# Question
Title: How to unlock and root a Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray ST18i with 4.1.B.1.13
I searched it a while and found some articles regarding **rooting the Xperia Ray** but I couldn't understand them easily. So I want help from you geeks who can give me the lighted way with simple steps to root my phone.

I found this article from xda-developers.com but it sais there, that I have to have an "unlocked bootloader" which I probably don't have if I haven't done anything with my phone yet, have I?
And it tells me to "wipe the dalvik-cache" which I don't see anywhere (probably after unlocking the bootloader?). I also heard something of "fastboot", but I didn't get what it is :-?

I already gct the IMEI by entering `*#06#` into my phone and got the developer **unlock code** from unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com.

I have running the actual Ice-Cream 4.0.4 Build-Number 4.1.B.1.13, Kernel 2.6.32.9-perf

---

EDIT:
right now I am following the instructions from Sony's Instructions on how to unlock bootloader. Entering the code `*#*#7378423#*#*` shows, that the unlock is allowed. I am downloading the huge Android SDK right now ...

# Answer
> 1 votes
## I followed these instructions for a "one-click ROOT"

I downloaded

Eroot 1.3.4: Link

stopped all applications and started the **eroot** program

clicked on "-Root"

waited the 4 steps and there it was. (don't press again the "Root" button, that will remove root again)

you can check with the Root Checker App if you have root access, click on "Verify Root Access"

If you have root access you can install a CyanogenMod release shown in the following steps (source: mainly the CyanogenMod Wiki Howto starting from step "Obtaining the Bootloader Unlock Code"):

.

## 1. Download **CyanogenMod**

1. Download the desired *CyanogenMod* and place it on your SDcard as ZIP file (currently the latest for ST18i is 10.0 which is named just cm-10-2013-NIGHTLY-urushi.zip )
I chose `cm-10-20131007-NIGHTLY-urushi.zip`
This takes some minutes...
2. Download \*Google Apps\** for the CyanogenMod you selected (You have to install a 3rd-party app to get the Google apps, like Gmail, Play Store, and Youtube.)
I chose `gapps-jb-20121011-signed.zip`

.

## 2. enable **fastboot**:

Download Files for Fastboot (the same as the Xperia arc)

1. Extract the file to a new folder naming say Unlock. (Do it neatly as you won't get confused while entering into CMD).
2. Go to unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com (We will do the unlocking in the official way).
3. Read the instructions carefully and click Continue/Proceed whatever they ask, note down your IMEI (The place where the website asks to paste it, enter in the exactly first 14 digits, **not 15 digits**) and after submitting your name, IMEI and email click Submit and note down the code they produce (copy that into a notepad).
4. Enter in **fastboot mode** (Don't turn on the device, just press Volume up and connect USB cable simultaneously to your PC. A blue light should come up, otherwise something has gone wrong).
5. Install the drivers for your device on your computer (from the unzipped drivers folder you downloaded)
6. Go to the fastboot directory and Ctrl+Shift+Right Click (or on Windows 7 open a CMD shell end go into the fastboot directory)
7. Type in
`fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version`
and hit enter
8. Type in
`fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0x<your_code>`
(use directly by your code that you have already copied in notepad)

You are done. When you start your phone you will have fresh factory reset but rooted Android.

.

## 3. install **ClockworkMod**:

1. Install x-Parts from Google Play.
2. After installation, open the app and select the Installs tab.
3. Select Install CWM and follow on-screen instructions.
4. You can **Reboot into the recovery mode** from there (press the button in the Tools Tab)

.

## 4. install **boot.img**:

Now you need to install the `boot.img` from the CyanogenMod Zip you downloaded:

1. Connect your device into fastboot again with Vol-Up While plugging in the USB-Cable
`fastboot devices`
(Seeing your serial number means we know all is good.)
2. Now type these commands:

`fastboot erase system -w`
`fastboot erase boot`
3. then copy the boot.img in the same folder as fastboot.exe and type

`fastboot flash boot boot.img` `fastboot reboot`
4. Now press the Vol-Down Button to enter the Recovery Mode again and install your image

.

## 5. Install **CyanogenMod** in Recovery Mode:

1. Once the device boots into the ClockworkMod Recovery, use the physical volume buttons to move up and down. On most devices, the power button is used to confirm your selection, although for some devices the power button is used as a "back" button to go up one level, in which case the home button is used to confirm the selection.
*Optional/Recommended: Select backup and restore to create a backup of the current installation on the Xperia Ray.*
2. Select the options to "wipe data/factory reset" and "wipe cache"
3. Select "Install zip from sdcard"
4. Select Choose the CyanogenMod zip from sdcard.
5. Select the CyanogenMod file you placed on the sdcard. You will then need to then confirm that you do wish to flash this file.
6. Install the Google Apps package as well

Optional: Install any additional packages you wish using the same method.

Once the installation has finished, return back to the main menu, and select the reboot system now option. The Xperia Ray should now boot into CyanogenMod.

Whenever you want to re-enter the recovery-mode from now on (after installing ClockworkMod) you can always:

> press the volume down key a few times when your phone boots up. The sony logo brightens at one point, press during that time

At first, I was stuck with an error at the end: I Cannot install any Custom ROMs on Xperia Ray ST18i: assert failed: getprop Status 7
but that is covered here now

# Answer
> 1 votes
**Unlock bootloader**

With a locked bootloader, one cannot install custom roms.To gain power over bootloader one should unlock it.

Now this is the most simple and easy way to get ye bootloader by following small simple steps.

Download Files for Fastboot

1. Extract the file to a new folder naming say Unlock.(Do it neatly as you wont get confused while entering into CMD).
2. Go to unlockbootloader.sonyericsson.com (We will do the unlocking in the official way).
3. Read the instructions carefully and click Continue/Proceed whatever they ask,note down ye IMEI (The place where the website ask to paste it,enter in exactly first 14 digits,not 15digits) and after submitting ye Name, IMEI and mail click Submit and note down the code they produce(Copy that in a notepad).
4. Enter in fastboot mode(Press Volume up and connect USB cable simultaneously and blue light should come up,otherwise something has gone wrong).
5. Install the drivers for your device from the drivers folder
6. Go to fastboot directory and Ctrl+Shift+Right Click (or on Windows 7 open a CMD shell end go into the fastboot directory)
7. Type in `fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce getvar version` and hit enter
8. Type in
`fastboot.exe -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0x<your_code>`
(use directly by your code that you have already copied in notepad) and hit Enter

You are done. When you start your Phone you will have fresh factory reset Android.
*Note: Official method says about installing latest Android SDK package which is of more than 60MB and this method will do everything within 20MB via downloading the file which I mentioned at the beginning*

**Rooting**

In order to root do the following.

Prerequisites:
1.Flashtool
2.Kernel
3.Rooting Toolkit
4.Go to settings \> Security \> Mark ”Unknown sources”
5.Settings \> Developer options \> Mark USB debugging
6.Kernal

A. Trying to flash the Kernel(4.1.A.0.562) with the help of Flashtool, download and install the software. Copy the FTF file and go to the Flashtool folder you extracted. Paste it inside the ‘firmware’ folder.

B. Launch the software and click the ‘Flash’ button (the button with the lightning icon.). Select the ‘Flashmode’ option and click OK.

1.Once you are done with installing new kernel, restart your device. Rooting toolkit will let you root your device (make sure you are done with prerequisites 4 and 5).

2.Rooting your mobile via Rooting toolkit is very simple. Click on the .bat file and follow the on-screen instructions. Your mobile may restart more than twice, never mind it. Once you see “You are done” in the command mode, disconnect your device and make sure you see Superuser icon in menu.

3.Step 6 in prerequisites is purely optional and if you want to update your kernel after rooting you can repeat step 1 with 4.1.B.0.587 Kernel.

**Summary**

As there is no direct way to root your ICS built Smartphone (xperia ray) ,this is a different approach in which flashing a kernel which enables us to root mobile in a single shot. That is we flash 4.1.A.0.562 kernel, do necessary steps in rooting and then revert it to latest kernel by flashing 4.1.B.0.587.At the end of the day we will have an ICS built Ray with latest kernel inside with SU permission.

**Unroot**

If you want to unroot your mobile, then after flashing kernel with 4.1.A.0.562 download this and run the .bat file after extracting it to some location. This script will remove the SU files and make it unrooted so that you could bring back the guarantee thing.

**Source: ,**

**NOTE: I'm not responsible for any of your act. Do this at your own RISK**

---
Tags: rooting, sony-xperia-ray
---


# Question
Title: Contacts show gmail contacts instead of phone
when i try to assign one image to a contact, then all i can see are gmail contacts instead of my phone contacts. I'm using Jelly bean version. Please help me in this. Phone is Sony xperia C.

# Answer
Check you 'Contacts' setting: open you 'Contact' -\> go to Options -\> 'Contact to Display'. See what is checked, setting it to 'Phone' should bring you phone contacts.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean
---


# Question
Title: What is this N-shaped icon on my HTC One?
I have an HTC One with Sprint, and I believe this icon appeared after the 4.3 update. I have gone through the list of apps (both running and total) but nothing appears to match up. Other friends with Android phones don't appear to have this icon, but they all root and customize 7893 ways. Can anybody identify this icon?

# Answer
> 14 votes
It means that you have NFC enabled. Some manufacturers (LG and HTC, I know for certain) have started adding an icon to let you know that you have NFC enabled since it can have potential security implications related to mobile payment systems. It would also be useful to know if you intend to use features like Android Beam.

If you'd like to get rid of the icon, you can disable NFC in your settings by selecting "More..." in the Wireless & Networks subheading and then unchecking the "NFC" option (you can view Sprint's official instructions here).

The icon they're using is the official logo of the NFC Forum.

---
Tags: 4.3-jelly-bean, htc-one, notification-icons
---


# Question
Title: "Obtaining IP" problem while connecting to WiFi home network on Jelly Bean 4.1.2
I have recently brought a new Samsung mobile with android jelly bean. Till now it was working fine but after the update it is unable to connect to WiFi network and getting stuck at `Obtaining IP`.

How can this problem be solved?

# Answer
Usually this happens when the device is set back to **default manufacturing date**.

Reset the **date** to **current date** and everything will work fine.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Also, check if you entered the WIFI password correctly.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, samsung-galaxy-s, samsung-galaxy-s-duos
---


# Question
Title: How do I install a custom ROM on sony experia ray ST18i?
I unlocked the bootloader and rooted the device already like this: How to unlock and root a Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray ST18i with 4.1.B.1.13 But How can I install a custom Rom now on the device?

I guess I have to enter the recovery menu for it?

I tried this, but it doesen't work:

> press the volume down key a few times when your phone boots up. The sony logo brightens at one point, press during that time

# Answer
> 0 votes
You have to install the drivers and then install ClockworkMod with help of **x-Parts** from Google Play to enable the recovery menu

---
Tags: custom-roms, sony-ericsson-xperia-ray
---


# Question
Title: How to share clipboard between BlueStacks & host Windows PC?
I want to paste texts copied from host Windows PC to apps inside BlueStacks & vice versa. How to do this?

I am running BlueStacks beta-1...

# Answer
Today, I installed Clipper Plus in BlueStacks and I noticed that its already storing clips I copied in Windows. I have also tried to copy a text in BlueStacks and paste in Windows. It has confirmed that **clipboard has already been shared between BlueStacks & Windows**. Great...

Either this feature has been pushed recently or I didn't notice it without Clipper Plus. I tried to paste using `Ctrl+V` in BlueStacks which still doesn't work. Do paste with proper method: Long-click & choose Paste from menu.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I don't know if this will work with BlueStacks specifically, but whenever I want to share a clipboard between my PC and Android device, I use AirDroid.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Use something like Evernote to write and exchange stuff between any two devices, including PC and BlueStacks.
> 0 votes

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Tags: bluestacks, copy-paste
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to pre-download a YouTube video to view it later offline?
I have the Galaxy S3, and I'd like to watch YouTube videos during my commutes. I like to watch long videos (around 1 hours), so I have no more than 1 video per commute.

However, youtube video takes a lot of bandwidth and I have a cap on data usage. Besides, connection outside during peak hours tend to be slow, which makes the video pause to download a lot of times.

Is it possible to pre-download a video at home (using my Wi-Fi, which is faster and has no data cap), and watch it on the way? I tried pausing it at home and let it download, but whenever the phone sleep (it sleeps often!), or the application switch from youtube to anything else, it seems all previous download will be lost.

# Answer
**Update:**

YouTube has removed this feature. Source

---

YouTube's official app allows you to preload a video. You can either preload all your subscription or the videos you have added to watch later.

When your phone is connected to WiFi and charger, Youtube automatically pre-loads them.

Open Youtube -\> Settings -\> Preloading

One thing to note is that this still requires data connection to view the pre-loaded video. It won't download the videos but it does something (may be verification) before showing pre-loaded videos.

Read more at support doc
> 19 votes

# Answer
There's a Python script floating around called `youtube-dl` (*which is an open source project*), an example invocation would be something like this:

`youtube-dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1MIVOTstF0`

depending on the video format, either `MP4` or `flv`, the file would be saved to disk as '*O1MIVOTstF0.mp4*' or '*O1MIVOTstF0.flv*'.

It is cross-platform friendly, and can run under any environment *provided* the Python run-time is installed.

Then push that across using a video player on the handset to play the youtube video - that is off-line, thereby minimizing data caps limit.

***Addendum*** Am not 100% sure if Android has a video decoder for flv format... so that is an open ended question depending on what video player can support it.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Assuming you also have a PC at home, most modern browsers have extensions that will allow you to download a YouTube video, which you could then side load to your S3 and watch in airplane mode, if you liked. I know Opera has an extension that allows YouTube downloads and I assume other browser do too.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Any chance that TubeMate might do the trick?

Just download them over wi-fi and watch 'em on the go. I find it too hard to view a video on a small screen for too long, but this might do the trick.
> 1 votes

# Answer
There are a couple on the Google Play Store. Search for `youtube mp3` and you will find them.

Best one I found is MP3/Video Downloader - Grab It.

It's really simple to use. You can search YouTube and then download music in video or MP# format. Really nice app!
> 1 votes

# Answer
There is a new app called TubeDroid that will enable you to download videos to your device, rather than preloading them.
> 0 votes

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Tags: youtube
---


# Question
Title: Cannot install any Custom ROMs on Xperia Ray ST18i: assert failed: getprop Status 7
When I try to install any of the roms of that page: http://get.cm/?device=urushi I always get this error:

> Finding update package... Opening update package... Installing update... assert failed: getprop("ro.product.device") == "ST18i"|| getprop("ro.build.product") == "ST18i"|| getprop("ro.product.device") == "ST18a"|| getprop("ro.build.product") == "ST18a"|| getprop("ro.product.device") == "urushi" || getprop("ro.build.product") == "urushi" E:Error in /sdcard/cm-9.1.0-urushi.zip
> (Status 7) Installation aborted.

This sounds to me, that the prop doesen't get the right string "ST18i" which is strange, cause that's exactly my model.

Do I have to downgrade or install something else first?

I also tried to install the old image Xperia Ray (ST18i)\_4.0.2.A.0.42\_CE.zip again, but there is just sais "installation aborted".

Are there different Rescue Menues? I read, someone tried reinstalled his rescue menu with Odin.

I installed my Recovery Mod with the app **x-Parts** from Google Play that app installs the CWM.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You have to install the boot image that is included in the Cyanogenmod ZIP file an flash that in fastboot:

Connect your device with Vol-Up While plugging in the USB-Cable

```
fastboot devices

```

Seeing your serial number means we know all is good.

Now type these commands:

```
fastboot erase system -w
fastboot erase boot

```

then copy the boot.img in the same folder as fastboot.exe and type

```
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot reboot

```

Now press the Vol-Down Button to enter the Recovery Mode again and install your image

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, installation, recovery-mode, sony-ericsson-xperia-ray
---


title: Music player widget title cut off

text:
# Question
Title: Music player widget title cut off
My iPod recently broke so I started using Google Play Music on my phone. It works quite well and today I discovered the widget, so I added it to my home screen. It's very useful, the only thing is that the title is cut off slightly and the whole widget seems too low. You can still clearly make out what it says but it just doesn't look very nice. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Here is a screenshot to explain it better:

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

# Answer
The problem lies in the number of rows on the screen. On the screenshot in the question, there are six rows designated for shortcuts and widgets. If the number of rows is reduced to five the music widget comes out as it should:

Screenshot (click for larger variant)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: app-widgets, google-play-music
---


title: Checking mail on mobile data

text:
# Question
Title: Checking mail on mobile data
i use roaming which is very expensive and I search some kind of script or way of solving my problem: there is a possibility to **turn off** checking e-mail when the android is connected via mobile data ? Any knows how to limit the transfer of mobile data to the minimum (disable apps which I do not want sync etc.) ?

Thanks in advance !

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you go into Settings -\> Data Usage you can see which apps are using the most data. It's possible to turn them off using data in the background by clicking on the app and then selecting "Restrict Background Data". See this and this for pictures and further detail.

Also if it's just email you're using you can probably turn it off automatically checking depending on the client and email service you're using. If you're using Gmail then go into the Gmail app, go to the settings for your account and turn off "Sync Gmail".

# Answer
> 2 votes
Next to the settings pointed out by Peanut's answer, it might be worth to check some special roaming apps like e.g. Roaming Control:

> Roaming Control automatically enables or disables mobile data connection, airplane mode or **auto sync** based on the currently active network operator.

(emphasis mine). If your mail client obeys the sync settings, this should be an excellent alternative: have it checking mails in background usually, but just not while in roaming. Best explained by a screenshot:

<sup>*Roaming Control* (click for larger variant)</sup>

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


# Question
Title: Is there a shop like Cydia on iOS for Android?
Most apps in the Google Play store have a free version and a paid version. On iOS there is a shop called Cydia, where you can try out most apps for free before you buy them in the App Store.

Is there such a store for rooted Androids as well?

I know of the store F-Droid for free software

> F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software)

# Answer
> 0 votes
While there are Android markets offering pirated versions, (not try before you buy which is signified usually by Demo or Lite) as the other users have mentioned, installing them is very risky. I would recommend being involved in the development community. As a developer I share keys and am invited to test apps often by frequenting XDA forums and Reddit.com/r/Android.
Developers will discount or give away versions of their apps and being involved in the community will help you learn more and score you some software deals.

*Update:This answer does not really address the question.*

---
Tags: applications, alternative-markets
---


title: Why am I unable to install some apps?

text:
# Question
Title: Why am I unable to install some apps?
I own an **HTC Salsa** with **Android 2.3.3** (Gingerbread).

The problem is that I can't download apps like *Subway Surfers*, *Temple Run*, *Candy Crush*, etc. The market reports, "your device is incompatible".

Does it mean hardware requirements?

Is there any way I can upgrade my phone to play the above popular games?

**Update:**

Very useful information from Mr. Buster. But since there is an update on GOOGLE play now, which doesn't allow you to see the incompatible information.

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

# Answer
Application developers can set their own requirements in the play store for what must be present before a game or application will be available.

For example, it is possible to require a device has a camera, or has a screen larger than a given size, or has support for a particular version of OpenGL.

The HTC Salsa is equipped with an ARMv6 CPU (MSM7227), and has an Adreno 200 GPU, which supports OpenGL ES 1.0 and OpenGL ES 1.1.

From experience, the limitation here is most likely your ARMv6 CPU, as the vast majority of sofware nowadays is written for ARMv7 capable CPUs. Googling for the names of these games, along with "armv6" shows some hits, although I would be very cautious about running third party unofficial apps that have unspecified and unverifiable modifications.

If you do manage to get the games to run, you may find they lack OpenGL support (modern games are usually using OpenGL ES 2.0 or above), considering the fact that OpenGL 2.0 is required for programmable 3D graphics (source: http://www.khronos.org/opengles/2\_X/)
> 3 votes

# Answer
It could mean that your phone does not meet either software or hardware requirements, or both. You could probably spoof the identity of your phone (so that it could be recognized as Samsung Galaxy S4 for example, instead of HTC Salsa), but you can't expect the app to work properly in this case.

So, I would suggest to get an updated / higher-end phone instead.

**UPDATE 2013-10-30:** If you're really looking into spoofing the model of your phone, check out Market Helper (needs root).
> 6 votes

# Answer
Google Play lets app developers restrict which devices their apps can be installed on. Developers target specific device characteristics (screen size, keyboard configuration, software version, hardware specs, geographic location, carrier, etc) by specifying them in the app's manifest. Google Play then filters which users can install the app given their device configuration. Here's what Google has written to developers about filtering applications on Google Play:

> **How Filters Work on Google Play**
>
> ---
>
> Google Play uses the filter restrictions to determine whether to show your application to a user who is browsing or searching for applications from the Google Play app.
>
> When determining whether to display your app, Google Play checks the device's hardware and software requirement, as well as it's carrier, location, and other characteristics. It then compares those against the restrictions and dependencies expressed by the application's manifest file and publishing details.
>
> If the application is compatible with the device according to the filter rules, Google Play displays the application to the user. Otherwise, Google Play hides your application from search results and category browsing, even if a user specifically requests the app by clicking a deep link that points directly to the app's ID within Google Play.
>
> **Filtering on the Google Play web site**
>
> ---
>
> When users browse the Google Play web site, they can see all published applications. The Google Play web site compares the application requirements to each of the user's registered devices for compatibility, though, and only allows them to install the application if it's compatible with their device.

There could be any number of reasons, then, that your device is not allowed to download the apps you mentioned. You can gain a little more insight, however, expanding the incompatibility message to view the details. Here's what ghacks.net's Martin Brinkmann has written on the topic:

> Google displays compatibility information right underneath's the install button on that page. If your device is not compatible, you will receive the following information:
>
> Incompatible does not necessarily mean that your device's technical capabilities are incompatible with the app. While that may often be the case, it can also refer to geo-restrictions that the creator of the app has set. Apps can be released only to select countries, and if you happen to live in a country that the app is not (yet) released in, you too will receive the incompatibility message.
>
> Now, to find out why your device has been deemed incompatible click on the small plus icon in the bottom right corner of the message.
>
> Here you find the reason why you cannot install the app to your device.

As a last resort, consider contacting the app developers to ask for a better understanding of what makes your device incompatible.
> 4 votes

# Answer
It could be for many reasons. Probably since the Salsa is relatively low end hardware wise and 2.3.3 is slowly becoming less supported.

I'd contact the developers and if it's an issue with the firmware, root your phone and install Android 4.0 +
> 1 votes

# Answer
you could try side loading the app. just download the .apk to your phone or transfer it from your comouter and install. no guarantee it will run but it will let you install the apk.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You should upgrade your phone. subway surfers and all these games you mentioned need higher GPU than salsa. and as someone said you could spoof your phone. The app doesnt work as expected and may slow down your phone.
> 0 votes

# Answer
HTC Salsa hardware is not that poor! I have nearly similar config phone but i can play all of those games the only big deference is my phone has android 4. i suggest upgrade your rom to android 4. i searched a little and find out it have new Roms from 2.3.3 to 4.1.2 JB.
> 0 votes

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Tags: applications, compatibility
---


title: Corrupt Internal Storage File System

text:
# Question
Title: Corrupt Internal Storage File System
I am using an original RAZR that is partitioned using Safestrap running stock 4.1 on one partition and CM10.1 on the other.

My problem is the internal storage (internal SD card I believe) partition running CM10.1 has a corrupt file system and I am having trouble running a check and repair. The internal storage always shows 0.0b available and no files can be saved to that disk space. The OS restores to default on every reboot, I'm guessing the config files are failing to save when I get through the setup.

Troubleshooting steps/questions so far...

* Using Safestrap I have tried to wipe the system and all caches, then reinstall CM10.1 but no luck. The version I have of SS does not provide a file system check.
* I can connect using shell and ADB, just not sure exactly what commands to run from there. Specifically how do I find out what file system to mount and how do I type that out as an argument?

Do I use the fsck\_msdos program that I have available in the /system/xbin folder? If so how do I find the file system information to complete the syntax for running the fsck?

If fsck is the correct method to repair where do I run it from? Stock or CM installation? ADB shell or terminal from a running droid OS?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I once tried to Format my microsd card in my razr with a safestrapped rom. My phone rebooted and I ended up having to reinstall my rom. buy a microsd card reader and format with your pc. If you have a friend that has a digital camera, you could ask them to format it for you. You would need a microsd to sdcard converter tho.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, 4.1-jelly-bean, file-system
---


# Question
Title: Cell Broadcasts for LG lucid with android 4.0.4
I've looked at the wikipedia article and it is very informative. But my husband had a Verizon LG Lucid with Android 4.0.4. NO WHERE can I find a way to adjust the cell broadcasts! I have a Samsung Galaxy and there is a page to check what kind of emergencies to receive notifications. I can turn any/all of them off. What about the LUCID??

# Answer
My LG Optimus 5 (E455 and E450) also has a pre-installed application called cell broadcast, with CB enabled. I disabled it.
> 0 votes

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Tags: cell-broadcast
---


# Question
Title: Security Audit - how can I tell my Android Distribution is safe
I've just bought a Jiayu G4 and it came with android installed (rooted).

My question is - how can I tell that nothing *nasty* has been installed on the phone? Or best practices to ensure that it's safe to use. I've had a look but I haven't seen any accounts of malware distributed Android OS's, but I'm sure it can happen.

Obviously there's an (un)healthy amount of paranoia here, but it'd be nice to know that data isn't being siphoned off somewhere it shouldn't be.

# Answer
The bad news: You very probably can't.

If the manufacturer decides to backdoor your phone's firmware, it's hardly detectable by individuals.

Phones consist of many components of which only a tiny fraction is really authored by the manufacturer.

Think of drivers and firmwares for various chips like the baseband, wifi, sensors, the various open source parts like the linux kernel, the Android system itself, the closed source Google apps and additional 3rd party packages from other other companies, that are preloaded.

To be sure, you would need all of the firmwares' source code and a way to compile it in a way such that the official builds and your build match bit by bit to prove that the source code matches the firmware (and nothing was secretely altered). Now one still needed to audit all the source and scan it for backdoors/vulnerabilities.

To get an idea: TrueCrypt is a popular disk encryption software for many operating systems. In the wake of the NSA scandal its sources have recently been binary matched with the official windows releases which was a very tedious process (report here). A source code audit hasn't been conducted yet, but there's a (now) still running indiegogo project for funding that audit with currently ~35k US$ pledged for doing it.
> 2 votes

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Tags: security
---


# Question
Title: Google Calendar gone nuts since DST has ended
Ever since the 28th of October when DST has ended all of my events in my Google Calendar has moved one hour earlier. The web calendar shows currect dates and times but the one on my Nexus 4 is one hour early.

I tried using 'Home time' in the calendar settings without success.

Any ideas?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Have you tried setting `Automatic date & time` and `Automatic time zone`?

**Source:** Daylight Saving Time and Android: Sit back and relax

# Answer
> 0 votes
Check your calendar settings and see if you're using Home time zone. I've got mine using home time zone and it has no problems switching between DST.

Calendar -\> Settings -\> General settings

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Tags: nexus-4, google-calendar, google
---


title: Nexus 7 cannot acts as Handsfree

text:
# Question
Title: Nexus 7 cannot acts as Handsfree
Today I watched this video in below url and I am wondering why Google Nexus 7 and Google Nexus 4 cannot act like this. Unable see the incoming call coming from paired device in Nexus.

URL: http://support-us.samsung.com/spstv/detail.jsp?ctg\_id=209&sub\_ctg\_id=&live\_id=8

I have updated both the device to Android 4.3.

Have I missed any settings or Nexus does not support A2DP? or only Galaxy Player supports this?

Thanks Deepak

# Answer
> 2 votes
Bluetooth has a master/slave setup, in which the other device is a master (for example, a phone) and the other a slave (a headset). Most phones support the hands-free profile only as a master, which means that the phone can connect to slave devices and stream its audio to the device, not the other way around. Apparently Samsung has included support for HFP slave on it's Player models, which is reasonable since they don't have phone functionality builtin.

Therefore, it's not a question of settings, it's a question of support.

---
Tags: bluetooth, nexus-7, nexus-4, a2dp
---


# Question
Title: Trying to get a PC to boot off a bootable SD card that is inside an USB attached Android device
First, I'd like to make myself look less a madman than I may have appeared to be.
I wanted to have a bootable USB stick with me at all times, but it's less convenient because it's an extra object and it's easier to lose, forget etc. Then I thought, I have an Android phone, and it has a micro SD in it; perfect.
Not all PC's can boot off a card reader, but the phone itself **is** a card reader when attached as a disk drive.

Or at least so I thought. Turns out that my netbook BIOS (tested on Asus eeePC) refuses to see it as an external harddrive; it only recognizes it as a generic USB device and doesn't offer an option to boot from it.
The device has a name "Android phone" or smth, so it seems to me that it doesn't work as a "pure" card reader, and instead still manifests itself as a phone.

Can it be somehow overridden?

# Answer
See my answer to this question.

Short answer: Yes, it's possible, with a custom recovery, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it due to my experience with my phones not charging in recovery.
> 1 votes

# Answer
No, it can't be done with an Android phone due to the driver installation requirements that Android has before it will connect the SD card to the PC as removable storage. The Android OS requires basic (charging/connection) drivers to be installed before it will act as removable storage.

Because these drivers can't be installed in POST, the phone will not offer the SD card as a storage medium.

There might be a way to do it in Android, but I suggest you flag your question for moderator attention and request migration to Android SE if you want a possible Android solution.
> 2 votes

# Answer
For Linux distros, it can be done with an Android app called DriveDroid.
> 0 votes

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Tags: usb, external-sd, linux, htc-desire-hd, disk-drive
---


# Question
Title: "Settings" is crashing after installing gapps
I've install custom rom called JELLYTIME on my HTC Desire HD phone. Recently I tried to update it to most recent version. After the update I installed google apps from this website: http://goo.im/gapps. I installed version 20130301. Since then the settings section works very badly. It crashes often and I can't connect to any wifi network for example. I'm afraid that I installed the wrong version of gapps but according to the table I should have installed that version for android 4.2.2. Can anyone please tell how can I fix the problem?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't know why and how but in one case I solved this problem using wifix manager app. Just installed it and wifi started to work normally. Hope this helps anyone.

http://www.fardjad.com/android/wifix/

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, custom-roms, htc-desire-hd, google-apps
---


# Question
Title: How to use or uninstall a hidden app in Android?
This question is about a Nexus 4 bought in the United States and used in India.

Backstory: A friend from US gifted the phone to me. When I first switched the phone on, it had the app google earth. After configuring the phone with accounts and installing apps, the google earth application disappeared from the apps shown in the App Drawer. I initially presumed that the app may have been uninstalled after learning that Google Earth app is not available for the country India.

Few days later, I installed AppBrain, a third party app market app on the phone. AppBrain lists all the apps I have on the phone and even shows Google Earth. From the AppBrain app, attempting to open the Google Earth app gives the message "This app is not executable"; attempting to uninstall the app gives the message "Uninstall unsuccessful".

Questions:

1. How do I use this hidden app (or how do I unhide the app) on my phone now that I know its present and installed?
2. If I wanted to uninstall it, how would I be able to do it?

# Answer
You can't uninstall it. On Android, the apps you install yourself are stored in the main internal storage. The apps that come pre-installed are not installed there, but rather in the phone's ROM. They're not taking up space that you could use for other apps, and they can't be changed or deleted.

To remove this one app, you'd have to replace the whole ROM (including the operating system) of your phone with a custom one such as Cyanogenmod. (See the tag info for more information on custom ROMs.) This would have other effects too, so it's probably not something you'd want to do just to remove an app that doesn't run and isn't occupying any internal storage.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You could try using a file explorer like file expert to reinstall the app.I am also using a nexus 4 bought in India. If you go to internal storage/system/app you will find GoogleEarth.apk listed in there.Just click on it and it will be installed and visible in the app drawer from now on.
> 1 votes

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Tags: nexus-4, google-earth
---


# Question
Title: Is there a standard place for the Owner Information on an Android phone?
I found an lost Android phone - is there a standard place on Android phones for owner information so I can contact the person who lost it?

# Answer
If you go to Settings \> Accounts & sync settings, you should be able to see their gmail address and possibly Facebook. You can probably contact them through one of those.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Settings / About Phone / Status shows the device's phone number. Call it and leave a message. Maybe the owner will check their voicemail from home.

Or call people in the contact list, especially ones that show recent history. "Your buddy lost a phone..."

Or call the carrier and tell them you found the phone. They will be able to contact the phone's owner and relay your contact information.
> 2 votes

# Answer
There is now a standard place for Android phone users to set their owner information:

Menu -\> Settings -\> Security - \> Owner Information

There is also a checkbox that makes this information show up on the lock screen.

There is an article about it at CNET with this useful screenshot:

<sub>(source: cbsistatic.com)</sub>
> 0 votes

---
Tags: security, settings
---


# Question
Title: How old is the datalog when just starting "logcat"?
When I run `adb -d logcat` it dumps data from a time before. How old is that data?

# Answer
Logcat displays Android's logs.

This is by definition information about things that happened in the **past**.

Android's logs are stored in a ring buffer and if full, the then oldest entries are overwritten. It depends on how much is being logged, when that happens. Besides this, the buffer is reset when you restart the phone, so logs cannot be older than the current uptime.
> 4 votes

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Tags: adb, logging
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# Question
Title: How to fix broken display on Samsung Galaxy Tab?
My Samsung Galaxy Tab felt on the street and the glass on the touch screen is broken. The display still works fine, but it is "danger to touch it", especially for kids.

When I visited repair shop, they asked for the price almost equal to the price of new device.

As it seems to work still fine, my hypothesis is that only the glass is broken, and actually display (electronic device) behind it is ok. And if I would be able to remove the broken glass and get new one (from some ordinary "window maker") and glue it on the display, everything should be ok.

Is that crazy idea or do I have a chance?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can get a new screen through eBay. Here's one for ~$77.

Also, here's a YouTube video that shows how to dismantle and replace the screen and digitizer.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can pick up a replacement on eBay for ~$80. It looks like they all come with the glass + the digitizer, from what I have read, they are a "combo" item. Then you can find tutorials on how to replace the screen.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If the digitizer still works and the only issue is the sharp edges, I know a bunch of folks that have (device agnostic) cracked screens with a screen protector serving as more of a finger protector on them.

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Tags: screen, samsung-galaxy-tab, broken-screen
---


# Question
Title: How to interrupt Android boot sequence to force it boot to Linux kernel only
I am trying to do some low level performance testing related to device processor cores through adb which I feel it is affected by Android background services and system stuff.

As I know that the Android boot sequence stages are as follow:

1. Execute Boot ROM code.
2. Execute the boot loader.
3. Load the Linux kernel.
4. Launch Zygote, which initializes the Dalvik VM.
5. System server which loads the Android system.

So my question is how can I interrupt this sequence to force it stop on stage 3 to load Linux kernel. This can help me implement my intermediary performance testings before loading again Android system.

Does Fastboot or Clockworkmod recovery can help here and load my device to a kind of Linux kernel?

Any hint will be appreciated. Thanks.

# Answer
> 2 votes
No. Android's not like a desktop GNU/Linux distro, where you can press `I` to get an interactive boot, or skip X and just boot to a shell. The only way to achieve this would be to build your own custom ROM after editing the init scripts (which have much the same function as on a desktop GNU/Linux system) to tailor the boot process how you like.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are able to root your device or install alternative Android distro (Clockworkmod), you might have options available:

1. Rooting device: I am not sure if Android root image allows modification (read-write file system). If yes, you probably could edit the boot scripts to allow enabling your system modifications. Or moving the `init` process (not sure what that is in Android) away and replacing it with your own init program that after enabling your modifications would `exec()` the original `init` (`init` is the first process (with PID 1) that is run by unixy operating systems).
2. Using alternative Android distro (assuming CWN). If you can run CWN in your device, you could study how to build your own image and modify it for your needs.

Beyond the step of rooting or installing/running alternative image, gaining shell access, I have the impression that - once you determine which road to take - you could have better luck in getting the specifics (boot script locations and the way they operate, help with creating your own CWN image) answered at http://stackoverflow.com!

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Tags: boot, kernel
---


# Question
Title: How can data on an unrooted phone be backed up?
**What methods are available to back up data (both system and application) from a phone which is *not* rooted and is running stock Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread?**

* It is my understanding that it is impossible to retrieve application data (not stored on the SD card) on an unrooted phone, except where the application itself offers export. Is this accurate?
* Of the system settings and built-in applications, which ones have *export* facilities I can take advantage of? Which ones notably have no export and have significant amounts of data which I might want to manually transcribe out?

I am already using Missing Sync for Android which takes care of the contacts, calendar, photos, call log, and SMS messages. My phone is a Nexus One.

# Answer
> 17 votes
If a phone is not rooted that means that apps are securely sandboxed. There is no way that one app can access the data held by another app. In the underlying linux filesystem they are actually represented as different users, and do not have permission to access each others' files.

The only things that can backup the files are a) the system itself and b) the app can backup it's own files.

In Froyo (2.2) Google introduced cloud backup, which many app developers have integrated into their apps. This means than some apps will just automatically restore their data as soon as you sign into a new phone with your Google account. However, this will only work for those apps that have implemented this functionality.

You should find that all of the system apps now have full backup, or cloud sync, from Froyo onwards.

From my recent experience upgrading to a Galaxy Nexus - Cloud Sync: GMail, Calendar, Contacts; Cloud Backup: All system settings (I was surprised by some), Email settings. Not backed up: Browser bookmarks (though these are synced in ICS).

There is not default system functionality in Vanilla android that will backup all of your apps, and I'm not aware of any operator/manufacturer customisations which have implemented a system-level backup.

One thing that you can do is to install a new recovery, such as ClockworkMod. This does not require your phone to be 'rooted', however, it does need you to have an unlocked bootloader, which I suspect is what you are trying to avoid, as it is typically reflashing the bootloader where 'bricking' occurs.

You may be able to manually pull all of the files from the /data partition, using adb. You can browse them using 'adb shell', and pull them individually using 'adb pull', but you would need root to be able to restore them. This also requires a certain amount of technical understanding. edit: actually after further testing, even this requires root access.

The suggested MyBackupPro below will not backup all of your apps - only those with exposed contentResolvers (ie SMS, calendar, contacts etc). Those things are automatically backed up in Gingerbread anyway. (I can't comment or vote down)

# Answer
> 3 votes
Helium (previously known as Carbon) can backup apps even on non-rooted phones. For this, it requires connecting the phone to a PC via USB and running an `adb` command which will start some kind of proxy service that will allow Helium to backup your apps. Internally, it seems to run `adb backup` through that proxy service.

# Answer
> -1 votes
You can actually use MyBackup Pro -- works wonders on unrooted phones!

# Answer
> -1 votes
i understand that by loading airdroid onto an unrooted device that you can then connect via its web server from your desktop and backup all the files from the device. Presumably you can reverse the process to restore.

# Answer
> -2 votes
ASTRO File Manager is great to backup apps as well as many other features that make it an overall great app itself. I have used to for backup when I have needed to wipe my phone and start again.

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Tags: backup
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# Question
Title: how do I make the radio start automatically when I plug in my headset?
On my old phone, the radio would automatically turn on when I plugged in my headset. I can't seem to get it to do the same on my new phone?

I have a Sony Xperia go, running jelly bean.

# Answer
Plug in launcher is a free app that lets you launch any app once you plug-in your headset.
> 1 votes

# Answer
As I've already pointed out in a comment on the question, there are plenty of headset control answers (see e.g. this one). Those app give you some added control using your headset, so they allow to define what app shall be started when the headset is plugged in, and using the single headset button they let you perform a multitude of actions like volume control, start/stop, skip, pick up/reject call, and more.

A different approach could make use of our "ultimate automation tool" Tasker, which also can supervise the headset plug. This would give you even greater control over the conditions. So you could e.g. have a different app started at home than at work. Here you could use *State → Headset plugged* as condition (and optionally, ad described, location, time, whether power is connected, the device docked...), and then *Load App* as action. You could even have set the volumes to your likeness before, and let *Tasker* send an SMS to everybody to not to disturb you while enjoying your music ;)

Available *Tasker* actions and example profiles (source: Google Play; click for larger images)

Funny thing is: as the second picture shows, your case is even used for the example pictures on Google Play (Headset Plugged → Start Music)...
> 1 votes

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Tags: headphones, fm-radio, sony-xperia
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# Question
Title: Is there no option to turn off cell broadcasting messages in HTC Desire 500?
I got the recently launched HTC Desire 500 (Android 4.1.2, Sense 5).

Since then I am continuously getting cell broadcasting messages (4 every 2 minutes). And shockingly, there is no option to turn off the cell broadcast neither in message settings nor in Call settings.

When I compared my HTC Desire X with Desire 500, I saw the option is there in Desire X but not in Desire 500. The call center people are helpless. The Customer care center people are saying its a defect in the phone's software, so we cant repair it.

So by the time the software update comes, does anyone here has any solution. It is really irritating and its sad that HTC doesn't have the solution to such a trivial issue which is actually a headache.

# Answer
I am not sure whether this works as I believe broadcast settings are not stored in SIM. I searched and stumbled on this HTC support page where the solution is said as:

> I resolve problem. It is very simple. Just put your sim card in old or some other phone and turn off cell broadcast info option. Then return your sim in new phone. On my HTC Desire 500 there is no option for cell broadcast. After this procedure I do not recives messages.

Then, another search result says with better detail (you may have to search for `Cell Broadcast`. Though this not deals with your phone (with HTC Desire T327W), I guess this seems to be a common issue with few HTC phones. As per that page:

> 26-Sep-2013 - My earlier review talks about Cell Broadcast messages problem faced by me while using HTC Desire XDS. After a lot of followup with HTC, I have got the steps using which the Cell Broadcast messages have got disabled in my Desire XDS. The steps taken by me were as follows for each of the two SIM cards:
> a) Find an old phone which has an option to enable/disable Broadcast Channels and Messages (in my case its a Samsung D500).
>
> b) Insert the first SIM in that old phone and go to the settings menu for Broadcast messages.
>
> c) At first the Channels and Messages usually appear as disabled. I changed the setting for both Channels and Messages to Enabled in the old phone.
>
> d) Switch-off the old phone and Switch-on
>
> e) Go to the settings menu for Broadcast messages. Change the settings for both Channels and Messages to Disabled.
>
> f) Switch-off the old phone and Switch-on
>
> g) Switch-off the old phone and remove SIM card
>
> h) Do the same steps (a-g) for the second SIM
>
> i) Insert the SIM cards back in HTC Desire XDS
>
> Now I do not get any Broadcast Messages, its such a relief. I hope HTC provides a better and elegant solution via a software update in the upgrade to Android 4.3.
> 0 votes

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Tags: cell-broadcast, htc-desire-500
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# Question
Title: Partially dead digitizer - any way to change slide to unlock?
The middle third (long-narrow thirds way) of my digitizer seems to have crapped out. Diagnosed from having vary hard time unlocking and weird selection issues, to suspecting digitizer, to getting a drawing program installed and seeing no record of movement over that part of the screen when drawing.

This makes unlocking (non-secure) with the "slide to unlock" tab almost impossible - takes 20 or more tries to get it to work sometimes. Since that button does not move when the screen rotates, I can't get it to live where the digitizer works. I thought I might be able to make it work with "pattern unlock" but that won't set a pattern with the middle third out of operation. Same issue affects the sound on/off (and trying to unlock often sets the sound on or off instead.)

**So my answerable, stack-exchange-ish question, essentially, is whether there is any way to move/reorient the "slide to unlock" tab, or let the keyboard do that function.**

Phone has not been wet, but I tried drying it anyway since many digitizer problems seem to be water related. No help. On/off/reboot battery in/out also make no difference. While it's irritating, if I could get something else (like the keyboard) to do what the slide-unlock is doing, but reliably, I could live with it as is for as much as I use the touchscreen.

I'm on a rooted (basically so I could install AFWall+, as I'm using it on a prepaid service primarily to make/take calls with, and really wanted to make double sure that any data use was restricted to WiFi, ONLY.) "Gingerbread" (2.3.4) Motorola Droid 2 Global if it makes a difference. I'm no great shakes at android-ness, I basically tracked down a root tool method that was purported to work, and after finding that many versions of it didn't discovered one "not the most updated" version that did work, despite dear old VZ making it more difficult.

(*I'd also like to ask about replacing the digitizer, but after reading the help page 3 times I'm **still** not sure if that's considered on or off topic, since it's more about "hardware running android" than about "android as such" but it is "a problem I'm trying to solve on my android device"*)

# Answer
> 2 votes
I have the same model and the digitizer is also 2/3 dead. If hold vertically, the left third from top to bottom works **plus** the rightmost vertical pixel line.

I was able to unlock it using a two finger gesture: Swipe the slider as far as possible to the right and hold it, then touch the right edge of the screen with a 2nd finger, then release the 1st finger.

My permanent solution:

Installed Cyanogenmod and enabled physical keyboard unlock.

Note that you can buy a replacement digitizer on ebay for around 20$ or so if you don't mind doing it yourself.

# Answer
> 3 votes
As pointed out in my comment on the question itself, you might try a lock screen replacement from Google Play that might let you customize where to place the "unlocker". Just picking some examples by their screenshots:

LockMenu / Zipper Lock screen / WidgetLocker (click images for larger variants)

As you can see, there are multiple solutions available letting you define where the slider (or whatever) should be located – so you should be able to leave out the "dead spots" easily.

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Tags: lock-screens, hardware, motorola-droid-2
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# Question
Title: My phone suddenly shows an SD-card notification
My Sony Xperia J phone was in my pocket and I wanted to read an ebook, so started my reader application. It showed a black screen and when I checked the shelf, all my books were gone.

I noticed a new notification icon that looked like a folded SD card. I checked its message that said: **SD card is empty or its file system is not supported**.

What? Half an hour ago I was using it. I tapped the message and a question appeared: *Do you want to format your SD-card? It'll erase all data from it.*

What?? All my ebooks and media are gone just like that?

I restarted the phone, still no SD-card. When I got home, I removed the card and reinserted and fortunately now it works.

How does that so-called OS dare to lose my data? And the "recovery" solution is to *format the card*?

What could cause this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
One of my family members had the same problem, SD card misbehaving, then working for a few days, on and off. After a week or so the phone did not read the card at all and neither did the PC. Fortunately I backed up the content of the card after the first problem. The card worked for about a month after formatting, but died eventually.

I do not know what causes this.
I do not know how to stop it.
I know what you should do: a **backup**.

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Tags: external-sd, sony-xperia-j
---


# Question
Title: How do you restart the download manager service?
I was using my Nexus 7 (android 4.2.2) through the hotspot on my phone and the download manager was trying to download a large app update. I pressed and held the notification to get to the app info for download manager and disabled it. How do I re-enable it?

# Answer
Go to Settings \> Apps then scroll to the right.

You'll see a few tabs:

1. Downloaded
2. Running,
3. All
4. Disabled (if any of your apps are disabled)

In the Disabled tab find the Download Manager and enable it.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Izzy says:

> Have you tried going to *Settings-\>Apps-\>Manage Apps* and see if you can find the Download Manager there? Might either be in the alphabetic order, or moved to the end of the list. Tap its entry, tap the "enable" button.

bassmadrigal says:

> It should be under Settings -\> Apps -\> All at the bottom of the list (if you have multiple apps disabled, it will be sorted alphabetically below all the enabled apps). Just click on it and click the enable button.
> 0 votes

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Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, download-manager
---


title: Why is Android File Transfer necessary?

text:
# Question
Title: Why is Android File Transfer necessary?
Apparently newer versions of Android require the use of Android File Transfer. I have an older machine that doesn't require this, and just mounts as a USB mass storage device. I can't see a technical reason why Android File Transfer is now required when it used not to be.

What changed in order to make this necessary? Why is it necessary?

# Answer
Newer Android devices don't support *USB mass storage* because it has a big shortcoming: the phone and the PC can't access the storage at the same time that way. This is because USB mass storage is a low-level protocol giving the PC low-level access to the whole filesystem. This causes knock-on problems when you connect your phone to the PC:-

* Apps on the external storage can't run while it is mounted on the PC.
* Music and other files on the external storage aren't accessible to apps, so even apps that aren't on the external storage might stop working or become useless.
* When the external storage is unmounted from the PC, Android has to rescan it from scratch (see ) because it can't tell what has changed.
* There's no way for the phone to let the PC access the internal storage this way: Android can't unmount the internal storage, because all apps need access to it, even the system apps.
* This also means there has to be a separate partition and filesystem for the external storage, which the phone can cope with losing access to. Newer Android devices often just have one big partition, and the "external storage" is simply a directory there. It's more convenient that way because you don't have free space split between partitions, but you can't use USB mass storage on only a directory.
* Android can't enforce any filesystem security. The PC has complete access to the exported storage, below the filesystem level. This lets it access any file, and read the raw device data to recover deleted files. This might be considered an undesirable security hole.
* As eldarerathis points out, the external storage has to use the FAT32 filesystem to work this way. This isn't a shortcoming when it's a real SD card, but when it's really non-removable storage, it would be more useful to use a better filesystem.

(Where I say "SD card" here, that means whatever storage your Android device calls "external", even if it's not actually removable.)

In contrast, MTP is higher-level, and allows Android to arbitrate and to share access, just like when sharing directories or filesystems over a network. It even opens the possibility of letting the PC access the internal storage this way, but there are other restrictions around that unrelated to MTP.

As eldarerathis explains, you need special software to access MTP devices from a Mac, because Mac OS doesn't have the appropriate software built-in, like Windows and some Linux distributions do.
> 13 votes

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Tags: file-transfer, macos
---


title: Linux connectivity

text:
# Question
Title: Linux connectivity
I am wondering how to best connect Android smartphones with Linux boxes.

The best thing would be a program like Samsung's Kies, but Samsung seems to target Windows and Mac OS.

Is there such an application like Kies that runs on linux natively (not wine), so the user can connect Android devices with linux boxes over USB without doing all the low level USB and MTP stuff by hand.

(Any hardware vendor is OK, Samsung is only an example)

# Answer
You don't need any special software. On recent Linux distributions such as Ubuntu 13.04, all the right drivers for MTP are installed by default. When you plug your phone in, you get a file manager window that shows the contents of your phone. The phone appears as a normal directory, so you can drag-n-drop files, use `rsync` to sync files, or anything else you normally do to move or manage files.

Some apps, such as Shotwell (for photos) and Clementine (for music) also detect that your phone acts as a media player, and offer specific functionality for syncing a music collection, transferring and processing photos, in a high-level interface that works on playlists and albums instead of just files. You don't need to use this kind of software, but it's there if you prefer not to worry about exactly where each file is stored.

On older Ubuntu versions and some other distributions, you might need to install one or more MTP-related packages through the package manager to make this work. You still don't need any hardware-specific software, and the forum or manual for your distribution will explain exactly what setup is needed.
> 3 votes

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Tags: usb, linux
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# Question
Title: "No language is installed in your default TTS Engine"? What should I do?
I have just installed a pdf reader in my Samsung Galaxy Y mobile phone which comes with android 2.3 Gingerbread. This pdf reader has a text to speech option, but I am not able to use it and getting the error message: "No Language installed in your Default TTS Engine".

What should I do? How do I fix this?

# Answer
You need to install the speech synthesis data for the TTS engine. You can find it on the play store here.

Edit : The installer seems to have been removed from the Play Store for some reason. It can be found here.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: text-to-speech
---


# Question
Title: adb start-server and listen on all interfaces
ADB in Android 4.3 SDK implemented `-a` option. What I want is:

```
adb -a start-server

```

so the background process is bound to all interfaces, but it does not work. I need to start it like this on Windows. I have managed to start the server in foreground mode with the following command:

```
adb -P 5037 -a fork-server server

```

(copied it from Linux)

Is there any proper way of achieving the same?

# Answer
This is a bug in the current implementation. Although `adb` has the `-a` flag, it doesn't forward it to the daemon when it launches it, so the daemon still only listens on `localhost`. Until this is fixed, launching the daemon in the foreground seems to be the only solution.

Another improvement would be to keep the command server on localhost, but to allow `adb forward` to bind to all ports. I guess I should open a bug for that.
> 4 votes

# Answer
The only way of doing this is recompiling adb as explained here: http://rxwen.blogspot.com/2009/11/adb-for-remote-connections.html You can also use the precompiled binaries from that site..
> 2 votes

---
Tags: adb, windows
---


title: Text-to-Speech Going too fast

text:
# Question
Title: Text-to-Speech Going too fast
I have recently installed this app into my Samsung Galaxy Y mobile phone running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The speed at which words are being spoken by this system is too high for me to grasp. Also, I suspect that there is absolutely no pauses after commas and full stops.

I am not able to find any settings too. What should I do? Is this problem solvable?

# Answer
I'm not sure about Samsung GB, but on my Galaxy S3 running JB 4.1, the setting for the TTS speech rate is found in Settings -\> Language and Input -\> Text-to-speech Output -\> Speech Rate.

Wbogacz suggests that setting may also be found at Settings -\> Accessibility -\> Text-to-speech Output -\> Speech Rate
> 2 votes

---
Tags: text-to-speech
---


# Question
Title: How to force Backup Assistant to sync in airplane mode with WiFi on
I recently switched phones but am keeping my old phone for use on WiFi. I have put the phone in airplane mode to improve battery life and keep it from looking for the cell network (as this is futile, it is no longer activated).

However, now every morning I am getting an error telling me that Backup Assistant was unable to sync. At first I thought this was very strange as I have a WiFi and Internet connection. However when I finally went into the app to see what was going on it told me I was in airplane mode and asked did I want to exit airplane mode or cancel. Obviously I don't want to exit airplane mode so as to save battery life, nor do I want to have to manually sync as that defeats the whole purpose of automatic backup.

How can I get Backup Assistant to work without leaving airplane mode?

# Answer
Definitely contact the dev about that, like Izzy suggests.

You could simply not use Airplane mode (you're not really saving battery life if you're still enabling WiFi and other radio connections like Bluetooth and GPS) and just disable mobile data on your device. This article indicates that you can easily disable Data by going to **Settings \> Battery & data manager \> Data Delivery \> and un-tick the Data enabled option**. This might vary across devices and carriers.

That should allow you to use your device without a mobile carrier network connection, saving battery by not searching for the network, and allow the app to work just fine.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, airplane-mode, verizon-backup-assistant
---


title: Galaxy Nexus and KitKat

text:
# Question
Title: Galaxy Nexus and KitKat
Now that Android 4.4 aka KitKat is out, I couldn't find out whether Samsung Galaxy Nexus will get the upgrade or not.

Does anyone have any information on this?

I hope it will get it, this why I bought Nexus device in the first place.

# Answer
Nope, there will be no official support for Android 4.4 on the Galaxy Nexus. However, you will almost certainly be able to flash custom ROMs that are based on it.

There's some supposition and explanation going on on Android Police. They make a few good points:

1. The Galaxy Nexus is old and well outside normal support windows.
2. The CPU Manufacturer doesn't even *make* CPUs for phones anymore - official kernel support from them would be difficult or impossible.
3. Google's relationship with Samsung isn't what it used to be. (Supporting 4.4 on the GNex officially would require them to work together again to some degree.)
4. Google's relationship with Verizon has never been good. Supporting 4.4 on the GNex would also mean the necessity to support it on Verizon's GNex - something that I'm sure neither Google or Verizon would be excited about collaborating on.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: updates, ota-update
---


# Question
Title: When will my device get the Android 4.4 update (KitKat)?
Android 4.4 (KitKat) was officially announced on October 31, 2013.

(You can review the high level changes in KitKat at the official Android Developer's site or the announcement on the official Android blog.)

Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each manufacturer and carrier often choose to add their custom modifications which tend to delay the official release.

**When will each device get Android 4.4, either officially or unofficially, if ever?**

See also:

# Answer
This community wiki will list all of the known and rumored dates for devices. If you have an update make sure to follow the format that's been established, and the following guidelines:

1. Keep phones in alphabetical order listing the manufacturer and model
2. Specify if the date is confirmed or rumored and **link to the source**
3. If there is an unofficial release, link to the site where it can be downloaded

# Phones

## HTC

* **Droid DNA**
    + "HTC says it plans to update the handset to KitKat by the end of Q1 2014, 'pending certification from your carrier.'" AndroidCentral
* **One**
    + Google Play Edition: 2013-11-25 (+Android)
    + Unlocked and Developer models: 2013-11-29 (@HTCUSA)
    + North American models: "Within 90 Days" (AndroidCentral)
* **One Max** / **One Mini**
    + "the update for both will arrive in the near future." DigitalTrends
* **One X** and **One X+**: *Never* (source)

## LG

## Motorola

## Samsung

* **Galaxy Nexus**:
* **Galaxy Note 2 and 3**: no official announcement. Rumoured to be after the Galaxy S5 launch.
* **Galaxy S3**: no official announcement. Rumoured to be after the Galaxy S5 launch.
* **Galaxy S4**:
    + Google Play Edition: 2013-11-25 (+Android)
    + Sprint: 2014-2-13 (Engadget)
    + Others: no official announcement. Rumoured to be after the Galaxy S5 launch.

## Sony

# Tablets

## Asus

## Nvidia

## Samsung

## Sony

* **Xperia Tablet Z**: planned, no date given (confirmed)
> 29 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, updates, android-versions
---


# Question
Title: Different notification sounds for sms and email?
Is there a way to use different sounds for a sms text alert and an email alert? I can't find the setting. I'm on HTC Hero, Android 2.1

# Answer
You can customize the Notification settings for both Gmail and Messaging in each of the apps separately.

In Gmail press menu and go to More-\>Settings and look at the **Notification settings** section.

In Messaging press menu then Settings and look at the **Notification settings** section.
> 15 votes

# Answer
It's important to understand the differences between a platform like Android and the traditional "dumb phone" platform.

With Android, very few applications are "special". By special I mean the OS is aware of them and treats them differently. In Android, an application actually has to manage notifications themselves, there's no way for the OS to somehow figure it out and expose a setting for it. Notification sound customization has to be exposed by the individual application developer, not through Android itself. When an application creates a status bar notification, by default Android will play the sound that you set in the default Notification setting. But the application can explicitly provide a different sound to play. The application would have to manage that themselves (it would be nice if Android allowed apps to register for custom notifications and then it could provide a central location for all of them, but I'm not aware of a facility for doing this).

If a particular application doesn't provide support, contact them and ask them to add it. Take away a star or two from your rating in the marketplace and explain why you did so. Many developers actually listen.

Compare that to the traditional "dumb phone" platform where everything is tightly coupled and controlled. The OS can easily expose settings for individual "apps" because they're baked in and don't really change.
> 6 votes

# Answer
But, sadly, Skype does not allow one to customize their notification sound.

Does anyone know how to customize the notification vibration ?
> 1 votes

# Answer
I use SMS Popup to manage notifications for text messages, and leave the email notifications to be handled by the default notification settings. This allows me to set custom sounds, vibrations and LED flashes (hardware allowing) for SMS text messages that separate them from emails and other notifications.
> 1 votes

# Answer
In the messaging app, click menu button, Settings, scroll to the bottom and click Select ringtone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
See below how to change your email notification sound, or how to disable it. My android is 2.3.5, gmail is 2.3.6.

You open the gmail app, menu \> more \> settings, tap in the account; in the very bottom there's an option "Labels to notify". In my case I have "Inbox", which I'm assuming is default; when you click on it, you have a few options:

* "Email notifications" - notifies in the status bar
* Ringtone - this is what you're looking for, you can set any ringtone or silent
* Vibrate - well, it vibrates ;)
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, notifications, email, settings
---


# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy Grand Running Slowly After Upgrading to Android 4.2.2
I am using a *Samsung Galaxy Grand* for 8 months now, which was originally running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Recently I got a Firmware Update and upgraded my mobile to Android 4.2.2. After this update, my mobile is running slow, and even RAM usage is too high.

Please help me how to solve this Issue.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm thinking a factory reset could do the trick for you. Make sure do backup your things with something like Titanium Backup.

# Answer
> 0 votes
guys just try factory reset i was having the same problem but now its smooth as earlier....

# Answer
> 0 votes
Thanks Samsung for fixing the issues and bugs in 4.2.2 They released a new update just a few days before and now it seems everything fine. No hanging after the latest stability update. Battery backup is fine. Charging time is reduced. Good performance. The only problem is I can’t download Facebook application because it gets stopped downloading after 60 or 70 %. But I can install the app using a backup. Now I am enjoying the new jellybean 4.2.2 after a few days regretting about updating my device.

---
Tags: updates, 4.2-jelly-bean, performance, samsung-galaxy-grand
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to stop notifications of an OTA update?
I rooted and modded my Samsung Prevail (Gingerbread) a couple weeks ago, and all is going well there.

However, I am now getting notices about an OTA system update, which I have no intention of installing. I will wait for the makers of my mod to produce a parallel version.

In the meantime, is there any way to kill the constant notices about the update?

# Answer
> 3 votes
On my S2 running ICS, there are options available for notification as well as downloading via Wi-Fi. Look under SETTINGS \> ABOUT PHONE \> SOFTWARE UPDATE

If you don't have such options and you have a rooted phone, use software like Titanium Backup to FREEZE the software update module.

# Answer
> 0 votes
On my device (it runs Jelly Bean) there is an option under SETTINGS \> APPLICATION \> All ('Tab')

Now select the "software update" app and then click on "turn off/disable".

This will stop the over the air notification for system update and whenever you want to update then "turn on/enable" the app again.

---
Tags: ota-update
---


# Question
Title: How to clear cookies, history and other private data in the Chrome browser?
Is there any way to delete cookies, history and other private data in the Google Chrome browser on Android? There is no such option in the Android version of the browser.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can clear all browsing data from Settings -\> Privacy -\> Clear browsing data.

Source : Chrome Help

---
Tags: privacy, cache, delete
---


title: Disabling hangout calls for phone

text:
# Question
Title: Disabling hangout calls for phone
Is it possible to only disable voice/video calls in hangouts but leave messaging?

# Answer
Nope you cannot only selectively disable video calls. The least you can do is disable incoming invites from the app settings.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 4.3-jelly-bean, google-hangouts
---


# Question
Title: How to stop notifications of OTA update after rooting?
I recently rooted my device (4.1 version Asus tablet). However, when I connect my device to internet, it automatically search for and download system firmware update every time. Then it asks me to tap the notification to update the system. There is no option provided to disable that. How can I disable checking as well as downloading the update?

I read this question also, but there is no solution.

Edit: My device is Asus MeMo Pad tablet.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are having root, use Titanium Backup to disable/freeze CMClient.apk & DMClient.apk. This will disable the tablet to check for OTA from Asus servers.

If you want to update the tablet to latest firmware later, unfreeze/enable the apks and proceed with updating.

---
Tags: root-access, ota-update
---


# Question
Title: What Options Are Available For Viewing the LogCat?
I recently had to capture my `logcat` for my HTC EVO 4G device to try and identify the reason why updates sometimes fail claiming there is insufficient memory (**issue discussed more extensively here**).

However, the log captures EVERYTHING which means you have a lot of unnecessary information as well which makes it hard to look at the raw data without getting overwhelmed with the amount of data. I am trying to isolate the data relevant to the updating process so we can see what's going on that is triggering the error when there is enough space on the internal storage that can't be exhausted by the size of the installer and/or application size.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a LogCat viewer or recommendation? What solution works best? Preferably a visual (GUI) tool that can process the file with filtering capability and hopefully intelligent grouping and so on.

# Answer
A good starting point is a Google search on "adb logcat filter", which yields interesting results already on its first page. Including the logcat help page from the Android project itself, which lists quite detailed options. Especially follow up to the Reading and writing logs link, where filtering options are explained.

The basic syntax is specified as

```
[adb] logcat [<option>] ... [<filter-spec>] ...

```

Interesting options include to write the output to a file (`-f <filename>`) and using human-readable timestamps (`-v time`). The filtering example given should get you started on the second part:

```
adb logcat ActivityManager:I MyApp:D *:S

```

In short terms: Show all Info messages from ActivityManager, Debug messages from MyApp, and Silence everything else.

As long as you're completely out of ideas what exactly you're looking for, you might at least have some ideas on what you are *not* looking for, and could use something like `GamesApp:S FunnyApp:S MoreApp:S [...]` to filter out stuff which is definitely not of interest. So your command could look like

```
adb logcat -f special.log -v time GamesApp:S FunnyApp:S MoreApp:S

```

<sup>*When you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.* – Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet (Sherlock Holmes)</sup>
> 1 votes

---
Tags: logging
---


# Question
Title: Android PTPP VPN session stalling after precisely 30-31 minutes
My Android 4.2.2 device (MINIX neo X5 TV-box) uses PTPP VPN connection to Netflix via a HideMyAss VPN server. The problem is that the Netflix session always stalls precisely 30-31 minutes after the VPN connection was established, claiming there is no data connection, although the VPN status (in android settings) says "connected". It works again (for another 30-31 minutes) when I disconnect and reconnect the VPN connection. I usually take the occasion to get myself a new cold beer, but it adds up :) does anybody have an idea how to fix the problem?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Does the rest of the Internet work? Or is it just the Netflix service?

In any case, contact your VPN service provider for advise. As long as the VPN connection is not terminated (as you say it isn’t) any problem is likely to be much easier debugged on the service providers side. You have noticed a pattern, and that should be debuggable for them.

---
Tags: networking, vpn
---


# Question
Title: How do you add widgets to the lockscreen in KitKat?
Just got a Nexus 5 running KitKat (what else?), but I cannot figure out how to add widgets to the lockscreen! On JB, swiping right from the left edge while showing lockscreen would display a "+" widget option. This is no longer the case. Are lockscreen widgets gone?!

# Answer
You have to check "Enable widgets" in Settings \> Security. Then you can swipe right on the lockscreen as usual.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: lock-screens, app-widgets, 4.4-kitkat
---


title: Use SIM-only contacts with Nexus 4

text:
# Question
Title: Use SIM-only contacts with Nexus 4
I have bought an Android phone. My first And phone ever. It's Nexus 4. I Had SonyEricsson K800i before and i was satisfied with it. I got new phone only because my company gave me money for it (it was a reward) and i tougth it would be fun to have something "just like K800 with capabilites to offer better 3D games".

Now, i'm kind of disappointed because, contrary to my old phone, it turns out that i must have some sort of online account in order to use my phone properly. What do i mean? Well, first of all i have all my contacts on my SIM card and i don't want to change that, but in order to show those contacts on my phone, i have to "sync" them / add them (or whatever) with some online service like FB or gmail.

Tell me, if i just want to use my phone only for games, casual browsing the web (i don't even have wireless at my home), sms and calls - how do i avoid syncing ANYTHING with ANYTHING online?

I don't have Twitter, Picasa nor Instagram, i'm barely using FB (once in 10 days i check for new messages when i'm on my home PC), i have a "fake" gmail account (opened just so i can use "Google Play" from my office and register at sites i need for one time visit only. For true emails i'm using only my mailbox that i got from my ISP 15 years ago), i don't want to merge and "bundle" any of my contacts from the phone with any social network but with Android i have a problem "isolating" my phone from any online activities.

Please, tell me, how to make my Nexus 4 (with Android 4.3) use ONLY my SIM contacts, save new contacts to the SIM card only and not asking me to tie any contact with any online service? :) Also, i don't want even to see "gmail" contacts (if any) in my contacts list because contact with only mail address is useless to me (i'm never sending an email from my phone).

# Answer
You could try to install SIM Contacts. I've not seen how to make it your default app for managing contacts, but I suppose you could drag the app icon to your homescreen or to the dock, so you can just access it quickly from there.

With the SIM Contacts app, you can add, edit (long-press on a contact and a menu will appear), or delete SIM contacts. You can also choose to copy them on your phone.

**UPDATE #1:** From Izzy:

> Also, if you don't want anything to be synced to Google, make sure to turn off all sync options in Settings → Accounts & Sync. By default, that's all enabled.

As long as you add new contacts as SIM contacts, they will not be synched to Google. Only contacts added as Google contacts will be synched.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I've used MyPhoneExplorer in the past with my Sony Ericcson phone and it worked just great as a file manager to sync my phone with my laptop and to back up my contacts, notes, tasks, appointments, sms messages, alarms, photos, videos etc. Now the same developer has a new free app called MyLocalAccount (available on Google Play). I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and it works well enough so far (on my Nexus 4 with Android 4.3 update). You can add contacts and make changes (add, edit, delete). Also installed MyPhoneExplorer Client on my phone and am able to use it to back up my contacts et al.

Also turn off Auto-Sync options if you don't want your data sync'ed with your Google account.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: Why are Nexus devices often described as perfect for developers?
I often find statements on Android forums like, "Nexus devices are perfect for developers." or "A Nexus device is almost impossible to actually 'brick'" (Is this actually true?). What is it that makes the Nexus devices so special? Is it because they have the stock Android, and so tinkering with Android in its purest form is possible?

It's just that I own a Nexus 4, and I don't even know why developers love it this much!

# Answer
There are several factors.

1. No carrier or manufacturer bloatware. If you want to test apps or OS changes and be sure you're not hitting some device-specific bug, a Nexus device makes it less likely that will happen.
2. They all use the same tool for flashing ROMs: `fastboot`. Not all third-party devices use it, and having to learn a new set of commands for every device you have is quite annoying.
3. Easy to unlock bootloader. Many third-party devices don't give you a means to unlock the bootloader (in order to flash your own ROM) without tricksy hacks. Sometimes the manufacturer does this; sometimes the carrier adds it to avoid you getting around their restrictions on tethering or something else. On Nexus devices, it's as easy as `fastboot unlock-bootloader`.
4. You can compile your own ROM for a Nexus device from the AOSP sources. If you want to hack on Android itself, or if you simply want a *userdebug* build in order to allow more debugging options for apps, it's as simple as downloading and compiling the source. Third-party ROMs don't usually have source available, so to build a custom ROM, you have to reverse-engineer the ROM and/or port AOSP to the device yourself (or wait for other modders to do it). This is why the T-shirts worn by engineers on Google's Nexus programme describe it as "pre-hacked Android".
5. Google puts a lot of work into keeping the logs (the ones you get from `logcat`) clean, to make development easier. They block code changes that add too much noise to the log, so that it stays useful for debugging. Other manufacturers aren't usually so careful: they don't see the log as something their customers will want, so they let it get noisier and noisier with driver debugging info nobody will want to look at. Clean logs make it much easier for app and OS developers to see and debug the behaviour of their code.
6. Nexus devices tend to get updates to new Android versions before third-party devices. If you're an app developer, and you want to make sure your app works with a new Android version as soon as possible, or you want to take advantage of new features and test on a real device (not an emulator), then you don't want to wait for a third-party manufacturer to get their finger out and port the new Android version to their hardware.
> 45 votes

# Answer
In addition to what Dan Hulme wrote, I'd like to add that nexus devices have stock firmware images for previous versions of Android, which can be easily installed. You can downgrade your Galaxy Nexus to ICS, or your Nexus S to Gingerbread. The Nexus 4 shipped with 4.2 but soon yours will have 4.4. You will be able to load older versions later on if that kind of testing is important to you.

I found this to be very valuable when testing with the Nexus S because it went from 2.3 to 4.1. You can even rely on cyanogenmod to extend the life of the phone as a test platform, if you trust that cyanogen is sufficiently close to stock for app compatibility purposes.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: nexus-4
---


title: Arabic support for my Android device

text:
# Question
Title: Arabic support for my Android device
I've got a new phone (Samsung galaxy SII) with Android 4 on it. I would like to be able to add Arabic support on it. Is there a simple way to do so ?

I'm a newbie with Android related subjects, so I'm not able to handle complicated processes.

# Answer
ICS supports arabic, and you can add keyboard languages from the settings of the device
> 2 votes

# Answer
If you have android 4, Arabic is already supported. You need only to get to setting then language system wide and change it to Arabic or any other language. Unfortunately you can't have the option of Arabic with arabic-western numerals 123. They only have the stupid option: Arabic with hindy numerals.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Some of Samsung devices doesn't support Arabic even if it have ICS (Android 4), this usually happens if you ordered your device from outside (like from amazon), if you want to add Arabic, you'll have to flash a ROM that supports Arabic (like the official UAE ROM), if you bought the phone from an Arabic country, talk to the salesman.

For the keyboard just install any other keyboard from Google Play (e.g Go Keyboard, Swiftkey ...etc)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: languages, localization
---


# Question
Title: Which baseband version is the official one for the 4.3
I am confused between the official version mentioned in sam mobile and the one my country offers. They are both 4.3 but one is I9500XXUEMJ8 and the other is I9500XXUEMJ5. So which is the most updated one. I would guess the J8 but then I also need to think which one is the latest one for the S4 I9500 (Octo Core).

I have also seen several ROMS offering either one or the other. Getting me more confused in the process.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You didn't mention which country you are from.

As much as possible, use the version that is intended for your country and your network. `I9500XXUEMJ8` and `I9500XXUEMJ5` will most likely have the same features, but different modems (using a modem that is not intended for your country can give you a poor signal or cause other issues like heating).

`I9500XXUEMJ8` is obviously more recent, based on its naming convention. If you're trying to flash the ROM from sammobile, you can still get the firmware that's not for your country. But you risk two things here (and possibly others):

* It may not have the region / language you want
* It may not have the correct / suitable modem for your country.

In the second case, you can always flash a modem for your country (after you flash the ROM). But if you don't want to deal with possible issues (and headaches), better get the version that is intended for your country and your network.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, 4.3-jelly-bean
---


# Question
Title: How can I fix the Wi-Fi button or prevent Wi-Fi errors when turning it off and back on?
Sometimes after I shut off Wi-Fi using the button inside the notification bar drop-down, I can't turn it back on with that button. Hitting the button does nothing, it's not even highlighted. When I go into `Settings -> Wireless and network -> Wi-Fi settings` the status under "Wi-Fi" shows Error. If I click "Wi-Fi" to turn it on from here, it usually turns on without any problems. Occassionally I have to reboot to fix it.

Is there a fix I can use to make the TouchWiz Wi-Fi button work the same as enabling/disabling the Wi-Fi in Settings? Or, ideally, is there some way I can prevent the Wi-Fi from getting into an error state when I turn it off and back on?

I have a Galaxy S Vibrant running 2.2, but this has been reported on other Samsung phones as well (example).

# Answer
> 2 votes
I've had the same thing happen to me on my LG G2X running CyanogenMod. So I don't think it's related to your specific device or software. Moderate success has been reported using the "FXR WiFi Fix And Rescue" app, and it's been tested on the Vibrant. You can also try WiFi Fixer.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I've had this happen to me 1 time. I don't think there's anything you can do about it except use the settings. Once you change it in settings, does it work again for you? I did the same in settings, but don't know if I rebooted after the fact.

This could also be something in Nero v3 that is causing it.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I had all sorts of weird problems like this when using TouchWiz on my Droid Charge. No problems after installing LauncherPro. Perhaps its an odd bug in the TouchWiz code.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have had the same annoying problem. I've found that the following sequence consistently restores my wifi to a working state:

From the problematic "Turning on...." message in Settings -\> Wifi: 1. Press-and-hold the Home button, to activate the Task Manager. 2. End any/all apps that are listed (often, these are recently opened, but not currently active, apps) 3. Press the "Back" button. This should return you to the Settings -\> Wifi screen. The wifi state should have changed and should now read "Error". 4. Click the check box to turn on the wifi. If successful, the device should connect almost immediately to any known access points.

Not a true fix, but definitely quicker than power-cycling the device.

Hope this helps someone.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I finally found an easy workaround that does NOT require me to restart my phone. (After one year of getting annoyed with this Wi-Fi "error" message on a crappy Samsung GT-I5500, running android 2.2)

1. In the Wi-Fi settings screen (where you toggle Wi-Fi on/off), tap your phone's `Menu` button to open a context menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Click '*Advanced*'
3. Switch the Wi-Fi sleep policy from '*When screen turns off*' to '*Never*'. (I think switching it from *any* setting to *any other* will actually work)

I've been trying this out for a couple of weeks, and turning on the Wi-Fi after doing the above has so far always worked. I've also changed to setting back to 'When screen turns off'. Perhaps leaving it a 'never' will prevent the error from turning up, but I'd like the sleep policy to save some battery.

# Answer
> -1 votes
My belief is that this is a bug in google backing up remembered access points and unnecessarily restoring them. Try long clicking each remembered access point and select forget, next setup each access point password as you reconnect to each (or manually if you remember the ssid).

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


# Question
Title: WiFi Tether Causes a BSOD in Laptop Using Intel WiFi Hardware
On a rooted Nexus 4 using stock 4.2.2, if I enable Wifi tether then connect my laptop (a Lenovo T520 using Centrino Advanced-N 6205 hardware with driver v15.3.1.2) I get a BSOD within seconds. I am using the stock tether app.

I read elsewhere that I am not the only one with this problem, but Intel refuses to acknowledge it. I even waited for an updated Wifi driver to come out, which I installed today, but the problem persists. According a thread on XDA-Dev, the workaround is to set the Local IP to 192.168.1.100 instead of 192.168.1.1 and the DHCP starting IP to 192.168.1.101 instead of 192.168.1.10. But since I am using the stock tethering app these settings are not available. **Is there a tweak app that would allow me to do this? Or are there other workarounds to this issue?**

TIA

# Answer
This is a documented bug related to tethering between INTEL wireless and QUALCOMM S4 based mobile phones, leading to disconnection or BSOD. It has been documented here and discussed here.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Its happening to me as well since yesterday. Never happens with dell but first time in HP. Read somewhere that enabling FIPS in wifi setting in laptop will solve this problem will check and revert.
> 0 votes

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Tags: wi-fi, nexus-4, crashes, wifi-hotspot, wifi-tethering
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# Question
Title: Why the battery attributes are missing in android phones?
on the android shell, when I executed following

```
>ls /sys/class/power_supply/battery

```

was expecting, current\_now, power\_now, charge\_now or energy\_now but I didn't find any \*_now attribute other than voltage\_now.

Could anyone help me to configure kernel in order to enable these (current\_now, ..) attributes?

# Answer
No one answered my question, but I found the answer. I earned a badge Tumbleweed..lol

Because, battery drivers do not implement the same.
> -1 votes

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Tags: battery
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# Question
Title: What's the best way to switch from Stock Android OS to Cyanogenmod on Galaxy S3?
I would like to switch my Stock Android OS to Cyanogenmod with the least trouble possible on my Samsung Galaxy S3.

So basically I would like to keep:

* My data (files, contacts, sms)
* My apps
* My apps data (progress of games)

Is this even possible?

What is the best approach to do this?

# Answer
> 2 votes
If your device is not yet rooted, an alternative to Alex's suggestion of *Titanium Backup* (which I'd second otherwise) would be to use `adb backup` (creating a backup file for each app separately is important here, as `adb restore` just works per backup file, not per app), or one of its frontends. There's also the possibility to do that directly on the device, using e.g. Helium Backup.

Please also take a look at the tag-wiki for more information.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can do it with Titaniun Backup, thought it's not sure that everything will work as expected. Apps are the most problematic.

Some apps and games now store their data on Google's servers, though I don't think there are many that do that yet.

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Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s-3, rooting, backup
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title: nexus 4 not allowing me to copy files

text:
# Question
Title: nexus 4 not allowing me to copy files
I have a nexus 4 and had been trying to copy files with Windows 7 - but when I plug it in, it doesn't show up in my device manager but when i enable USB debugging in the developer options, it shows up under "Other devices" and Windows can not seem to find the appropriate drivers for it. What's happening here? How can I make the phone to show up in my My Computer to copy files to/from it?

Thanks, Ron

**edit** I now tried to install the drivers I found on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1992345 and now my nexus 4 shows up as an Android ADB Interface but I still can't see it in my device manager... :o

# Answer
> 0 votes
I've figured it out, had to enable MTP mode under Settings =\> Storage - \> settings button on top right -\> USB computer connection and then enable MTP from there.

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Tags: nexus-4, windows, 4.3-jelly-bean, usb-debugging
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