to factory settings. On my sony it is Customisation Settings \> Reset Customisation.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, factory-reset, password
---


# Question
Title: How to find the list of servers accessed by a webpage on android?
On my desktop Firefox I can view the list of servers any given web page accesses either by checking with Firebug or by pressing "Ctrl-i" Page Info \> Media. Out of the two Firebug is of course much better, it gives a detailed list in the Network panel.

How would I do something similar on android? I don't mind using another browser either, so far I haven't found anything similar on Dolphin or Firefox.

What I'm really after is getting a list of ad servers for my frequently viewed web pages so that I can block them (I rooted my phone so I can edit /etc/hosts). So if I need to use another browser is not a problem, I'd just use it once, get a list of ad servers, block them, and then go back to Dolphin (which is what I use normally).

It just seems odd that even though this feature is present in all desktop browsers it is completely missing in android browsers.

# Answer
> 1 votes
you need sniff packets when open one **URL** on browser, so, use *Burp Suite*

> (with setting proxy between android device and burp proxy)

also you can use ***Wireshark*** for sniff packets and receive *send/receive packet* between Client/Server, and , finally receive ip's. i hope, this help you.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You do not need to get a list of servers, you can use Adblock Plus. And you are using Firefox on your desktop, and Dolphin and Firefox on Android, just like I do. Adblock Plus works a lot better because on hosts file you need the exact domain name (one with www, without www, a different country etc).

The Hosts file provides additional protection on your desktop system and is checked before anything else. (Blocking Unwanted Connections with a Hosts File)

Since your goal is to block ads install "Adblock Plus" APP on your Android from adblockplus.org; Adblock Plus for Android removed from Google Play store, but use the first link to get it directly from adblockplus.org

To use the hosts file from mvps.org you would need to be rooted. Since you are rooted you would not need to use a proxy server.

For those of you, and like myself who are not rooted, you don't have access to change the hosts file, but you can use a proxy server, the directions are within Adblock Plus, and you can check status of whether Ad blocking is active by dragging down from the top of your Android. That is different from the color of the ABP icon on the status bar at the top, which indicates whether you have turned it ON or OFF.

The good news: on the Android version, the APP applies to all of your browsers; whereas, the "Adblock Plus" Firefox extension only works on Firefox desktop, and you have to install other versions or different apps on other desktop browsers.

The bad news: on Android there is no supplementary Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus, and it would probably not be possible to make the necessary selections with access to widen/narrow a selection. // David McRitchie

---
Tags: browser, networking, stock-browser, dolphin-browser
---


# Question
Title: Where do i found file manager in SONY Xperia?
I owned SONY Xperia smart phone and i inserted SD card into it with some files but i didn't found those file anywhere in my phone.No file manager in Xperia?

Also when i download anything it goes to phone internal memory, no chance to change it to SD card?

# Answer
From the Sony Mobile site there doesn't seem to be a file manager included in Sony's ROM.

However, many excellent file managers are available on the Play Store.

I personally use ES File Exploerer for many years now and it is excellent.

Astro file manageris also very popular.

Here's a search for many, many more posibilities
> 3 votes

# Answer
I have Xperia Tipo device in which Astro File Manager was Pre installed in it. But you can also install any other File Managers from Play Store.FileGO
> 1 votes

# Answer
In the Xperia V and Xpera P (LT25i, LT22i) you can use the bundled OfficeSuite as a primitive file browser (set the filter to show all files). It can be used to install other APK packages.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sony-xperia
---


# Question
Title: How to know if phone has been connected via USB? (connection log on the phone?)
I'm trying to find out if someone has connected the Android phone (Samsung Note 4) to the PC via USB. Is there a log somewhere on the device showing the timestamp of connection? Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

# Answer
> Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Sorry! I don't have a solution that doesn't require USB debugging as of now. A workaround is to use a rooted device and run ssh server on Wi-Fi.

Anyhow, if the device has been connected to PC using USB, then it must have drawn some power, miniscule and momentarily it may be.

Setup in PC, turn on USB debugging on phone or use the workaround, and enter the command:

* For Lollipop 5.0.2:

```
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:"

```

or, to get the most relevant details only:

```
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently"

```

The output could be like:

```
Statistics since last unplugged:
  Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) realtime, 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) uptime
  Time on battery screen off: 22m 13s 363ms (95.7%) realtime, 22m 13s 362ms (95.7%) uptime
  Total run time: 23m 13s 868ms realtime, 23m 13s 868ms uptime
  Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16
  Screen on: 1m 0s 505ms (4.3%) 0x, Interactive: 1m 0s 758ms (4.4%)
  Screen brightnesses:
  dark 1m 0s 505ms (100.0%)
  Total partial wakelock time: 22m 13s 363ms
  Mobile total received: 0B, sent: 0B (packets received 0, sent 0)
  Phone signal levels:
  moderate 22m 35s 311ms (97.2%) 1x
  good 38s 557ms (2.8%) 0x
  Signal scanning time: 0ms
  Radio types:
  none 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) 0x
  ...
  Device is currently unplugged

```

I've removed some output denoted by `...` since it's not relevant here.

Now, the latest unplugged detail highlights:

+ `Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16` -- On Aug 9, 2015 at 06:50:16 AM, my device was unplugged from USB
    + `Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms` -- time for which the device has been running on battery since last unplugged

You can do the calculation now, based on your case.

**Note** that this info has nothing to do with full charge details. It simply tells us the details for the event when the device was connected to a source that supplied it power.
* For Android 4.4.2:

```
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

```
* For Android 4.2.1:

```
dumpsys batteryinfo | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

```

**Note**: In the last two cases, `Start clock time` isn't available but `Time on battery` among other things.

---

All of this info would be helpful if only you have not plugged the device into charger or PC since the above battery-stats doesn't differentiate between the two.

Nonetheless, it is still a good lead!
> 1 votes

---
Tags: usb, usb-connection-mode, usb-debugging, logging
---


# Question
Title: Is there hidden storage in android devices
Is there any Hidden Storage in android devices . my android phone has 4GB ROM (Internal Storage) 1.5GB usable . I have scanned the phone with recovery software to recover deleted files i have found 11GB of deleted files for recovering. how is it possible it has only 4GB available does it has some hidden storage

I am not asking about the link reference of files or overwritten of deleted file .i am asking about my rom is 4GB and deleted files are 11GB( showed in the recovery software ) it should be 4GB thats the maximum space available in the phone . but there is extra 7 GB where are these files located in the device .

# Answer
> 0 votes
You're not approaching that quite right. Every time you boot your phone, start and app, flush your cache and so on you are rewriting real files time and again. PNG, TXT, XML, most commonly, and so on. Those overwritten and/or deleted files don't ever actually "disappear" from your device. Their link/reference is removed from your device's file allocation tables \[more a windows descript on that, but still prety much the same\] but, the remnants do just that. They remain. Your recovery tool keys in on file magic and/or footers , usually contained in a definition file and copies over the recovered files to a specified location. May of those files are duplicates of the basic png files that make up your apk UI's as well as the os. Most of those recovered files will be broken though.

The only sure fire way to actually delete a file is a secure wipe, and there are different standards of secure on that point.

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, internal-storage
---


title: Move data of some Apps to SD card

text:
# Question
Title: Move data of some Apps to SD card
I have Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (4.4.4 and rooted) ... I have some dictionaries Apps... I installed the main App.. when we want to use.. we should download dictionaries package for each language we want... I tried to move the folder to SD Card ... it's ok!! But the files dont belong more to App so it doesnt recognize them (as if one should download them again).. if we move back the folder to internal memory... it's ok again.... is there a method?!!

# Answer
I think Link2SD could help you. It allows you to move apps to SD and link them so the system "thinks" they are still on your device's internal storage. I would give a try.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: rooting, sd-card, app2sd
---


title: Why are characters turning into blocks?

text:
# Question
Title: Why are characters turning into blocks?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4. On the lock screen and on pop up messages some of the characters are blocks. Here is a screen shot of it:

Screenshot - Block Characters (Click to enlarge)

I'm not sure if it's one of my apps that is doing this or if it's something else.

# Answer
> 1 votes
It looks like a glitch in the font rendering process. If it is an in memory glitch, you may be able to resolve it by restarting the device. If it persists across restarts, then it is possibly either a corrupted font file or there's a bug in the font loader. In either case, you'd want to try to see if a restart resolves it.

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


# Question
Title: How do I screen pin an app in Android Lollipop using command-line?
I'm aware that I can go to **Settings → Security → Screen pinning → On**, and then tap Overview → touch the pin icon on the app listed there and it would be pinned, effectively putting the app into .

(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)

But how do I pin an app using command line? I tried `input` command but with no success.

I'm using rooted OnePlus One running CM12.

# Answer
> 11 votes
Activity Manager among other things manage Screen pinning. You can invoke the `am` command to pin an app regardless of the Screen pinning being activated under **Settings**.

However, know that the pinning wouldn't be fully automated this way i.e. you still would have to confirm on the screen whether to pin the app or not, although I provided a way to interact with the screen only the very first time.

Google mentioned here:

(Emphasis mine)

> **If the requesting app is not a device owner, the user is prompted for confirmation**. A device owner app can call the `setLockTaskPackages()` method to enable apps to be pinnable without the user confirmation step.

**Also note that** an app cannot be made device owner just by using some set of commands, unless it fulfills the criteria set for it i.e. it must be a candidate for Device Administration (the apps you see in **Settings → Security → Device administrators**), which is hard-coded into app's manifest. Google has mentioned here what must be included in an app's manifest to use Device Administration API.

Even then, you still have to make the app the Device Owner -- a specialized type of device administrator who once activated cannot be deactivated unless you have root access or do factory rest on the device. Contrary to simple kiosk mode which you activate by pinning an app from recent tasks list, a device owner app can make it extremely hard for you to evade the kiosk mode which means the normal evading technique like holding down Overview button or Back button or both could be rendered useless.

It is up to you to choose a method for making your favorite app the device owner.

---

That was just a bit of context to explain why you need to interact with the screen, and why there is no complete command-line way to screen pin an app.

## Things to do

Setup , connect the phone into PC, enable USB debugging in phone, launch the app you want to screen pin, launch a shell on PC, and enter:

**NOTE:** It has come to my notice that in Android 6.0 `lock-task` has been replaced with `task lock`. Hence, make appropriate changes in any command before using the latter.

* ```
adb shell
task_id=$(dumpsys activity | grep -A2 "(dumpsys activity recents)"| grep '#'| cut -d ' ' -f 7| cut -c 2-); am lock-task $task_id

```
* As an alternative: This command would work if the app is launched from scratch i.e. not resumed from recent tasks list:

```
adb shell
cur_act=($(dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity | rev)); task_id=$(echo ${cur_act[0]} | head -c -2 | cut -c 2-| rev); am lock-task $task_id;

```

You would get an output `Activity manager is not in lockTaskMode`. Ignore it, and if you've read the links I mentioned in the context you would know why it has been outputted.

Tap **Start** on device's screen to confirm screen pinning.

(Click image to enlarge)

**I uploaded the screen recording here** (5.62MB size) which would show you that the command can also screen pin the launcher app.

As an alternate of going to screen and tapping the confirmation dialog, you can use any of the following approaches:

* Issue keyevents to go down, go right, and simulate enter on the confirmation dialog.

```
adb shell input keyevent 20
adb shell input keyevent 22
adb shell input keyevent 66

```

(Here are listed some common keyevents)
* + Enable **Pointer Location** under Developer options, pin an app and hold **Start** on the confirmation dialog, and locate the X and Y coordinates.
    + Alternatively, use `adb shell getevent -l` to get X and Y coordinates. Here is a good solution by Tomas.

Once you have them, use this command:

```
adb shell input touchscreen tap <x> <y>

```

where `<x>` and `<y>` are the respective coordinates you noted.

Since the X and Y coordinates will always going to be same whenever the confirmation is shown (provided that you are not trying Landscape mode coordinates on Portrait mode), you can use it for complete screen pinning using command-line.

As for the command doing the screen pinning, it's very simple. The part responsible for activating screen pin is `am lock-task`, and its usage goes as:

Type `adb shell am` and notice this line:

```
am lock-task: bring <TASK_ID> to the front and don't allow other tasks to run

```

Bring `<TASK_ID>` (which is the task ID of an app in use) to front while not allowing other tasks to run simply means kiosk mode.

I couldn't come to know what are STACK\_ID and TASK\_ID in general, but I know how to find them. Use any of the following approaches to get TASK\_ID of the app in focus or launched by a user:

* ```
dumpsys activity | grep -A20 "(dumpsys activity recents)"

```

or enter `dumpsys activity recents` for detailed output about all recent activities, but would be excessive for out goal. The former's output would be like:

```
* Recent #0: TaskRecord{68f58f6 #1441 A=com.slovoed.oald U=0 sz=1}
* Recent #1: TaskRecord{9888887 #1415 A=com.cyanogenmod.trebuchet U=0 sz=1}
* Recent #2: TaskRecord{29c6fe30 #1438 A=com.icecoldapps.serversultimatepro U=0 sz=2}

```

The numeric value before `A=` and after `#` is the TASK\_ID of the app. In the example, it would be: `1441`, `1415`, `1438`. These TASK\_IDs would be found in the next command's output.
* ```
am stack list

```

It would list all of the activity stacks of which TASK\_ID is part of.

```
Stack id=1 bounds=[0,0][1080,1920] displayId=0
  taskId=1438: com.icecoldapps.serversultimatepro/com.icecoldapps.serversultimatepro.viewStart1
  taskId=1441: com.slovoed.oald/com.slovoed.oald.SlovoEdTabActivity

Stack id=0 bounds=[0,0][1080,1920] displayId=0
  taskId=1415: com.cyanogenmod.trebuchet/com.android.launcher3.Launcher

```
* ```
dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity

```

It would give the app's package name which is in focus (simply, the app displayed on the screen dominantly), its task ID, and some other details:

```
mFocusedActivity: ActivityRecord{30672d7f u0 com.slovoed.oald/.OALDTabActivity t1441}

```

The value after `t` and before `}` is the TASK\_ID of the app.
* You can also get TASK\_ID from:

+ ```
     dumpsys window displays

    ```
    + ```
     dumpsys window tokens

    ```
    + ```
     dumpsys window | grep mFocusedApp

    ```

There may be more ways but the ones I mentioned should suffice.

Cheers!

---
Tags: command-line, kiosk-mode
---


# Question
Title: i cannot open my playstore application, using my google account
Everytime i open the play store store, it always directsme to the playstore setting where redeem appears and directing me to type my google password. just as i typed my password, connection problem always appears, where signal is strong.

# Answer
Similar to Server Error! Play Store failing

Well you need to delete hosts file, which is done via root privileges, without root you can't delete that file and I am afraid that play store won't work without deleting this file.
> 0 votes

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


# Question
Title: How to ssh into an unrooted Android device using sshdroid from a Linux computer
I can't seem to ssh into my Android device. I have not rooted the device and I don't really want to. I tried connecting to it via the terminal using the following command:

```
ssh root@ip-address:port-number

```

the error I received was:

> name or service is not known

How can I resolve it?

# Answer
Summing up from the comments

1. This answer states to use `ssh <user>@<ip> -p <port>` instead of the "colon syntax"
2. In *SSHDroid*, go to "Options" and check/define the port (default: 2222) and password to be used
3. According to the screenshots on the app's playstore page, if not using root mode you can use *any* user name to connect. Thus if you followed above steps, this should now work (of course with `<android-ip>` replaced by the real IP address of the Android device):

```
ssh me@<android-ip> -p 2222

```
> 6 votes

---
Tags: ssh
---


# Question
Title: How to smart read PDF files in android on a mobile screen?
I have a large PDF file in my phone that I want to read while in transit. I have the adobe app downloaded for this purpose but there is no smart read feature in it. I do not want to scroll the screen horizontally. Is there an app that I can use to do this?

\[Edit\] I do not want the app to read it aloud for me. I just want to scroll vertically by myself with the contents of the file fitting the screen and the words still readable.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can use @Voice Read Aloud app from the Play Store. Using @Voice Read Aloud app you can read aloud the text displayed in Android apps, e.g. web pages, news articles, long emails, TXT, PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, OpenOffice document files and more.

***Note:*** You need Text-To-Speech engine and voices installed on your device to use this app. You may use more than one if you want.

---
Tags: pdf, ebook-reader
---


# Question
Title: Get battery usage data at finer resolution
The biggest battery usage culprits on my phone, according to both the battery settings page and to GSam Battery Monitor, are always "Android System" and "Android OS." I also have "Watchdog" installed, which keeps warning me that "Android System" is using a lot of background CPU.

GSam explains helpfully that "Android System" includes the packages "Input Devices," "Key Chain," "Settings," "LocationServices," among others, and the processes "servicemanager" and "audiod" among others, but it doesn't break down the battery usage of each piece.

Is there any way to see battery or CPU usage info for each package/process separately, so I can figure out which specific component of "Android System" is burning my battery? It's hard to troubleshoot when I don't have detailed info about what's wrong.

# Answer
`dumpsys batterystats` (or `dumpsys batteryinfo` pre-Lollipop) should give you the information you are looking for, broken down by process/package. The machine-readable format (`--checkin` flag) will show specific UIDs if you need them.

You will probably need root to run that command in a terminal on your device, but it should also work from `adb shell`.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: battery-life
---


# Question
Title: Invasive advertising in Android notification center
On my Samsung Note 3 running stock Android 4.4.2 I got the following message in the pull-down notification center:

> You watched FooBar. Here's another video you might like.

I didn't click the notification, but it has a black-and-white Youtube icon in the lower right corner. **How do I disable this intrusive advertising in the notification center?** Is this part of the stock Youtube application? I've never seen this before, but it may be part of a recent update.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I've never been bothered by an advertisement since ages because of my ruthless choice of using a full-fledged ad blocker like AdAway. You may try it if the device is rooted, or try for non-rooted devices.

Let's come to the issue. If that advertisement is indeed a notification, then you can tap and hold that notification → App info, and you would be shown the app's info which generated that notification. If the app's notifications or toasts are not important to you, uncheck **Show notifications** and you won't be bothered again by the app through notification or toasts. This also implies that you would receive no notification at all from that app. It's *take it or leave it* approach. Check **Show notification** by going into **Settings → Apps →**  and things would come back to where they previously were.

### For Android 4.2.1 and 4.4.2:

<sub>(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)</sub>

### For Android 5.0.2:

---

An alternate way to find out which app owns the current notification is to issue the command (after setting up of course) :-

```
adb shell dumpsys notification

```

(Android 4.2.1 needs root access for `dumpsys`.)

It will give detailed output for each of the current notification. Under each record, look for entries like `pkg=` or `contentIntent=`. You can see the package name of the app. See the corresponding app name using App Browser (Lollipop already shows package name below an app name in **Settings → Apps**).

Cheers!

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-note-3, youtube, ads
---


title: Does adb backup include contacts?

text:
# Question
Title: Does adb backup include contacts?
Does the command:

```
adb backup -all -f backup.ab

```

include contacts in the backup?

# Answer
> 4 votes
No, it would not backup Contacts. Yes, it would backup Contacts.

*Confused*, eh!

> Yes, it would backup Contacts.

See this question: Backup/Restore SMS/MMS via ADB on a non-rooted device? The author of it was able to backup contacts. It was later revealed that the device on which the backup was performed ran Android 4.1.2. It was a bizarre revelation for me that the backup succeeded.

> No, it would not backup Contacts.

As per the Manifest mentioned here for default Contacts Provider app in Android versions (in series), for Jelly Bean and above Android versions the ADB backup for Contacts Provider/Storage would be denied by system, and hence your contacts wouldn't be backed up.

It's a mere flag `android:allowBackup="false"` that's the cause of backup denial. See my answers here and here to know more about that flag.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Yes, it does. You can get it via:

```
adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes it should include the contacts. Your syntax appears incorrect though. It should be `adb backup -all -f backup.ab` rather than `adb backup .all -f backup.ab` Also the `-f backup.ab` is optional as that is the default.

# Answer
> 0 votes
It doesn't seem to be the case. I tried with both the following commands

```
adb backup -all -apk -shared -nosystem -f adb_backup.ab
adb backup -all -apk -shared -system -f adb_backup.ab

```

and neither my photos, SMS nor contacts were backed-up.

---
Tags: adb, contacts, backup
---


# Question
Title: Can I restore a deleted site to the Chrome search homepage?
Whenever I start Chrome, I get presented with a Google Logo, search bar and a grid of recent sites that I visited. This picture isn't from my phone, but you should get the idea:

One day I accidentally deleted one of those sites by tapping and holding the box and selecting "remove". Now I have absolutely no idea how to get it back on the front page.

Even though I visit the site several times a day, it flat out refuses to re-appear on this page and I cannot find any option or setting within Chrome to put it there.

Does anyone know how I can get a previously deleted site to re-appear on this page?

# Answer
> 5 votes
The entry that you boxed in the screenshot is a thumbnail and the entries that show up there are the most visited websites by you. For Chrome, they are collectively referred to as Top Sites.

There is a file in SQLITE format named `Top Sites` under the Chrome's data directory. Its location is `/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/`.

You can't access this file without root access, neither you can backup the Chrome for it using ADB because backup is disallowed by Chrome.

If you've access to that file, simply force-stop Chrome for Android, pull the file into PC and open it in an SQLITE browser, like DB Browser for SQLITE.

**Take backup of Chrome before proceeding to further steps**.

The entries are saved in the table `thumbnails`. They are very easy to understand and edit, so no demo is required here.

I added the current page as a first entry, pushed the file back into its location, launched Chrome, and there it is:

<sub>(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)</sub>

It's inconsequential thing to me since I don't use that feature at all, I don't even use Chrome actually! But I suppose the concept must be introduced to know what causes the sites to show up there, and how to bring or delete them. In that regard, this answer should should've been of good service.

Cheers!

# Answer
> -1 votes
Oh it happens a lot of time, and is not somthing you should be worried about.

Chrome displays those pages based on the amount of activity you do on that page (as far as I understand it). So just keep using it until it reappears. Also bookmark it. It will help too.

And one more thing, less active pages are pushed downwards, replaced by more active once. And older once get pushed out of the grid till you can't see it, but however that does not mean they are deleted. If you delete the latest once, the old once reappear un the same order.

So maybe your page is still in the grid, but pushed out. Try deleting a few later once, and see if you get it back.

But the only sollution to this problem is to be more active on that page that the others. More active, the better.

And an unconventional alternate would be writting a program to do this work for you.

Hope this helps

---
Tags: chrome-for-android
---


# Question
Title: How to know which Dock Connector my Galaxy S2 has?
There are several revisions for Dock Connects/Charging Ports per model. I would like to know if there is a way to find which revision is installed on my phone without opening the device. If that's possible.

Phone: GT i9100

# Answer
> 0 votes
Not possible as for an unrooted device. I had to open the phone to identify the port.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, usb, charging, hardware, usb-connection-mode
---


# Question
Title: How do certain apps record everything we type in android?
Certain apps like Type Machine claim to be able to record everything you type. You have to install it and activate it from the device's accessibility settings, then it can somehow record typed text.

How is this even possible? It is not a keyboard app , so it is not directly accessing the keystroke information. Also, according to the android documentation "Only the system is allowed to directly access an IME's `InputMethod` interface" and 'Only the active client's `InputConnection` will accept operations'.

Given that a 3rd party service like Type machine is neither a system app or the active client, how is it able to record typed information?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It installs an Accessibility Service. These services are usually used as screen readers (like TalkBack), and thus have access to on-screen text. It is thus able to record on-screen information. If you install the app, you'll notice it prompts you to register it as an accessibility service so as to collect input information.

However, one limitation of this is it's unable to collect data within password fields.

# Answer
> -1 votes
As far as I know, no 3rd party app can record your "keystrokes" when installed on a non-rooted android phone. When an app gains privilege and is given root access, only then it could act like a system app on a rooted phone. This is why Google has never given root access to users. It's too risky. Anybody can install a spyware "keylogger" app on your non rooted phone and take advantage.

---
Tags: security, keyboard, text-input
---


title: What is ProwlerAgent?

text:
# Question
Title: What is ProwlerAgent?
Like the asker of this SO question, I'm receiving crash reports that mention something called ProwlerAgent. Whatever ProwlerAgent is, it appears to have insinuated itself into my app's classpath:

`java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.myapp.BootReceiver in loader dalvik.system.PathClassLoader@/system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar:/system/app/ProwlerAgent234.apk:/data/app/com.myapp-1.apk`

**I'm not asking how to fix the crash.** I'm sure it's a problem with my app's manifest. I'm just curious if anyone knows what ProwlerAgent is, because it seems suspicious.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Well prowleragant application is a norton symantec application. Haven't seen it myself and couldn't find a download link of it. This app was removed from market, and the word market suggests that it was an old application. But a part of norton it may be present in the norton antivirus for android, haven't decompiled it will do later, as soon as my pc gets in a working state. And yes you answered it correctly, and it's not a personal or other antivirus or sandbox agent. And and antivirus can implement it's structure to get activity data of the app, that suggests for the application to be checked for it's reputation, it's internet activity and data structure, so as to recognize a potential malware or a virus. Here check some links about it :

http://www.bestappsmarket.com/p/app?appId=961494&title=com-symantec-starmobile-prowler-sample

https://plus.google.com/+LitrikDeRoy/posts/cfsKZC1oCa4

https://github.com/codlab/cypherapp/issues/20

---
Tags: malware
---


# Question
Title: How can I take a high-resolution screenshot?
I'm using a Nexus 5 running on Lollipop 5.1, and I can take a screenshot by holding `POWER` and `VOLUME-DOWN`. However, screenshots appear to be limited by the resolution of the device's screen. Specifically, it's `1080x1920` for the Nexus 5.

Is there a way (through the use of developer tools, a specialised app, or otherwise) to take a screenshot of higher resolution?

# Answer
Even with development tools, screenshots are only of the pixel size of the device. You could try running the app in a emulator with higher resolution but all of those pixels may cause the emulator to lag. Or get a device like a Nexus 10 which runs at the higher resolutions.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, nexus-5, screenshots, screen-resolution
---


# Question
Title: How to hide your Wifi Hotspot from unwanted devices
Device : Galaxy S5 Version : 5.6

I have a request

How can I hotspot my 4G but I only want to select who can see the network on wi-fi

And for other people when they search wifi they don't see it

Anyone answer

# Answer
> 0 votes
Keep your ssid hidden, after creating the wifi hotspot. Just tell your friends and others the ssid. No one else would be able to see it.

---
Tags: wifi-hotspot, hidden
---


# Question
Title: Connect to external device via bluetooth. Who's master/slave?
**Quick intro:**

We have an external device (it's not android) that we usually connect to PCs via Serial Port-\>USB converter. But now we want to use also Android tablets to send commands to that external device so we are going to add a bluetooth module that can act as a bridge between the device's Serial Port and Android tablets.

**Question**

Should we buy a **slave** bluetooth module or a **master** one?
The external device is like a "server" that is always working, and the PC/tablet just connects and sends commands to it.

Master means "server" or "client"? It's a bit confusing cause the Android doc uses "server/client" terminology while hardware stores use "master/slave".

# Answer
> I think master means server or host but I'm not 100% sure.

It's not correct. For android device, master means client and slave means server. Slave device should always \[Inquiry Scan\] to wait for \[Inquiry\] which send by master. When slave get \[Inquiry\], it will send FHS packet to master. And then slave begin to \[Page Scan\], and master begin to \[Page\] to slave to complete the connection.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth
---


title: Setting Flags in Android Chrome

text:
# Question
Title: Setting Flags in Android Chrome
I have an Android 4.2 device with the latest Chrome-Browser. in this Browser I can set some custom flags, by browsing the URL `about:flags` If I screw it up, I can go to the app-settings, delete the Chrome-Data and everything is set to default. So far so good.

My question is: Where exactly are those custom flags saved? I guess somewhere in the `/data/data/com.android.chrome` directory. But unfortunately I am not able to find it. Can you guys help?

# Answer
This answer by Satyam Koyani tells us that the file that keep those flags is named Local State, though the answer isn't Android specific.

It turned out to be true. The location of the file is `/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Local State`. It's a JSON file but the extension is missing so your text editor may run into issues with formatting when you open it. For those who can pull the file into PC, you may try Firefox addon JSONView. Make sure to rename the file to add `.json` as an extension before opening it.

<sub>(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)</sub>
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, chrome-for-android
---


title: Android 5.0 sync questions on HTC M8

text:
# Question
Title: Android 5.0 sync questions on HTC M8
I'm trying to figure out how to set items to individually auto sync.

On the HTC M8 under accounts & sync in both 4.4 and 5.0, I noticed I cannot select items to auto-sync individually. I can only manually sync individual items when I have auto-sync turned off. If I turn on auto-sync, it automatically wants to sync everything under those accounts and Google account which is what I do not want.

I only want certain things under these specific accounts to auto-sync. For instance, all I use is Gmail and Google Play Music. I do not want anything else on my phone to sync to Google, but I can't figure this out since it doesn't ask what I want synced before adding an account.

I know in older versions of android, it always asked what I wanted to have auto-synced and what I didn't when adding the account. I could also go in that account under settings and select what I wanted to auto-sync before turning on the phones sync.

How can I get around everything trying to sync at first, if I cannot even choose what I want to sync when adding a Google account?

I've even tried sighing into these separately instead of adding the main Google account through accounts & sync. It still does the exact same thing and it adds everything from my Google account ready to be synced as soon as I turn on the phones auto-sync.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Enable "Sync" in the taskbar, then go to the account you need selective sync on, you'll find all the required options with tickboxes. Tickboxes disappears when "Sync" option is disabled.

Best luck.

---
Tags: sync, 5.0-lollipop
---


# Question
Title: Encrypted phone no longer asks for pattern when turning on?
Nexus 6 running stock 5.0.1 not rooted. It used to ask me for my pattern every time I turned it on from a powered off state. Now it seems to boot fully without asking. Under Settings \> Security it still claims to be Encrypted and tapping the option does nothing.

Would upgrading from 5.0 to 5.0.1 change this behavior? Am I still secure?

Would this behavior stop if I add my Android Wear watch as a trusted device?

# Answer
> 9 votes
I have since figured out my own answer. I can reproduce it with the following process:

1) Settings \> Security \> Screen lock \> put in current pattern \> Select Pattern \> Note that "Require pattern to start device" is checked

2) Make no changes and back out to Settings (or press home and re-open Settings)

3) Go to Accessibility

4) Turn on any Accessibility Service (I turned on Pushbullet but it doesn't seem to matter what service you do)

5) Follow step 1 until you see that "Require pattern to start device" is unchecked.

In the Android M Preview 2, turning on Push Bullet prompted me with "If you turn on Pushbullet, your device won't use your screen lock to enhance data encryption" and pressing ok brought me to a screen where I needed to enter my current pattern. The text reads "Because turning on Pushbullet affects data encryption, you need to confirm your pattern." I do not remember this screen in 5.0 or 5.0.1 but I believe this is what was causing it.

# Answer
> 2 votes
This seems to be a bug in Android; at some point asking for credentials at boot has been disabled. You can re-enable this by changing your password/pin (you can "change" it to the same one you're currently using, too).

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, security, nexus-6
---


title: Why root makes phone fast

text:
# Question
Title: Why root makes phone fast
I have heard many sites saying that rooting makes phone faster but in technical detail it just increase process and more process = slow phone so why people say it

Example : we have phone *A* and phone *B* *A* is rooted and *B* is not but *A* runs without any root apps so which will be fast (*according to sites A will be fast*)

# Answer
There are several ways that having root *may* improve performance. But just rooting won't make a phone faster.

* One common thing to do with a rooted phone is to remove "bloat" apps. These are apps that are installed by default. In recent versions of android, you can "freeze" or "Turn Off" more built-in apps, making root less of a requirement for de-bloating. Here's a guide for those without without root. With root, your best bet is to find a guide in the specific forum for your phone on XDA Developers or a similar site. These will include other users' experience about what is safe to remove or disable.
* There used to be a lot of types of apps that could tune the memory management with the goal of improved performance or longer battery life, but I haven't seen them recently. Modern phones often have a lot more ram (2 or more GB) than they used to.
* Another thing that a rooted phone with a specific kernel can do is overclock the processor. This is complex and potentially dangerous (could crash or cause physical damage to the phone by overheating), but may be useful for older phones with slower processors.
* Installing a custom ROM may also make the phone run faster, depending on a lot of factors about the specific phone and the specific ROM.
* There are also many specific fixes for individual phones that can improve performance.
* Ad blockers can speed up web browsing (as well as make the phone more secure). Most of these require root as they install `hosts` redirects, although there are some that appear as a VPN and should work without root.
> 6 votes

# Answer
Rooting your device does not make it "faster". It allows you to remove pre-installed "bloatware" that is pushed by manufacturers and their partners. Adittionally rooting permits you to remove, deactivate non-essential process and functions that free up ram as well. Rooting also allows you to tweak your device performance through init.d scripts custom kernels and dumping and modifying your boot.img to "kill" even more unecessary process and manufacturer impositions. You should absolutely do the research on your specific device to be sure of what you can get rid of, or you will end up soft bricking or hard bricking your device. Rooting your device enables you to make your device "faster" .
> 2 votes

# Answer
Simply rooting your phone won't make it run faster. You can use root access to tweak your phone to run faster. Here I'll make a short list of how tos

1. By removing bloatwares
2. Changing and customizing CPU governors and I/O scheduler
3. Flashing custom roms or kernels
4. Editing System configuration files such as build.prop

etc. You can find many more ways to tweak your phone to make it run faster, just use Google.

A rooted phone can run faster than an unrooted one only if you tweak it properly.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: rooting, root-access
---


# Question
Title: Google Nexus 4 suddely stop even battery is not empty
My Google Nexus 4 suddenly began to stop unexpectedly at random times. After few times I could not even boot up the OS. I could recover by factory reset wipe from the recovery mode. Unfortunately sudden stop issue persisted even after factory wipe. Then I flash factory image according to this androidcentral post. Now OS is up and running, but sudden stopping is still there when disconnected from charging cable. Phone works fine when connected to main power line. Though phone stopped suddenly, battery is not empty, I can boot up again and live for few seconds still.

Is this a hardware failure or some battery cache?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If the your phone crashes even after flashing a fresh rom, It's probably a hardware issue. Does your phone heat up?

---
Tags: battery, nexus-4, reboot, operating-system
---


# Question
Title: Can't ping Windows 7 from Android phone and vice versa in the same network, but other machines can
I have an Android phone and a notebook running Windows 7, both are Wi-Fi enabled. Both devices are on the same network and they can't see each other (I can't ping phone from notebook and vice versa). But, to make it more weird, let me show you my network structure.

```
      Name  -       OS  -   IPv4 Address
----------------------------------------
    Router  -           -    192.168.1.1
ComputerXP  -    WinXP  -  192.168.1.103
ComputerW7  -     Win7  -  192.168.1.104
NotebookW7  -     Win7  -  192.168.1.106
 Telephone  - Android4  -  192.168.1.109

```

Now, `ComputerXP` and `ComputerW7` can ping all devices in given network. `NotebookW7` and `Telephone` can both ping `Router`, `ComputerXP` and `ComputerW7`. The only connection that does not work is `Notebook7 <--> Telephone`.

I have previously had this problem, I tried restarting `NotebookW7`, `Telephone` and `Router`, disabling and re-enabling Wi-Fi connection and firewall, pinging anywhere and nothing was working. Later on when my dad came home, I wanted to show him this situation, but suddenly I was able to connect to `NotebookW7` from my `Telephone` like magic. I was happy that the issue got fixed. I stopped using this connection for a while and now I wanted to establish it again and guess what, it's again not working. I have no idea what is going on.

I used ping on Windowss and Ping & DNS on Android to test ping.

**EDIT 1**: For some reason, I was not able to ping `ComputerW7` using my `Telephone` for a while. So in my `Telephone` I started external software for managing files. I added new network place with IP Address of `ComputerW7` (192.168.1.104) and pressed test connection. It was doing something for a while and then it printed "Test successful". I went back to Ping & DNS, and re-pinged same IP Address and it started working for some reason. I did same thing with my `NotebookW7`, but I got "Test not successful" in my file manager.

**EDIT 2**: Little bit more weirdness. I added one more Android Phone (lets call it just `Phone`) to the network and checked all possible pings from outside to the `Phone`. Nothing worked. Then I tried to connect to VLC Player at `ComputerXP` using `Phone` and it worked. After that I was able to ping `Phone` from `ComputerXP`. Not really sure how this works. Only difference is that `Phone` has Android 4.2.2, but `Telephone` has 4.1.2.

**EDIT 3**: New thing I tried was to create Wi-Fi Router from `Telephone` and connecting to it using `NotebookW7`, it worked. However, I still was not able to ping it.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Are you using a Samsung Android running Lolipop? It is actually locked down and some Chinese hackers actually created the PINGPONG root to enable pinging from a Samsung Android.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/general/root-pingpongroot-s6-root-tool-t3103016

---
Tags: wi-fi, windows
---


# Question
Title: Blu Dash JR K locked-out; "Yes" confirmation option to reset is not present in recovery mode
I have my sister's Blu Dash JR K at the moment. She forgot her lock screen pattern, and there is not an option to recover via Gmail.

Phone comes with stock recovery. when I go there and try to apply factory wipe/data, all I get are a bunch of:

```
   -- no --
   -- no --
   -- no --
   -- no --

```

**There is no yes option.**

Second attempt, I tried to reset the phone using ADB, as I don't have the phone with debugging mode active. when I type `adb devices`, no device is detected.

Phone is not rooted so I'm not sure if I can install any custom recovery. What should I do now?

**EDIT**

I'm not able to use "official" recovery modes (Gmail Based) since she never synced with a Google account.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I'll share the solution that worked for me in case anyone else runs on the same issue since the documentation for this phone is marginal.

First you need to download the Original ROM, not so hard to find it I don't have the current links else I'll share them.

Then download SP flash-tool

Simply Flash the phone using the tool, I followed this instructions

Instructions

Fixed.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If your sister has access to Google account, she can try the Android Device Manager and do a "Lock and Erase". You may need to enable Lock and Erase first.

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6160500

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Tags: recovery-mode, factory-reset, locked-out
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title: zenfone 5 lollipop update fails

text:
# Question
Title: zenfone 5 lollipop update fails
I'm using Zenfone 5 with firmware ww\_user\_2.22.40.53. When I try to upgarde with 3.23.40.52, it fails,saying only android 4.2.2 and 5.0 can update with this package. What should I do?

# Answer
I found the answer myself. Downgrade the firmware to 2.22.40.53 then upgrade back to 54. Now your root is long gone. Then 54 will detect the lollipop firmware. Upgrade it and wipe cache from recovery mode. =)
> 1 votes

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Tags: 5.0-lollipop, asus-zenfone-5
---


title: Zenfone 2 stuck on USB logo

text:
# Question
Title: Zenfone 2 stuck on USB logo
I tried to flash Zenfone 2 but instead of writing `droidboot.img` I sent an `.exe` file. And now when I try to get into droidboot (Volume + Power button) the device gets stuck at USB logo.

Whatsoever I found online is related to Zenfone 4|5|6 and not Zenfone 2

How can I access droidboot again ?

<sub>(Click image to enlarge)</sub>

# Answer
> -1 votes
Long press the power button. Phone will turn off. Then press power button and volume up button simultaneously, till the asus logo appears. Then you will enter the recovery mode. Reboot from there(press power button after navigating to reboot using volum up/down)

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Tags: device-firmware, asus-zenfone-2
---


title: Delete a path too long

text:
# Question
Title: Delete a path too long
An unstable version of Android 5.1.1 caused a bootloop on my phone. I fixed things, but after the incident the `0` directory located inside `/storage/emulated/0` dived **DEEPLY DOWN**. Now I can't delete anything inside.

I guess it's because the path is too long. I successfully used 7zip once I had that problem in Windows, I wonder if something like robocopy or subst method is possible on Android. Here's a screenshot of me gaining root access and then trying to wipe things out which was not successfull.

Screenshot - (Click to enlarge image)

# Answer
> 1 votes
Wow, that looks crazy! `/storage/emulated/0` isn't "real" and you shouldn't be deleting 0, if you are trying to clean out `/data/media/0` pass a wildcard `rm -fr /data/media/0/*` that will flush out your internal "sdcard"

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Tags: root-access, delete
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# Question
Title: How can I find out how much current/power my phone can supply via USB-OTG?
Is there a way to find out how much current or power a USB-OTG device can draw while connected to my phone? I'd be happy with something like:-

* an online database like GSMArena with details for lots of phones
* an app I can run on the phone to find it out e.g. from the USB host driver in the kernel
* a file in `/proc` or `/dev` I can read (as root, if necessary)

I'd rather not have to test it with hardware by connecting a USB peripheral to it and increasing its current draw until it stops working.

The particular phone I'm interested in is a Nexus 5, but I'm really looking for an answer that's applicable to any phone (that supports USB-on-the-go).

# Answer
I'm not sure this is entirely correct on Android, but on Linux, `lsusb -v` tells a lot about USB devices, including their maximum current output. If you can get usbutils on Android, that might tell you.
> -1 votes

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Tags: usb-on-the-go
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# Question
Title: Do battery saver apps really work? Is it possible to save battery programmatically?
There are numerous apps in the Google Play store claiming to double or triple the battery life. Is it just a myth? Or can they really?

If they really do save some power, why doesn't Android do it by default?

# Answer
Those battery saver apps probably work by killing tasks, lowering brightness, disabling data or internet connection, and several other things. Those little things will definitely save battery one way or another.

Why doesn't Android do it by default? *I don't know*; you'd have to ask the Android developers that. If Android did what battery saver apps do, they'd be limiting Android. Who wants their screens to always be in low brightness? Or their internet connection off when not in use? Those things are probably better off for people to decide, and battery apps (and other relatated apps or utilities) will help them do that.

See also this post on improving battery life: What can I do to increase battery life on my Android device?
> 11 votes

# Answer
Battery saver apps are useless.You can save battery life by manually reducing brightness ,screen time out,back light duration or turning off the data, GPS, wi fi,blue tooth,etc from settings. There is no need for an app to do it. These apps actually take more power out of your device. So I think Android does not need a battery saving app.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Believe it or not. THEY DO NOTING BUT SHOWING ADVERTISEMENT and ultimately consuming more battery. They will present an animation showing the list of the apps they are closing for us. But they do nothing. The proof is, just go to the app manager and check app info, all those apps are running in background.
> -3 votes

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Tags: battery-life
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# Question
Title: DNSCrypt error: could not load library "libsodium.so", on Asus Zenfone 2 running Android 5.0
I tried installing DNSCrypt on my Asus Zenfone 2 device. But when I try to run it it gives me this:

```
root@Z008_1:/ # dnscrypt enable
Enabling dnscrypt...
iptables: No chain/target/match by that name.
killall: dnscrypt-proxy: no process killed
CANNOT LINK EXECUTABLE: could not load library "libsodium.so" needed by "/system/xbin/dnscrypt-proxy"; caused by library "libsodium.so" not found
Done

```

Did i forget something? I already put all the files in the correct directory, including the `libsodium.so`.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have compiled DNSCrypt for x86 sucessfully, here to download binary file for Zenfone 2.

Follow the instruction.

about libsodium.so, you should copy it to folder system/lib/

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Tags: 5.0-lollipop, command-line, asus-zenfone-2
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