title: Change lockscreen time and date font?

text:
# Question
Title: Change lockscreen time and date font?
Starting from Android 6.0, Google altered how their lockscreen looks in AOSP, presumably to increase readability:

* Digital clock is smaller
* Digital clock uses a bolder font, presumably Roboto Medium
* Date text is ALL CAPS
* Date text has a noticeable character spacing

A comparison can be seen in the pic below.

It seems that this is Google's design vision going forward, as Android 7.x only kept or reinforced upon those points, and the recently released Fuchsia OS preview is in the same style.

However, as good as Google's intention might be, I'm not a fan of *all* these points above, and now that I see Google is determined to push it (Fuchsia), I'm determined to revert it back to what it was in Android 5.x. I'm rooted, have a custom recovery, and know how to decompile and recompile APKs, so I should be ready for whatever's needed.

Ideas?

# Answer
> 0 votes
After some more searching, I finally came across an XDA-Developers thread explaining how to do it - or rather, how to do the reverse action of what I want to achieve (credits to the original author there). I'll post an excerpt of the core part and reverse the action yet again to make it fit my purpose.

> 1. Install apktool.
> 2. Install your `framework-res.apk` by executing `apktool if /path/to/framework-res.apk`.
> 3. Decompile your `SystemUI.apk` by executing `apktool d /path/to/SystemUI.apk`
> 4. Go to the decompiled `SystemUI` folder and open `res/values/styles.xml`.
> 5. Search for `big_thin` and replace `sans-serif-light` behind `<item name="android:fontFamily">` with `sans-serif-thin`.
> 6. Open `res/values/dimens.xml`.
> 7. Search for `widget_label_font_size` and replace `14.0sp` behind it with `16.0sp`.
> 8. Open `res/layout/keyguard_status_area.xml`.
> 9. In the two lines starting with `TextClock` and `TextView`, remove `android:textAllCaps="true"` and `android:letterSpacing="0.15"`.
> 10. Rebuild `SystemUI` (preserve its signature) by executing `apktool b -c SystemUI`.
> 11. Push the finished `SystemUI.apk` back to where it was using a method of your choice, set correct permissions, then reboot.

The end result is pictured below. Font size might still use some tweaks, but generally favorable result.

**P.S.1:** For the record, and for ROM makers who are interested: you can also modify the same files prior to building the ROM - find the files above in `*build-folder*/frameworks/base/packages/Keyguard/`.

**P.S.2:** Interestingly, while searching for "reverting the font on 6.0+ back to what it was in 5.x" didn't return anything, searching for "changing the font on 5.x so it looks like 6.0+" (the opposite) did return more favorable results, as there were quite a number of Marshmallow wannabes back then. I guess that's a lesson learned in Google-fu...

---
Tags: lock-screens, fonts
---


# Question
Title: Rollback to Stock ROM without having backup of it
i have XOLO Q1000 device which is rooted. I installed custom ROM of cyanogenmod on my device currently , i don't have previous backup of the stock ROM (jelly bean 4.2.1). Now i want the stock rom for my device from where i get that back

# Answer
In this page you can find the stock rom as well as other tools for IMEIs, drivers and other ROM updates for your phone, the procedure for installing the original firmware should be the same as installing the cyanogenmod, so wipe all and then install

http://www.xolo.in/software-update
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, custom-roms
---


title: Can't edit the Default applications

text:
# Question
Title: Can't edit the Default applications
I have a Samsung galaxy 3, the Touchwhiz Home is greyed out in the Default applications, nothing else comes up can't pick a default.

How do I edit the default applications in order to select Touch Wiz home?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try resetting app preferences

Go to Settings \> Apps \> Tap on the three dot menu \> Select *Reset app preferences*

This option resets default apps etc and check again and see if you can select Touch Wiz home.

Also check in *Configure apps* menu

On home app choose *Touch Wiz*

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Equivalent of CTRL + C (break) in android console
Recently I discovered, that via QPython console I can execute android (linux) commands. Ping works. Question is: how to interrupt it's output on smartphone? CTRL + C obviously isn't the answer.

# Answer
> 22 votes
`Vol Down` \+ `C` is functionally equivalent to `Ctrl` \+ `C`.

# Answer
> 2 votes
There may be a way to send the modifier keys through the terminal app, however I have never used that app so I can't say. On Terminal Emulator you can long press the screen and send the control key from the pop up menu.

Also you could install Hackers Keyboard which includes a full desktop keyboard including control and alt keys.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Most Term Emus use `Vol Dn` as `Ctrl` and use `Vol Up` as `Fn`. So in your case simply hold the Volume Down key and then press C on your keyboard (essestially, any IME works).

---
Tags: keyboard, terminal
---


title: Cleaning down phone between uses?

text:
# Question
Title: Cleaning down phone between uses?
I'm project manager consulting for a charity who have a set of LG Nexus phones that are sent into schools as part of a STEM project. For safeguarding reasons when the phones are returned we need to clear off any photos, videos, audio recordings and any internet cache/history. There are a couple of apps loaded onto the phones for the students to use that need to be retained.

I'm looking for a fast solution for cleaning the phones. All the phones are connected to the same Gmail account.

I know nothing about coding for Android devices (or anything about Android devices in truth!) so please be kind with your responses.

Many thanks in advance.

Julia

# Answer
If the data of the apps that need to be retained is not important, a fast-but-dirty solution would be to integrate those apps into the system partition. That way the phones' data will easily be erasable via a factory reset, but the apps you need will stay installed on the device. That way the only thing left to do after the reset is re-connect the phones to your Google account.

To "convert" apps into system apps, however, one would require root permissions (and possibly unlocking the bootloader), which *may* void the warranty of the phones based on where you live/where those phones were bought. (In the EU, for example, the warranty would remain intact.) Truth be told there are dozens of "quick but sloppy" ways to achieve this but I don't think any of them apply for your use case.

Another way I can think of that does not require root is to trust Google's cloud device backup -- Since Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), a device's apps and apps' data, WiFi connections etc. are periodically uploaded into the cloud so that, if a customer buys a new device (or resets their current one), the Setup Wizard that launches at first boot can offer to restore the data that was previously backed up. Sadly (though understandably), this only works for applications that are installed off the Play Store. The downside of this method is that a) you'll still have to connect the devices to the Play Store, and that b) the backup functionality only works periodically, so the data that ends up getting restored might be several days old. There are other ways to back up and restore data on an Android device (sadly my reputation won't allow me to post a link, but a quick online search for 'android backup tool' will do the trick) but those are, again, cumbersome and sometimes unreliable.

I've heard some good things about Google Classroom, but I don't know if it supports wiping devices, or if it fits into the scope of your project.
> 2 votes

# Answer
As root is not available, there might be another viable approach by just clearing the app data. For some background, please take a look at our and adb tag-wiki. The idea, in short, is walking all apps and clearing their data:

```
adb shell "pm list packages"

```

would list all installed apps. It can be restricted to just the user-installed apps by adding another parameter, `-3` (3=third-party). Next to that, the `pm` tool a.o. allows to "clear app data" for a given app:

```
adb shell "pm clear com.package.name"

```

The package name you need here is returned by the `list packages` command from above. So you'd need to create a script once, calling `pm clear` for each app you want to clear the data from (you certainly want to skip some, e.g. to have the Google account remain intact). Then, whenever you need to "clean devices", simply connect the device to your computer via USB cable and run the script.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: photos, video, delete
---


title: Syncing Oneplus 3 contacts to PC?

text:
# Question
Title: Syncing Oneplus 3 contacts to PC?
The title says it all:
I want my OnePlus 3 to automatically sync my contacts to my PC (Google)

I've been asking Oneplus, but they either have no idea or aren't willing to share it.

One supporter even said that these phones don't sync contacts!

Anyone help please?

# Answer
Your phone should always sync contacts as long as you are using a Google Account. You can always go to Settings-\>Accounts-\>Google and check if "Contacts" is enabled to make sure that they are being synced. If you want to view them on a PC go to the Google Contacts website.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sync, oneplus-3
---


# Question
Title: Tasker: If variable - not connected to Wifi
I want my display brightness only to rise if **not** connected to any Wifi network (doesn't mean Wifi has to be turned off) but I can't figure out how exactly the Wifi variables work. The official documentation is very general and technical.

Edit: The problem is that my Wifi is instable which means Android doesn't have Wifi for about 2-3 seconds and then catches it back. So I added a 5 seconds `Wait` Action so that my display brightness doesn't change every 15 minutes but it happens anyway, only now 5 seconds later.

I think to finally make it work a "If variable" is necessary.

# Answer
> 4 votes
You're going about this the wrong way.

Go to Profiles → (New profile) → State → Net → Wifi Connected. Leave `SSID` blank and tick "Invert". Link this profile to a task which changes brightness.

Edit - Okay, I think I've found the solution. In the task which changes brightness, do this:

1. `Wait` for 5 seconds
2. `if %WIFII` (matches regex) `\bSCAN\b`
    * (Increase brightness)

Explanation: The `%WIFII` (WiFi info) variable not only gives the name of the WiFi that you are connected to, but also miscellanous information such as Mac and IP address and contains the phrase "\>\>\> CONNECTED \<\<\<". If you are not connected to any particular WiFi, it lists all of the WiFis available along with the phrase "\>\>\> SCAN \<\<\<".

The above task basically

1. Waits for 5 seconds (adjust accordingly!)
2. Checks if the `%WIFII` variable contains the word "SCAN" by means of a regular expression
    * If it contains "SCAN" it means that the device is NOT connected to a specific WiFi (if was connected, it would have the word "CONNECTED" in it).
3. Increases brightness accordingly

Note: Might cause problems if there are WiFis with the word "SCAN" in them! You can always change the `if` condition to something else such as `if %WIFII (doesn't match regex) \bCONNECTION\b`, or make it more specific for the phrase "\>\>\> SCAN \<\<\<" (I'm still new to regular expressions so I've no idea how to do it).

---
Tags: wi-fi, tasker, automation
---


# Question
Title: Network disconnecting after returning from flight mode
Device: LG G4 with android 6.0

When I turn flight mode off, after a few seconds I get reconnected to my mobile carrier network. After a another few seconds though, the network disappears (showing 'searching for network' icon in notification bar) and I have to wait for a minute or so in order to be able to make a phone call or something.

The phone came with android 5.1.0 and I think this started happening after the first OS update (to 5.1.1 if I can remember correctly).

Why is this happening? Is there any way to fix it?

# Answer
For some reason this had to do with my service provider. When I activated 4g the issue was resolved! (don't know why and how this is related to 4g activation but it really stopped when I called the company and told them to activate my 4g)
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 6.0-marshmallow, network-signal
---


# Question
Title: What do the terms "BL", "AP", "CP", and "CSC" mean in Odin?
I'm trying to Use Odin to download a OS to my phone (Trying to put Raspbian. Raspbian runs on the raspberry pi which has an ARM processor my android phone also has one so hopefully it'l work.) (does something like an ISO file work? i dunno i'm gonna try and see)

when i use Odin i see these file types "BL" "AP" "CP" "CSC" what are they??

i have no idea but i really want to know and i want to know if my android phone has something like a BIOS where i can chose to boot from a USB flash drive(this might sound really silly.)

my phone has USB-OTG support but if it depends on some sort of drivers will they work in a bios (if android phones have one)please help!!

oh and ive already rooted my phone.

# Answer
> 33 votes
* **CSC (Consumer Software Customization)**: It is specific to geographical region and carriers. It contains the software packages specific to that region, carrier branding and APN setting.
* **PIT (Partition Information Table):** You only need it if you screw up your partition table or if the firmware specifically requires it because of a change in the partition table layout.
* **BL (Bootloader):** As its name implies, this option is used to flash the Bootloader of the device.
* **AP (Application Processor or PDA):** Android.
* **CP (Core Processor):** We call it Modem.

# Answer
> 19 votes
According to this XDA-Developers forum post and this Droidguiding article:

* **BL** stands for *bootloader*
* **AP** represents the system partition (possibly stands for *Android partition*); under previous Odin versions, this was called "PDA"
* **CP** represents your modem
* **CSC** stands for *Consumer Software Customization*, this specifies the features your Android device gets according to its geographical location and carrier

---
Tags: root-access, rom-flashing, odin
---


title: ADB without PC is it possible?

text:
# Question
Title: ADB without PC is it possible?
Currently I don't have PC but I need to execute some commands via ADB. Is there any way to access ADB from other phone or anyhow without PC?

# Answer
Limited commands for adb and fastboot are possible according to this XDA post, that too on ARM architecture

Requirements :-

* Rooted android Tablet / Phone.
* OTG cable \[ Make sure that your device supports OTG. (If not search your device's thread for OTG )\]
* A root browser ( eg:- Root Explorer, ES file explorer)
* Terminal emulator

As indicated by OP in comments, this solution doesn't help as there is no OTG support nor is device rooted

Without root, to my limited knowledge, it is not possible
> 4 votes

---
Tags: adb
---


title: Saving image from gmail app

text:
# Question
Title: Saving image from gmail app
I have downloaded some images from an email using my gmail app . I tried to find it in my gallery and also in my storage but i couldn't find it either in my gallery or in my storage

# Answer
> 1 votes
In your Gmail app go to settings, then click on your your target email address (where you want to get image attachments downloaded) , then untick the option which says "Auto download attachment to recent messages via Wi-Fi" try again to get your image.

It seems attachment downloads are restricted to wi-fi (default) but option is not clear at all as it seems to imlply a different thing. So disabling this option implies both data and wi-fi are considered (although the option is a bit misleading) It however fixed the issue.

Edit

Downloaded images are saved in downloads folder of sdcard or here `/storage/emulated/0/Download`

credits: beeshyams

---
Tags: gmail
---


# Question
Title: What are the meaning of each category under WIPE menu in TWRP?
I'm new in using TWRP (version 3.0.0-0 to be specific), there are some menu or operation that confuses me.

Under **WIPE** menu and inside **Advanced Options** there are many choices to wipe, which are:

1. Dalvik / ART Cache,
2. Cache,
3. System,
4. Data,
5. Internal Storage,
6. MicroSD,
7. USB OTG

Can you explain what are each of those means one by one?

and also can you elaborate one by one the effect of wiping each of those 7 categories, for example **IF** let say **I ONLY wipe Data**, **THEN** it will only delete app data not the app itself nor any music, videos, pictures, downloads.

and also what will **Factory Reset** do? will it wipe all of those 7 categories? or will it only wipe some of them? if only some of them deleted, which of those 7 categories will be deleted under **Factory Reset**?

Lastly I notice that under **Home** \> **Advanced** \> **Partition SD Card** \> on **MicroSD** I saw that the value stated there around **~5000MB** while my external SD Card (removable MicroSD) is much more than that, which is **16GB**, so it occurred to me that word **"MicroSD" inside TWRP** is not the same as the physical removable disk (SD Card / MicroSD), am I right? If yes, then what is the meaning of **MicroSD inside TWRP?**

Thank You.

# Answer
I am not sure how much more self explanatory this can be...

1. Dalvik / ART Cache - This is the runtime cache, where executable binaries are stored (after APK files are "optimized"). It is a unique partition of the system
2. Cache - /cache partition, where temporary data is stored.
These (numbers 1&2) are wiped on any clean or dirty flash of a ROM, or if problems occur in a running system. Wiping these is usually done together and do not effect actual user information or data.
3. System - the /system partition, basically the operating system. This is only wiped when changing ROMs and a clean flash is required, it should never be done on a "stock" system in most cases other than already stated.
4. Data - the /data partition EXCLUDING /data/media (Internal Storage). This is how to perform a "factory reset", this will wipe all applications and user data, but not user's file (picture, music, documents, etc). When doing this, both cache and Dalvik/Art cache should be wiped as well.
5. Internal Storage - This is your /data/media folder, or user files. If you want a TRUE factory reset, you need to wipe this as well... be aware this will wipe all user file such as pictures, music, documents, and ROM images if you downloaded them there.
6. MicroSD - self explanatory
7. USB OTG - An external USB OTG storage device (often a USB stick) - self explanatory

I would suggest reading the TWRP FAQ too.

As far as the partitioning of the MicroSD card, that is for very specific applications or uses, typically stuff like Link2SD or App2SD, where a ext2/3/4 partition is required to use symbolic links to artificially increase the space available on internal storage by moving the actual files to a special partition of the microSD card and using symbolic links to those files on the actual internal storage or data partition. By itself it has little use or meaning for most people except in conjunction with special applications. This is a rarely used feature in modern device and I wouldn't be surprised if it is depreciated in future versions of TWRP.

Basically, if you don't know what you are doing in TWRP, don't do it. It does have the potential to damage your device, sometimes irreparably.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset, twrp
---


# Question
Title: Google Chrome icon disappears from app tray after restarting?
I have installed the Google Experience Launcher on my Nexus 7, and have a variety of applications in my app tray, including Google Chrome. However, each time I power off and power on the device, Google Chrome disappears from my app tray;

I can re-add it fine and it will stay present until the next time I power off the device. What is causing this problem and how can I resolve it?

# Answer
> 0 votes
That happens on Stock "***Launcher***" sometimes, and I don't think that there's anything you can do until Google, or the manufacturer releases an update. Until then you can use a different launcher if it really bothers you. Personally, I use Next Launcher 3D and nothing else. Izzy's response seems most feasible to me.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You could try clearing the *Google Now Launcher* and *Chrome* app caches in *Settings › Applications*. Since an app's configuration sometimes is also stored in it's cache, clearing those caches should *fingers crossed*, force the apps to rewrite your config to their caches and allow the icon to survive through reboots.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try opening the Google Play Store app, and search for Chrome. Which buttons show up on the app page? Do you see "Open" and "Uninstall"? Is there an "Enable" button? If you see "Enable," then it's been disabled somehow. I know you mentioned looking to see if it was disabled, but just to be sure--go to Settings\>Apps\>All, and tell us where you see Chrome. Is it where it should be in alphabetical order? Or is it at the very bottom of the list?

If it isn't disabled, then you could try the following, but be aware that it will reset your homescreens and make them blank, such that you'll have to set them up again. Go to Settings\>Apps\>All, select "Launcher" (or possibly "Homescreen"), and Clear Data. I think the App Drawer is part of the Launcher, so perhaps by clearing data, it will force the Launcher to repopulate the App Drawer, and maybe Chrome will then show up.

---
Tags: chrome-for-android, google-experience
---


# Question
Title: Are there any ways to install a third party keyboard as the system keyboard?
I am wondering if it is possible to install a new keyboard as the system keyboard. I'd like to do this because I want to use an open-source keyboard (Like AnysoftKeyboard) for typing my encryption password at boot. From what I've read, only the system keyboard is available for use when entering the encryption password.

My phone is rooted, I have adb, and I have a terminal emulator on the phone that can su. If it's possible to do, what is the process? (If it's relevant, my phone is a Galaxy S7)

# Answer
Way1: famous method now a days.

1. Unroot
2. Install Magisk (a systemless root solution) link
3. Install App Systemizer module for Magisk from magisk app
4. Make your app system app

This way you can make the user-installed app a system app without actually modifying the /system partition.

Way2:

Change system partition evergreen method Follow this guide link
> 0 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, encryption, system-apps
---


# Question
Title: What are the technical reasons of updating SuperSU?
After rooting a device , and installing SuperSU ( Chainfire or Coding Code Mobile Technology ) and everything is fine , let's say an update to SuperSU is available say after a few months

**Do I need to update ? What are the downsides , if any , if I don't ?**

My understanding is that I don't need to but wanted to be sure *with technical reasons / explanation* . Googling didn't help.

**Edit:** This is not related to the problems with Ver 2.80 or 2.81 , ~~this is a generic question~~

**Edit 2:** From Generic to specific - after reading changelogs, I don't understand whether I should `Ver 2.79` to a later version on Moto X Play , 6.0. Can this be clarified ?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It is not necessary to update. But, it is always a good habit to keep your device up to date.

If you do not want to download so frequently, then see the change log of the updates, and decide whether you want to update or not.

---
Tags: updates, superuser
---


# Question
Title: Configuring a google account for a child
My kids each recently got tablets, but I am struggling with setting up their accounts. I have 'temporarily' set the one up to have my google account as the account holder, because I was not able to 'legitimately' create an account for my child (younger than 13, so Google refused to create the account).

Now, I use my Google account as my primary OpenID authentication for many things, including here at Stack Exchange, and, as a moderator on one site, I have discovered that the tablet inherits the authentication from there, and my kid's tablet now has moderator 'permissions'. This is obviously untenable.

My questions are:

* do people just 'lie' on the google forms for account creation in order to create new accounts for their under-age kids?
* do you create a new google account with 'my' details and let the kid's tablet borrow them? (and, if I have a separate account do I need a separate Credit Card?)
* is there a system I missed when setting things up, such that you can avoid the trickery?
* if I want to install non-free apps on the device (to remove advertising, etc.) how does one go about 'adding' a credit card to an account like that? Can you use your credit-card on multiple accounts?
* if I buy apps now with my google account, and then later change accounts for the kids, will I have to re-buy the apps?

# Answer
Usually we say "please stick with one question per post", as that's how a Q&A site works. But I see the topics somehow belong together, so let me try a "multi-answer" as well:

1. I cannot tell for other people. But I'd not even give my full/real details for my own account unless really required (and I don't see that requirement for Google)
2. No, I wouldn't do that. And for sure not bind a "credit card" to a kids account (unless it's a pre-paid CC especially made for the kid)
3. Never heard of such.
4. You can either take a pre-paid CC and load it just with a minimum (say, USD 10). Or you could simply use a "gift card", which are available here in Europe for EUR 15/25/50 (I assume similar values elsewhere).
5. Yes. Bought apps are always bound to the account you've acquired them with.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Yes, you have to lie. A separate google-account is the only way to protect your under-age kid.

All other options have these restrictions:

* no privacy settings.
* apps using of private data can not be restricted.
* child can not install child safe games.
* child is not allowed to communicate with parent using text messages.
* child always uses parent account.
* only one age, so only one child possible.
* all data of child is lost when the child is allowed its own account.
* apps of all children are also your apps.
* child can not have contact information.
* you are not allowed to create a google+ page for your child.
* children receive all notifications. E.g. your private e-mail.
* etc.

I just found out again by not lying. All drawings, letters to grandma, games and in-game-progress, pictures etc are gone.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Depending on the Android version you can setup the whole thing with your primary account. Then you create a second account on the tablet. Since 4.3 you have the choice between a full account and a limited account.

The limited account is controlled by the main account. For instance you install all apps as main user and then decide which ones are available for the limited one.

Only thing I don't know for sure is whether it also inherits the main accounts authentication and authorisation.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Have a look at this article on AndroidCentral. Restricted accounts, Family-friendly Play Market, parent apps are things to note there. http://www.androidcentral.com/setting-kid-friendly-android-device
> 1 votes

# Answer
It seems that Google is starting a new program, Google Family Link, to meet this need. It basically lets parents create accounts for their children under the age of 13 and manage the accounts for them. Here's the description:

> The Family Link app from Google helps you stay in the loop as your kid explores on their Android device. Family Link lets you create a Google Account for your kid that’s like your account, while also helping you set certain digital ground rules for your family.
>
> With a Google Account, your kid will be able to use Google’s broad ecosystem of services for the first time. Here’s how it works: First, your kid will need a new device that runs Android Nougat (7.0) or higher. Then, download Family Link onto your device (Android or iPhone) and create a Google Account for them through the app. Finally, sign them into their new device, and you can then use Family Link to help you:
>
> * Manage the apps your kid can use - Approve or block the apps your kid wants to download from the Google Play store.
> * Keep an eye on screen time - See how much time your kid spends on their favorite apps with weekly or monthly activity reports, and set daily screen time limits.
> * Set device bedtime - Remotely lock your kid’s device when it’s time for bed, or time to take a break.
>
> If you’re a parent in the US with a kid under 13, you can request an invite to the Family Link early access program. After receiving an invite, download and try out the Family Link app.

Unfortunately, the program excludes people like me outside the US and those with non-brand-new Android devices (who buys an Android 7 device for their kids in 2017????), but I hope it will expand soon.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: google-account
---


# Question
Title: ACME tablet boot loops when trying to flash a custom ROM
I was trying to install a custom ROM on an ACME TB714 tablet and it kind of went wrong. The tablet is set on a boot loop which occurs on the manufacturer logo. The tablet has no volume buttons or a reset button and I don't know how to enter recovery mode and is also rooted.

My goal was to upgrade it from Android KitKat to Lollipop. I tried this using the TWRP apk.

Does anyone know how I can fix this problem and achieve this goal?

# Answer
> 0 votes
The solution was to open up the tablet, power it on, and shunt pins 41-42-43. I followed the tutorial from this YouTube video but I used a paper clip instead of a screw.

**Warning**: only use this method if everything else fails.

---
Tags: rom-flashing, boot-loop
---


# Question
Title: Switch music apps depending on bluetooth connection (car/headphones)
To start, I have a 2016 Mazda CX-5 and a Galaxy S7. Google Music works best in my car because for whatever reason because I am able to view the "Root" menu and explore artists, songs, playlists, etc. When Poweramp is running, I get a message that says "unable to view the content of this device."

For my other bluetooth audio (headphones, soundbar, etc.), I prefer to use Poweramp over Google Music.

My question is: Is there an app that can recognize my bluetooth connection and default to a specific music player? i.e When I get into my car, my S7 connects and Google Music is auotmatically defaulted to. When I pair my S7 with my gym headphones, Poweramp is automatically defaulted to.

My purpose is that I would normally use iSyncr + Poweramp full time to manage my audio, but I HAVE to use Google Music in my car to be able to view that "Root" menu unless anyone has had success with another music app.

# Answer
I found a fix.

The app **Macrodroid** allows the user to create very simple but effective logic in automating which app is opened depending on what Bluetooth device is connected.

Also, after trying a plethora of music apps (Poweramp, PlayerPro, RocketPlayer) I found that **Samsung Music** allows my car to display all folders appropriately. I also found that Samsung Music stores the music quite simply and has a great EQ to boost quality.

I still use **iSyncr** to send playlists to the /Music/ folder on my SD card. So in short a combination of:

```
iSyncr + Macrodroid + Samsung Music

```

allows me to seamlessly control where and how my music is played.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, google-play-music, default-applications, bluetooth-audio, bluetooth-pairing
---


# Question
Title: Is there a faster version of Skype for Android?
The latest version of Android is painfully slow - on my Sony Z3 it is nearly impossible to use. The previous version were also annoyingly slow and took up a lot of space.

Is there an alternative version of Skype that is more convenient to use?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Yes there is! In February 2017 Microsoft introduced a new version of their app called Skype Lite, which is a lot faster. According to the official page the new version is:

> Lightweight, battery-friendly and runs smoothly on new and old Android mobile devices.

Since sometime in 2018 it became available to all users worldwide, so you can install it directly from the Play Store.

*NB: I do not work for Microsoft and have nothing to do with the development of this app.*

---
Tags: skype
---


# Question
Title: View Google Play In-App Purchases on Google Play Store
When viewing an application on the Google Play Store (for example, Sygic GPS Navigation), it says underneath the Install button "Offers in-app purchases". Unfortunately, I don't see a way to view the in-app purchases unless I download the app.

Is there any way to view an application's In-App Purchases without downloading / installing the application?

# Answer
There currently is no way to view the list of options for in-app purchases in the Google Play store itself. However, Google Play **does** actually know what in-app purchases are available to any given application because all in-app purchases have to be registered in the Google Play Publishers Console before the In App Billing (IAB) platform will function for those items.

https://developer.android.com/google/play/billing/billing\_admin.html

Each in-app product has to be registered in each application for which it applies. The process to set up a single product is quite involved. Google Play does have the information available but they don't, at this time, make the list of items available for purchase to users of the Google Play store. That is up to each application. In addition, making that information generally available to users might lead to upset users. For example, a developer decides to add a new highly-requested feature that they initially decide will be $1.99 but then decide later on to raise that price to $2.99 just before releasing it. Those expecting to get it at $1.99 because they saw it early on might be upset at that change. Also, if a developer utilizes the IAB Products API to synchronize a product list from another tool, it might push products into Google Play that are not actually used in the app itself.
> 2 votes

# Answer
In-App purchases come in a wide range including unlocking features, making donations, adding bonus content and buying specific items but they all fall under the single permission.

I've also seen them broken down as: Permanent enhancements to the app, Expendable updates (i.e. extra lives or tokens), Subscriptions, and Auto-renewing subscriptions

If the type of in-app purchases are not listed in the description of the app or in any reviews for the app I would ask the developer via email. Other than that you would have to download it to find out.
> 1 votes

# Answer
No without the download/use of the application one cannot exactly say what kind of in-App purchases are available in an Application.

One can only guess through the views in an application provided by the play store.

As you can see in one of the screen shots as above you cannot exactly say what all features you need to purchase some applications write about the purchases in the about section such as a demo application which can be purchased through the app.

Also in the recent updates of the play store there's a separate section for the deals such as Top apps /Deals section wherein various app are listed giving details about what kind of discount is available for the particular purchase in an Application (i.e.25 % discount on upgrades etc.).
> 0 votes

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


# Question
Title: Anker Keyboard not working with Samsung 10.1 2014 tablet running 4.4.2
The blue tooth Anker key board used to work with my tablet but started behaving weirdly after I upgraded to Android 4.4.2. It connects and appears to work but once I type "n" it will begin to repeat the letter endlessly aftwards. I would think it was a mechanical problem but it works fine with my phone running Android 5.1. I have seen comments on the web that suggest it is incompatible with android 4.4.2. I tried the External Key helper demo app that people have suggested but that did not help and I have not seen any other suggestions of a work around or a fix. I would upgrade if I could but despite rumours there is a lot of doubt that Samsung will upgrade this tablet ( not impressed with that either). Can anybody help?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I don't know if this will help at all, but I had a problem with the Shift Key not working when I had a USB keyboard plugged into my Android phone and I found a solution. Maybe the solution I found for my problem will fix your problem as well. If not, I do apologize.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 Android phone. I purchased a USB external physical keyboard that can connect with my Windows computers and my Android devices (via micro USB). The keyboard worked fine when I plugged it into my Windows computers. The keyboard worked pretty well Android phone, except for the fact that the Shift Key didn't do anything when I held it down and pressed other keys (to capitalize letters, type symbols found above the number keys, etc.). I tried a lot of stuff to get the Shift Key to work on my USB keyboard when I had it plugged into my phone. I couldn't get the Shift Key to work when I used the stock Google/Android keyboard app, the Samsung Keyboard app, or the SwiftKey Keyboard app. After a lot of trial and error with apps and settings (and a lot of frustration), I FINALLY came across an app that DOES solve the Shift key problem: The "Go Keyboard" app on the Google Play app store.

After I installed this app and set it as the default keyboard app on my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S5), the Shift key worked just fine when I used it while it was plugged into my Android phone (allowing me to capitalize letters and type symbols above the number keys).

I hope this works for you, too!

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, samsung, tablet, external-keyboard
---


title: How do I use an external USB keyboard?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I use an external USB keyboard?
My tablet's running Android 4.0.3, and I'm trying to use an external keyboard with it. My tablet isn't detecting the keyboard, but it works when I plug it into my computer. This keyboard uses a normal USB output to connect, but my tablet uses MicroUSB, so I bought an adapter. How do I get this keyboard to work?

# Answer
If your tablet doesn't provide a USB host port, you'll need an USB OTG adapter to connect your keyboard. There are many cheap USB OTG adapters on eBay and other electronics shops.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I don't know if this will help at all, but I had a problem with the Shift Key not working when I had a USB keyboard plugged into my Android phone and I found a solution. Maybe the solution I found for my problem will fix your problem as well. If not, I do apologize.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 Android phone. I purchased a USB external physical keyboard that can connect with my Windows computers and my Android devices (via micro USB). The keyboard worked fine when I plugged it into my Windows computers. The keyboard worked pretty well Android phone, except for the fact that the Shift Key didn't do anything when I held it down and pressed other keys (to capitalize letters, type symbols found above the number keys, etc.). I tried a lot of stuff to get the Shift Key to work on my USB keyboard when I had it plugged into my phone. I couldn't get the Shift Key to work when I used the stock Google/Android keyboard app, the Samsung Keyboard app, or the SwiftKey Keyboard app. After a lot of trial and error with apps and settings (and a lot of frustration), I FINALLY came across an app that DOES solve the Shift key problem: The "Go Keyboard" app on the Google Play app store.

After I installed this app and set it as the default keyboard app on my Android phone (Samsung Galaxy S5), the Shift key worked just fine when I used it while it was plugged into my Android phone (allowing me to capitalize letters and type symbols above the number keys).

I hope this works for you, too!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: usb, keyboard, usb-peripherals, external-keyboard
---


# Question
Title: Find Android version on S6 - suspect Android 7 because of rounded icons
I recently updated my Samsung S6. As far as I can tell, because I'm now seeing rounded app icons, I'm now using Android 7 with the Samsung Experience UX, based on this post:

www.sammobile.com/2017/03/09/galaxy-s6-edge-running-android-7-0-nougat-pictures/

How can I confirm the Android version without installing a helper app that does this? There's no *settings \> about phone* and I'm not seeing it under *settings \> about device*, or *settings \> developer options*

# Answer
> 0 votes
Found it:

Settings \> about device \> software info

---
Tags: settings, samsung-galaxy-s-6, android-versions
---


title: Samsung s6 how do I find SSID

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung s6 how do I find SSID
How do I find the SSID on my Samsung S6? I don't know what the Android version/variant is or how to find it. I recently updated the phone and the icons now have rounded iOS style borders

Update

I found the Android version is 7.0 under settings \> about device \> software info, and now know that the UX is the 'Samsung Experience'.

# Answer
* Your Android Version : Settings → About Phone → Android Version
* SSID Notify can help you with SSID and other details of connection
* Phone Info Samsung is a versatile app which gives you a ton of info about your device

According to this post from a reputed site *rounded* icons are an OS feature in Android 7
> 1 votes

# Answer
I found this guide which describes how it can be done by using a file manager with root file access:

http://www.theandroidsoul.com/view-wifi-password-android/
> 0 votes

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


# Question
Title: Does it harm if we remove system bloatware in rooted device?
I've rooted my Android 5.0 device and later I removed the system pre-installed apps, does this cause any harm to my device... Please help me out.

# Answer
It depends on what pre-installed apps you have removed. Some could be safely removed with no harm, some might interfere in smooth functioning of your phone, while others would cause serious problem. Here is a list of system apps of a Samsung device, and the author made a detailed analysis on which are safe to remove and which are not. Hope it works as a reference for your device.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 5.0-lollipop
---


# Question
Title: What is device administrator supposed to be set to on a smartphone?
I have an LG smartphone, and I'm curious what my device administrator should be set to. I have two options, one is Android, and the other is the anti-virus program that I'm running. Neither one are check at this time and I'm wondering which one if either should be?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Quoting from the Device Administrator tag wiki

> **What is "Device Administrator"?**
>
> An app can register as "device administrator", which usually requires the users confirmation. As device administrator, the app gains elevated privileges: it can e.g. define password policies (forbid "swipe-to-unlock", set a minimum password strength, etc.), but also wipe your device on remote commands

If you don't give the apps the power, they *may not work as expected*. Apps asking for such powers appear under Device Administrator menu you are seeing

* In your case *Android Device Manager* helps you track your device if it is lost (amongst other things) , so enable device admin permission
* Similarly, enable Anti Virus app too, if you want full functionality

---
Tags: stock-android, permissions, device-administrator
---


# Question
Title: How to customize which camera app is launched when double tapping the power button?
I have a Galaxy S7 Edge with the latest lineage nightly. How to customize which camera app to launch when double pressing the power button? The original one causes issues for me.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Defualt camera app will be opened by double tapping power button. To set the app as default camera

1. Clear deaults of the stock and desired camera app. This can be done in app info.
2. Double tap the power button twice
3. It should pop up a dialog with a list of installed camera apps. Choose your app and click always.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, custom-roms, camera, customization, lineageos
---


title: How to backup large contact photos?

text:
# Question
Title: How to backup large contact photos?
Most modern Android devices allow storing large photos of each contact.

I tried exporting all my contacts, then importing them. All the large photos were lost.

How can you backup the large photos associated with each contact?

# Answer
**Backup and Restore**

Following the app recommendations made in this XDA post How to backup local contacts with their high res pictures ?

I set a hi res `1984 × 1800` picture for contact and backed up using Super backup: SMS and contacts , took a backup , deleted the contact and restored

To my eyes, it appeared to be high resolution as originally set

The other app was not tried as it was pointed out in app review that it didn't work beyond 720 resolution

I tried to locate the storage of these high resolution pictures to manually verify the restored file size but couldn't. Method described in Where does android store contact photos ? didn't work

---

**Edit**

It turns out that my suspicion was well founded !

* As an aside, *contact thumbnails* ( used for notifications, messaging applications ) which are scaled down to `96 by 96` can be scaled up to `256 by 256` by this Xposed module Clarity

**Bottom Line:** Any contact picture irrespective of original resolution will look no better than a `720 by 720` resolution, whether you use an app , Gmail sync or for that matter in any manner
> 3 votes

---
Tags: contacts, backup, import, contact-photo, export
---


# Question
Title: Rooted phone - sending SMS message via command line
I have a rooted Droid (Sholes), with ConnectBot installed. I can `ssh` into it via `dropbear` copied to `/system/xbin`, and/or also the instance of Debian installed on it via the "Linux Installer" application. I'm in portable Linux bliss. But...

I would like to send an SMS message via the shell. Something like

```
 sendsms 8005551234 "This is a text."

```

Anything like this out there?

# Answer
> 9 votes
You should be able to call the messaging intent with

```
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW "sms:numberhere" -e "sms_body" "hello"

```

Using the intent command as described here:

http://learnandroid.blogspot.com/2008/01/run-android-application-from-command.html

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4967448/send-sms-in-android

# Answer
> 2 votes
An alternative approach is to install Termux and Termux-api

Then ssh in the phone by following this link

Now you can send SMS and access many other useful options mainly:

1. Camera
2. Battery Status
3. Clipboard
4. Contacts
5. SMS and Inbox

Full list and syntax can be found here

As it is linux emulator you can use it for many other purposes also.

---
Tags: sms, shell, terminal, command-line
---


# Question
Title: Xiaomi Mi Max lock with screen with picture of phone with usb cable and "pcsuite.mi.com" url, regular reboot, no pcsuite connect
How can i bypass the screen with "pcsuite.mi.com" url and picture of phone with usb cable?

Below is the image of boot lock screen when Mi Max is not connected to PC:
Click to enlarge the image

I was using my phone (Xiaomi Mi Max Dual SIM with 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM) and i got that screen. None of the buttons seams to dismiss the screen. Reboot always go to the same screen (boot loop). Can't use the phone (no calls, alarms, etc).

Below is the screen, when is connected to PC (the cable changes position in the image).

Click to enlarge the image

I download the pcsuite, mi flash and mi unlock on my pc but can't connect to device (even when i run the apps as administrator).

Below is Mi Pc Suite screen:
Click to enlarge the image

Below is the Mi Unlock screen (no device connected):
Click to enlarge the image

ps specs are:

* Dell OptiPlex 7020 CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4590 CPU @ 3.30GHz
* Dell Motherboard 0F5C5X with Intel PCH Q87
* Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)

Have issues with "SM Bus Controller driver" that are now solved. I read in the foruns that Max is not yet supported by pc suite. pcsuite can't connect detect phone, but adb driver installed with success.

Mi Suite and Mi Unlock don't identify the device. Mi Flash detects the device if i boot with volume-down + power (and got a back screen). The flash failed on the initial tries, because the device don't reply to the hello package.

If i boot with power pressed for 8 sec (or more), i got into the phone + pcsuite lock screen and Mi Suite, Flash and Unlock don't detect it.

I try power up with volume up, volume down, volume up+down and no recovery screen (no rabbit or fast boot leters). Still can't use my Mi Max: no calls, no access to apps, nothing :(

The pc suit logs are at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-J9Wa8DpsEzU0RTV3VMR0ZuRGs

Does the Mi Flash util work without the unlock boot? I already got the sms unlock code, can login into my Mi account inside Mi unlock fine.

**New steps**

Reboot the phone using power + volume up + volume down (EDL mode - back screen) Connect to PC, install the Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 driver, Mi Flash detect the device and i could flash the helium\_global\_images\_V8.2.1.0.MBDMIDL (full flash, delete all).

Click to enlarge the image

I use a normal cable (no deep flash cable). I did the flash but **did not** open the case, remove the battery or short the testing points.

Below is the mi max test points photo (from tutorial on web).
Click to enlarge the image

When i reboot the phone (power button for 8 secounds) still get into the same "pcsuite.mi.com" and phone image screen. Mi Pc suite and Mi unlock don't identify my phone in 9008 / EDL mode.

**Last steps**

Phone is working, Can't still unlock. "time is too short" screen below:

Click to enlarge the image

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try booting with both volume up and down pressed, and only then connect to the pc, if the PC recognizes it as Qualcomm 9008 (COM*somenumber*) you are set, open MiFlash and flash the latest ROM
Hope this helps :)

# Answer
> 0 votes
First of all connect it to PC via adb and backup your required data. Follow this answer for it

Try this command `adb reboot bootloader` or `adb reboot recovery` If any of the command works then you can flash stock image directly from bootloader using fastboot or from recovery.

adb and fastboot commands for xiomi

If above mentioned method does not work then try this

As you have got unlock code, you can unlock bootloader now. (Typically after 1 week of requesting you can successfully do it).I guess you would be able to do it now so follow this method now.

After unlocking you can do either one of the following tasks

1. Flash a custom recovery (prefer TWRP) and then custom ROM
2. Download stock image for the device and flash it link

---
Tags: lock-screens, boot-loop, reboot, xiaomi
---


title: How to save a file using GNU Nano?

text:
# Question
Title: How to save a file using GNU Nano?
I use Termux and GNU nano to edit program text but I don't know how to save it from Nano. Normally in Nano I press shift + O but with Android (I use Samsung S8) the ctrl + O instead prints the char O.

How should I save and exit Nano?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can exit by using (ctrl + o) not (shift + o)

Tip. In termux use vim instead. not because of "text editor wars" but it is painful to send ctrl and shift keys even with modified keyboards similar to hacker's keyboard

---
Tags: applications, samsung-galaxy-s-8
---


# Question
Title: High resolution contact pictures in Marshmallow - what is their size and where are they stored
Trying to answer this question How to backup large contact photos?, I wanted to compare the picture size after restore

I do see a database for contacts , as mentioned in Narayanan's answer here \- location hasn't changed from Gingerbread days !

`/data/data/com.Android.providers/contacta/databases/contracts.db`

**How do I see the picture and it's size ??**

I gather one has to SQLlite viewer but Apps from play store didn't help and I am new to SQL stuff. It would be nice if I can get a way of doing this (preferably without using PC but if that's inevitable , it's fine )

**Edit:**

* Android version 6.0, Rooted
* When I see `/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/files/photos/` they pertain to WhatsApp photos not contact pictures

# Answer
Assume you're using an AOSP ROM, you just missed the correct answer:

```
/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/files/photos

```

Whatever the original size of the image is, it will be resized to 720\*720 and shrinked to less than 64 KiB.

To verify this by yourself, get these commands executed in a root shell. ~~You need BusyBox or Termux for `find` and `xargs`~~ Android M introduced ToyBox which has `find` and `xargs` built in.

```
# cd /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts
# ## Add a picture of your choice to a contact
# find -type f | xargs ls -t

```

See the output. `find -type f` outputs every single file found under current working directory, and `xargs` use piped stdin as arguments to `ls -t`, which lists and sorts all files from the command line by last modification time. You will see that the top 3 files are

```
./databases/contacts2.db
./databases/contacts2.db-journal
./files/photo/3 (num. varies dpd. on your env.)

```

The answer is clear as seen above.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: sqlite, contact-photo
---


# Question
Title: Installing android firmware from default recovery mode via sd card
I have an extra phone i.e samsung sgh i997 at home. A while back i installed **clockwork recovery** and installed cynogenmod rom on it. Then somehow out of stupidity or accident it went back into the recovery mode and everything on the phone was wiped. It even deleted clockwork recovery and i guess that even the factory firmware isn't there anymore.

Now everytime i turn on the phone, it automatically goes to the default recovery mode with 4 options

* reboot system now
* apply update from sd card
* wipe data factory reset
* wipe cache partition

I have tried switching it to **download mode** and connecting it with my laptop but the drivers are not recognized. I also tried installing kies, which i thought would help with the driver issue but it didn't. I guess there isn't any firmware inside that the driver would connect to.

Now the only way left to somehow copy something to the phone is via sd card. I tried copying several different android firmwares and mods to the sd card, but i think the default recovery mode doesn't use the external sd card but the phone's internal sd storage, which i why everybody is using clockwork recovery instead of default.

I am really tired searching for any solution to this issue, if anyone out there has done something similar or can somehow show me how to go into the shell i might be able to find my way. Thanks in advance.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you can connect it through adb then install modified 3e recovery from this post.

After it you can also install cwm

But if you are unable to connect via adb then download stock signed zip of stock rom and place it in your sd card the try update from sd card.

Edit: you can try placing cwm update.zip in sd card and update from sd card. I know this can look weird but in some old Samsung mobiles I have done it because they did not check signature of zip while flashing.

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, rom-flashing, recovery-mode, clockworkmod-recovery
---


# Question
Title: Is extreme battery saving possible on Android?
What is the most extreme battery saver method out there? I don't need anything (location, data, nothing) except phone calls when my screen is off. I know of greenify but even that's not good enough

I basically want to turn my android phone into a Nokia 3310 as soon as the screen turns off?

This is not just a question about app suggestion. I'm wondering if it's even possible on android. Google play services would probably not allow this sort of thing.

PS: I have a OnePlus 3 running Nougat.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you're rooted and using greenify then there's this option of aggressive doze. Once try it and if not greenify then use kernel Adiutor to tweak your processor as per your need.

---
Tags: root-access, battery, greenify
---


# Question
Title: How do you find the detailed app data usage in android7.0
Before I was able to go into data and on the list of apps pick one and get a chart comparing the global use and the apps use:

Has this detail view disappeared in Android 7.0?

# Answer
> 0 votes
No. You can try wiping your cache partition as suggested here:

* Turn off your device
* Press a combination of `Vol +`  \+ `Vol -` \+ `Power key` buttons and hold them down.
* Release only the `Power` button when the device vibrates
* Release the other buttons when the **Recovery Menu** screen appears
* Using the `Vol +`/`Vol -` buttons to navigate, select **Wipe cache partition**
* Press the `Power key` , which will act the enter key on your keyboard.
* Wait for the process to finish.
* You can then reboot the device and see if your problems are fixed

---
Tags: mobile-data, data-monitoring
---


# Question
Title: How can I get a longer Samsung USB data cable for Galaxy S4?
I have tried several alternate and extension USB cables and none of them provide a data connection. They were all new cables that worked just fine with standard external USB drives. Only the originally provided Samsung OEM white cable provides a data connection.

I have no interest in charging.

It would appear that there is something Samsung-specific in the physical design of this cable that allows the device to sense this and refuse to start a data connection.

Is there any way to obtain a longer cable with this same characteristic. Either an entirely separate cable or an extension cable. Obviously this is for the purpose of connecting my phone via a longer USB cable and being able to transfer files.

**Please do not respond with any speculation.** I am only interested in answers that propose solutions that **specifically handle this Samsung-specific "feature"**.

I don't consider Amazon(or similar) shop listings that just happen to list the model name in the description as being even slightly trustworthy (based on experience buying a few!). Lots of sellers just spam the listing with every common model name.

My phone's specs are

* model = GT-I9505
* OS = 5.0.1

Also please note that I am not using a separate charger. The phone is always plugged into the same USB port of a Win10 desktop PC. It seems to charge fine but i honestly don't pay it much attention to exactly how fast it charges.

Thanks!

update

Based on clues provided by @beeshyams. the S4 cables are modified to provide higher charge to maximize efficient charging. Lack of support for this feature in a cable may cause the S4 to refuse a data connection. note that the S4 still charges with the "inferior" cable it just charges more slowly.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Based on my understanding of the multiple posts on Internet dealing with charging of S4 :

* The Charging adapter has it's D+ and D- pins shorted with resistors across them. This is done to ensure that higher current does not flow , reducing chances of damages to the device (see Fizz's answer on electrical.SE and this XDA post
* This is NOT non standard but less frequently implemented (Apple legacy continued with few Android OEM's )
* This affects (or should ) *charging only*
* USB cables should not have anything to do with data transfer when connected to a PC . The only reasons I can think why this is happening are :

1. Non OEM cables purchased may be poor in shielding - XDA post linked above mentions this , though on context of charging ( I am not entirely sure how much it could affect )
    2. They happen to be all Power only no data aka USB condom cables

Both possibilities are debatable

To eliminate the possibility of shielding affecting , suggest you to consider the cables mentioned in my answer here . They are very sturdy and 2M long and give excellent charging performance too ( I am not canvassing for them - totally satisfied customer )

3. USB cables of Samsung are also modified in some way , and this prevents other USB cables from transferring data - this is more likely but haven't come across any solid evidence to support and will update if I do find something

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


# Question
Title: is it required to do unlocking of bootloader before installing and upgraded rom for sm-g550t galaxy on5 and then reroot
i want to know,in order to upgrade from my rooted Samsung ON 5 SM G550T, to Nougate 7.00, will i have to re-root the phone process again. Currently my phone is rooted but i think my boot loader is locked, which will require me to unlock my boot loader; in order to do a upgrade to Nougate,if i understand? If the boot loader is locked how do i check? to see if its locked. On a previous occasion i tried to flash xposed program (rom) and got a binary 1 error is this related to a locked boot loader, or diff issue. If so how do fix a binary 1-2 error message.

# Answer
> 0 votes
As Samsung hasn't updated your device to android 7.0 so in order to upgrade your android version you have to unlock bootloader then flash a custom recovery.

Then you can flash any 7.0 custom rom.

---
Tags: rooting, rom-flashing, bootloader, bootloader-lock
---


# Question
Title: Installing system update bricked an unrooted LG K7
I have an unrooted LG K7 metroPCS phone running Android 5.1.1. Earlier today a notification popped up that a system update with security patches was available. I clicked "Download and Install", and the usual "Installing System Update" animation displayed for a few minutes, after which the phone restarted.

But on restart the phone gets stuck at the splash screen, and will not get past it. I know I can do a hard factory reset and start all over but I'd really prefer not to. Any suggestions on

* Why this happened?
* What I can do about it?

For what it's worth, I use a Mac, so any suggestions that require using a PC to access root functionality are probably non-starters.

**Edited:** It's worse than I thought. I got impatient and decided to do a hard factory reset anyway, but after that it is *still* getting stuck on the splash screen. Help!

**Edit 2:** And when I say "stuck at the splash screen", I mean *stuck*. I have to remove the battery just to turn it off.

# Answer
I have solved my own problem, so am posting the resolution here for the benefit of future searchers who might be encountering the same or similar situation.

Most online guides to un-bricking a phone are written with the assumption that the phone in question is rooted, and the recommended solutions all proceed from that assumption. My phone was *not* rooted, and most of the suggestions -- putting the phone into download mode, flashing a new ROM, etc. -- were beyond my skill-set (basically a complete novice).

However, one online guide (specifically, this one) included a piece of information that I didn't find elsewhere: namely,

> Unbrick using LG Bridge (Mac & Windows)
>
> (If there is no KDZ available for your model or LG UP failed, try this)
>
> (Official way to unbrick. If it fails, blame LG)
>
> * Download LG Bridge from here.
> * Install LG Bridge
> * Open LG Bridge
> * Connect device to computer and let LG Bridge install drivers
> * Go to the Software update tab
> * Click "Update error recovery" on bottom right
> * LG Bridge will download and flash the KDZ for you.

This turned out to be exactly what I needed.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: updates, unbricking
---


# Question
Title: Can I connect android through headphone jack to car stereo's USB?
Basically I want to be able to stream music (Youtube / Spotify) from my smartphone to my car stereo. Android outputs audio from its headphones female jack and my car stereo has a female USB port. Could I use something like this http://www.ebay.ie/itm/USB-2-0-to-3-5mm-Jack-Audio-Aux-Plug-Cord-Headphone-Earphone-Cable-male-To-male-/302373272893?hash=item4666d9fd3d:g:BFYAAOSwxH1UKaBm to connect both?

# Answer
Most likely not, but it depends on the technical details of the components in question. Most importantly, **Is the adapter simply a passthrough wiring change? Or is it an active device that actually requires a USB host?**

---

## If it's a passthrough wiring change:

* Does the car stereo accept analog audio from the USB jack?
    + It *might*, by internally disconnecting the USB hardware and connecting some line-input hardware instead. Or it might not.

---

## If it's an active device:

This is most likely the case because the description on eBay says it goes in a PC's USB jack, which I *know* is USB-only.

It probably announces itself as a USB soundcard, providing "speaker" and "microphone" capabilities to the PC. In that case, there are two relevant questions:

1. Does the adapter have a "straight" pinout, or is it a "crossover"?

* A straight pinout would be designed to plug into something that expects a phone on the other end, not into a phone itself.
    * A crossover would be designed to plug into a phone directly, but with the odd arrangement of a stereo mic/line-in and a mono speaker that is very quiet. (basically a mirror-image of the phone's specs)
2. Does the car stereo even accept a USB soundcard?

* Again, it *might*, but it may only accept a flash drive with audio files on it.

Technically, it might be possible to make a device that announces itself as a flash drive with one file on it and delivers a live stream as that file's "contents", in which case it might work with a flash-drive-only type of player. But somehow that seems unlikely to me.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: usb, audio, music
---


# Question
Title: Low-Level: How to copy appdata from android 4 kitkat to android 6 marshmellow
I have android backups from my old (now dead) kitkat phone. Trying to restore the appdata of two different apps from a backup I cannot run the app with the old database. I copy the files to /data/data/TLD.SOMETHING.APPDIRECORY, but when I open the app it crashes immediately.

At least one of the apps is the exact same version as before, as it has not been updated for years. The access rights for the files are correct (user and group and -rw-------). If I generate appdata on android 6 by renaming the old data and starting the app, the app does not crash and the newly generated files have the same access rights as the ones that I restored.

So the only reason I can think of is the format of the database. I think most likely the db format changed between android 4 and 6 and apps do only use an interface to the OS, which handles the actual db-access for the app. "The OS" might be an OS-bundles SQLite provider or something else. Is my assumption correct? What is the difference and how can I convert?

thank you!

# Answer
GiantTree got this thing working. With his comment I found https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?s=08f8d78aabe88fb570ec1e59a37e71a8&p=67319237&postcount=3

Which does the trick. So you need to fix user, group, Unix rights and SELinux Security Context. Thanks for this quick reply!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, 6.0-marshmallow, 4.4-kitkat, restore
---


# Question
Title: Restore whatsapp messages from one number to another
1. Current whatsapp is linked to a non-existent number.
2. I want to create a new whatsapp account for my new existing number
3. I **do not** want to migrate my old whatsapp account to the new number.
4. If I were to move the crypto backup files of the current whatsapp, will I be able to restore it on the new account?

**Note** \- Non existent whatsapp number is currently installed on a Moto G2, un-rooted, stock. New number is on a Nexus 5X, rooted.

---

Whatsapp FAQ page states the following:

> **Restoring or transferring a backup**
>
> WhatsApp will ask you to restore your chats and media from a backup when you verify your number. Simply tap "Restore" when prompted to do so. If WhatsApp does not detect a backup, it could be that:
>
> 1. You are not logged into the same Google account. **2. You are not using the same phone number that was used to create the backup.**
> 2. Your SD card and/or chat history is corrupted.
> 3. A backup file does not exist on the Google Drive account or locally on the phone.

The FAQ tends to imply that it might not be possible. I'm not sure if a google drive might do the needful. Has anyone had a swing with this?

Also, rooting the G2 might not be helpful as I'll need to unlock the bootloader first - which will wipe out the internal memory anyway!

# Answer
As WhatsApp by default does not allow to transfer from a phone number to another, there's no way without root. Root would allow you to copy the encryption key and the conversation files located at `/data/data/com.whatsapp` folder to the target device.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can change your number in your first device i.e. Moto G2 by follwing this link.

After successfully doing it make a backup locally and also on google drive then install whatsapp on new device and log in with new number. You should be able to restore chat from google drive.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: whatsapp-messenger
---


# Question
Title: Why does Android boot so relatively slow?
This question is of concern to me (and perhaps many out there) because there is no spinning part in my phone.

My phone has a quad core, 3 GB of RAM, and so much storage space, all SSD-like in nature, with amazing read/write speeds.

With all this, Android (both Android 4.4 (KitKat) and Android 5.0 (Lollipop)) takes some 80 seconds to boot to completion. It takes way less on Ubuntu using *systemd* or *Upstart*. (Some users report less than 10 seconds booting time using Ubuntu with *systemd* and some 20 seconds when using Upstart, with specifications like Intel Core i5 and RAM of 8 GB.)

So, what makes Android boot so slow? And is there anything as a user, I can do to speed up the booting process?

According to the booting process explained (*What is the boot process of an Android device?*), there doesn't seem to be much differences in the overall booting process compared to a conventional OS like Ubuntu. Where does Android go wrong in the process?

# Answer
Few years back, I worked on Android boot time optimization, as a Android developer. Obviously, as part of this work, we first needed to analyse where Android spends time during booting.

Below is the brief findings:

**Hardware used** : `OMAP3430 Board` which is like development board on which Stock Android is flashed. On actual commercial/production device, there will be additional specific hardware. To visualize the boot time, we used a developer tool called `bootchart`

The most time spend by Android is in following 2 areas:

1. **Zygote process**. When android OS is started it will start Zygote process, it preloads classes to create a shared memory area for applications. This work of proloading of java classes takes **@23 secs** for its completion.

Why? Because The zygote class preloading is essential for good performance of the system after boot. So once classes are loaded of all apps, then run-time of app is much faster.

2. **Package manager service.** In logcat output, we can see that Package manager scans 4 directories. `/system/app`, `/system/framework`, `/data/app`, `/data/app-private`.

Next, there is a component called Activity Manager which start differents services such as Location service, Telephony service etc. And it takes nearly **11-12 sec** to finish this.

Why? Because, The package scan can in theory do some caching of its results after first boot and may check for security vulnerabilities.

If you add up these 2 times, it is about **35 Seconds**

You may ignore these numbers in Today's day and age, but the point these number indicate is where Android AOSP code spends time during boot. OEMs have their own set of hardware which varies device to device.

Of course, there are other hardware and software initializations that Android needs to do after these 2 time consuming steps, which can stretch boot time further.

> And is there anything as a user, I can do to speed up the booting process?

Not much I guess. The Android developer community and OEMs are still working on expediting the boot time but as you may imagine, it is not all that easy and making changes to optimize boot time may end up causing more app load time during normal operations, as hinted by Android framework engineer.
> 10 votes

# Answer
# Android boot is slow?

> My phone has a Quad Core, 3 Gig of RAM ... Android (Both KitKat and Lollipop) takes some 80 seconds to boot to completion.

My phone is only dual core with 1G RAM (Zenfone 4) and I never have that problem. Cold boot in ~60 seconds, reboot in 40-ish (CyannogenMod 12.1).

> some users report less than 10 seconds booting time using Ubuntu with systemd and some 20 seconds ...

It depends on the config and what you considered *"boot time"*. My laptop (i5 1st Gen, 4 GB RAM with spinning disk) is considered usable (finished booting) after about 90 seconds. Sure I can delay/disable some of the services to get faster boot time and start them manually as needed. But in my point of view, based on my preference, that won't count as *usable*.

# On PC vs Mobile

There's **some** differences you should consider when comparing between pc and mobile linux. from CPU down to the kernel. Most notable differences:

* Due to the nature of the device, mobile CPU **mostly** designed with power conservation as main consideration. This greatly affect performance.
* Android kernel have some mobile-specific features which *may* affect boot time and hardware i/o access.
* Furthermore, Android kernel known to have compatibility problems with mainline/stable. This is mostly due to vendor's preference to stick with old kernel version that compatible with their device drivers. AOSP Marshmallow runs `3.18.10` while stable kernel is currently at `4.6.2`.

# So, what makes Android boot so slow?

Why don't we check? :)

If you have access to adb and already enable Developer Options, check the boot log using

```
adb logcat -d -b events -v threadtime | grep "boot"

```

on my device, this is the output:

```
bambang@pamungkas ~ % adb logcat -d -b events -v threadtime | grep "boot"
06-08 04:35:01.417   193   193 I boot_progress_start: 9906
06-08 04:35:03.718   193   193 I boot_progress_preload_start: 12208
06-08 04:35:07.838   193   193 I boot_progress_preload_end: 16328
06-08 04:35:08.158   513   513 I boot_progress_system_run: 16647
06-08 04:35:09.880   513   513 I boot_progress_pms_start: 18370
06-08 04:35:10.204   513   513 I boot_progress_pms_system_scan_start: 18693
06-08 04:35:24.487   513   513 I boot_progress_pms_data_scan_start: 32977
06-08 04:35:28.552   513   513 I boot_progress_pms_scan_end: 37042
06-08 04:35:28.696   513   513 I boot_progress_pms_ready: 37186
06-08 04:35:33.088   513   513 I boot_progress_ams_ready: 41578
06-08 04:35:40.755   513   533 I boot_progress_enable_screen: 49244

```

As you can see, total boot time **from VM start until initial screen drawing by window manager** is ~40 seconds. Additional time on firmware & kernel space (on your linked asnwer, this translate to step 1-4) isn't included.

Notice that it takes ~18 secs to process the entire system's **apk** (`boot_progress_pms_*`), this translate to ~45% of boot time, which includes:

* cleaning inexistent system packages and incomplete installation of packages,
* validating installed apps,
* setting library path,
* etc (see: complete source code of PackageManagerService)

So generally, the total boot time is dependent with the number of packages (app) installed on the device. More app means longer wait during pms process. Additionally, starting activities takes ~5 sec / 20% of boot time. The rest is neither significant nor safely modifiable without deep knowlegde of system behaviors.

# Is there anything I can do to speed up the booting process?

* Try other ROM. Sony is one of the *"good guys"* who provide healthy environment for tweakers. I recommend AOSP or Cyanogen. Just be aware of the limitations
* Test, don't assume! It's easy to make assumption that *A* boot slow, *B* is faster. A simple logcat command like above would reveal some useful infos for basic boot time benchmarking between ROMs.
* **If you know what you're doing**, Embedded Linux Wiki have a list of possible tweaks to improve boot time.

# On improving boot time

> On your comment
>
> ART was designed to make running apps faster. Who's working on one to make booting faster **out of the box**?

In my opinion, tweaking boot time is both unnecesarry and provide insignificant gain. Since your phone will, *theoretically*, stay up most of the time; it's far more important to maintain the system stability (with the tradeoff of longer boot process) to ensure higher uptime and less error.
> 4 votes

# Answer
For what it's worth, I run Android-x86 in a Virtual Machine under Linux and it boots in about 22 seconds, which is on par with most GNU/Linux distributions and Windows 10 on an SSD drive with a quad-core desktop CPU.

So I don't consider the Android boot time to be particularly slow.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.4-kitkat, boot, 5.1-lollipop
---


# Question
Title: Notifications barely appearing (Nexus 6P)
I have been having this problem in which some apps (examples would be Business Calendar 2 and Telegram) don't show notification properly. The do appear, but only for a split second and then immidiately disappear, without even making a sound. It's a problem with these apps because the way I use them notifications are pretty important to me.

I've been reading a bit and managed to figure out that it might be either an issue with the android version (which I don't believe it is, since it's the latest version and I haven't heard the same problem from any of my friends), or a specific app that prevents other apps from showing notifications. Is there any known app that does that? Or is there another possible cause for the symptoms?

Any ideas for a fix would be great, thanks

# Answer
> 0 votes
I figured up the "problem" - Clean Master had the notification cleaner turned on. I just had to turn it off, and everything is back to normal now.

---
Tags: notifications, notification-bar, push-notifications
---


# Question
Title: Short, less than 160 character SMS being split
I'm receiving SMS messages that are being split into multiple messages. These messages are well below the 160 character limit. For example, I checked three at random that were split and they only had 82, 91, and 79 characters.

The messages aren't split after the same number of characters.

I'm see this problem with a sender who has an iPhone 6 on sprint, and I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 on MetroPCS (T-mobile). I've tried different SMS apps on my phone.

What might the problem be?

# Answer
> 1 votes
One possibility is that "characters" is not what you think. SMS was originally designed for single-byte languages, so in languages that use non-Latin characters, one "character" in that language counts as 2 or 4 characters in the SMS message. The problem is particularly noticeable in Chinese. Emoji also count as multiple characters for this purpose.

If your correspondent is writing in Chinese or other non-Latin languages, or makes heavy use of emoji, they won't be able to write 160 characters.

---
Tags: sms, t-mobile, sprint
---


title: Android won't factory reset

text:
# Question
Title: Android won't factory reset
I've been having trouble with my phone lately so I decided to back up my data and factory reset, but every time I want to do it the "reset phone" button does not work, I can't even press it. I have also tried to hard reset but when I get to the screen where I choose factory reset (the screen where there is a android guy saying "no commands"), there are no commands to choose so that is also a negative for resetting.

# Answer
don't worry. Do just what I say:

1. Turn off you Motorola Moto G 2nd Gen(I mean moto G2).
2. Afterwards press and hold the `Volume Up` and `Volume Down` for about 2-3 seconds.
3. While still holding these keys press the `Power` button for a short while and release all buttons.
4. Then select option Recovery by using to navigate `Volume Down`, and to confirm Volume Up.
5. In the next step hold down the `Volume Up` for a few seconds when an Android logo appears on the screen.
6. While holding the `Power` button, press and release the `Volume Up` key.
7. Press `Volume Down` to choose "wipe data/factory reset", and then push the `Power` button to confirm.
8. Select "Yes--delete all user data". Use `Volume Down` button to scroll and `Power` button to select.
9. To restart the phone, select "reboot system now".
> Success! The hard reset is done!

> Source : All credits go to hardreset.info
> 2 votes

# Answer
> but when i get to the screen where i choose factory reset (the screen where there is a android guy saying ''no commands''), there are no commands to choose so that is also a negative for reseting, thanks in advance...

This 'no commands' screen is actually part of the process. When you get this screen, continue with step 6. as explained earlier.

> 6. While holding down the Power key, press and release the Volume Up key, then release Power'

I also got the 'no commands' screen but after checking this motorola support page I found roughly the same steps as described earlier and it worked!

Good luck!!
> 0 votes

# Answer
Try installing TWRP, or just unlocking the device. when you unlock the device the device will factory reset and if you want you could install TWRP. to unlock your device, open "Developer Options/Settings" in the settings app and click "Allow OEM Unlock\[ing\]". Then enter fastboot and on your computer write:

```
fastboot oem unlock [Unlock Key From Motorola's Website]

```
> 0 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset, 6.0-marshmallow, fastboot, motorola-moto-g2
---


# Question
Title: Can I really tell where the tower is that I'm connected to?
I've been having some difficulty keeping a reliable connection at my house, so I installed the OpenSignal app to see what might be going on. According to its map, I live in a "hole" between several different towers.

However, the pointer on its home screen doesn't seem to make any sense. It's supposed to tell me where the tower is that I'm connected to, but it seems to rotate faster than necessary to account for me rotating the phone (unlike a compass needle), and it seems to be fascinated with my home stereo speakers when I bring it close to them. (like a compass needle pointing to the speakers' magnet)

So is this a legitimate radio problem? Or is somebody's software getting confused?

---

I've gotten a lot of feedback about OpenSignal being worthless, but it was only meant to be a diagnostic tool for the problem of getting a more reliable connection. The reason to know where the towers are, and specifically the one I'm connected to, is to somewhat intelligently play with placement. (I'm mostly using the data connection for a WiFi hotspot, so an awkward location isn't all that bad.) If there's a better app or methodology, I'm all ears.

# Answer
From app blogs Methodology explains how they collect data

* Crowd Sourcing (already pointed in comments)
* Monitoring users who installed app continuously

So, the accuracy pretty much depends on how many people use the app with GPS *on*

* Data Analytics

Also see Cell towers/wifi routers not located correctly which is dated but relevant

This app was recently launched in India and I noticed this

1. Cell towers are very well mapped of a provider, though, in my area tower density is low ( likely because provider made it open source as a part of publicity )
2. Cell towers are not well mapped, for another provider, though the tower density is much higher

Not a very dependable app , IMO
> 3 votes

# Answer
The solution to your issue would be to "fill in" the data. Crowdsourced maps require lots of data points to build a representation of the real world and you sitting in your house is really a single data point (possibly two if you alternate between cells).

Personally I recommend "CellMapper" over OpenSignal but either should work.

Methodology:

1. Open Recording App
2. Wait for good GPS lock
3. Move around the area where your cell (or sector thereof) is located/focused

Most high sites have 3x sectors (think pizza slices) so by recording points in each you triangulate the point in the middle where the site is or should be. More data, more accuracy. Below is an example of poor data (probably wrong) and an example of good data (probably close).

Note: Once the preliminary collection is done you can manually locate the cell (they can often be seen from the street) and then fine tune the sites position.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: mobile-data, cellular-radio
---