# Question
Title: The video file cannot be played (on Galaxy S)
Last few days my video files cannot be played on my Samsung Galaxy S and I do not know why.

I select a video and I choce to wath it with the android's video player and I have the message below : "The video file cannot be played"

Have you a solution ?

Thanks.

# Answer
If you have the issue with files, that you were previously able to play, try to reboot your phone. If playback works afterwards, you seem to have the same issue as described in this problem: Unsupported File Type: Why did my Samsung Galaxy S suddenly stop supporting MP3s?

I do not know of a fix for this yet, the only workaround seems to be a reboot.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Android's built in decoders are rather picky about the files they will play - limited encoded resolution (possibly less than that of the device's display), limited bitrate, limited formats.

If these are new files, try encoding them to be less demanding.

If these are files that used to work, see if something on the phone is perhaps slowing it down - on on rare occasion I had a file that generally plays start failing part way through. A reboot might be worth trying.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have an HTC Desire which had the same problem. A simple reboot did not solve the problem but when I shut it down, removed the battery, reinserted the battery after waiting about 10 minutes and then restarting the phone the problem was corrected. My problem affected gallery and all the browsers. I presume they all use the same engine for displaying video.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-s, video, media-player
---


# Question
Title: How to automatically launch android Acess Point on startup?
My Galaxy S with the Samsung Android built on it offers me the option the run the phone as a W-LAN acess point that connects to the internet via mobile data.

I would like to configure the access point to start working immediately after booting the phone.

How to do that?

Bonus points if the setting can be achieved via adb and/or if I can set the wifi-password from adb as well.

# Answer
The WiFi password IMHO is only setup once, when you configure your device's hotspot. Lateron, you simply activate/deactivate it.

To automate the latter, you could e.g. use Tasker:

**Profile "AutoHotspot"**:

* **Condition:** "Device Boot"
* **Task:** "WiFi Tether" → set On

With this profile activated, your Hotspot would be automatically be enabled as soon as the device has completed booting up.

For the "bonus point" you mentioned: There's a free 7-day trial available on the Tasker Homepage. You can download the `.apk` to your computer, and use ADB to install it on your device (`adb pm install`)...
> 3 votes

# Answer
Regarding the bonus points and starting via adb on a device with broken screen, I think Herb Peyerl found a good solution here: Auto start hotspot on Android 4.4.4
> 1 votes

---
Tags: automation, wifi-tethering, auto-start
---


# Question
Title: Hard brick phone exchange and deleting data
I have a **Samsung Galaxy Note 4.** While it was charging (it was near full charge) it rebooted on its own and continued to charge. It then must have shut itself down because it was off. **I could not turn it on** when I checked again. I recently completed the OTA update to **Android Marshmallow.** That was about a week or two before this happened. I was reading why this could happen and something about a failure of the eMMC seemed to make sense.

I've tried to replace the battery with a new battery and tried a new charging cable. Neither of those worked. I read some posts that suggested removing the SIM card and the SD card and also holding different combinations of buttons but none of those work. Unfortunately the PC doesn't see the phone either (and I tried a Mac too). So I see no chance to revive the device myself, and thus have to send it in for service.

For a cost, I have an exchange pending through my mobile carrier. **Should I be concerned that I can't turn on the phone to delete my data (pictures, messages, work related notes)?**

---

I assume that I will be required to turn in my phone to my mobile carrier and they will replace the motherboard and send it out as a refurb but what if they find a simpler fix and the phone is operational without replacing the motherboard? Then my data will be there.

I do have additional third party insurance so I could mail the phone for repair to the phone manufacturer (for a fee that the insurance would later cover) rather than continue with the exchange thorough the mobile carrier. I'll still likely lose my data and there may be a long delay in getting the phone back.

I've just been told to never turn in a phone without wiping it and that is why I am hesitant. I know some people who don't turn in phones at all (they keep them or destroy them) out of concern that information can be retrieved. I've tried some local shops but when simple battery changes don't work most shops aren't interested in finding a fix for the problem. While it may be extreme, with the phone in my possession, I am still hopeful that I can find a fix whereas if I exchange it I won't have that chance. However exchanging is my cheapest and fastest option to have a working phone.

Any advice?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Summing up from the (now purged) comments:

As the device really seems to be bricked beyond the chance of repairing it yourself, there are indeed only two options left: Keeping it as a paper-weight to protect your data – or sending it in under warranty/insurance to get it repaired, with the risk that someone might try to get a hand on your data.

While the latter is definitely possible, and there's no 100% guarantee against it, check the facts on how likely this will be: the harder it is (and currently, it looks pretty hard), the more valuable data one must expect to be on the device to consider the efforts worthwhile. If you were the president of "something big", or there were other reasons to suspect "top secrets" on the device, it would be one thing. But – no offense meant – the device of some "average user" hardly seems to justify it:

* if the eMMC chip was really fried, it would require very expensive forensics work to recover even parts of the data
* if the motherboard broke, considering the SoC design repair costs would demand to simply replace it. To get to the data, the chip would have to be unsoldered and placed on another board, or at least JTAGged (too much effort again)

So, no guarantees – but it's quite unlikely someone would care restoring the data. Not even as a special service to you – unless you're willing to include a bank cheque holding at least a 4-digit sum (in front of the decimal of course).

---
Tags: security, privacy, power-on
---


# Question
Title: If I delete Google account entirely will it delete all the photos saved on my phone?
I want to delete my present google account, entirely, but I'm unsure as to whether doing so would delete all the apps on my phone, and all the pictures I've saved, from the Internet and screenshots and being sent them etc.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This link about deleting google account gives you the required information.

As far as I understand, it would not delete the apps and screenshots from your phone.

# Answer
> 0 votes
No, it won't delete your pics. But, if there are some synced photos of some folder from your Google photos app, those will vanish only from your phone not from cloud storage.

# Answer
> 0 votes
No. It won't delete any photos **saved on your phone.** It will delete photos backed up to your Google Photos account though. So make sure you move any photos on your Google account to your phone if you want to keep them.

---
Tags: photos, google, images
---


# Question
Title: Why does Android extract native libraries to 2 locations?
I have recently noticed that Android extracts the native libraries in the 'lib' directory in the APK to two different locations. They are in the app folder (`/data/app/package/lib/`) and the app data folder (`/data/data/package/lib`). Not to mention they're already contained in the APK. For games where these libraries total up to 50MB each, this wasted 100MB of my storage space on my SD card.

Why does this happen? Is this normal? Is there any way to stop this from happening?

I am on an Android Lollipop (5.1.1) running a Resurrection Remix ROM for Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo+.

# Answer
> 4 votes
In truth, the **lib** folder you can found under **/data/data/com.package/** is called a **symlink**. The real position of an app's libraries is located to **/data/app/com.package/lib**, while the reason for the libraries to exist outside the APK, is for performance purposes: since APKs are compressed files, it would be a waste of time (and a considerable negative impact on usability) to have the OS extract them anytime you launch an app, don't you think?

---
Tags: internal-storage, storage, native-library
---


# Question
Title: Moto G external storage failing to show on Mac and other USB issues
Since upgrading my Moto G 2nd gen to OS 6.0 I am having issues with USB and file transfers when connected to 3 different Macs with different OSes which all worked OK before. Sorry this is a bit long...

When I plug it in, Android File Transfer (AFT) starts up automatically but I get an error window saying 'Can't access device storage'... I find the phone is in USB charging mode only. If I change it to MTP, AFT does then show the internal storage files, but will not show the contents of the SD card. I have also tried PTP mode (which would be more useful) but iPhoto does not show any of the (new) photos, which it used to before the upgrade.

Additionally sometimes the Mac appears to lock up - no keyboard or mouse control - I suspect the USB circuitry is getting locked up - even unplugging USB does not clear this. The only 'fix' is to hold down the power button to reboot.

I can see the SD card contents on the phone and can copy files on/off with OTG but this is a bit of a pain.

I've not read of anyone reporting exactly these issues.

# Answer
I showed this to a pal of mine who uses the same setup and he had the same issue. He discovered the symbolic link to the SD card was incorrect and of course not editable for non-rooted devices. He found a fix:-

1. Eject the SD card from Setup\>Storage
2. Shut the phone down
3. Remove the SD card
4. Restart the phone
5. When running, put the SD card back in.

This seems to rebuild the symbolic link and now I can see its contents again via Android file transfer - hope this might help others.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: usb, file-transfer, macos
---


# Question
Title: How to map hard key combinations to keys in Motorola Photon Q XT897?
I have a rooted XT897 (Motorola Photon Q) running Android 4.1.2, although this should apply to any phone with a physical keyboard. The keyboard on the phone is sorely lacking keys such as `<`,`>`,`{`,`},`,`[`,`]`,```,`\`,`|`, and `~`. It does have a "sym" button that *sometimes* pulls up a little window in which I can select which symbol not on the keyboard that I would like to type.

Most of the time, it does absolutely nothing. I am aware of Android's key layout files, and I have already modified mine such that the useless Caps Lock key to be a `CTRL` key instead. However, these do not allow for mapping combinations of keys to other, single keys (as far as I can tell). What I'd like is something like xmodmap, where I could map `SYM + P` to `]` and do that for all the keys.

Is there any way I can do this? The page on the key layout files mentions that it maps linux keycodes to Android keycodes, perhaps I can edit the linux key mapping file. Where would that be? Would that even work?

# Answer
> 0 votes
There are two "layers" in the hardware keypress -\> character to insert in textbox. The layer after key layout files is Key Character Map Files. They take the key (such as "A") and dictate what should result from various combinations of keys. For example:

```
key A {
  label: "A" # What to 'name' the key
  base: "a" # pressing this key with no modifiers
  shift, capslock: "A" # if either shift or capslock is on, do a capital a instead
  ctrl, alt, meta: none # do nothing if any other combinations are pressed
}

```

Backup, then edit the `.kcm` file corresponding to the hardware keyboard. You will need root.

If your file has any syntax errors then it will simply revert to the default keyboard mapping which is mostly but not fully correct. The only way to check for syntax errors besides putting the file in and rebooting the device is to compile the entirety of the android source code.

---
Tags: keyboard, keyboard-shortcuts
---


title: My tablet is not turning on

text:
# Question
Title: My tablet is not turning on
I have a tablet not two years old, a few days ago it was left in a hot truck for about two days. Now it won't go past "fast boot menu".

I have tried everything, I even tried charging it and the battery keeps saying 0%, how can I charge my tablet and turn it on?

# Answer
There's a fairly good chance you overheated a component in the device. Most likely a charging component or someone. There isn't much you can do besides going to a phone/tablet repair shop. But that could cost more than the tablet itself.
> 0 votes

# Answer
* Heat is the worst enemy of batteries and your battery being two years old would have suffered damage by "baking" it in the truck for two days
* Batteries tend to self discharge , higher the temperature, more the discharge
* As a result, the battery voltage could have fallen to a very low level, wherein a protection circuit kicks in and prevents further charging. There are ways to overcome this but it is best left to qualified technicians to handle it

That said, all I can suggest is take it to a service center. Don't attempt to charge
> 0 votes

---
Tags: battery, charging
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to block USSD balance notifications on Android 4.3?
I'm trying out a H20 Wireless SIM on my Nexus 4 running Android 4.3. One annoying feature of this service is that they send a USSD balance notification at the end of every phone call, text message, and data usage. Is there any way I can disable or block these messages?

I found the "Balance Update / USSD blocker" app in the Play store, but it specifically states it does not work on 4.2+ versions of Android.

I also contacted H20 customer service and they will not disable the messages on their end.

# Answer
**Easy method** (requires **root**)
Yes, there is an app for exactly that and much more called 'GravityBox' (it is an Xposed module).

For information on how to install it, view a similar post here

**Alternatively** (does **not require root**)
If you are lucky your Phone app should have a "Blacklist" to which you can add numbers and prevent calls and/or messages (notifications) from them. Normally found in the settings of your default phone app...
If you don't have it, then you could even try a **3rd party phone app** that will replace your default phone app that will do the trick (There is a large variety that are more beautiful, simplistic, up-front and have features including **black-listing options**...).
*Using a 3rd party phone app will leave all your contacts intact, but you may loose your speed dial settings.*
> -1 votes

# Answer
Try Out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sk.paco.ussd&hl=en

It blocks all USSD Notifications
> -1 votes

---
Tags: 4.3-jelly-bean, ussd
---


# Question
Title: Unexpected result when using trigonometric function on KitKat's calculator
I get unexpected results when using the trigonometric functions on my Android 4.4.2 phone.

For example, if I enter `sin(30)=` I get the result `-0.9880316` when I expect the result `0.5`. It appears the phone expects trigonometric numbers to be expressed in radians rather than degrees which is uncommon - the phone's manual certainly did not mention it. Most calculators work in degrees. Decent calculators have a deg/rad/grad switch.

Is there a way to do this on the phone or am I forced to include a degrees-to-radians conversion in all my trig calculations?

# Answer
This is a known feature / bug, depending on how you look at it. It is even there in Lollipop and supposed to have been fixed in Marshmallow\_bug report. It is supposed to have the `deg/rad` switch. (Edit: Thanks to benjaminS for confirming that Marshmallow incorporates this). Couple of ways you can get around it:

* Store the conversion value of ( pi/ 180) and multiply by value to convert into radians- very tedious
* Use alternative from Play Store from reviews like this
* Upgrade to Marshmallow if this is important for you. Calculator has additional features with screen shots, Thanks to benjaminS again for pointing this out. :)
> 4 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, calculator
---


# Question
Title: Will samsung gear S2 be compatible with red mi note 3?
I am thinking of buying Samsung Gear S2

It says that it will be compatible with any android phones with higher than 1.5 GB ram.

I have Xiaomi Red mi note 3. Not a pro one. However, the only difference that I know is that red mi note 3 doesn't have extra space for sd card

# Answer
> 0 votes
As per compliance list released by Samsung mi 3 is compatible

---
Tags: android-wear, xiaomi-redmi-note-4g
---


# Question
Title: How is it that I don't need to enter my password to decrypt my phone?
I understand that my Android phone is encrypted, however I never input any password to decrypt the phone. If the key is stored in some hardware component but is automatically retrieved every time my phone boots, how is it secured?

Edit: I do have to unlock my phone, but that's after it's booted. Doesn't seem logical.

My phone clearly states its encrypted:

# Answer
The data is encrypted by default, but if you don't have a pin, or code to unlock your phone, then it's obviously not secure at all.

If you set a pin, password, or pattern lock etc. then you will need to provide this when the phone boots, to decrypt the drive.
> 2 votes

# Answer
A PIN/Password/Pattern/Swipe at lock screen only unlocks for access, not decryption. You have to setup actual encryption on the device at boot level, before your lock screen policy.

Unlocking phone for use/access does NOT equal decryption.
> 1 votes

# Answer
According to the Android documentation it uses a default password of "default\_password". This is obscured by a hash involving hardware encryption keys and a salt unique to your hardware signature.

As already mentioned, this isn't very good security so there's not much point. Without securing your phone with a strong password to rehash the key, it's easy to get into. What wouldn't be easy would be recovering your data if you had some sort of hardware damage. If you were able to externally mount it all you'd get is encrypted garbage; all this for what added security? So the FBI can't see videos of my kids graduation? This is a move to encourage you to back up your data into the manufactures cloud infrastructure... the least secure thing you can do.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: encryption
---


title: Android support for TLS

text:
# Question
Title: Android support for TLS
I have found that TLS1.1 and TLS1.2 is supported from API level 16 and on by default from API level 20. This corresponds to Android 4.1 (supported) and Android 4.4W (wearable) or Android 5.0 (on by default)

From a server perspective this means that you will only support clients using 4.4W or higher, since you can't rely clients to turn on TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 support.

Now the real question comes:

**Do you even need to care about the Android version?**

Hu, what do you mean? Well, should you look at the version of Android OR at the version of the browser being used. For example, Chrome on a desktop has OpenSSL libraries compiled into it (if I'm not mistaking). So couldn't a new version of Chrome on an old version of Android, support TLS1.1 and TLS1.2?

The same story goes for other browsers. I know this is an Android StackExchange, but does anyone know what the deal is on iOS? Will the browser use the system libraries for SSL or will it use it's own? Do I need to look at the browser or the OS for TLS support?

Kind regards,

Roel

# Answer
Assuming you are not doing Android development, you do not need to worry about Android version.

Any serious security-minded application like Chrome on Android will use TLS 1.2. You can verify this for yourself by going to a secure website (make sure it supports TLS 1.2!) and inspecting the certificate and protocol used on the client. I have checked this on Chrome on a 4.4 Android device, and it uses TLS 1.2.

A security policy should basically rely on the TLS version, and not pay attention to what kind of client is running it. It's not worthwhile to determine the Android OS version, because the Android OS version is not what finally determines the security used.

Let's be pedantic about enumerating the possibilities.

* Android API 20+: All browsers and applications should work with TLS 1.2
* Android API 16-19: Some browsers and applications will work with TLS 1.2.
* Android API 15-: I think we are not discussing these because no version supports TLS 1.2

Here are the server choices I think we are discussing:

1. You allow only TLS 1.2 and do not check Android version. All Android API 20+ clients, and those Android API 16-19 clients using TLS 1.2 applications are expected to work.
2. You allow TLS 1.2, 1.1, 1.0 and do not check Android version. All Android clients are expected to work. System is less secure.
3. You allow only TLS 1.2 and check the Android version. Only Android API 20+ clients can work because you are excluding API 16-19. This is fewer supported clients than in option 1, with no increase in TLS security. So this option does not make sense.
4. You allow TLS 1.2, 1.1, 1.0 and check the Android version. Only Android API 20+ clients are expected to work because you are excluding API 16-19. This option does not make sense because you are making the system both less usable and less secure than other options. Fewer clients will work than under option 1, and those clients will be less secure.

Checking the Android version makes your system support fewer clients, at no increase in security. Therefore, do not bother checking the Android version.

The basic security tradeoff is always how usable a system is versus how secure the system is. This applies to physical security measures, cipher suites, TLS versions, and more. TLS 1.1 and 1.0 are not as secure as TLS 1.2. You have to answer the following questions for yourself:

1. Do the vulnerabilities in present in TLS 1.1 and 1.0 make them unsuitable for your system?
2. Would using only TLS 1.2 be worth the tradeoff in some people not being able to use your system?
> 7 votes

---
Tags: browser, android-versions, https
---


# Question
Title: Is rooting possible on an already encrypted device
My device is already encrypted. It is not rooted. Note 2 GT-N7100.

I made an attempt to root it earlier a few months back and it tripped the KNOX counter and void the warranty. But it didn't root the device. The SuperSu would crash and it won't allow to apply the update from the play store.

Now I am AGAIN trying to root it and install TWRP recovery, using ODIN 3.9. It just restarts and when I try to boot into the bootloader to check its the same Samsung recovery, no TWRP.

P.S: ODIN shows the "PASS" successfully and has all the indications that the TWRP has been installed.

# Answer
> 5 votes
In short: Yes, you can root an encrypted device, because "encryption" only encrypts `/data` and not `/system`.

Are you sure you are using the correct settings in ODIN for your device and following all directions completely on whichever tutorial you are following? *Please cross-reference your tutorial with the XDA Guide (highly recommended that you follow this guide; I can post the instructions here for permanent refernce upon request).*

# Answer
> 1 votes
I could successfully root my Moto G3 (2015) encrypted device using the latest twrp version.

I used version 3.0.2.r01. Tried first with 2.8.7-r5 and it didn't work.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/2015-moto-g/orig-development/twrp-twrp-moto-g-2015-t3170537

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat
---


title: No operative System and twrp

text:
# Question
Title: No operative System and twrp
recently i installed a custom rom on my phone, then i decided to expand my phone memory on a trick i saw on youtube, where i had to go into twrp, unfortunately i clicked on delete system. afterwise when i then tried to boot my phone it was stucked on the logo screen and somehow the twrp is replaced with the android one, when try to open the recovery mode. I was wondering if there's any possible ways to fix this?

EDIT: Curently i'm using a chinese phone called "Cubot S308"

# Answer
> 1 votes
The obvious solution to having no operating system is to add one. That's why what you can do, is to re-flash the custom ROM you are having, or a different one (maybe even a stock ROM). You can go on their page, and find your build there.

Once you download the ZIP, you put it on your SD, through the computer, and flash the ZIP from there, or you can use **ADB** to transfer the ZIP and flash.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, recovery-mode, operating-system
---


# Question
Title: Huawei bought in China, can't access Google Play (g510 t8951)
I bought this huawei cellphone in China and I can't access the google store. I can access some apps through Baidu Store but then some doesn't work because I don't have Google Play Service. I've tried installing it through Baidu Store, it just crashes, and through "Google downloader" (an app on baidu) and now Google Play launches but doesn't connect (no connection).

I don't know what to do anymore, any idea?

I'm willing to root etc... but there is no thread explaining how for my phone.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Three steps to regain full control over your phone,

1. Root your phone. There are dozens of rooting software out there. Last I used for a Huawei phone was Kingo Root, did the job quite well. Note: This might involve factory reset.
2. Install custom recovery. It might be tricky to learn which version will work with your phone. XDA should help. Otherwise trial and error. Note: This step might be optional, depending on your ROM.
3. Install GApps using (custom) recovery. There are plenty of different GApps packages out there, just google it. I normally go for the smallest GApps package, with just Play services and Play store. All other Google apps can be downloaded from the Play store later. Note: Not all GApps "editions" work with all ROMs, you will also need to use trial and error method.

ALTERNATIVE METHOD:

Check manufacturer's website for a non-Chinese ROM version. It will almost certainly have a working Play store. You should be able to flash it easily without rooting the phone.

Hope this helps.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can flash a Google Apps package, also known as Gapps. This adds Play Store to your apps. As for Google being blocked in China, try any VPN solution, such as Hotspot Shield.

# Answer
> -1 votes
you might install mobogenie .it gives u one -click root feature.so you may root that ways.and moreover huawei phones have a large range and most of them are not known.so either buy a well known product or go for samsung products

# Answer
> -1 votes
do NOT root or do any other huge thing, you just need a VPN so download a VPN in your computer, and download play store in your computer aslo, connect your phone to your computer and install both,

that is it, i was in a town close to Shanghai and i had the same problem, it solved so easily,

---
Tags: google-play-store, rooting, huawei
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable the Wi-Fi connection of my Android phone from my laptop?
Is it somehow possible to control the Wi-Fi connection of my Android phone from my laptop to disable (not only disconnect) the Wi-Fi connection of my phone if both my phone and my laptop are connected to the same network?

USB-Debugging is enabled on this device.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The following is non-root method:

1. Create a dummy app in Android Studio. \[Credit\]

MainActivity.java, put right after `setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)`:

```
WifiManager wfm = (WifiManager) getSystemService(Context.WIFI_SERVICE);
try {
    wfm.setWifiEnabled(Boolean.parseBoolean(getIntent().getStringExtra("wifi")));
} catch (Exception e) {
}
System.exit(0);

```

AndroidManifest.xml, put before `<application`:

```
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CHANGE_WIFI_STATE" />

```
1. Enabled USB debugging settings, plug USB cable to your phone, press Shift+F10 to run the app which will also install the app.
2. In your phone, navigate to **Advanced Wi-Fi** and get the IPv4 address.
3. While USB cable still plugged, issue `adb shell` command,
4. Issue `pm list packages` command to find out the package name if not sure. For example **package:com.blogspot.diannaoxiaobai.dummyonly**, remove the prefix **package:** is your package name. Or you can simply get the package name in AndroidManifest.xml, e.g. `package="com.blogspot.diannaoxiaobai.dummyonly"`.
5. Issue `setprop persist.adb.tcp.port 5555` (credit) command.
6. Ctrl+D to quit adb session.
7. Unplug your cable. Reboot your phone now.
8. Assume your phone automatically connected to wifi on reboot, and your laptop connected to the same wifi network. No need any USB cable now.
9. Issue `adb connect 192.168.11.5`, in which this ip get from step #2 above.
10. Issue `adb shell am start -n com.blogspot.diannaoxiaobai.dummyonly/.MainActivity -e wifi false` to disable wifi. **com.blogspot.diannaoxiaobai.dummyonly** is the package name get from step #4 above.
11. You can remove the port 5555 set from step #5 above with `adb shell setprop persist.adb.tcp.port ""` command. (Credit)

---
Tags: wi-fi, 4.2-jelly-bean
---


title: Check marks in Telegram app

text:
# Question
Title: Check marks in Telegram app
I show the date and the message I sent with one check mark then I have 2 responses from the user. Shouldn't my message have 2 check marks by it now, if they saw it and responded?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Are they using an official Telegram client?

There is telegram clients (for example Telegram CLI for Linux) that lets you do it, you can reply to a message without marking it read.

---
Tags: telegram
---


title: Lenovo Tab 2 Partition Layout

text:
# Question
Title: Lenovo Tab 2 Partition Layout
I own a Lenovo Tab 2 A7-20f.

When I try `cat /proc/emmc`:

```
partno:    start_sect   nr_sects  partition_name
emmc_p1: 00000400 00000002 "ebr1"
emmc_p2: 00004800 00005000 "protect_f"
emmc_p3: 00009800 00005000 "protect_s"
emmc_p4: 0001ec00 00003000 "sec_ro"
emmc_p5: 0002e800 00300000 "android"
emmc_p6: 0032e800 0003f000 "cache"
emmc_p7: 0036d800 00b18000 "usrdata"

```

And when I use `cat /proc/partitions`:

```
major minor  #blocks  name

   7        0       9570 loop0
 253        0     524288 zram0
 179        0    7613440 mmcblk0
 179        1          1 mmcblk0p1
 179        2      10240 mmcblk0p2
 179        3      10240 mmcblk0p3
 179        4       6144 mmcblk0p4
 179        5    1572864 mmcblk0p5
 179        6     129024 mmcblk0p6
 179        7    5816320 mmcblk0p7
 179       64       4096 mmcblk0boot1
 179       32       4096 mmcblk0boot0

```

I don't think this is the typical Android Partition Layout. Any Idea which one is the Recovery and the Boot partition? Or how to find it out?

**Update:**
When I lookup `/proc/dumchar_info` I get

```
Part_Name  Size    StartAddr   Type    MapTo   Region
preloader    0x0000000000040000   0x0000000000000000   2   /dev/misc-sd     BOOT_1
mbr          0x0000000000080000   0x0000000000000000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
ebr1         0x0000000000080000   0x0000000000080000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p1   USER
pro_info     0x0000000000300000   0x0000000000100000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
nvram        0x0000000000500000   0x0000000000400000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
protect_f    0x0000000000a00000   0x0000000000900000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p2   USER
protect_s    0x0000000000a00000   0x0000000001300000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p3   USER
seccfg       0x0000000000020000   0x0000000001d00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
uboot        0x0000000000060000   0x0000000001d20000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
bootimg      0x0000000001000000   0x0000000001d80000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
recovery     0x0000000001000000   0x0000000002d80000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
sec_ro       0x0000000000600000   0x0000000003d80000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p4   USER
misc         0x0000000000080000   0x0000000004380000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
logo         0x0000000000300000   0x0000000004400000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
expdb        0x0000000000a00000   0x0000000004700000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
tee1         0x0000000000500000   0x0000000005100000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
tee2         0x0000000000500000   0x0000000005600000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
kb           0x0000000000100000   0x0000000005b00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
dkb          0x0000000000100000   0x0000000005c00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
android      0x0000000060000000   0x0000000005d00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p5   USER
cache        0x0000000007e00000   0x0000000065d00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p6   USER
usrdata      0x0000000163000000   0x000000006db00000   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0p7   USER
bmtpool      0x0000000001500000   0x00000000ffff00a8   2   /dev/block/mmcblk0     USER
Part_Name:Partition name you should open;
Size:size of partition
StartAddr:Start Address of partition;
Type:Type of partition(MTD=1,EMMC=2)
MapTo:actual device you operate
```

**Now how can I found out which one is the system partition and why are Boot and Recovery one partition?**

# Answer
> 0 votes
### Why are Boot and Recovery one partition?

This you can find answered in a Wiki entry at Github. Quoting the relevant part:

> Since MTK devices use the uboot mechanism, partitions including boot and recovery, are not revealed as separate partitions, but rather accessed sequencially by size and start parameters.

You can see that reflected in your output of `/proc/dumchar_info`: size is the second column, start sector the third. Think of it like "disk images stored on a raw medium" (not an exact description, but easier to visualize).

### Which one is the system partition?

My first guess (by the name) was `sec_ro` (as system is "ro", read only). But that's not exact enough. To find out, you'd need the sector size and the size of your `/system` partition, then you can do the maths: `/proc/emmc` gives you the "number of sectors" each partition occupies, in HEX. `sec_ro` accordingly occupies 0x3000 sectors, that would be 12288 in decimal. At a sector size of 512 bytes**1** that would be 6 MB – too small :) A better guess probably is `p5` named "android", which sums up to 1.5 GB – that seems to be the correct size. `cache` is `/cache` and `usrdata` will be the `/data` partition.

---

**1:** according to Understanding MTK’s MBR/EBR File Format

---
Tags: partitions, system, lenovo
---


# Question
Title: OTA update (Marshmallow) failing with "error" while installing it on a device running Android One
I live in Australia and during my recent trip to India, I bought an Android One phone called the Lava Pixel v1. The phone is running Android 5.1 and since I have gotten back to Australia, the phone notifies me that I have an update that I need to install. It downloads the 770 mb update and when I try to install it, it shuts down and restarts the phone and then starts installing the update, I can see the Android mascot. After it(the install progress bar) gets to about 20% or so, I just get a message saying "Error" that is all. The Android mascot is lying down or so and from it's open belly there is an exclamation icon (!have a look at the attached image for what it looks like). At this stage there is no sim card on the phone. Additionally, some apps like Facebook fail to install. Facebook messenger can be installed. I am a developer and I have purchased this phone mostly for dev purposes and would like to get the latest update for my new Android phone, so would appreciate some help with this.

# Answer
I think the answer was quite simple, all I had to do was to switch off "Automatic date & time" and "Automatic time zone" in settings and I could install the updates. I no longer "use the network-provided time" or "use network-provided time zone" I am running Marshmallow on my phone right now.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The apps failing to install and the system update failing to install are probably unrelated.

For the most part, the system update is just a big zip file that gets unzipped to a protected part of the storage. You can't write to the protected part while Android is running. Unfortunately there are a range of things that can go wrong here, and during the system update the bootloader doesn't have a lot of code. (We're talking bytes, not megabytes.) Any descriptive error message it would give would be useless to a user anyway, as you can neither fix the bootloader nor fix the 770 mb update.

I would recommend you contact the manufacturer (or whoever is pushing you the 770 mb update).
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, 5.0-lollipop, ota-update, 6.0-marshmallow, android-one
---


# Question
Title: Close/reset Chrome tab(s) without launching Chrome
I've got into a peculiar situation with Chrome on my Samsung Note 2 running Android 4.4.2. I've been playing with JavaScript and apparently created some bad code. I know it because PhpStorm showed the warning that the code was likely to cause an exception. Still, I've tried seeing this page on my smartphone. (I need the smartphone because I am playing with the `navigator.vibration` function.) Chrome crashed.

Now when I run Chrome, it tries to re-open all tabs, the last being the one with the erroneous page (hosted with a web-hosting company). Apparently, Chrome is trying to open the cached page. It makes the whole smartphone practically unresponsive, with app icons sometimes disappearing from the desktop. I can revive the OS by closing Chrome from the app manager (long-press the home key).

I have already corrected the page online, it works fine in a desktop browser. And no warning in PhpStorm any more. But Android Chrome is hopeless. Restarting the phone doesn't help.

I wonder if I can somehow reset Chrome or simply close all tabs without running Chrome itself. It would also be great to understand what could have brought it to this amazing condition.

The problematic code in the page was

```
while (true) {
    navigator.vibrate([500, 500]);
}

```

I wanted to create an infinite loop (for as long as the tab was open).

# Answer
You could try killing Chrome and then clearing cache in the settings app.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Just in case no better answer is given, I found a workaround by mere chance. Another program (Play Store) decided to open some web-page. Since Chrome was a default browser, it launched Chrome *with a new tab*. This means that the last opened tab (which was my problematic one) was not made active and hence Chrome hasn't tried to display it. I was then able to close that tab as usual, and then open it again. This time Chrome downloaded the content from the web and since I corrected it, the problem was resolved.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You have to have it set to false because any infinite loop in javascript will crash the browser. The reason it is not crashing on the desktop is probably because it ingroring the function. Sorry if my understadning is wrong im not too good at javascript.
> 2 votes

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


# Question
Title: Chrome opens PDF files only through Google Drive, other apps work fine
Bug: pdf files from Chrome open only in Drive app directly, disabling Drive gives me "cannot open file" error.

* I can open them from Adobe PDF app or FBreader app directly but that is annoying.
* Selecting file in File Commander also brings up app chooser correctly and respects default settings. But Chrome insists on "Drive or nothing"
* Firefox works fine too

How can I get the "choose app" dialog in Chrome and Downloads app to work?

Device: Xperia Z4 tablet, Android 6.0, chrome latest, non-rooted, updated to 32.1.A.1.185

Reinstalling drive, reinstalling chrome, reinstalling adobe pdf, resetting app defaults for all apps does not help.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try clearing defaults for **BOTH** of these apps. This should be in `Settings > Apps > Chrome/Google Drive.`

---
Tags: 6.0-marshmallow, chrome-for-android, pdf
---


# Question
Title: Windows 10 won't recognize my Samsung Galaxy S6
After an update to Win10, my phone will only charge. I downloaded Samsung's USB drivers, installed Smart-Switch, checked my Device Manager... Nothing. The cable I'm using is definitely a data transfer cable. Any ideas?

# Answer
I'm going to drop this in as an answer, since it solved my problem. Credit goes to **beeshyams** and **Dan Hulme** who set me on the path to see this.

The issue is an Android issue, not a Windows 10 issue. Apparently Android's new OS defaults to *charging* due to a perceived security issue. When you connect your phone to your PC, pull down the menu from the top of the phone (start at the top of your phone's screen and swipe downward). You should see a message saying that you are connected for charging:

Press on that message and you will see a screen where you can change how you're connected. On that screen, choose Transferring media files:

Now, if you go back to the first pulldown menu, you'll see you're connected as a media device:

Go back to your PC desktop and open File Explorer and VOILA! You can now copy your data to your PC.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: windows, samsung-galaxy-s-6
---


# Question
Title: What's the easiest way to sync music to my phone?
I'm now on CM13 (Android 6) and `rsync`ing in will not work due to permission errors (and the `sudo` command doesn't exist) So I ask you, are there any programs to sync my music across? I don't want to use services that require me to upload it and then download it again due to bandwidth and speed issues.

I have also tried adb-sync but it just errors out (as is expected with adb!).

# Answer
You could use Bittorrent Sync to copy the music folder on your computer to your phone. The whole thing will complete on your local network (as long as you don't leave it!). I recommend Bittorrent Sync assuming your local network's speed isn't an issue.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Hint: there's no `sudo` on Android, just `su`. And for using ADB as root the daemon on the Android device must run in "insecure mode" (i.e. as root, e.g. using Chainfire's "insecure adbd" app).

If you don't want to go that way, there are easier alternatives which you can e.g. find in my list on Synchronizing Files and Folders. I'd recommend taking a look at FolderSync, which I use myself (just in the paid variant). Supports a plethora of protocols for all kind of systems (including SFTP/SCP to work with Linux machines, and CIFS/SMB for Windows). Lets you define folder pairs to sync. You can even setup a scheduler for it, and tell it to only sync when you're connected to your home WiFi. And more (e.g. cloud, which you stated you don't want ;)
> 0 votes

# Answer
Setting up an SSH server on Android 6.0 is fairly easy and works well with rsync. I installed SSHDroid. You need to use the SD:/Android/data/com.\* path relevant to the app for the files you are syncing however.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sync, 6.0-marshmallow, file-system
---


# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy s3 mini Wifi Connected but not working
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and my Wi-Fi worked perfectly fine. Later, I went on my phone and my Wi-Fi said it was connected but when I went on social media and stuff it said it wasn't connected. I tried everything. Please help.

# Answer
> 0 votes
First off try turning airplane mode off and on. That will often fix things. If that doesn't help, restart the phone. If that doesn't help, try hard-reset.com/samsung-galaxy-s3-mini-hard-reset.html but make sure to backup the phone data first.

---
Tags: wi-fi, samsung
---


# Question
Title: Nexus 6 failed to update OTA 6.0.1 from MMB29V to MMB20X
Urgent help please. the april 2016 patch was downloaded on the air and I performed update but after restart, The bot screen came with "error" and then the red error message is shown directing me to g.CO/ABH in which flashing is suggested. note after restarting, many applications together with settings app crash. I performed the OTA update again and no chance. Is there any solution except flashing? if the answer is no, so how can I perform a full backup before flashing? My serious aim is no data loss. ftp works through wireless but too slow. the usb mass storage function shows an empty folder on PC. USB debugging is connected but adb shows no device. Also in bootloader mode adb shell failed. The device is not rooted and recovery is locked. Here's the brief last log:

---

Source: shamu:6.0.1/MMB29V/2554798:user/release-keys Target: shamu:6.0.1/MMB29X/2704508:user/release-keys .. performing verification using existing stash /cache/recovery/..... deleting recovery /cache/recovery/---/-- ..bytes free on /cache (.. bytes needed) failed to verify blocks (expected ..., read...) stat "/cache/...." failed: No such file or directory partition has unexpected contents failed to read block for diff failed to execute command \[.....\] deleting stash 5a79.... script aborted: system partition has unexpected contents E:Error in @/cache/recovery/block.map (Status 7)

## Installation aborted

Now tried to update from sdcard (stock rom downloaded for nexus) in recovery mode, got: E:unknown volume for path \[/sdcard\]

-- Couldn't mount /sdcard. Installation aborted

Repeated my try to update from ADB (adb sideload) but this error in the log: sideload-host file size 1009749527 block size 65536 Finding update package.. I:Update location: /sideload/package.zip Opening update package... I: read key e=65537 hash=20 I: 1 key(s) loaded from /res/keys Verifying update package... E: footer is wrong I:verify\_file returned 1 E:signature verification failed sideload\_host finished Installation aborted

I'm not sure even after data wipe the error remains or not, so prefer not to wipe yet, because the phone works! Should I give up?

# Answer
> 1 votes
First off I'm assuming that the device is already flashing unlocked since you said you tried to flash the update from recovery. You shouldn't need a backup but make one anyways because recovery might be flashed over. Read everything first before you get started.

Download current image (the one you have now, you can try 29X or latest 30D), it's best to restore your system then update for guaranteed results and no misbehavior after reboot (I'm a little adventurous so I'd go for the 30D). unpack the `.tgz` and `cd` into the resulting directory.

> fastboot flash radio radio.img
>
> fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img

Note the images aren't radio.img and bootloader.img, just do radio and tab and bootloader and tab.

Unpack the `.zip` that was extracted from the `.tgz`. `cd` into the resulting directory.

> fastboot flash boot boot.img
>
> fastboot flash system system.img
>
> fastboot reboot

This should maintain all your data on the device after you reboot and I'm about 99 percent sure it'll work. So you shouldn't be needing to backup. If you run into problems after reboot you'll need to flash `cache` as well.

Reboot into bootloader again and use

> fastboot flash cache cache.img
>
> fastboot reboot

If it still doesn't work, you'll need to have a backup, reboot to fastboot and use the `flash-all.sh` that was extracted from the `.tgz` file. This would delete all your data but you can flash recovery again with `fastboot flash recovery <image filename>` and restore `Data` from the backup you did.

PS. If you have to flash `cache` you might lose some data but only relating to system apps and services.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Thank you, it was a silly incomplete ota update to Android N preview from Google and the main problem was the settings app crash. I got the solution from other caught in users: update from ota image provided by Google special for such problems. Unfortunately all data got lost before!

---
Tags: recovery-mode, data-recovery, ota-update, nexus-6
---


# Question
Title: No entries in Amazon App Store on new (refurbished) Fire phone
I got a refurbished Fire phone. When accessing the Amazon App Store, I get an empty page. Searching the App Store delivers zero results for every query. Looking at the Amazon App Store on the web shows that the Fire phone cannot be selected as a device.

On the internet, I cannot find any information that Amazon has stopped to support the discontinued Fire phone in the App Store.

How can I fix this issue?

# Answer
The problem is caused by the Kindle account belonging to Amazon US (amazon.com) and the Amazon account belonging to Amazon Germany (amazon.de).

With a new Amazon account, all works fine.
> 2 votes

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


title: storage device problem

text:
# Question
Title: storage device problem
I have InFocus M2-4G mobile.There have no option of 'Default Write Disc'. When installing any apps it has directly Installed to the Internal storage after that move it manually to sd card .but do not directly Installed to sd card.so how to directly install to sd card. Pleas suggest me the details solution.

# Answer
*Default Write Disk* option is available only when the option is included by your phone's manufacturer. Unless it's included by default, you have to manually move apps to SD card.

If your phone is rooted, there are many apps available in store that does this job. *Link2Sd* is one such app. This app can be used in 2 ways

* Move apps to sdcard automatically/manually
* Create a secondary partition in memory card and link apps to that partition automatically/manually

To automate installation of apps to sdcard, do the following:

1. Goto *Link2sd→Settings*
2. Under *Native App2sd* Settings, select *Install location*
3. Set it to *External*

If you haven't rooted your phone, just Google it
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat
---


# Question
Title: Available space is more than total space on the memory card
I recently purchased a 16 GB memory card. But my android shows available space is more than Total Space and when I try to install a new app it says insufficient memory.

Total space: 8GB.
Available space: 13.88
Device: Swipe Elite 2
Android Version: 5.1

What's wrong here?

# Answer
I spoke to the SanDisk customer care and it seems to be known issue. By using the SD Formatter Tool it's possible to restore full capacity on SDHC/SDXC cards.

The below Help center article has more details on it.

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a\_id/14827/

Thanks,

Arun
> 1 votes

---
Tags: external-sd, sd-card, insufficient-memory
---


title: bypass killswitch on lg16c?

text:
# Question
Title: bypass killswitch on lg16c?
I am trying to factory reset a recycled Lg16c phone, but it has killswitch. Is there a default or master password to bypass this lick?

# Answer
> 0 votes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEh2VpbNj\_c

> A freshly reset LG phone (like most other Android devices these days) will ask for the Google account it was used with previously. You can bypass by going into accessibility settings and adding a button combo for triggering overview. Then, you use the talkback settings to open a web browser, which lets you download an APK from& RootJunky that basically just opens the system settings. Because you added an overview button combo, you can use that to access overview/multi-window and install the APK. Once you're in settings, you can add a new user, gain access to the full device, then switch back to the owner account and reset without protection. The video above gives the full rundown.

Source: http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/01/12/lgs-factory-reset-protection-can-be-bypassed-in-mere-minutes/

---
Tags: password
---


# Question
Title: No ADB driver for medion e4001 (MD 98500) for remote debugging
For testing purposes I need to debug an older android device: `MEDION LIFE e4001 (MD 98500)`

There are no drivers available online and I wrote to the MEDIUM guys receiving the following answer:

> Thanks for your feedback. We are gladly share the following information with you: There are currently no plans to develop debug drivers for the Medion smartphone e4001. If you want to transfer data they are not necessary - when connected to a pc the phone will appear as a usb storage device.

So no official ADB driver for that device. Is there any chance to get a working ADB driver for that device somehow?

# Answer
I found a solution (for windows):

1. Download the official MEDION ADB driver for some other tablets they offer
2. Unpack
3. Open the `android_winusb.inf` file in a texteditor
4. Add the following lines at the end of the two sections `[Google.NTx86]up` and `[Google.NTamd64]`
5. `;
;MEDION Life E4001
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_109B&PID_911E
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_109B&PID_911E&MI_01`
6. Go to the device manager, select the unknown driver (called generic in my case), update driver and select the folder.

Off you go!
> 1 votes

---
Tags: adb, usb-debugging, usb-drivers
---


title: SAR value in ASUS Zenfone 5

text:
# Question
Title: SAR value in ASUS Zenfone 5
When I type `*#07#` into the dialer on my Asus Zenfone 5, it is not showing the SAR value. This works on other phones. How can I get the SAR value on an Asus Zenfone 5?

# Answer
> 1 votes
The box of my Asus Zenfone 5 (501CG) says

SAR (some chinese characters) 2.0 W/Kg; (some chinese characters again):0.710 W/Kg

# Answer
> 0 votes
Open this link: http://www.gsmarena.com/asus\_zenfone\_5-5952.php

Check the SAR level in the "MISC" heading.

# Answer
> 0 votes
SAR US 1.18 W/kg (head)
SAR EU 0.53 W/kg (head)

http://www.gsmarena.com/asus\_zenfone\_5-5952.php#

# Answer
> 0 votes
I got this info from Asus directly. You can input `*#*#4636#*#*` then tap "Phone info", it will show the signal strength.

The reference value is between -50 to -80. If the signal strength is close to -50, the lower the radiation. If the signal strength is close to -80, the signal radiation is stronger.

---
Tags: dialer-codes, asus-zenfone-5
---


# Question
Title: Play Store is not giving me app permissions and asking if I accept anymore
Recently I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android Marshmallow. On my previous device, when I wanted to download an app in the Play Store, it would show all permissions for me to accept it. Now, all of a sudden, when I go to download an app, it just downloads without giving me the permissions or asking if I accept them.

I am not sure what happened, but I'm worried as some things, like Facebook for example, ask for way too many permissions that are not even necessary.

Why is the Play Store not giving me app permissions and asking if I accept anymore?

# Answer
> 3 votes
In Android 6.0 permissions have changed from older "all or nothing" approach (where play store prompted you to accept all permissions an app is asking for) to a more granular structure, where the prompt for each permission (e.g. Camera, Contacts, Phone, etc.) appears the first time an app requests it. New or updated apps that were designed with this feature in mind will no longer ask for permissions when you install them.

Keep in mind that each app needs to be modified by developers to support this new functionality. Older apps that have not been changed will still prompt you at install time, same as before.

Users are given even more control in the Settings app where they can revoke or grant these permissions as they see fit. You can revoke permissions for older apps, but those may crash or become unstable.

More detailed explanation here.

---
Tags: google-play-store, 6.0-marshmallow, permissions
---


# Question
Title: How to determine the amount of app space available?
I have recently experienced the "Can't install app in default location" error (code -20), despite 700 MB still free on my phone (no SD card present). Having googled and read, I now know that not all memory can be used to install apps. So while I have some space available, the app-partition (?) space may be up.

But I've never encountered any partitions on my phone. So the question is: how can I determine how much space I have on my phone for the apps?

I use Samsung Note 2, Android 4.4.2. `df` output (using Terminal Emulator; please note that by now I have already uninstalled several apps, so the available space might have increased. I still don't know how to see it in this listing):

```
/mnt/secure/asec: Permission denied
/mnt/shell/container: Permission denied
/mnt/shell/emulated: Permission denied
Filesystem                   Size     Used     Free   Blksize
/dev                       892.5M   140.0K   892.3M      4.0K
/mnt/secure                892.5M     0.0K   892.5M      4.0K
/mnt/asec                  892.5M     0.0K   892.5M      4.0K
/mnt/obb                   892.5M     0.0K   892.5M      4.0K
/system                      2.0G     1.7G   253.6M      4.0K
/efs                        19.7M     9.5M    10.2M      4.0K
/cache                       1.3G    21.9M     1.3G      4.0K
/preload                   551.2M   141.9M   409.3M      4.0K
/data                       10.5G     9.8G   702.1M      4.0K
/storage/emulated          892.5M     0.0K   892.5M      4.0K
/storage/emulated/0         10.4G     9.8G   682.1M      4.0K
/storage/emulated/legacy    10.4G     9.8G   682.1M      4.0K

```

# Answer
> 2 votes
It's your `/data` partition running low on free space (as always when this error occurs – see our insufficient-memory tag-wiki for details, first-aid and further information). According to the output you've provided, only 700 MB out of 10 GB are available. The "storage low" error is triggered when free space here reaches 10%.

This limitation was introduced to keep a "safety margin" for the system. So the user gets a warning when it was exceeded. In this state, of course *Google Play Store* refuses to install any new app, as it considers the system alreading running "low on space" and doesn't want to "worsen the situation".

---

When the 10% rule was introduced, devices came with much less internal storage, so it was quite reasonable (think of those devices with less than 512 MB). Nowadays, it does no longer seem a good idea – especially with MTP being introduced to have the "internal storage" and "internal SD card" on one partition, spanning multiple Gigabytes. Looks like this is an issue not yet addressed or "simply forgotten".

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


# Question
Title: How could I fix google play store with new gmail account?
I was using google play store with gmail. But when I remove that mail account from the google play both the Google play and gmail apps stop working. How could I fix this?

# Answer
> 0 votes
What I have done when I experience a similar issue was this, put ALL of your (ever precious) music photos and files in a SD card, and do a complete factory data reset. Try this if you haven't fixed it by now and let me know how this works for you.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Play store, gmail, youtube, google play services, play music, google news, google keep, maps, google drive, google photos,

All the above apps are Google products, so when you first start your phone you need to give a google account to run the google play services and google play store. Now when you have installed any google application then it will take the default google account in you accounts (if you have 2 accounts it will ask you choose the account).

So now technically you have removed account then all the google products will stop working.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Although the previous answers identified the problem and explained why it doesn't work, the answer is not so clear in those posts.

Basically, you must have a working Google account on the phone, that will apply to all Google Apps on the device, including the Play Store and Gmail. So the solution is to add a valid Google account to the device and the Play Store should start working again.

If you don't want the Gmail portion, go into Settings - Accounts - Google and turn off syncing of Gmail. The account will still be there, but will not update the Gmail portion.

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


# Question
Title: Galaxy S5 isn't getting any notifications but WhatsApp messages
I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 Device running Android Lollipop 5.0.

Recently I've noticed that I'm no longer getting any notifications, but WhatsApp messages, which causes me to miss important emails from my work place, and from my boss.

It is very irritating, and I don't know what I can do in order to solve it...

# Answer
If you want to turn off notifications for whatsapp go into settings -\> application manger -\> Whats App -\> Then uncheck the box at the top that says show notifications. If you are using gmail click the side bar -\> click settings -\> click you account -\> check notifications. Hope i helped and good luck!!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop, notifications, samsung-galaxy-s-5
---


title: Viewing apps that need updating

text:
# Question
Title: Viewing apps that need updating
How do I view all apps that need updating on Google play? I'm running Android Kit Kat 4.4.2 on a Samsung galaxy SIII. Thanks.

# Answer
Open Google Play, touch the Menu icon in the upper-left (next to Google Play text), My apps & games, the tab that opens should be called Installed, and anything updating will show an "Update All" button with text in the app description that says "Update".
> 4 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, google-play-services
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to change password on the phone itself for gmail/market/other google apps?
I think this is a general question that would apply to all Android phones though I have a HTC Desire Z.

I cannot find a section on any of the settings to change the password for the Google account used for gmail, Android Market or any of the other google account dependent services and features on the phone. Surely this is a glaring omission?

I would expect a feature to be present *on the phone* and for extra security, have it ask me for the existing password in order to allow me to change to a new one.

Obviously I can change the password when logged into Google in a browser on a PC/Mac but this is an unnecessary procedure - surely we are all becoming increasingly mobile-centric, so shouldn't it be possible to change it *on the phone*?

I have searched here and on Google, the only answers I can find are things like:

* people who need to enter the new password on the phone after changing it to this new password when on a PC or Mac logged into Google on a browser for example.
* people who want to change their actual google account, i.e. use a different one

But I can't find anything about a section on the phone itself to change the password for Gmail,Android Market and other google account dependent services and features on the phone!

# Answer
Not a perfect solution but you can change your password by opening you Google account/Gmail on your phone browser.
> 3 votes

# Answer
It's not possible at this time.

Should it be? I think so but like a lot of features that ***I*** think Google ***should*** implement, they don't necessarily agree.
> 1 votes

# Answer
SOLVED, was driving me nuts, this works folks

The following is only applicable when:

* A Gmail account has been previously set up on the device
* The account password has been subsequently changed via the Gmail or Google website.

From the Home screen, swipe down on the status bar.

* Tap Account Action Required.
* From the 'Couldn't sign in' screen, tap Try Again.
* Note To switch Gmail accounts, tap the Dropdown menu (located in the upper-left) then select the account.
* From the 'Re-type password' screen and enter the appropriate password then tap Next (located in the lower-right).
> -1 votes

---
Tags: password, google-account
---


# Question
Title: Record video with external bluetooth mic (ie headset)
Can you record a video with the built-in camera while using a bluetooth audio source? Specifically, a standard bluetooth headset.

I know that you can record audio from the bluetooth headset using an app like this. And I just want to use the built-in camera.

I tried an experiment where I started recording audio using the bluetooth recorder app, then attemped to record a video. Unfortunately, the camcorder app refused to start a video recording. And I couldn't flip the order, because once I started recording the video, opening any other app (the bluetooth recorder, for example) caused the video recording to terminate. So it looks like I can't even record the two tracks separately and simultaneously to later splice together on a computer.

Does there exist an app that records video and lets the user choose the audio input? Is this even possible for android, or does the underlying kernel have a hardcoded audio input for video mode? I am a programmer, so if no app exists, I could try my hand at writing an android app if the system is capable.

# Answer
This app worked better for me:

Cinema FV-5

After installing the app, but before recording the video, do the following:

1. Click Settings
2. Click Audio Source
3. Select Bluetooth Mic

Then record your video.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, video-recording, bluetooth-audio
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to restore TWRP backup with CWM?
Is it possible to restore TWRP backup with CWM?

I have some backups with Team Win Recovery. If I install ClockWorkMod, can I restore them with it?

# Answer
> 4 votes
I checked that myself.

I installed CWM 6.0.1.0 on my Galaxy Tab P5100, then I tried to restore the TWRP backup that I already had, and It didn't work.

Maybe it needs a little more technical work. But with a normal procedure, it doesn't work.

# Answer
> 0 votes
It wont Work as the two recoveries are only compatible with their own files. Xda has a thread on this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2383065

---
Tags: recovery-mode, clockworkmod-recovery, twrp
---


title: Android 5.0 (Lollipop) music equalizer?

text:
# Question
Title: Android 5.0 (Lollipop) music equalizer?
First of all, I'm rooted. So since I have Android 5.0 on my Nexus 5 I wonder if there still exists the option to change the music equalizer.

In KitKat it was like:

I wasn't able to find any option like this in the settings, maybe someone of you knows how to get this. I don't want to use the Google Play music equalizer.

# Answer
That option is removed in Lollipop. If you want to use other equalizer, you have to disable default equalizer from **Settings -\> Applications-\> All -\> MusicFx -\> Disable**.

When you opens the equalizer from music player, it will open a chooser by showing other equalizers in it.
> 4 votes

# Answer
A known issue, wait for XPosed framework to be stable on lollipop, and someone will create a memory patch... Or for limited experience, VLC seems to have a built-in equalizer that actually works... \[not a sponsor... ;) \]
> 0 votes

# Answer
Go to applications settings and select all applicationa. Find the MusicFX application clear the Application data for this application and then install other Equlizer from play market. After that when you start music player and select equalizer option new equalizer will be opened. It was tested on Equalizer FX and it works for me :)
> -1 votes

# Answer
Use AIMP work great... No root need.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: settings, music, 5.0-lollipop, equalizer
---


# Question
Title: How can I know if newly released phone will be developer friendly?
What are the facts to look for if someone want to buy a developer friendly phone (other than nexus phones) which means this phone is gonna have a lot of custom roms, mods and can stay up to date with the latest version of android for as long as possible with the help of custom roms.

# Answer
A good starting point would be reading up on how cooperative the manufacturer of the SoC in the device has been with the (open source) Android community in the past. For example some GPU vendors have a bad reputation when it comes to providing information and the sources of the drivers for their products. If the developers/porters of ROMs have to go through hell to get stuff working, chances are it won't be very popular with the modding/custom ROM community, unless there are other very good reasons to persist (for example if the device is very high-profile, think Galaxy S or Nexus series).
> 1 votes

# Answer
**Google Nexus phones are developer phones.**

AOSP is the basis for ALL Android custom ROMs. Here is the complete list of Supported Devices. **AOSP is ONLY released for Nexus devices.**
Android Factory images are ONLY released for Nexus devices.
**Nexus devices will ALWAYS have more custom ROMs than non-Nexus devices.**

What does "developer-friendly" mean?

**100% of the software needed to develop for the device has to be GNU/Linux compatible.**
So that serious Android developers can use it on their development machines(GNU/Linux).

**There is a popular misconception that you can be an Android developer without using GNU/Linux.** The truth is, you can run a barely-functional neutered version of Android Studio on Windows/OSX. You can start out with Win/OSX, and at some point you will realize that you need to figure out GNU/Linux if you want to be an Android developer.
People learn at different speeds, and some people figure this out quick, while others may tinker around on a Mac for a decade, all the while saying things like "Actually, Mac works great with Android", or laughing nervously and saying "It does everything I need."

Sony and Samsung phones (ALL of the phones made by either brand, with the notable exception of the excellent Nexus models made by Samsung) both FAIL TERRIBLY as developer phones because of their dependence on software that is NOT compatible with GNU/Linux. So basically a ton of the software that is required to interact with their "developer phones" is INCOMPATIBLE with precisely the type of computer a serious Android developer requires.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms
---


# Question
Title: Screen turns "on" during calls- Samsung Galaxy A8
I have *Samsung Galaxy A8* and from yesterday my screen doesn't turn off during call and my ear keeps on touching other things in display like hold calls ,mute etc, giving me trouble .

What should I do ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
That's because your *Proximity Sensor* is not working as it should. See Whats the use case of proximity sensor?. This could be due to software or hardware issue

---
Tags: samsung, 5.1-lollipop, proximity-sensor
---


# Question
Title: Firewall software not working as expected on Samsung Galaxy S5 [G900H]
I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 \[G900H\] and I installed custom rom from here to get rid of most unwanted applications and having a pure and de-bloated android on my smartphone.

After installing this rom it's working perfect except that when I install (root)firewall applications like DroidWall they do not work as expected and if I create an allow rule for an application, application could not be connected even when I set it to be allowed to use wireless/mobile data. But if select allow rule for all rooted applictaions it works fine but its useless this way.

I also tried to use unroot firewall but it is giving this error message "The VPN is not supported by your device."

I also checked blacklist/white list mode and mode is set to whitelist only.

Does any expert know what problem should be and is it required for me to install other roms to cross over this problem?

---

Update:

Now I restored my android to its official stock version (I had created a full backup before installing a new custom rom) and tested both DroidWall and AFWall+ and the problem still persists. Seems this problem is a bug coming from Samsungs TouchWiz.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I finally solved this problem in the case of very strange and share my experience here; maybe useful for someone with same or similar problem:

After a few days struggling with this, Using AFWall+ enabled on my restored official stock android, I tried to change Wifi settings (got to wifi-\>advanced-\>\[disabled most of Samsung/Google features being there\] plus using manual IP\[192.168.1.129\] and DNS\[192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.2\]) and finally I found out the problem has gone away! So after that I tried to test which option was causing the problem (trying to remember restore my previous choices) to restate the problem but the problem did not restate and everything is well till now.

---
Tags: custom-roms, samsung-galaxy-s-5, firewall
---


# Question
Title: How to mark an app to check the price variation
It sometimes happened that some app has a discount price (christmas - black friday), it is possible to check the price trend during the past?

Mayve the bookmarked app

It could be useful to decide if buy an app that is not strictly necessary

# Answer
> 3 votes
You can check the app on AppBrain, which provides an alternative frontend to *Google Play*. Their app pages a.o. feature a history section. On the example of aCalendar+:

App history (source: AppBrain; click image for larger variant)

As the screenshot shows, you get a price history along with the changelog (right part) if the app was paid – and you also get a rating history (left part).

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


# Question
Title: Download files from a .txt or .list file containing lines of URLs
I am trying to download all files from a downloads.list file which contains about 60 lines of URL to download .deb packages from my Ubuntu computer which is not connected to the internet due to lack of wifi. I have internet access to my phone. My question is, is there an app or binary to download the URL of files listed on a .txt or .list file?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I just wrote a shell script to do it:

```
#!/system/bin/sh
while read url; do
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -n com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main -d $url
done < file.txt

```

This just reads each line from file.txt, opens the URL using Google Chrome Browser (using com.android.chrome package's MainActivity) and let Google Chrome manage the download.

As @Izzy said, you can also use this script to download using Download Managers, you've to just change the app package name and the corresponding Activity Name in the script.

**Edit:**
I just figured it out for Advanced Download Manager:

```
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -n com.dv.adm/.AEditor -d $url

```

Note:
The names of application package and Activity Name are subject to change as per the developer's wish. Use it accordingly.

---
Tags: downloading
---


title: Send SMS using Galaxy Tab (Wi-Fi)

text:
# Question
Title: Send SMS using Galaxy Tab (Wi-Fi)
I'm looking for a way to send SMS messages from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Wi-Fi GT-P5113). The unit is connected to the net via Wi-Fi.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Several services exist to send SMS via the Internet. One of the most popular (an possibly most reliable) is Google Voice.

---
Tags: sms, samsung-galaxy-tab
---


# Question
Title: How can I use a custom prefix for international calls?
In my country, we have to use a prefix before dialing an international number, depending on which provider we use. For example, I use an international calling company for which I have to dial 019 before dialing the international number.

Now, having to edit each and every international phone number in my address book to add a 109 would be annoying. And when I move providers, having to do the whole process again would be very annoying.

Is there a way to tell Android, "every time you see a +, just dial 019 instead"? Or any other solution?

(I use Cyanogenmod.)

# Answer
The only apps I have found to be able to do this kind of editing are SIP dialers like CSipSimple and SipDroid. They integrate into the regular call setup and can run a set of rewrite rules and filters to decide where and how to place the call.

I believe both can do this even for regular (cell) calls, and even when no SIP provider has been configured.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Nightmare. I can't believe an Android phone would ship with such a bug. Bought phone at Best Buy, traveled to Europe, bought a local SIM card. All my Google contacts have + (country code) in front of them. I can dial numbers direct, but without the Plus Sign (+). I can't dial anything in my address book. Researched it and painfully so, I found a third party app (prefixer) that does the trick after trying a few. You basically want to add "00" in front of the +.

It's simple enough, but I don't care for the fact that it's not native to the phone. Here is the configuration below - best of luck
> 1 votes

---
Tags: calls, international-prefix
---


# Question
Title: Will my phone still be unlocked after I install CyanogenMod?
I've recently unlocked my phone so that it can work with any SIM card, and I want to install CyanogenMod.

What I'm wondering is, since CyanogenMod is going to wipe most of the data on the phone, is the lock status going to be changed too? i.e. will I end up with a locked phone again?

Edit: My phone is HTC One M8, previous locked to EE. I got the unlock code from EE.

# Answer
> 2 votes
**No!**

CyanogenMod will wipe the **DATA** partition, all the **CACHE** partition and the **SYSTEM** partition while installing. It will not affect anything about lock/unlock of sim card.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, sim-unlocking
---


# Question
Title: Disabling MTP/PTP/all USB stuff except charging
Is there a way to disable all USB functionality except for charging? I don't really use MTP or PTP and would like to disable it if possible.

# Answer
> 10 votes
Go to Settings → Storage and tap on the overflow menu in the top right (on a device with a physical menu key, you may need to press that instead). This should bring up a menu item labeled "USB Computer Connection":

Tap on that, and it will give you a list with possible connection modes. Uncheck everything that you don't intend to use. On my N5/CM11 there are only two options on this page: MTP and PTP. Unchecking both causes the phone to simply charge when plugged into a PC. I have seen others that have an explicit "Charge Only" option, but I believe that is nonstandard.

# Answer
> 10 votes
The most device-compatible way to disable *everything* is to run this command at startup or set this in your build.prop:

```
setprop persist.sys.usb.config none

```

which is equivalent to **charge-only** on *all* Android devices.

That also disables adb. If you use adb regularly, then:

```
setprop persist.sys.usb.config adb

```

will allow adb when developer options are turned on/checked. If you don't use ADB often, I would not recommend it, because setting `adb` causes my S5 to still recognize in device manager, even when it is locked.

To restore original functionality,

```
setprop persist.sys.usb.config mtp,ptp,adb

```

allows all USB protocols.

Hope this helps anyone Googling for an answer.

# Answer
> 0 votes
* click 5 times on **SETTINGS\>ABOUT PHONE\>MODEL NUBMER**
* then **DEVELOPER OPTIONS** will be added in main settings (in bottom). Enter there and choose **USB SETTINGS\> CHARGING|MTP.**

(Source)

---
Tags: usb, cyanogenmod
---


# Question
Title: Approaches for diagnosing input lag / performance problems
Recently, my phone (A non-rooted Note 4) has begun to exhibit widespread performance problems. All apps and interactions are affected: the UI pauses frequently and even lightweight soft keyboards (like Samsung's and Google's) struggle to accept my inputs, which are often delayed by 2-3 seconds.

There's clearly something wrong. I'm not trying to fix this so much as I'm looking for a way to get insight into what it might be.

Before you flag as a duplicate -- after all, this question HAS been asked before -- please note that I'm not looking for the kinds of non-answers that have plagued similar questions, such as:

* Suggestions as to what might be wrong without guidance on how to validate or eliminate the theory. I know what might be wrong but I need to find a way to measure and understand what is actually wrong.
* Tips and tricks for improving performance in general. Yes, I could uninstall stuff, free up space, hard reset, or take any number of other measures that will speed things up incrementally or drastically. But a spray-n-pray approach misses the point: this question seeks a rational approach for understanding what the right measure to take would be.
* Pointers to task-killing, cleaning, or other meddlesome "management" type apps. This is a clumsy and naive approach that represents a band-aid to the problem at best.

Diagnostic app suggestions are certainly welcome if they provide meaningful insight into resource usage, performance metrics, or other information that can be applied toward a larger diagnostic process. But this question's goal is that process, or substantial components of it.

As an example, two components of this process would certainly be:

1. The Application Manager in Android settings has a running process list. This list would show if a single process running in the background was taking up a large amount of memory.
2. The 'logcat' command in ADB can be used to retrieve (massive) system logs, which may show error, warning, or info messages that expose processes or services that are thrashing and reducing CPU availability and degrading UI responsiveness.

Beyond that, what else needs to be in one's toolbox in order to tackle this problem?

# Answer
> 5 votes
Assuming your lag is not caused by resource hogging malware (detection and removal covered in tag), possible causes (discounting infamous touchwiz :), could be

* CPU loading
* Disk I/O
* Network I/O
* RAM ( ignoring this going further given 3 GB RAM of your device )

Two apps would greatly help you in identifying the culprit system / downloaded apps hogging resources mentioned

* Trepn Profiler by Qualcomm (free app)- this gives a highly configurable view of *all the apps that are running when monitored*
* PerfMon - Performance Monitor by Chainfire (paid app less than $3)- this gives a deep dive view of *the app running in foreground*. Features of this app have been covered in another answer and there is no need to repeat here

**Suggested Approach:** You could use Trepn Profiler to view all the apps and resource consumption to start with and if you need to study the behaviour of app while it is running (including consolidated CPU usage, instead of separate cores), use Perfmon. Apart from this feature to monitor foreground app performance , all and more features are available in Trepn Profiler

**Trepn Profiler** is a powerful app and you would want to spend time playing around with it (some features are device chipset constrained- for instance *per app network* feature doesn't work on my device ( Huawei Honor 6 running Kirin chipset). Notwithstanding this, it is quite handy. Selected features for your purpose from app description (there are quite a few other features)

> **Key Features**
>
> • Real-time view of individual CPU cores
>
> • View network usage (cellular and Wi-Fi)
>
> • Overlays appear on top of applications being profiled
>
> • Monitor GPU frequency and load
>
> • Advanced mode to manually select data points and save data for later analysis
>
> • Displays device power consumption in mW
>
> **Advanced Mode Features**
>
> • Profile your device or a single app
>
> • Offline data analysis

Some snapshots from app description to give an idea of features

This should give you a head-start in identifying the problematic apps. As mentioned before, do spend time in acquainting yourself with the features of Trepn, to expolit it's versatility to your advantage. Once you home on, you can take a call to uninstall or freeze apps (requires root for system apps). Maybe a good idea to concentrate on social media apps which are by and large big time resource hoggers (including what's between the ears :-)

All the best !

---
Tags: performance, lagging
---


# Question
Title: Can we pair two smart watches without a phone?
As far as I know, wear smartwatches are designed to be companion devices that stay connected to your smartphone. Without a phone around, though, they aren't entirely useless.They'll still function as watches, for one, giving you the time and the date.

But I am not sure if there are any changes to this in any of the latest updates. So I want to know if it is possible to pair two smart watches and send messages using messageapi without the help of a smartphone. A lame question but I am very curios to know.

Ideally, I want two watches to interact using messageapi to send messages. Is it possible to do without a smartphone?

# Answer
No. Android Wear was designed to be used with a smartphone. Even if you did figure out how to do this it wouldn't have anywhere close to the amount of features it has now.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: android-wear
---


# Question
Title: I installed and executed this app which is a virus or malware now what to do?
I had this message pop up and unfortunately

I installed and executed this app which is a virus or amalware now what to do ? Please see the photo here

Of course I mean the app that came when I pressed the button in the captured photo?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You became a victim of a typical phishing scam. The problem at this point may or may not be severe, depending upon the state of SELinux enforcement in your device and un-patched known vulnerabilities in platform software. I would suggest begin by hunting down any app which has been recently installed.

I tried App Detective1, Elixir 2 and Solid Explorer Classic and all of them were able to sort the apps by time of installation and/or update.

**Note:** If the app offers sorting then have it sort in descending order. Whichever app entry you would touch, you would be shown certain information. One such information is ***package name*** of the app. Note it down and so as the label/name of the app.

Now, in order to remove the app, go into application manager of your device. That would mostly be *Settings* app → *Apps → All apps*. Search for your app and uninstall it. Repeat the whole exercise if you installed more than one malware.

**Note:** some malware apps tries to be smart (funnily). Through phishing they have the user set them as device administrator, which makes them temporarily immune from force stop as well as removal. Under application manager of your device, if you find your malware with having Force stop and Uninstall button grayed out, then you may be dealing with a device administrator. In that case go to *Settings* app → *Security → Device administrators* → deselect the entry for your app.

If you cannot find the app by its label/name in application manager, then setup in PC and execute this command:

```
adb uninstall PKG  # PKG refers to package name of the app you intend to uninstall

```

*Tip:* all the three apps I tried, they also offered removal of a user selected app; at certain point of app removal, you might need the assistance of .

If the app exploited a vulnerability then it may have become a system app. In that case, you shouldn't bother about removing the malware because you may not be skilled enough to ascertain where else the infection may have occurred. The cleanest approach is to have the stock ROM flashed on the device. For that, you may seek technical help from the vendor or on this site or forums out in the wild. Anyhow, the details about flashing a ROM are beyond the scope of this answer.

(Click an image to enlarge it; order of images: App Detective, Elixir 2, Solid Explorer)

---

### Lessons for future:

* When browsing in any browser, ignore any warning -- no matter how convincing or scary it is -- that asks you to install an app or to share any piece of personally identifiable information. That's just spam and will always be.
* Keep *Unknown sources* setting disabled. It's not a coincidence that it is a security setting.

---

1 Courtesy of HasH\_BrowN for the answer here.

---
Tags: malware, antivirus
---


title: fsck.auto: No such file or directory

text:
# Question
Title: fsck.auto: No such file or directory
So I'm trying to run fsck on my sdcard's ext4 partition and it doesn't work for some reason.

```
sh-4.1# fsck /dev/block/vold/179:2
fsck (busybox 1.21.0-Stericson, 2013-01-28 21:49:55 GMT)
fsck: fsck.auto: No such file or directory

```

Any idea why is says "No such file or directory"?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You likely need to include the `util-linux-fsck` package into your busybox image. The warning is saying that there is a file missing which the `util-linux-fsck` package provides.

---
Tags: busybox
---


# Question
Title: How to (unhide WhatsApp contact / remove WhatsApp account) in Samsung Galaxy S5?
Please be patient for me to explain the situation. This seems to be an odd case to me, but it could happen to everyone using Android.

I make this specific to Samsung Galaxy S5 because this problem won't happen to my older Androids 2.x.x as they have a different structure in Contacts. But it does happen to my mom's Galaxy whatever. So it is likely to happen to Samsung phones, and/or to Android 4.x.

To reproduce the error:

1. Add a phone number into your phone contact, which both your phone and that number have WhatsApp account. (You may use an existing number also.)
2. Check in the Android **Contacts**, under **Connected via**, there should be both a mobile phone icon and a WhatsApp icon. When you click on the WhatsApp icon, you will jump to the WhatsApp chat. On the far right, there is a **chain icon** to link/unlink contacts.
3. Delete that contact. You will be prompted by a **Delete contact** alert box saying **You can't delete contacts from read-only accounts, but you can hide them in your contacts lists.** Click OK.
4. Add again the same phone number.
5. Now you can still send WhatsApp messages to that number, and the name (e.g. Mary) you added in the Contacts is showing in WhatsApp also. **But the WhatsApp icon next to the mobile phone icon in Contacts does not show up again.** You may try to click the **chain icon** hoping to link back the WhatsApp contact. But you will not find it.

For now, I have an idea that, while adding the phone number in step (1), Android detected there is a WhatsApp account for that phone number, so two contacts are created, one for telephone and one for WhatsApp, and **the two contacts are linked to each others**. This can be verified by unlink the contacts after step (2) - use another phone number for a try. When we delete the phone contact in step (3), Android actually needs to delete **both** the telephone contact and the WhatsApp contact. While the WhatsApp contact is managed by WhatsApp, it is read-only to Android. So Android cannot delete it. Android hide it instead, as the alert message says. If we want the WhatsApp tiny icon back in step (5), we have to unhide the WhatsApp part of the contact.

So here comes my question: **How to unhide WhatsApp contact in Samsung Galaxy S5?**

Before asking, I have searched for the solution:

In post #12 here, KolorIjo gave a solution that **removing the WhatsApp account in Accounts and Sync can bring back the hidden WhatsApp contacts**. This is verified to work by the\_new\_mr in post #18 and 10secsofsummer in post #19.

However, in my Galaxy S5, there is not a remove/delete option for the WhatsApp account in **Settings \> General \> Accounts**. In addition, I have a similar concern with beherat in post #20 that if removing the WhatsApp account delete all chat histories.

In another forum, anony1 in post #11 is providing similar solution, but the Google link is pointed to somewhere else.

Most likely, removing (and re-adding) the WhatsApp account is the way to go. However I am not able to do it in Galaxy S5. I am wondering **Clear data** for certain internal Application might have the same effect. But I do not want to mess up my phone, nor any of yours. We will be altering an internal App. So I am asking if anyone got the solution, or any experiences to this.

Another try would be uninstalling the WhatsApp app (and re-installing). But it is not so handy to me, considering I am having 3GB+ of chat/media history. And yet from certain forum (I forgot the source) said it will not bring back the hidden contact.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I ran into the same problem recently on my Moto G running Android 5.1. The solution is rather simple but took some time to figure out.

1. Send a text to the number from WhatsApp if you do not have a chat opened currently with that number.
2. Open contact\>Edit\>Separate.
3. Now that the contact's info is separated, go to the one containing the phone number (the one that's missing its WhatsApp link) and delete the contact.
4. Open WhatsApp, the chat with the number will still be listed but wont show any name because its not in your contact list anymore. Open the chat\>Add to existing contacts. DONE! The WhatsApp will have reappeared.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try to resync whatsapp from settings, steps below: (This may vary per device.)

1. Go to **`Settings > General > Accounts > Whatsapp`**.
2. **Untick** the **option** (shown in screenshot below).
3. **Reboot** your device.
4. Again go to **`Settings > General > Accounts > Whatsapp`**.
5. **Re-enable** the **sync option** of **whatsapp**.

**Screenshot** of the **option** in **settings**:

Click on image to enlarge
Hope my answer helps!

# Answer
> 0 votes
Go to the hidden contact from the phone contacts list, at the bottom you'll find a button saying "add to my contacts". That should resolve the issue.

I had the same scenario with one of my contacts, and spent a lot of time looking, and just by chance found that button.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Source: WhatsApp FAQ - Why are my contacts not displayed in WhatsApp?:

> If your friend does not appear in the WhatsApp Contacts list:
>
> * Ensure that your friend is using WhatsApp Messenger.
> * Make sure that you have your friend's phone number in your phone's address book. If they live in a different country, make sure to save their number in full international format.
> * Make sure that you have the latest version of WhatsApp. You can download it here.
> * Make sure you have allowed WhatsApp to access your phone's contacts in your device security or permission settings.
> * In your phone's address book, make sure that all contact accounts (i.e. SIM, Google, Phone) are set to "visible" or "viewable".
> * In your phone's address book, ensure that all contact groups (i.e. Friends, Family) are set to "visible" or "viewable".
> * We recommend that you make your contacts "not visible" and then "visible" to force a refresh. After doing this, open *WhatsApp**Contacts**Menu Button**Refresh*.
>
> Alternatively, you can choose to show all your contacts, not just the "visible" ones. To do this, go to *Menu Button**Settings**Contacts**Show all contacts*.

# Answer
> 0 votes
On my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with the Touch Wiz flavor of Android, Samsung's Contacts app (which is horrible) allows you to DISPLAY contacts from one or all accounts.

When I recently installed the Whatsapp app, it changed my Contacts setting from DISPLAY only my Google account contacts to DISPLAY "all" account contacts.

If this happened to you, then go to the Contacts app \> Settings \> Contacts \> Contacts to display \> and change from ALL to the account you want to use.

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Tags: 4.4-kitkat, contacts, samsung, whatsapp-messenger, samsung-galaxy-s-5
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# Question
Title: Status/Notification bar can't be accessed while inside full screen apps (GS4 - i9505 CM 12.1 Lollipop 5.1.1)
When I'm running a game or playing a video on full-screen it's simply impossible to push down the status bar. So I have to close the APP whenever I want to see the time, battery percentage or answer a notification. AM I the only one having this problem? Does someone know anything on how to solve it?

# Answer
Once nobody was able to help me, I decided to share the answer I got by myself. I was bored and had nothing to do so I started going here and there trhough the conf. menu and I found out an option to solve it. It's under Developer options. There's an option enabled called Block touch gesture events or something like this. You should just disable it then you're able to pull down the status bar over the full screen apps. Hope it helps someone. Thanks anyway.
> 1 votes

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Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s-4, 5.1-lollipop, notification-bar
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# Question
Title: Will my deleted text message still be sent?
I wrote a very long text message and pressed send, while mobile data was off. My phone displayed an error that the message will be sent when I activate mobile data. Before activating mobile data and while the text's status was pending, I deleted it.

If I now activate mobile data, will the message still be sent?

# Answer
By text message, do you mean by WhatsApp? Or just SMS?

If you sent SMS and deleted it, unless you're phone is in airplane mode, there's high chance that your message is sent. And SMS has nothing to do with Mobile Data.

Incase you typed a very long message and it got converted to MMS, unless you had switched ON Mobile Data (as in most phones, if your phone doesn't automatically turn on Mobile Data to send MMS), and if you had deleted it before switching Mobile Data ON, the MMS will not be sent.

If you're talking about WhatsApp or any other online messaging app, then if you had sent message while Mobile Data/WiFi was switched OFF, and if you deleted it before you switched ON Mobile Data/WiFi, then the message deleted will not be sent.
> 0 votes

# Answer
That depends what SMS app you have. If you use the default android SMS app, then no. But please get back to me with the name of the SMS app.
> 0 votes

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Tags: instant-messaging
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title: LG android phone emulator

text:
# Question
Title: LG android phone emulator
Is there an LG phone emulator to test android apps on ? Since some LG phones show different behavior from other devices.

# Answer
Nexus 5 (LG D820) emulator images are readily available from Android Studio.
**Tools--\> Android--\> AVD Manager --\> Nexus 5**
> 2 votes

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Tags: android-emulator, lg, emulators
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title: What are folders Gift, MBSTGO & MBSTPH?

text:
# Question
Title: What are folders Gift, MBSTGO & MBSTPH?
Moto G, Android 4.4.4

What are folders MBSTGO & MBSTPH?

Which app creates them? Can I safely delete them?

# Answer
If they don't have anything in them, then it should be fine to delete because they'll just be auto generated again when the app needs it.
> 0 votes

# Answer
MBSTPH is folder for low level protected mode run and shut. Contents png test mark inmages. Don't delete!
> -1 votes

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Tags: storage, motorola-moto-g
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