# Question
Title: Where is the mic located on Samsung Galaxy S2
I have downloaded an app for calculating distance of the phone to the wall It is known as sonar. I want to test this app. So, I covered the `speakers`

of the phone which could be could found on the back side at the bottom of the phone.On doing so the app showed noticeable change in the distance calculated. However, I could not find the mic's exact location. I want to cover up the `mic`, and would like to observe any noticeable distance change. Then are couple of holes on the periphery of the phone, however, on closing each of them I could not find any noticeable. Can anybody show me in picture when can I exactly find the location of the mic. Thanks.

# Answer
This is the mic on the Samsung Galaxy S2

And this is another mic on the top. In the user guide it says that it is a "mouthpiece" I presume by that they mean a microphone that is only active when you use the speakerphone feature or record videos or when the user is on a video call.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, microphone, speaker
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way use an RDP to configure a continuous offset from GPS calculations?
Is there any way to configure a location offset in such a way that my phone's GPS data would still be used to set a location, but an adjustment value would be applied to the base value? (e.g. all values adjusted 6.5m SW). Two cases where this would be useful are when using programs that have base maps with bogus offset data, but you want your phone to think it's in the right place on top of the bogus data. Also, sometimes the coordinates calculated from the GPS system on a given day are just simply wrong, and usually on a given day they are wrong by a fairly fixed amount. Rather that spending the entire day with my phone marking me 30m north of where I actually am, I'd like to correct the values automatically based on a known RDP location.

Ideally I would like a way to 'zero' my GPS by calculating an offset based on my current location being a set of known coordinates, then allow the GPS to adjust my location based on that. I would enter "I am currently at X", at which point it would figure out that number is 4 meters off of the GPS readout, and thereafter sets my location to be always 4m offset.

I realize there are lots of programs to set a mock location of my choice and even ones to follow recorded routes. These sort of things that entirely replace the output of the GPS with fixed or otherwise pre-programmed output are not what I'm looking for here. If it matters, my devices are all rooted and running CyanogenMod 11 M2 so root only solutions are acceptable, although if there is a non root way to do this that would be good to note.

# Answer
Those offsets are normally used in differential gps. A fix point (station) knows it exact location (from manual measurments), calculates from the gps data the requred offset for correction and send this (quasi constant) offset (ex. 2.5m SW) to you. The assumption is that if you are close to this station the atomospheric error (=offset) is valid also for your position in some distance.

Im not too familiar with android, but you could send manipulated D-GPS data maybe?

For radio those are send with RTCM (Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services), (you can get down to 2cm accuracy) - for mobile phones you need to stitch to Ntrip (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol): http://www.rtcm-ntrip.org/home most of them are non free/paid, so you need to look around (if you really want there a ways to make your own low cost server (raspberry pi..))

would you still need offset if the accuracy is already very good? Boosting accuracy seems easier!

Have a look at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lefebure.ntripclient ==\> `ACCESS_MOCK_LOCATION - Used for routing external position data to other applications.` but this solution has also it downsides :-(
> 2 votes

# Answer
This is application specific. For example, car navigation apps generally would snap your position to the nearest street when driving around.

I'm not aware if there's any way to set an offset for all applications, a rooted application would probably be able to do that.
> -2 votes

---
Tags: gps
---


# Question
Title: SGS2 can't connect to PC for USB file transfer or Debugging mode
I am an Android developer and I have been using my SGS2 for a while and I was accessing the debugging mode without any problem, until I broke my phone's screen. I found a repairer who replaced the screen with another. Since that day I cannot access my S2 neither on Debugging mode, nor on USB File Transfer mode.

How can I fix this?

**EDIT**

It still charges when connected to PC, but no feedback in my Win 7. I tried with other computers and getting the same things ...

# Answer
> 1 votes
The description of the issue pretty clearly pointed to a hardware issue (the "repairer" having "messed up" / forgotten to re-attach some "connectors").

As reported back, this guess was correct: Taking the device back to him and have him check, he found the "missing link", repaired it, and the device is fully operational again now.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, usb-connection-mode, usb-debugging
---


# Question
Title: What Happens when I change processor frequency of my android phone
I have Xolo x900 phone. I have settings to set the processor frequency.

It is defaulted to 600mhz, yet my phone has a maximum of 1.6Ghz.

Can I change to 1.6 GHz? What would be the side effects of increasing the frequency?

Will it overheat, drain my battery?

Also, would like to know what would be the advantages on increased frequency.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Setting frequency to high end may cause **problems** like.

1.Heating up phone.
2.burn battery.
3.Even you may damage your phone completely.

**Over-clocking frequency will *speed up* your phone's *performance***.

# Answer
> 1 votes
A faster clock frequency will let your phone go faster, but it comes with some costs.

The power use of the CPU is (roughly) proportional to the square of the clock frequency, so increasing from 600 MHz to 1600 MHz will use 2.5 times as much power. On top of that, that power gets turned into heat, so it'll be producing heat 2.5 times as quickly as well. Your phone will automatically slow the processor down if it gets too hot, so it may be that turning up the max clock speed actually makes the CPU slower overall - because it has to keep "throttling back" to avoid overheating.

Changing the CPU frequency doesn't make anything else faster but the CPU. That is, if you're trying to play a graphics-intensive game, it might not get faster because it's limited by the GPU speed; or if you're doing things on the web, your internet connection won't get any faster.

In this particular case, you're asking about changing the frequency within the design limits. This ought to be safe, but some mods and custom ROMs let you genuinely over-clock the processor faster than it was designed to go, or to change how and when the power management reduces the clock frequency. Using techniques like this can cause serious overheating, enough to **permanently damage** the phone's hardware. Be very cautious if you should decide to experiment.

---
Tags: overclocking, processor
---


# Question
Title: Setting a Hardware ID on an Android Tablet
I wonder if I could get some guidance.

We purchased 6 android tablets for our kids over Christmas and shortly after we also purchased McAfee Live Safe so that we cold protect all these devices. Now, McAfee's installation depends on a unique Hardware ID and it appears that from the manufacturer, the hardware ID on all devices are the same and have been rooted (Android 4.2).

Now, McAfee have no solution apart from refunding us our subscription as they are not able to resolve which means their application is not doing what it says on the tin. this is all good but I have only found McAfee to provide an antivirus solution that will protect multiply devices.

I want to know if there is an easy way to set a Unique Hardware ID (like using the serial number of the device or the MAC address) so that I can install McAfee with no issues.

Anyone's help and guidance would be very much appreciated and I apologise in advance if this is the wrong place to ask but I have found many solutions from here in the past and thought I'd give it a go.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Given that McAfee himself (who has had nothing to do with the software for years after selling it to Intel) describes the product as "the worst software on the planet", I'd take the refund and be grateful at dodging that bullet.

I won't recommend a particular one, but you could buy six copies of a competing Android security product for what a year's subscription to McAfee Live Safe costs.

---
Tags: hardware, antivirus
---


title: Saving contacts on Nexus 4

text:
# Question
Title: Saving contacts on Nexus 4
I'm using the Nexus 4 with android 4.3 and i have a problem. Since i don't want to never, ever sync my contacts with google (when i choose the phone it lasts about 5 years so no need to worry about "what if i change it?") i want to turn off that feature because it's more pain than gain. When i try to add new contact ("People" -\> "Add new"), when app shows up i have only two options - to sync that contact with my google account or with my company mail account. No "store locally" option. When i go to "Settings -\> Accounts" and delete all email accounts (gmail and company mail account) and then try to insert new contact - voila, i can choose to save that contact locally. As soon as i create any account (needed for tracking my email) i lose "save locally" option. What to do? What service do i have to disable so i never get that annoying "sync with email" message?

# Answer
Somone just did this here. DISABLE GOOGLE CONTACT SYNC IN YOUR APP SETTINGS!! (Not the app setting. Settings -\> Apps (in all) -\> contacts sync -\> disable

this is not the same as just disabling the syncing aspect of the contacts page, it removes google from being all up in your contacts period since they blocked nexus owners of having a local contacts option.

and there is another way as well. i did the first one. http://forums.androidcentral.com/general-help-how/352276-i-have-stock-android-phone-there-way-have-contact-list-not-google-affiliated-2.html#post3392252

repost it to people who ask! google is full of it. I've never seen another phone not have a local contacts page.
> 1 votes

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


title: Any way to change my caller id?

text:
# Question
Title: Any way to change my caller id?
Is there any way to change my own caller ID so the person I'm calling sees my Google Voice number instead of the number associated with my SIM card?

My Google Voice number is my primary number and I prefer everyone to use it, so I can receive calls on my PC, while travelling internationally etc.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I think you need to have Google Voice initiate your calls rather than the dialer app.

Generally speaking you'd change the setting in the Voice app for "Making calls" to "Use Google Voice to make all calls". If you'd like to be prompted before the call, then you can use "Ask every time I make a call". (There's also an option to use it just for international calls.)

---
Tags: sim-card, google-voice, caller-id
---


# Question
Title: Apps don't launch in a separate "window"
When, for example, I am in the Gmail app reading an email with a link to a movie on IMDB, and I touch the link to open it, the IMDB app launches and displays the correct thing, BUT the IMDB doesn't launch as a separate app! When I display all running apps, this is what I see:

Screenshot (click for larger image)

IMDB "overtakes" the Gmail "window", and now I can't use both apps at the same time. I want the IMDB app to be in a separate "window". How to do this? Same thing with opening a Youtube link from Chrome, or any other app combination...

The device is Nexus 7 (2013), with Android 4.4.2.

# Answer
That's not a bug, it's a feature. It's called the "Back Stack".

The idea is that you perform a single task, like reading e-mail, and all Activities, that it's what "windows" are called on Android, are grouped together on the task's back stack.

If you want IMDB "in a separate window", that is as activity of a new task with its own back stack, you can simply open it from the launcher by selecting the IMDB icon.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: launcher
---


# Question
Title: Transfer Data from Android Mobile to Android Tablet
I want to synchronize my Android Phone and Tablet.

How can I copy my pictures and music to my Tablet?

I don't want to upload all my data to a Cloud service (my Internet connection is slow and expensive).

It would be great if there would exist an automated process where I don't need to select all files by hand.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If WiFi is acceptable, you might wish to take a look at FolderSync. Aside from cloud services (Dropbox & Co), it can also deal with Samba (Windows shares), FTP, SFTP (ssh with Unix/Linux), and more. You can define "Folder Pairs", i.e. which folder on your Android device should be synchronized with what folder on the remote machine. Sync can be done uni- and bi-directional.

I'm using that with all my Android devices and my PC, to keep different stuff in sync. Easy to do with e.g. photos or the music collection: Add a file on one device, and it gets synced across. *FolderSync* even supports , which gives you plenty of possibilities to deal with: Having the device synced as soon as you're at home, or only when connected to a power source, at specific times, whatever.

---
Tags: file-transfer, file-management
---


# Question
Title: Lock screen launch bar not launching app, shows different icon too
This is an HTC One with Android 4.3 and Nova Launcher Prime (This may be a Nova issue, not sure yet)

Since a picture is worth 1000 words, here is the pictures:

Dragging an icon "up" from the lock screen is supposed to unlock the phone and launch the app. This worked fine until I changed SMS apps

Now when the phone is locked, it shows this funny little android icon instead of the Textra icon. Dragging the icon up unlocks the phone, but does not launch the app

Once the phone is unlocked, the proper icon shows (With the music and browser icons swapped) and clicking the textra icon launches the app properly.

I'm going to contact the Nova developer with this as well, but was wondering if anyone had seen anything like this before.

\**UPDATE

This now appears to be a bug or issue with Nova.

Tried something I should have tried before asking, but I will update with the solution anyway.

I dropped back to the default HTC Sense launcher and the Textra icon was not where it should be. I re-created the shortcut with the HTC launcher, then went back to Nova and got the proper icon and launch behavior.

# Answer
> 0 votes
It sounds like the lock screen icons are configured separately from the home screen icons. If the lock screen shortcut is pointing to an app that's no longer installed, I'd expect it to show the icon you're seeing (the default app icon).

Try going into the lock screen's settings and setting the shortcut to the new app you want.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have Nova Launcher running on an HTC One 4.3 and no, it is not an issue with either Android or Nova Launcher. Just the old app taking revenge! (My attempt at humour, sorry)

# To fix this:

1. Go to Settings
2. Go to Apps
3. Go to Nova Launcher
4. Clear Defaults
5. Press Home and select HTC Sense (selecting *"only once"*) \[doesnt the dock look familiar?!\]
6. Change the dock icons to desired ones
7. Press home and select Nova Launcher (selecting *"always"*)
8. DONE!

# Reasoning

Any changes that you make to Nova Launcher or most launcher for that matter, like replace the music app shortcut with a calender app will not take place in your default HTC Sense Home Launcher (the default home launcher). So when your lock screen accesses the dock, it will display the icons only in the HTC Sense Home Launcher dock.

Now you said that you changed the SMS app. When you did so, you probably changed the shortcut in the Nova Launcher Dock Bar but didn't in the Home Launcher; thus the problem!

\*Tip: You can use this to your advantage to use the **default dock** for handy apps like camera, phone and music for quick access only on your lock screen!

---
Tags: lock-screens, launcher, htc, nova-launcher
---


# Question
Title: Why has the delete function disappeared from my Gmail app?
I cannot see a delete function on my Gmail account for my inbox.

I have a Galaxy smartphone.

# Answer
This post should (or might) help: GMail's delete button is not gone, it's just hiding.

**Edit:** As per the URL, follow the steps below:

* Hit the menu button, and go to settings. Then, go to general settings. You should see the option below at the top of the list - Archive & delete actions. Right now, it should be set to "Show archive only"
* Tap it, and you get three options - Archive only, Delete only, and Archive & Delete. The third option gets rid of the 'Move to Folder' action. Choose the one you want (probably the second or third), and you're set to go - your little trash icon will return.

Note: If you still want to swipe to delete, you must select 'delete only' from the actions menu above.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: gmail
---


title: My tablet won't boot

text:
# Question
Title: My tablet won't boot
I just got a Arnova 10D G3 and it doesn't boot. All I get is the "Arnova" logo on a black screen. I bought it on a refurbished condition, it was a pretty good deal so I am ready to do any risky procedure to make it work since I don't have much to lose.

I downloaded the latest firmware from the official website but I am unable to use it because I can't access the recovery mode.

How can I make it boot?

UPDATE : I am now able to access the recovery mode (power + vol up) but the tablet keeps rebooting after loading this mode. I don't even have a menu.

# Answer
I finally found the solution in this tutorial in French : http://forum.frandroid.com/topic/180104-tuto-flash-arnova-10dg3-rom-uberoid-jeally-bean-411-root%C3%A9e/

It seems like the firmware from Arnova is somehow incomplete. I installed a rooted ROM.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: recovery-mode, boot
---


# Question
Title: How to take backup of all the data of all the apps from canvas 4 mobile
I have some apps that contains information like Account summery, TODO list, Notes, Password saver etc. Recently I have lost my cellphone so I lost all my app data as well. I don't want to loose my app data. So is there any way what I can take all my app data backup into my PC or SD card and restore back when required. TIA

```
FYI
PC-OS : windows 7
Mobile OS : Android 4.2.2
Mobile model : CANVAS 4 (a210)
Hardware manufacturer : MICROMAX

```

# Answer
Root your phone and use *Titanum Backup* app.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, backup, windows
---


# Question
Title: How to use PC internet on Android mobile via Bluetooth
How to use my PC internet on Android mobile via Bluetooth. I'm having a bluetooth dongle connected to my PC. My phone and the PC are paired.

**DETAILS**

* OS: Windows XP
* INTERNET CONNECTION MECHANISM : ADSL modem (connected to PC via Ethernet cable)
* Phone: Sony Xperia (Android Ice Cream Sandwitch)

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

# Answer
> 0 votes
First switch on your PC's and your phone's Bluetooth.
Make sure that your phone is paired up in your PC.
Goto **`"System Preferences"`**
In that goto **`"Sharing"`**
Then goto **`"Internet Sharing"`**
Now Select **`"USB Dongle"`** as the source
Now **`"Airport Wireless"`** as share via
And now you can connect your phone to the internet.

---
Tags: bluetooth, internet, reverse-tether
---


title: How to change country?

text:
# Question
Title: How to change country?
I want to install this application

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scoompa.callrecorder.open

but I can't, because I'm in a wrong country. I would like to change country. Do I need to travel to another country to install this application or can I somehow pick a right country ? what is the right country for this application?

# Answer
> 6 votes
To answer your question, see this previous question for options on changing the country that the Market think your phone is in: How can I circumvent regional restrictions in the Android Market?

For the second part of your question about which country to change to, from the app's description:

> Currently for U.S. and Canada based phones only.

But from this description:

> * The application dials to our service, which dials to the other party, showing your phone number as the caller ID.
> * The service then records the call at the *telephony level*, and sends a very high-quality recording straight to your email box.

I think that even if you get it to install, it will only work properly if you are currently in the US or Canada, as it seems to work by redirecting your call through a landline call forwarding service, which either won't work in other countries, or will be using a hideously expensive international rate call for that purpose.

# Answer
> 6 votes
I had the same problem and asked Google to help me. This is their answer:

We use the billing address of your default payment instrument in Google Wallet to help determine your home country for accessing the Play Store. Our collection of content can vary by country, so your view of the Play Store may differ from what others are seeing when you travel outside of the country listed on your default payment method's billing address.

Please note that you must have a valid payment method with a billing address located inside a country in order to access that country's Play Store.

If you're having issues viewing your intended country's Play Store and would like to change your default payment method or update an existing billing address in Google Wallet, please use the following steps:

1) Sign into your Google Wallet account to manage your payment methods (https://wallet.google.com/manage/paymentMethods)

2) Add a new card or change your default payment instrument to one with a billing address located inside your desired country

3) Open the Play Store and navigate to any item available for download

4) Click to begin a download until you reach the "Accept and buy" screen (no need to complete the purchase)

5) Close the Play Store and clear data for the Google Play Store application (Settings \> Apps \> Google Play Store \> Clear Data) or clear your browser cache

6) Re-open the Play Store. You should now see the Play Store that matches your default payment instrument's billing country.

If you haven't yet added a payment method to your account for the first time, please add a card directly from the Play Store with a billing address that matches your intended country location. Then, follow steps 3 through 6 to show your intended country's Play Store.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I had the same problem and got over it by doing following

1. go to Samsung website, login and then delete the account. Did this from my PC.
2. go to Android settings, accounts and then delete the account associated with Samsung app
3. go back to Samsung app store on Android device, create new account.

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


# Question
Title: How to multi select emails in browser or Gmail app?
I want to do something like below given question in Android, is it possible to do in browser or Gmail or any other email app?

Is there any way to easily select multiple messages in Gmail?

# Answer
Within the gMail app you can select multiple messages by using the big capital letters in front of a message.
> 4 votes

# Answer
In the **Gmail** app press and hold until the email is highlighted (a tick will show where the contacts initial or photo previuosly was shown). You can then select other emails as well using the same method. The top menu bar has actions you can perform for the selected emails.

Pressing the back button undoes the selections.

This is for `Version 4.7.2` but has been around for a while (since when I don't know).
> 0 votes

---
Tags: email, browser, gmail
---


# Question
Title: How can I read the chat logs from WhatsApp messenger on my Windows machine?
How can I copy over the whatsApp chat messages to a text editor? Are there any specific files I need to copy? I don't care for the media files, I just need the transcript of chat.

I am using the Motorola G phone.

I have noticed the files are stored using some encryption on the phone. I am able to copy the files from the phones internal memory to my Windows 7 computer. The files look something like this msgstore-2014-01-08.1.db.crypt

Opening the file in a text editor gives out a bunch of unprintable characters. Since this is encrypted data, I expected that to happen. So how can I decrypt this text file on my windows computer?

```
Iï#®ÿùuÆÍ\ ¥Ÿ-5r
ƒX«¿œ‰ùjÏ½Ä!Ði°‘Ú¹^¬

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
The simplest method is to use the EMAIL CONVERSATION option from within a conversation.

Tap the overflow menu (3 dots), the MORE \> EMAIL CONVERSATION.

That brings up a popup allowing you to either attach media files or send the chat without the media files.

There's also Whatsapp Toolbox which has similar functionality but requires ROOT access.

---
Tags: encryption, whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: i have lost my images by deleting them but now i want them back
last day my pictures were deleted by mistake i have tried to acquire them back by simply logging into samsung account . How can i get my pictures back by using my samsung account ?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I've done this before and this is how I got them back:

First things first: STOP using your phone as much as possible, specifically you don't want to do anything that may overwrite the area where your pictures are. When you "delete" something, the memory where it is stored is marked as free to be overwritten by other data. Until this happens you can recover them because they are still there, just waiting to be overwritten by other data.

Here is what I did:

1. I did a search and found some free file recovery software for my laptop. I'm not sure what program I used, but there are plenty that can be found for free if you look. Maybe someone else has some advice on this part? In fact, many of these programs can be run off a USB stick and may not even need to be installed. Just search around.
2. Using your phones USB cable, plug it in to your/a PC where your deleted file recovery software is installed. Mount the SD card, assuming that is where your photos were stored. If not then just make sure you have access to your phones internal storage from your PC.
3. Point your file recovery software to your phone/sd card and start it running. It should find all your pics, and probably a bunch of other stuff.

This type of software usually allows you to pick the location you want it to check as well as a time frame so you can search files deleted in the last 24 hours, last week, or last month etc. Depending on the software you download there could be other options such as file types to look for.

If you are a Mac user I'm fairly certain this would work the same way, although I've never tried it with my Mac.

Good Luck! This saved my kids Christmas pictures and about 1200 other ones last year when I accidentally deleted them, so I hope you have a similar experience.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-4, data-recovery
---


title: How can I remove apps from my "cloud"?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I remove apps from my "cloud"?
When I delete an application from my Kindle Fire, it remains in the "cloud" in case I ever want to re-download them. Is there any way I can remove/disown these apps so they don't show up in the cloud?

# Answer
In order to remove the book/app from your cloud, you'll need to visit Visit amazon.com/myk. Log into your account and find the book/app. Click the "actions" link to the right of the title. Under it you'll have the option to delete it permanently. After you do so, you'll have the repurchase the book if you want to read it again.
> 4 votes

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


# Question
Title: Why hasn't my Galaxy S3 received the 4.3 update?
The title explains it all. I have an year old Galaxy S3 which runs Android 4.1.1 (stock ROM). Yesterday, my friend received the 4.3 update however, I haven't. Samsung Kies says that the latest firmware is already installed.

Why is it so ?

Is this because the phone was purchased in a country different from where I reside currently ?
Also, how do I update to 4.3 if it is a country issue?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Actually, I believe Samsung has suspended the 4.3 update for now. Have a look here.

---
Tags: updates, samsung-galaxy-s-3, samsung-kies, ota-update
---


# Question
Title: Connect android tablet to internet via ethernet
I am using an android tablet at my work place. For some weird reason, WIFI has been disabled in the tablet. The only way to connect to the internet is via ethernet. At this point, I have a USB-Ethernet adapter. I am able to enable ethernet and connect. I even get an IP address assigned to my tablet.

But, the problem is, I am unable to access the internet on the tablet. When I try to open any application that requires connectivity to internet, I just get the error message "This application requires a working data connection".

Not sure if this is relevant, but I checked the file "sys/class/net/eth0" and it says "up".

Can someone help me out here?

Thank you ..

# Answer
If you can shell and run netcfg, there are a couple of other things you have to do. Namely set up DNS and a gateway:

To see network status:

```
netcfg

```

To bring up the ethernet connection, if it isn't already:

```
netcfg eth1 dhcp

```

Set up DNS, replacing the IP address as fit for your environment (this can be found via a Windows PC running on the same network with "ipconfig /all"):

```
setprop net.dns1 10.30.28.180

```

Set up the default gateway IP (which can also be found by running "ipconfig /all" on a Windows PC on the same network):

```
route add default gw 10.31.60.1 dev eth1

```
> 1 votes

# Answer
i had the same problem. EBay app told me the solution. My date and time were set manually in 2011. I set the good time and date automaticly and now my apps have access to internet.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: connection-issues
---


title: Can I reinstall or upgrade Android?

text:
# Question
Title: Can I reinstall or upgrade Android?
At the moment I have a rooted Samsung GT-S5570. After I rooted it, I noticed that it started to be slower than it used to be.

I have had this phone for over two years. I update my computer's operating system once a year. I am thinking of doing something similar with my smartphone.

At the moment I am running Android 2.2.1. I think that an upgrade would not be ideal due to old hardware. What is the best option? To reinstall Android 2.2.1 or upgrade to a newer version?

In either case, how do I do it?

# Answer
If you just want to "refresh" it, you could try a factory-reset, which will essentially revert it to a "blank state" (i.e. remove all user-data and user installed apps), so you can start over with a fresh system. You should however create a good backup beforehand – which is not an easy task with Android prior to ICS (pre-4.0). On the other had, this can be done without any "modifications" (such as or the like).

If you consider updating your device, take a closer look at custom roms like CyanogenMod. There might be other ROMs available which are tuned specifically for your device, and thus giving better performance even with a newer version of Android. This installation process however is a bit more "technical", and in most cases requires rooting the device and installing a custom recovery.
> 2 votes

# Answer
If you have a custom recovery such as ClockWorkMod Recovery or Team Win Recovery Project, you can first make a nandroid backup (which saves **all** of your current data to your SD card). Then you could complete a factory reset (either from Android itself or from your custom recovery). Finally, get an app like Titanium Backup or Nandroid Manager to retrieve your old apps and data.

As for installing a custom ROM, you may want to check out your device specific forum at XDA Developers. Note that custom ROMs may not be as stable as the one you currently have. They could be unstable or even brick your phone. Flash with caution.

Also, since you have root, have you tried deleting the bloatware that comes with the phone (if there is any)? An app like Titanium Backup should do the trick. Your phone should feel faster after that is done.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: updates
---


# Question
Title: How long should the "Downloading" screen take?
was trying to install a custom ROM, but got stuck into CWM boot loop. learned that this could be solved by entering the download mode and flashing a new firmware, but my phone has been showing the "downloading..." screen for over an hour. is this normal?

# Answer
I think this might simply be something of a misunderstanding regarding how "download mode" works exactly. When you reboot into download mode, your phone doesn't *automatically* reflash itself. It's not capable of doing that, and in general this is a rare feature (Nook tablets can do this, notably, though not with "download mode"). Instead, it's simply listening for commands from a PC, delivered via the Odin or Heimdall utilities.

The reason your phone has been sitting in download mode for over an hour is because you haven't yet told it what to install. Again, it won't do anything by itself, so If you didn't use Odin to install the ROM then it's waiting for you to do that. You'll need to get Odin (or Heimdall), find a ROM to flash, and then hook your phone up to a computer and actually perform the installation. Once that's done, it should reboot into the new ROM, but until then it will just hang out in download mode waiting for commands.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: rom-flashing
---


# Question
Title: How do I Restore a ClockworkMod backup with a busted power button or through ADB?
I was trying to flash a new ROM, but can't get it to boot. Usually, I would have just booted into my recovery and restored my last backup. But I can't do that now as my power button is broken and it is impossible to select the "backup and recover" option after booting into the recovery.

# Answer
Unfortunately send key events via ADB in recovery mode is impossible, otherwise navigating through the recovery options menu would have been easy.

But fortunately, my version of CWM supports the soft keys on my phone. The 'search' button substituted as the selection button (usually the job of the power button). Using that, I was able to navigate into the backup and restore menu and restore my phone.

Hope this helps someone in the future.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can compile your own version of ClockWorkMod. While I haven't done it myself, I know that each phone port of CWM has different key layouts, so it should be a simple question to a developer who has ported CWM to their phone. Find out the keycodes for the rest of the keys on your phone, then remap the keys in the source of CWM.

Alternatively, you can write a script that runs when you boot into CWM. You can tell the script backup, restore, install a new Rom, etc. See this forum for a push in the right direction.

Another solution is to replace CWM with TWRP. You may need this to do automated scripts, as some newer versions of CWM encrypt the extendedcommand so that only ROM Manager can automate it.
> 0 votes

# Answer
@vr3690, it is very much possible. You just gotta study the events.

Here's something that's gonna help: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1875094
> 0 votes

---
Tags: clockworkmod-recovery, recovery-mode, restore, htc-desire-s
---


# Question
Title: How can I increase my samsung galaxy fit's battery life?
I'm using Samsung Galaxy Fit(S5670) and running official 2.3.6 version. My battery's capacity is 1350mAh. Can I increase this capacity to 1500mAh or 2000mAh?

# Answer
> Can I increase this capacity to `1500mAh` or `2000mAh`?

Did you mean increasing capacity from `1350mAh` to `1500mAh` on same battery??

It's **not** possible.

If your phone supports a battery with capacity `1500mAh` or `2000mAh`, you can buy a new battery with these increased capacity.

Check manufacturer's website for details of phone and batteries.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: battery, battery-life
---


# Question
Title: What programming languages are used in Android OS development?
I know we can develop Android apps in Java and also that the base of Android is Linux. However, I don't know what programming languages are used in the Android Open Source Project.

I try to find out the answer to this question many times but was still unable to find out an answer.

Any idea?

# Answer
> 6 votes
As mentioned on its Wikipedia page, Android's core is developed in C and C++, and Java is used for the UI. You can see this for yourself if you browse the Android source code. For example, Google Git provides the source for browsing without the need to download gigabytes of data.

# Answer
> 3 votes
As you told in question itself, Android is **Linux** based.

So obviously the core is developed using **C**.

On top of this, **Java** is used for UI (ie: **Android**).

---
Tags: operating-system, development
---


# Question
Title: Beaglebone Black doesn't obtain 169.254.xxx.xxx IP
If i connect my Beaglebone Black, which runs on **Angstrom**, to my computer via ethernet cable, It obtains an IP address, which starts with 169.254.xxx.xxx, for communication purposes. And I can communicate with it using TCP protocols. I can see that IP address when I use "ifconfig" command in terminal. But If it runs on Android, it doesn't obtain an IP address. Since there isn't "ifconfig" command in Android terminal, I'm using "netcfg" to see IP information and it shows that Beaglebone doesn't have an IP address. I need to somehow "force" my Beaglebone Black to obtain an IP address (like 169.254.xxx.xxx). How can I fix that?

# Answer
I found the solution. I can give a static IP to my Beaglebone via shell scripts (or adb):

ifconfig eth0 up 169.254.13.13
> 0 votes

---
Tags: ip-address
---


title: Do any SVN servers exist for Android?

text:
# Question
Title: Do any SVN servers exist for Android?
Just upgraded to a new phone. So, I have my old one with a cracked screen lying around. Is there any way to run an SVN server on it for a few projects I am working on with a friend?

Its low power and small size makes it ideal for a task like this.

# Answer
> 1 votes
One SVN app is available in Google Play.

But I think it can work as SVN Client only, I haven't tried it though.

---
Tags: web-server
---


title: Device admin policy and multiple users

text:
# Question
Title: Device admin policy and multiple users
If I add my work Exchange email account to my Android 4.4 tablet, it sets the device-administrator "erase all data" permission. Does that apply to *all* users on the device, or just to that one user?

I.e. can I prevent a remote wipe from wiping my personal data by setting up a separate Android user account on my device for work stuff, or will it still wipe the entire device?

Whatever the answer, does the same apply to other device administrator policies?

# Answer
> 5 votes
As the policy says: this enables the administrator to erase *ALL* data. As it's a *device* administrator (and not a user admin), this applies to the entire device.

Idea behind this is to protect sensitive corporate data, which might be contained in your Exchange account. In case the device gets lost, your IT admin can trigger the "data self destruct". Sounds like using atomics to kill a fly to me (wouldn't it be enough to destroy all those Exchange app data?); but of course you *could* have copied sensitive data to any other part of the device.

Besides, that's usually not the only policy installed with an Exchange account. In most cases it also includes that you have to use certain lock mechanisms (e.g. you no longer can use a pattern, but have to use a PIN or password), and in some cases even other stuff. Which is one of the reasons I'd never accept such an account on my device.

---
Tags: device-administrator, remote-wipe
---


title: Google Play Store is not working

text:
# Question
Title: Google Play Store is not working
I updated my Galaxy S3 three months ago and since then, my Play Store went wrong. I can't open it anymore, not to mention my phone often got stuck for hours. I tried every method I could find like resetting the phone, cancel Google account but it just wouldn't work. I can still open apps that I downloaded before, but I can't update them. What should I do to make it back to normal again?

# Answer
Try going to `Settings` \> `Applications Manager` \> `All` \> `Google Play Store` and then click `Uninstall updates`.

It could be that the Play Store data has been corrupted. This will downgrade Play Store and might make it possible for you to launch Play Store which will then update itself in the background, but hopefully correctly this time.
> 2 votes

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


# Question
Title: Is there a video player that supports the orientation flag?
My camera takes videos that save the orientation of the video. I'd like to have them play with the correct orientation on my phone. Is there a player (paid or free) that does this?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I'd say all videos players, but in doubt I tested :

* AOSP Gallery : works.
* The new "Photos" app that comes with Google+ : works.
* MX Player (free) : works.

---
Tags: video, orientation
---


# Question
Title: Why do we need Kies (ADB driver) in Windows but not in Linux?
Why do we need an ADB driver in Windows but not in Linux?

I have been working on Android for the past few months in Windows. To run my project on my Samsung device I had to install Kies first. Similarly for my LG device there is a LG ADB driver, and another for HTC.

But when I shifted to Ubuntu Linux recently, I didn't require any other drivers like Kies and ADB. I was able to debug directly without any third party driver. Why is that?

I know it is something very common, but I haven't found anything which explains why this is the case.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Chor WaiChun mentioned this on a locked question you posted on StackOverflow:

> I've seen somewhere stated that this behaviour is because both android and linux run on same kernel, and same situation goes to developing android on mac. Both OS runs in very similar OS kernel with Android, that is why they don't need any drivers. These are just something I remembered seeing from other threads, can't give 100% sure

**UPDATE #1:** The Android site also mentions this:

> If you are developing on Windows and would like to connect an Android-powered device to test your applications, then you need to install the appropriate USB driver. ...
>
> **If you're developing on Mac OS X or Linux, then you probably don't need to install a USB driver.** To start developing with your device, read Using Hardware Devices.

**UPDATE #2:** There's a comment on StackOverflow regarding `libusb`. I think this may be the reason why Linux does not need additional drivers.

> Actually adb under Linux accesses USB devices using libusb without any specific kernel driver. Also adb has a list of vendor IDs which it is allowed to use, but this does not explain the problem in question, because vendor IDs for both phones are the same. And in case of permission problems due to missing udev rules adb devices clearly shows “no permissions” in the list, so this is also not the cause of this problem.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I am unsure why Linux doesn't typically require a specific ADB driver.

However, there is a "universal" Windows USB ADB driver that works with most Android devices. It was developed by Koushik Dutta (Koush), a famous Android developer who works on ClockworkMod. It should work quite well for you. Download here: http://koush.com/post/universal-adb-driver

# Answer
> 0 votes
As others already responded, in linux there is common USB driver, which adb uses. It seems that in Windows there is no common USB driver, so adb uses the "provided" driver - different for every device/manufacturer.

---
Tags: adb, linux, samsung-kies, windows
---


# Question
Title: Where are dialer's "All Contacts" coming from?
Stock Moto G running 4.4.2, initially set up using Motorola Migrate to transfer my data from an HTC Desire S.

I have Google, Skype, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts on my phone, and all the correct contact details from all those accounts are shown in the People app. Happy days.

The fun starts when I open the dialer, and select "All Contacts". Here I see all sorts of ancient contacts who did once exist on my previous phone(s), some of whom I may have called at some point but most of whom I never have. They don't exist in the People app, or in the Call History, or on my SIM card—indeed, if I tap one of them to look at their details, there's an "Add to My Contacts" button there.

Some of them are contacts that I used to have on my phone 1 or 2 phones ago and long since deleted, others appear to be old details for contacts that I have since updated or renamed.

Where have these ghosts come from, and how can I banish them?

# Answer
> 2 votes
SOLVED: It appears these contacts were in the "Other contacts" on gmail.com. I'm not entirely sure how they got there or why there is no such group in the People app where I can see or edit them, but at least I can delete them now!

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, phone-app, motorola-moto-g
---


title: Cant connect S3 with CM 10.2 to adb

text:
# Question
Title: Cant connect S3 with CM 10.2 to adb
I cant get to use adb with my S3 in Windows 7. I am using CM 10.2, when I run `adb devices` nothing is shown. I also tired `adb kill-server` and `adb start-server`

I tried in Ubuntu and worked perfectly. I would use Ubuntu if I could but the windows pc is the one at the office.

What do I need to do for it to work?

# Answer
Finally the issue was missing drivers, the solution was to use the ones that come with the sdk but using another winusb file.

Here you can find the file that did the trick. https://github.com/gu1dry/android\_winusb

Just replace the file with the one downloaded and install drivers as described in the android doc.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s-3, adb
---


# Question
Title: Handeling android emulator via command line
I installed default android emualator in windows xp . Is there a way to launch android browser with a specific url open on it with help of command line .

Basically I use emulator for testing my website . so if there exist a command for launching emulator from command line (with browser and url open on it) then i ll create a script which ll take url as argument and launch the emulator for me .

We can do the same with mac (apple xcode emulator) hopefully there is a way for android too.

Thanks in advance

# Answer
> 0 votes
Yes, you can open a browser from the command-line using **adb**.

Here is an example from SO:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3512198/need-command-line-to-start-web-browser-using-adb

---
Tags: browser, android-emulator, scripts
---


# Question
Title: HDMI connected on Google Nextbook 8 when no HDMI connected
Recently, my Nextbook 8 has been acting oddly. What it does is switches into HDMI mode, though there is no HDMI cable plugged in.

I first noticed this on Sunday. The screen was refusing to rotate, even for apps that required a different screen orientation. When I figured out that HDMI Switch was on, I turned it off and that fixed the problem. Temporarily.

Now, the screen flashes frequently as it "connects" and "disconnects" from HDMI, which makes using it next to impossible. Sound stutters when it does this, and if it's "connected," I can't watch videos on it.

I've never once connected HDMI to it, and I take care of my electronics. I've never dropped it, I have anti-virus on it that finds nothing wrong, and I haven't downloaded any new apps. I've found nothing online to help me solve what could be causing this, though I've been searching since Monday. All problems I've found through searching have been "HDMI not connecting" issues instead.

Any help would be greatly appreciated in this matter.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I actually had this very same issue.

I contacted Nextbook and it was *very* hard to get in touch with them by phone or email. Finally I got an email back with some ideas, including doing a reset for the whole tablet.

However, I believe what actually fixed it is that I bought a cheap HDMI to mini-HDMI cable on Amazon to plug into my TV (which works quite nicely) and once I plugged it in and out, that seemed to fix the problem of sound not working/screen rotating. I haven't seen the problem happen again, so I think there was just some slight connection problem that is now okay. I hope it works for you.

---
Tags: hdmi, nextbook-premium-8
---


# Question
Title: Internal SD-card hardware erros. Is there a way to move partitions to external sdcard?
I have a device with hardware errors in the internal sd card and want to move /data entirely to the external sd card. I was thinking that it should be possible to create a partition in external sd-card and use it instead of the default partition for /data/ so that only system partition (which is read only ) will remain on the internal SD-card and this will reduce the chance of errors.

How can I change the initial mount options to make android mount /data from external SD card. ?

EDIT: One solution is fstab modification,In Linux PC it's quite simple, modifying /etc/fstab. will it work on the equivalent fstab for android ?

# Answer
On Android it's not that easy to modify the "fstab", as that's often stored inside the boot-image (see Wikipedia on "initrd" for a more detailed explanation).

However, depending on the device, there might be alternative solutions. Some of them would be:

* DirectoryBind binds "directories located on external\_sd to directories on internal memory (`/sdcard`). This way You can transfer large application data directories to external\_sd." (in other words, you could compare that with "symbolic links", pointing to the external SDCard). See also this article.
* Swap Internal and External sdcard. According to the linked article, this should work *for ANY Android Phone or Tablet*. This solution is comparable to your "editing of fstab".
* Root External 2 Internal SD is an app to swap the cards. From its description, it does the same as described in the previous point.

There might be more solutions around, but these are the ones I've heard of. Hope one of them can help you out!
> 1 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, internal-storage, bootloader
---


# Question
Title: Treat certain WiFi networks as mobile/cellular
I plan to be putting a Nexus 7 (will be rooted) in my car and tethering off my Nexus 4 (rooted). However I only get 1.5GB data per month on my mobile and don't want it to download my Spotify playlists, update apps etc whilst using my phones WiFi.

I'd like it to treat it as a mobile network and know that Android has the Mobile hotspots option but as of testing it did absolutely nothing AFAIK.

Open to pretty much all options.

# Answer
If you go to Settings \> Data usage and open the menu, then select Mobile hotspots you can select Wi-Fi networks that should be treated as mobile hotspots.

This should restrict the data usage when connected to these networks.

*Data Usage* and *Mobile Hotspot* screens (click images for larger variants)
> 1 votes

# Answer
As your tablet and phone will both be running Android versions newer than 4.1 then this is all built in, and the devices should automatically let each other know about this when they connect, which will let apps know that they should limit the traffic they use.

However you can also manually tell them that a particular wifi connection is a hotspot rather than broadband connection, just in case the auto-detection hasn't worked.

On the device that will be connecting to the wifi (your Nexus 7), if you go into **Settings** -\> **Data Usage** and then the "**...**" overflow button you should see an option called "**Mobile Hotspots**".

Data Usage Menu (click image for larger variant)

In here should be a list of all the wifi networks that the device has connected to recently, with a tickbox alongside that you can select to say that the network is actually a mobile hotspot. This tells your phone to treat that wifi network as if it is a mobile data (eg 3G) network instead of a broadband connection.

Mobile hotspots (click image for larger variant)

*(cribbed from my previous answer here)*
> 1 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, tethering, wifi-hotspot, wifi-tethering, mobile-data
---


# Question
Title: Adding more widgets in 'Widget' Lock screen style of HTC One X
I have HTC One X with Android 4.2.2 and Sense 5.

In 'Settings \> Personalize \> Lock screen style \> Widget' when I click on 'Settings' button I have options of Gmail, Google Now, Google+ posts, My Tracks, Tumblr and Wunderlist. I can add only from these widgets which would be displayed on my lock screen.

How can I add more app widgets to this list?

# Answer
The only way to add more widget is to install an application that allow their widgets to be used on the lockscreen. Developers need to specify if their widgets can be used on the launcher, the lockscreen or both.

So, if a widget is available on the launcher but not on the lockscreen, I'm afraid that you can't use it on the lockscreen. (But you could mail the developer so he makes his widget available on the lockscreen).

---

As said in the comments, a Xposed module is available for rooted to user that enable all widgets on lock screen : GravityBox
> 3 votes

# Answer
If you are not rooted then Shywim's answer is correct.

However, if you have rooted your device you can install the Xposed framework. This allows you to install modules that tweak various aspects of Android.

The module GravityBox (KK) for kitkat and (JB) for Jelly Bean, which you can install via the Xposed Installer has an option "Allow Any Widget" for the Lockscreen.

Article on GravityBox

In this image you can see in the bottom left "Allow Any Widget" under the Lockscreen Tweaks.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, lock-screens, htc-one-x, htc-sense
---


# Question
Title: Can an intent to open the camera specify a prefix to the names of any photo's taken?
I understand that there are apps that make renaming easy but would it be possible to specify the photo name actually before taking the photo? If so would this also work with an app that allows the user to take multiple photo's before returning to the app, rather than the one photo most apps allow. Sorry for the newb question!

# Answer
Yes. The app that starts the intent (i.e. the app with the "take photo" button) is responsible for choosing a file name and creating the file. It then puts that file's URI (its path) in the intent. The camera app then opens that file, writes the photo to it, and gives a result back to the first app.

The upshot of this is that it's up to the calling app (the one with the "take photo" button) to give you a way to set the file name, if they want to do that. The file name will take effect whatever camera app you use.

The intent protocol doesn't provide a way for the calling app to ask for more than one photo, so there's no way for an app to offer this feature without launching the camera app several times in succession.

If you're interested in the details, the official Android developer documentation describes it, with code examples.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You could try Preset camera I found this on Google Play and it claims:

Summary (I've left in the spelling and punctuation mistakes as they appear on the Play Store):

**You can preset the settings about picture. Frames,filters,the name of the folders,the name of files.**

After you preset the settings,pictures you take will be reflected to the setting.

This application is very convenience when you take a picture in continuous, or take a picture of fixed location or object.

You have no stress to edit the pictures because your settings reflect to all the pictures you take automatically.

---

As I can't tell if you want to do this programatically (which is outside the remit of this site), here is the answer to it in code: Stack Overflow Android - Taking photos and saving them with a custom name to a custom destination via Intent
> 1 votes

---
Tags: camera, file-management
---


# Question
Title: Why are there so many partitions in /dev/block/mmcblk0
This is my partition layout printed by fdisk . Why so many partitions and what are they for?

```
Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/block/mmcblk0: 2329 MB, 2329935872 bytes
1 heads, 16 sectors/track, 284416 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16 * 512 = 8192 bytes

              Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1   *           1          63         500  4d Unknown
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2              63          71          64  45 Unknown
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary
/dev/block/mmcblk0p3              71         634        4500  46 Unknown
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary
/dev/block/mmcblk0p4             634      284672     2272311   5 Extended
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary
/dev/block/mmcblk0p5             634        4384       30000  49 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p6            4384        5946       12500  50 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p7            5946        6202        2048  51 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p8            6202        6586        3072  52 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p9            6586        6842        2048  53 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10           6842        6970        1024  54 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p11           6971        7098        1024  56 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12           7099        8192        8751+ 55 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p13           8193        8577        3072  4a Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p14           8577        8961        3072  4b Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p15           8961        9089        1024  74 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p16           9089       10208        8957+ 75 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p17          10209       10240         256  76 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p18          10241       10369        1024  47 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p19          10369       10497        1024  34 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p20          10497       10657        1280  36 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p21          10657       11744        8701  71 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p22          11744       12256        4096  48 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p23          12257       12288         256  73 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p24          12289       12544        2047  26 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p25          12545       83968      571391+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p26          83969      234368     1203199+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p27         234369      272768      307199+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p28         272769      275424       21247+ 19 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p29         275425      275456         256  23 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p30            634        4384       30000  49 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p31           4384        5946       12500  50 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p32           5946        6202        2048  51 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p33           6202        6586        3072  52 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p34           6586        6842        2048  53 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p35           6842        6970        1024  54 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p36           6971        7098        1024  56 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p37           7099        8192        8751+ 55 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p38           8193        8577        3072  4a Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p39           8577        8961        3072  4b Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p40           8961        9089        1024  74 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p41           9089       10208        8957+ 75 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p42          10209       10240         256  76 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p43          10241       10369        1024  47 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p44          10369       10497        1024  34 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p45          10497       10657        1280  36 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p46          10657       11744        8701  71 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p47          11744       12256        4096  48 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p48          12257       12288         256  73 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p49          12289       12544        2047  26 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p50          12545       83968      571391+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p51          83969      234368     1203199+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p52         234369      272768      307199+ 83 Linux
/dev/block/mmcblk0p53         272769      275424       21247+ 19 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p54         275425      275456         256  23 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p55            634        4384       30000  49 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p56           4384        5946       12500  50 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p57           5946        6202        2048  51 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p58           6202        6586        3072  52 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p59           6586        6842        2048  53 Unknown
/dev/block/mmcblk0p60

  6842        6970        1024  54 Unknown

```

# Answer
Usually you can get some human readable partition names using:

```
 find /dev/block -path \*/by-name -exec ls -l {} \;

```
> 4 votes

---
Tags: sd-card, internal-sd
---


# Question
Title: How to factory reset LG optimus L3 E405 from pc
I hav flashed a CWM recovery on my phone.... it shows this CWM recovery menu repeatedly,without booting into the system... please tell me to factory reset it through pc as the factory reset option in the phone isnt wrking....

# Answer
Follow this steps, it will bring you phone back to life

http://www.hackmyandroid.com/how-unbrick-optimus-android-phone/1980
> -1 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: Restoring purchase of premium features after reinstall
I was searching for a nice-looking Android app that can keep track of my expenses and I found Expense Manager. The app itself is free and it looks like it suits my needs, but it also has some premium features that I want. They can be unlocked through an in-app purchase. Before I pay money for them, I wanted to figure out how I can restore this purchase in case I ever have to reinstall the app after a factory reset.

Is there a standard procedure to restore this in-app purchase? Does it happen automatically? Do I have to do it manually through Google Play?

# Answer
Applications often have a *Restore In-App Purchase* option in the settings.

Other applications may ask you to "buy again" the item, but you're not actually spending any money again.

It is often mentioned how you can restore your purchases in the application's description on Google Play or in the help category of the application (if any). You can always contact the developer for more information.

*(Note that we are talking about **Non-consumables** purchases, it means purchases that are permanently associated with one's google account. More Information.)*
> 3 votes

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


title: What is my lcd density?

text:
# Question
Title: What is my lcd density?
How can I figure out what is my tablet's lcd screen density.

It is a cheapy one with no official site...

Is there any settings option I could check to see the display resolution configurations? Is there any other way for it?

# Answer
> 6 votes
You probably have a diagonal screen size, and a resolution. Use the Pythagorean Theorem on the resolution and divide the result by the screen size to get the DPI.

For example, my Vibrant is 4", 800x480. sqrt(8002 \+ 4802) / 4 = ~233 dpi.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Even a cheap tablet with no official specs normally mentions the screen resolution on the box, didn't yours?

If not, then you could visit a web page like http://www.whatismyscreenresolution.com/ (there are many other similar websites out there) or install an app like Android System Info that will tell you your resolution as well as your DPI.

The DPI is just a measurement of how many pixels there are on an inch of your screen, so if you know your screen resolution, you can measure the size of your screen and calculate the DPI from there to get the actual density.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I've created small app to check phone screen density. You could check it. Phone Density Information

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are rooted, the best way to check is to go to /system and open build.prop, and then check if there is a line called `ro.sf.lcd_density`. This will give you the current LCD density, and you can even change it if you want.

---
Tags: screen
---


# Question
Title: My Galaxy S3 freezes and the screen goes black, what could be the problem?
I had this several times, my Galaxy S3 freezes and then the screen goes black and I can't wake it up. the only way is to reboot it and pull out the battery.

What could be the reason for it?

# Answer
> 0 votes
The problem was in the android version, after I got firmware update it fixed the problem

# Answer
> 1 votes
I also have that problem. It starts when the battery goes really low.

So, keep it charged up. If you take the battery out for awhile, it will reset.

But, get another battery. Best Buy has them for as low as 8 bucks online.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, system-freeze
---


# Question
Title: Where did the SIP settings go to on my LG Optimus 4X?
About 3 months ago I bought my *LG Optimus 4X HD* (aka P-880), which shipped with Android 4.0.3. I searched the settings up and down, and was quite surprised there were no SIP settings available. I'm very sure SIP support was added to AOSP with Gingerbread, so it had to be there with ICS!

Did LG remove them from their Android installation? Is there any way to get them back?

# Answer
## Is the SIP functionality really gone for good from the Optimus 4X?

Actually, LG really seems to think their (European?) customers don't need SIP. Most likely official argument will be that carriers either exclude SIP usage from their mobile data plans (at least here in Germany, many do). So they removed it.

Ooops. That was only half true: They removed it from the obvious places, that is. You might not find it in the settings. But luckily, they just removed the link to the settings screen -- all the code still seems to be there!

## Ah! Still available! So how to access it?

I found it more accidentally while playing with Apex Launcher. Long pressing on a free space on one of the home screens, like you want to add a widget, opens the expected menu. Select "Shortcuts" here. On top of the next screen you'll find an item called "Activities", which I long ignored -- unfortunately! But after a very interesting chat session with Dan on broadcasts versus intents versus activities, I had to dig into this. And found that:

activities of the phone app (click images for larger variants)

The top entry in the first screenshot clearly reads *Sip Settings* -- so I added that shortcut to my homescreen. And what should I say? Yesss! It's the long missed settings screen, from where you can configure your SIP accounts (and define whether you want the device to listen for incoming SIP calls)!

So if you miss something that should be there, this might be a place to look for it. Besides, as reputated users as ASE we're always told to watch out for hidden gems in new places -- so you might want to look further:

list of apps with activities (click image for larger variant)

You see, other apps have also activities they made freely available (they might have even more which are kind of "private" to them). The numbers to the right tell you how much activities the corresponding app has made "public". Try them out! You surely will encounter the one or other force-close when you try to start such an activity (as it might expect parameters), but it cannot hurt. You might find other interesting things!

## Are there other ways to discover/call such activities?

Sure, *Apex* is not the only one. There are other apps available on the playstore which let you explore available activities, such as e.g. Package Explorer or Stanley. And you also can use e.g. Tasker to start your discovered activities.

Besides: With that, most of the "shortcut-apps" available on the playstore you won't need any longer this way. Just inspect the Settings app, which seems to declare each and every page it has -- so you can directly jump there from your newly created shortcut!

## Does this apply to the *Optimus 4X* only?

For sure not! This functionality should be available on any device. I just cannot promise you to find the SIP settings on all of them. Or anything else you've seen in above screenshots :)
> 0 votes

# Answer
That sip settings are hidden in "activities" below "Telefon", it took me a while to find it. Creating a SIP Account was possible but it was not stored permanently. After closing the sip settings and opening it again it's gone. Still using Vimtura Vimphone as sip dialer.

LG P880 fw v.20b, Android 4.1.2
> 1 votes

---
Tags: settings, sip, lg-optimus-4x
---


# Question
Title: Do i really need to factory reset/data wipe for cynogenmod?
im new here, the question is in the title. I would like to use cynogenmod for when im listening to music, so that i can change the track just by using the volume buttons. I don't plan on installing custom ROM on my phone since there is none available.

Im using Samsung Galaxy Ace II (rooted) V. 4.0.4

# Answer
I'm not sure what you think Cyanogenmod is, but it *is* a custom ROM. It replaces the whole OS on your phone. You need to factory-reset when flashing it because the built-in apps and settings are (or might be) saved in a different format to stock Android: if Cyanogenmod tried to read the settings saved by stock Android, it would go wrong.

If all you want is to change track using your volume keys, you don't need Cyanogenmod for that: just install a music player app that offers that feature.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod
---


title: Android early boot console over usb

text:
# Question
Title: Android early boot console over usb
I'm trying to port newer kernel versions onto my Nexus S device.

Most newer kernels panic very early on in the boot process. I would like to debug this. However, since the phone has been provided to me by my school, I cannot get a hold of a serial port (if it does exist..not sure)

Is there any way I can obtain the messages via usb onto my PC?

# Answer
> 3 votes
This site describes how to get access to the serial console on the Nexus S, which is really the only way of debugging boot problems. It's not for the faint-hearted, though: you need a UART-to-USB module, with resistors connected across certain pins, all connected to your phone. If you screw it up you will blow up the phone.

The same information's also mirrored here, in case the first site should disappear.

BTW, if you'd tried asking this on Stack Overflow instead of here, you'd have found this duplicate question which has the same link I just found :-)

---
Tags: boot, kernel, logging
---


title: Asus ME302KL tablet halts on loading

text:
# Question
Title: Asus ME302KL tablet halts on loading
I have a problem with my Asus MeMO Pad ME302KL

It halts on loading screen - Asus logo and loading spinner and loads forever, until the battery goes off completely.

Holding the power button for 10 seconds reboots it. Holding the reset button (the one in the hole) for 10 seconds just reboots it.

Tried to enter service menus:

1. Holding the power button and volume down - after 10 seconds the tablet shuts down, after 5 more seconds shows system information. Asus logo and some text on the left. Does not react to any actions, except for holding the power button for 10 seconds and goes to reboot.
2. Holding the power button and volume up - after 10 seconds the tablet shuts down, after 5 more seconds shows "service menu". First for half a second there appears a standing android with spinning blue thing in front of him, and after half a second there appears a lying android with open bonnet and a red exclamation mark and nothing else on the screen. Does not react to any actions, except for holding the power button for 10 seconds and goes to reboot.

**UPD:** Tried to hold the reset button while on the "service screens" and it just goes to reboot after 10 seconds. Also have removed the SIM and SD cards.

**UPD2:** Before the lethal shut down I've installed a couple of games, ~5 I guess. I'm not sure, if it installed any updates, at least it did not ask m e about it.

**UPD3:** With use of fastboot re-installed this system https://mega.co.nz/#!QFEFFRCR!XV2tziLIueLET2aBXWBaXUp5qY5vw7vS740yYxgKO7M and absolutely nothing has changed :(

# Answer
> 1 votes
Found the combination to enter the recovery mode. Holding the power button and volume up - after 10 seconds the tablet shuts down, after 5 more seconds shows "service menu". First for half a second there appears a standing android with spinning blue thing in front of him, and after half a second there appears a lying android with open bonnet and a red exclamation mark (error) and nothing else on the screen.

Then you have to hold the power again and press the volume up - the menu appears.

Cleared the cache and device started normally. That's pretty weird, as I've re-installed the whole system and cleaned the cache with fastloader. But it works now :)

---
Tags: bootloader, system-error, system-freeze
---


# Question
Title: Where is GMail app on Galaxy Note 3 app list
I setup my GMail account as a Google account on my phone. When email comes in I can tap the notification to go to the Gmail app. I can use S Voice to go to the Gmail app. However the Gmail app is not on the home screen. I am not using the "Email" app though. Where is it and why is it hidden?

**EDIT:** It's in the app folder Google. Shame on you Samsung for not making the difference between folders and apps obvious. Well the folders look like this:

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)

I'll update the question with the answer in a day.

# Answer
> 0 votes
It's in the app folder 'Google'. Shame on you Samsung for not making the difference between folders and apps obvious. Well the folders look like this:

Click image for larger version

---
Tags: gmail, notification-icons
---


title: Default Phone Dialer

text:
# Question
Title: Default Phone Dialer
I use Samsung Galaxy S2, Currently running on 4.1.2 JellyBean. I have downloaded an App called, 'Espier Dialer iOS 7' and I want that to be my default Dialer. I tried to goto Application Manager \> Clear Defaults for Phone and tried to make this app my Default Dialer application, but the selection only shows 'Phone' and 'Skype' Any help guys?

# Answer
You shouldn't need to clear the defaults of any application.

If you install a new application that handles an intent for which you've already set a default, Android will "clear" that default so that the next time you fire the intent (e.g., dialing the phone) you will be prompted with the "choose an app to perform this action" menu.

It sounds to me like the app you've installed doesn't handle that intent, and that for you to use it you will need to explicitly launch the app.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I am sorry to make you guys take a big trouble to try to solve my problem, I have now sorted out this problem by downloading Espier Launcher 7 and now the Dialer works as a plugin and all is set. Thank you for your valuable and precious time, guys!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: default-applications
---


title: Force Media Update?

text:
# Question
Title: Force Media Update?
Sometimes I download songs from various sources, and they aren't put in the requisite media folder on external storage. The media scanner can still find them, but the only way I have found to do this is by moving the file around with a file manager, or mounting and unmounting as USB storage. This forces the phone to rescan for media files.

Does anyone know of a way to give Android a hint that it needs to rescan for media from within Android itself?

# Answer
Most custom ROMs include this functionality as part of the Power Widget. For stock firmware you have to resort to 3rd-party apps such as ScanMedia or SDRescan, for example.
> 5 votes

# Answer
This is a very good question and I see it is already answered. I wrote a small application to solve this problem specifically for Kit Kit(Android 4.4+). My application works on all phones.

Here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=burrows.apps.sdcard

This works on the Nexus 5!

Please let me know if this helps you!

Regards,
> -1 votes

---
Tags: music-player, media-player, files
---


# Question
Title: Insufficient storage when installing app on Android ICS phone
My Android ICS phone has 42MB available (according to Settings-\>Storage). I am not able to install some new apps (e.g. O2 wifi, size 4MB) or update some existing apps (e.g. TouchPal X, size 19MB) though I have been able to install other small ones (e.g. Terminal Emulator, size 1MB and Cache Clear 5MB). I've tried using Cache Clear to clear the caches. I've tried 'pm set-install-location 2' to default the install location to external storage (currently it's 0 i.e. auto) but it's rejected it with the comment 'killed'. I've moved all the apps (that I'm allowed to move) to the sdcard. I'm not able to root the phone (ZTE V790) as I haven't found any instructions & software that works. I'm at a loss what to do.

# Answer
On an older phone of mine this was an issue with the app store. Insufficient storage error was fixed after an update. One app, HuffPost, had poor coding and gave me that warning. Many updates later they fixed it.

You can use Gemini App Manager to move app to the SD card that Android won't allow you to: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.seasmind.android.gmappmgr

Edit: Found a root guide. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2138234
> 0 votes

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


title: Factory reset after purchase

text:
# Question
Title: Factory reset after purchase
After purchasing a phone from the store should a factory reset be done to erase anything that the store or someone might have put in?

# Answer
If the phone is new and in the box, then it has probably never been turned on. You can tell because the first time you turn it on (after fully charging the battery), it will go through the initial setup process, inviting you to enter or create a Google account, and showing some pop-up tips about adding shortcuts to the home screen.

If it's second-hand, then the shop or the previous owner *should* have factory-reset it already, but you can tell in the same way. If you turn it on and get the initial setup process right away, then you're already starting from a fresh state. If you just get the home screen, with no setup screen inviting you to enter or create a Google account, then you need to factory-reset from the device settings.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: What can I do after breaking the screen of my phone?
I dropped my phone on the concrete. Now, I have a crack and my screen is pitch black. I tried rebooting it and charging it, but it won't come on. I want to know if I can change the screen and if it will come back on or what?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Replacing the screen isn't really a job you can do yourself: it's very fiddly and usually needs special tools. You can take it to a repair shop and they can replace the screen (if they have the replacement screen for your model of phone), but this is usually expensive. Because the screen is one of the most expensive components of the phone, and labour costs are expensive, replacing the screen might cost as much as replacing the whole phone.

You don't know what else might have been damaged by hitting that concrete. If the broken screen is the only damage, then replacing it will make the phone work again. But if the phone's internal components have been damaged too, it may not be possible to replace them. The repair shop should be able to tell you when they've examined the phone.

---
Tags: screen
---


title: What to make of my unused GT-I5800

text:
# Question
Title: What to make of my unused GT-I5800
I've never rooted android before, as I considered it too risky for the device I'm actually using, but I just realized I have an older android phone (a GT-I5800) sitting around, so I thought I might as well make use of it. So I have been searching around for what I could do with it, but most questions ask this from the perspective of actually having a phone you use for calling people, so I thought it might help me, if I asked what people would recommend for me.

My perspective: I'm a PhD student in physics, I work on Ubuntu on my laptop, and various linux distros on large university clusters, I have a Galaxy Note 10.1 tab and a Galaxy S advance beside the above mentioned gt I5800, I can code in python and c++.

What I would be interested in (and anything else that might come to the mind of those more at home in the subject):

* being able to access it through wireless to run stuff from my other android and laptop (ssh?)
* having on OS on it, that does the bare minimum needed to access all the devices on the phone (turning them on or off too) and to run code (if possibly retaining the ability to use it as phone, i.e. dualboot, or some thing that has a minimum running mode and an "I'm a phone now" mode)
* using it as a mini server
* anything that seems like fun from a geeky point of view:)

# Answer
> 4 votes
* a media server, using e.g. BubbleUPnP
* a machine for development/coding, using e.g. Terminal IDE
* a "picture frame" (before mentioned BubbleUPnP should be able to do that along, but many gallery apps in slideshow-mode as well)
* a web server, e.g. with AndroPHP / Bit Web Server (PHP,MySQL,PMA) / Ulti Server: PHP, MySQL, PMA – also see: Turn a Android Phone with broken screen into dedicated Web server
* have it ready as emergency/backup phome with some prepaid card
* use it as "modem"/router for devices without a SIM card (tablets etc.) or without a data-plan, utilizing its hotspot functionality (sure you could use your main device for it; but using the old one keeps the juice in your main device ;)
* use it as "test device" for any apps you want to try. With no important/daily-use/private data on it, you could even use some "risky sounding" apps here, and easily factory-reset it afterwards. For this, a separate Google Account might prove useful as well.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Being able to access it wirelessly: try a vnc app, or AirDroid?

Mini Server: Check out Servers Ultimate

Apart from that, maybe try using it as a torrenting machine or a security camera.

---
Tags: operating-system
---


title: Do I really need an SD-card?

text:
# Question
Title: Do I really need an SD-card?
I don't have an SD-card as I got my Karbonn Smart A10 Dual SIM Android based on Android Jelly Bean v4.1 and 1 Ghz Dual Core processor out-the-box. There are two things which appear to need an SD-card: 1 - camera: when I select camera, I get "No Storage - please insert an SD card" 2 - whatsapp: when I download and install whatsapp, I get "Error - application cannot be installed in the default install location." Is there no work-around? Is the best solution for me to run off and buy an SD card?

# Answer
Your phone (Karbonn A10) doesn't have storage space available. It has 512 MB available only for the system and the applications binaries (and their data). You can't store media files or any file that applications want to put on a sdcard on this memory.

So, for this phone, you **need** a sdcard for all functions to work. (but it is not true for all Android phones)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sd-card, karbonn-a10
---


# Question
Title: How can I determine what is causing my Nexus 4 to freeze?
I have a new-ish Nexus 4 with Cataclysm ROM installed (rooted, 4.3).

The device has recently started freezing - being unresponsive to button presses, but with the white LED pulsing. I have to long-press the power button and then press it again to restart.

It used to freeze occasionally - say, once a week - but over the past week or two it has started to freeze every day or at least every other day.

I cannot think of a recently-installed application or setting change that might have triggered this.

I'm wondering if there's a way for me to determine 'when' the device freezes and 'what' it is that's causing it to freeze, ideally so I can determine whether or not it is the ROM or the device at fault. Is there an application that can log device behaviour and be read by a semi-technical user like me?

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are some ways to pin down your problem. The easiest way should be reading out the last\_kmsg which is normally stored under **/proc/last\_kmsg**. The kernel logs everything in there and it can be read until the next reboot.

So reading last\_kmsg always shows things that happened before the device rebooted the last time.

Another way would be using "adb logcat" or - more comfortable - the app **Catlog** which can record your logcat into a .txt file on the SD-Card. Be advised that logcat is not the same as a kernel message but it also includes messages from user space apps and UI stuff.

If I'm allowed to make a wild guess, I'd say that it's the ROM's fault (e.g. undervolting or something else going wrong).

Best regards!

---
Tags: custom-roms, nexus-4, 4.3-jelly-bean, logging, troubleshooting
---


# Question
Title: how can I get the Call & SMS log for an individual contact?
I have recently upgraded to an Android 4.0.4 phone, used to have 2.3 and one of the features I used very often is missing.

In any contact I could look to see a list of calls & sms, including when I last called, received a call, had a missed call, or sent or received a text from that contact and from what number, i.e., Mobile, Mobile work, Home, Work, etc.

This was especially useful for checking when I last had contact with somebody, such as clients, allowing me to decide if I needed to call or send them a text.

This feature has obviously been removed, however is there any third party apps available that could either stand alone, or preferably integrate to allow me this much used & needed feature back.

# Answer
I thought that I may get some answers here, as it is, after many hours searching and trying various apps out, I have found a few apps that provide solutions myself, the best two of which I will list below.

I was looking for an app to show "call" & "sms" "history"/"logs", so using these search terms I found many, the best stand alone one I found is called "My Log" from "Intangible Solutions" which is able to search and list all calls and sms for any given number or multiple numbers in a very clear and easy to read format. The drawbacks is that it is heavily add supported and takes a little while to specify all the contact's numbers, as you have to select them one at a time, having said this, the results are brilliant.

The other I found via an associated app call "Call log+" which I tried and initially dismissed as it only gave me call log similar to the one found in the standard "Phone" dialler, however I later went back to it's associated app "Contacts+", which includes "Call log+", "Messages+" and "Dialler+", and then also installed "Merge+", "Emoji for Conacts+" and the "Contacts+ Widget" to get the full collection, which can replace the standard "Phone", "Contacts" and "Messaging" functions with much better versions, that do far more. The "Contacts+", which includes "Call Log+" does everything I wanted, in that I can instantly see a call log for any contact. The fact that "Contacts+" does a whole lot more beyond this is also fantastic, but it does exactly what I wanted, so job done.

I hope this may help others looking for the same missing (removed) feature, which because of how I use my phone, I would find hard to live without.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: contacts, call-history
---


# Question
Title: Would it be possible to sandbox apps with SELinux?
Many apps require too much permissions that they do not need to function

Most apps needs internet connection to talk to some API (let's say updates checking or notifications.. etc) and need to access SD Card (for buffering/caching). But if we grant them this they can take all of my data.

It would be great if the OS is structured in a way so that we can grant apps access only to specific directories that only belong to it (think of browser cache, youtube buffer ...) and when the user promptly and consciously want to pass files (eg. upload file throw a web browser) they get staged/promoted/linked to that area accessible by the app.

till that happens, we have SELinux in many android phones can we use it to sandbox apps (the idea is there since 2009 see http://danwalsh.livejournal.com/28545.html)

here is the question: can we define a policy that says (if yes how)

* those apps are not allowed to access my gallery directory (DCIM)
* those apps are allowed to access my gallery but are not allowed to use network connection

in desktop Linux it was successfully applied (here it was applied on firefox http://danwalsh.livejournal.com/31146.html)

# Answer
Android already has this kind of sandboxing of apps. Each app gets its own data directory (and optionally another on the SD card), and only that app can read that directory. Apps can't read other apps' directories directly.

When an app (such as the gallery) wants to make its content available to other apps, they can offer an interface for the other apps to use. In fact, there are two kinds of interfaces apps can offer.

The first is via the *intent* mechanism. This is used when you get (for example) a "Choose image from" dialog, with different apps to choose. The *intent* mechanism allows the app that owns the image to grant the calling app **temporary** access to **only** the image(s) you choose this way.

The second mechanism is for the app to act as a *content provider*. The app then acts like a server, allowing other apps to browse and find content, and access it directly without your interaction. When an app acts this way, it's up to the app that owns the content to choose what security mechanism to use. The app might require that the calling app have a particular *permission* (even a new permission specially created for this purpose). For example, access to contacts is provided this way. Only the built-in *contacts provider* app has direct access to the contacts database. It also acts as a content provider, to allow other apps access, but only if they have the appropriate permission (such as "read my contacts").

So, as you can see, the mechanism you describe - to sandbox apps, and to pass files from one app to another only through the user's choice - already exists in Android. It's way ahead of desktop operating systems in this respect. It's up to apps to use these mechanisms to control the content they own - and there's always going to be a trade-off between granularity of control (using lots of permissions) and making things easier for the user to understand (using fewer permissions).
> 0 votes

# Answer
Yes' there is but some apps crashes when they see that they are throttled. Xprivacy module for xposed framework and also app settings. Search and you will find threads at xda pages.
> -2 votes

---
Tags: security, selinux, sandboxing
---


title: Documentation/reference for fastboot

text:
# Question
Title: Documentation/reference for fastboot
Where can I find the documentation for `fastboot` in Android SDK's `platform-tools`?

I know that running `fastboot` on its own gives a quick help for the different commands, but I'd like to know about details such as:

* `update`: What does *update.zip* need to look like
* `flashall`: Where do the *flash boot + recovery + system* come from, what format, etc.
* `boot`: What is the format of `<kernel>` and what is the `<ramdisk>` option
* `flash:raw boot`: What is the difference to `boot` and what is it used for

I am surprised that in the Android Developer's Tools Help there is documentation for `adb` but not `fastboot`.

# Answer
Fastboot commandline utilisation as per eLinux.org is shown below.

```
$ fastboot -h
usage: fastboot [ <option> ] <command>

commands:
  update <filename>                        reflash device from update.zip
  flashall                                 flash boot + recovery + system
  flash <partition> [ <filename> ]         write a file to a flash partition
  erase <partition>                        erase a flash partition
  getvar <variable>                        display a bootloader variable
  boot <kernel> [ <ramdisk> ]              download and boot kernel
  flash:raw boot <kernel> [ <ramdisk> ]    create bootimage and flash it
  devices                                  list all connected devices
  reboot                                   reboot device normally
  reboot-bootloader                        reboot device into bootloader

options:
  -w                                       erase userdata and cache
  -s <serial number>                       specify device serial number
  -p <product>                             specify product name
  -c <cmdline>                             override kernel commandline
  -i <vendor id>                           specify a custom USB vendor id

```

> `update`: What does *update.zip* need to look like

In general, `fastboot` flashes only `.img` files.

The *update.zip* generally consists of `.img` files which will be flashed to the particular partition. A typical *update.zip* file to flash via `fastboot` will have following files and more

```
boot.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
radio.img
etc...

```

> `flashall`: Where do the *flash boot + recovery + system* come from, what format, etc.

`flashall` will flash the `system.img`, `boot.img` & `recovery.img` in the current/PATH folder. These images can be obtained from the *update.zip* mentioned above.

> `boot`: What is the format of `<kernel>` and what is the `<ramdisk>` option

In `fastboot boot`, the `<kernel>` format is an `.img` file. I am not sure of the `<ramdisk>` option. My guess would be to boot a `kernel` with a modified `ramdisk` without altering the built `kernel` (I am not a developer, sorry).

This is what I have learnt fiddling with Nexus phones. Others can correct any obvious errors in the write up.
> 4 votes

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Tags: fastboot, documentation
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# Question
Title: Native USB tethering of wifi (not mobile data)
I would like to know if later versions of Android natively support USB tethering of the phone's wifi connections. If so, after which version?

I know that there are custom ROMs that allow you to use the phone's wifi connections via USB tethering. I'm asking if this functionality comes out of the box for all manufacturer ROMs as well.

# Answer
\[This is probably not the complete answer you're looking for, I can't comment though\]

I'm running a Nexus 4 with 4.4.2 and it supports tethering of the wifi connection out of the box. I think it was already able to do that when I got it , meaning this should work at least with \>= 4.2.
> 0 votes

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Tags: usb-tethering
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# Question
Title: Why does Google play show a "no connection: retry" error?
Recently I bought a Spice MI 280 with Android 2.3.4, I downloaded apps from the Android Market like App2sd, Task killer, Soundhound etc.

A few days ago Android Market was upgraded to Google Play and when I try to open it it shows a `no connection: retry` error...although I can browse the net through Opera and uc browser without any difficulty.

When I open YouTube through Opera it shows the main page of the site, but then when I try to play a video it shows `cannot play the video`.

I have tried adjusting the current date, clearing data and caches etc. I've tried a factory data reset but its asking `please input phone password`. Any suggestions?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Okay, I ran into the same issue and finally found a fix that worked!

First off, go to settings\>Applications\>Manage Applications\>Google Play Store and select "Clear Data" Then, return to your home screen and just wait for the Play Store to auto-update. If it does not come up on its own, re-open the store and select "update" Finally, close the app (after it boots up), give your phone another minute,and have at it!

After trying this, my Play Store has been working just fine. I hope that helps!

Cheers

# Answer
> 0 votes
I'm finding that I can install apps again if I downgrade from Google Play Store to Google Market on an HTC MyTouch running Android 2.2.1.

To downgrade, go to Settings -\> Applications -\> Manage applications -\> Downloaded -\> Google Play Store -\> Uninstall updates.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I had the same problem with my Xperia ZL. It was supposed to be because of incorrect setting up when the phone booted for the very first time.

I did a factory reset and the issue is fixed for me. So simple.

Good luck.

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Tags: google-play-store, 2.3-gingerbread, connection-issues
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# Question
Title: Do I lose pixel information if I use landscape mode?
I thought the camera sensor has a defined maximum resolution.

But in landscape it records a photo in 16/9 format, while in portrait it takes 3/4 ratio.

So is it better to force portrait mode and postprocess the pictures into landscape, if desired?

# Answer
> 1 votes
The orientation you take the photo doesn't affect the pixel information in the image at all. The camera still records an image of (for example) 3456x2304 pixels, whichever way up the phone is. It also sets a flag in the JPEG file to note the correct orientation of the photo. Then, when the photo is displayed, it's losslessly rotated when reading the file, so that it appears in the correct orientation.

A few years ago, this would lead to some image viewers showing the photo in the wrong orientation, because they didn't understand the flag, but almost all photo software (and even embedded software, such as in smart TVs and digital photo frames) can use the correct orientation today.

If you like, it's still possible to postprocess the image. A special tool (such as `exiftran` on GNU/Linux) can read the image and the flag, apply the correct rotation, and write out the rotated image. It uses a special trick to rotate the image without having to decompress and recompress the JPEG file: this way, there is no loss of quality.

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Tags: photos
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